Hospitality Brand
News Updates From Around the Web Courtesy of HospitalityBrand.comLegal
This blog does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employers or clients. It is solely my opinion or that of the sources cited.
Hotels Turn to Lifestyle Advertising Agencies To Market to Young, Hip Guests
Renaissance Hotels and Revel, a new resort and casino in Atlantic City, are running lifestyle campaigns intended to attract young, hip guests. To develop these campaigns, the hotels have turned to agencies that specialize in lifestyle advertising.
LobbyFriend App Keeps You Informed During Your Hotel Stay
LobbyFriend emerged out of a genuine desire for more interaction among guests, hotel staff members, and hotels themselves. LobbyFriend can be downloaded as an app onto your smartphone, or simply opened on a mobile web browser. You then create a profile, similar to Facebook, with a photo, a description of yourself, and basic info like employer, job position, degree and gender. But you can only log onto LobbyFriend once you’ve checked into a participating hotel. And once you’ve checked out, your session is immediately wiped out. Right after handing you the room key, the participating hotel will also hand you a postcard with a special PIN on it. Guests use that pin to “enter” the virtual lobby of that particular hotel. Once inside, you can scroll through the hotel’s “news feed.” This is a stream of guests chatting with each other, requesting local advice, and being notified of special events or promotions going on at the hotel.
The Hotel Brussels Announces Mobile Phone Check-in/Key
Guests checking into The Hotel Brussels in Belgium will be able to skip the front desk and open their hotel room simply with any mobile phone. The 424-room luxury hotel will be the first in its industry to adopt the Mobile Key by OpenWays.
Accor Launches Planet21 - Chain-wide Sustainable Development Program
With 40,000 new rooms created every year, Accor intends to combine development with growth that respects the environment and local communities, by involving all its hotels and customers in a new sustainable development program - PLANET 21.
Accor is today taking sustainable development to new heights, with the launch of PLANET 21. The name is a direct reference to Agenda 21, the environmental action plan signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and reminds us of the urgent concern that face our planet in the 21st century and the need to change our methods of production and consumption patterns to preserve human beings and eco-systems. With PLANET 21, Accor is making 21 commitments and the same number of quantified goals for the year 2015, including: employees trained in disease prevention in 95% of hotels; 80% of properties promoting balanced meals ; 85% of hotels using eco-labelled products; a 15% reduction in water consumption; and 10% decrease in energy use at Accor’s owned and leased hotels worldwide.
Shangri-La’s New Brand: Kerry Hotels
When Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai, opened in February 2011, it marked the debut of a completely new brand for Hong Kong-based Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd.
Designed to appeal to travelers who want a relaxed luxury experience without compromising on service or quality, the Kerry brand is looking to be a pioneer in a number of areas. Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai, for example, boasts a three-pronged approach to F&B with The Cook, offering 11 live show kitchens; The Meet, a contemporary steakhouse with its own meat-aging room; and The Brew, which brews six signature beers and a hard cider on-site. The 31-story, 574-key hotel also offers Kerry Sports, a massive recreation destination spanning three floors with a 24-hour gym, basketball court, jogging track and dedicated children’s “Adventure Zone.”
Snoozebox offers transportable and temporary hotel rooms made out of shipping containers, which can be constructed or taken down in just three days, stacked in tight spaces, and are ideal for events and festivals. Available in flexible configurations from 40 to 400 rooms, they are self-contained with no need for flat terrain or to be a near a gas/electricity source as Snoozebox provides power, water and waste extraction.
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IHG launches Hualuxe, new brand in China
IHG, Denham, U.K., announced on Sunday that it has signed 20 letters of intent to manage hotels for its new brand for the Chinese market, Hualuxe. In its press release announcing the brand, IHG highlighted four priorities for the brand with tradition, reflected in F&B offerings; rejuvenation, reflected in the natural surroundings in the public areas and resort-inspired bathrooms; status, reflected in the quality of service; and familiar spaces, reflected in the brand’s facilities for social interactions and business meetings.
“On projected ADR, without a hotel open it is too early to say and it will vary by city but the RevPAR should be between Crowne Plaza and InterContinental. Also, we anticipate over 50% of revenues will come from F&B, so the total revenue and total return is the focus of the brand,” said Richard Solomons, IHG CEO. “Hualuxe is for the busy leaders in business and government that are driving China’s economic resurgence; whose working lives in China’s thriving cities are often stressed. They have intense business schedules, long hours and high expectations to achieve in life. They need a hotel to feel comfortable and familiar but to reflect their status and understand their true needs.”
Sheraton launches Color Your Plate dining
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts announced on Tuesday its new approach to nutrition with Color Your Plate by Sheraton Fitness, a dining program that makes it easy for travelers to eat healthy on the road. The new menu feature items that are 500 calories or less and act as an extension of Sheraton Fitness programmed by Core Performance.
The Color Your Plate initiative incorporates Core Performance’s Nutrition Color Code to educate guests about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. All menu items feature colorful, key nutrients from fruits and vegetables to ensure all meals represent the perfect dietary balance.
The new menus are available at restaurants and in-room dining. Options could include skirt steak chimichurri, shrimp tacos, Portobello burger and all-natural roasted turkey BLT with lemon mustard aioli.
