NEW LIFESTYLE BRANDS.....DO THEY SNUB THEIR SISTERS?

NEW PRODUCTS LAUNCHED IN THE LIFESTYLE GENRE.

Are these new products not just an excuse to have another outlet in the same block as their sister hotel? Are their sister hotel brands truly without style or life? Do they truly want to steal all their market share?

I recognise that some of the brands may have smarted a bit when non-hoteliers entered the market and knocked the ball out of the field. I recognise that many of us thought it was more important to take away the plate from the right, serve from the left and ensure clean fingernails I recognise that some of the brands centralised their design, their finishes, their service standards and that dreaded "where can I direct your call?". It all seemed so natural to assume that none of their employees had any style or originality.

Enter from 'right stage'....... the boutiques with their one-offs, their titilating touches, their recognition of all the senses, their empowered employees. Enter the show business crowd with their actors, directors, costumiers and amusement focus. Creative delegators, leaders who inspired their troops to entertain, create and have fun.

Enter from 'left stage' our guests who never noticed we took plates from the right, served from the left or who could not wait for us to finish the telephone greeting. They were also dressed in black, like the right stage crowd, animated, fun-loving business men and women either on business or not.

The origin of this standardisation excercise goes back in my opinion to the late 40s and 50s when automobile traffic and airlines started to move the millions of 'war-deprived' families far and wide. They had not travelled much and were looking for familiar and consistent surroundings. The Holiday Inn and Hilton chains were born and expanded. Consistency and standardisation was appreciated. Other brands followed and there was little between them.

When these same travellers looked for more variety, these same brands changed their 'hamburgers' for 'couscous' and 'Continental menus' and there was momentary satisfaction. Then this more educated traveller started to get more adventurous and started to look for authenticity and a more genuine foreign experience. There will still be those that think they get Paris or Italy in Las Vegas but the true world travellers will still seek the genuine article.

There was a time when the hotel chain leaders would encourage ingenuity provided by local management. They were times when creativity could be expressed in the local language and culture. I remember fondly the days when we, as managers of Hyatt International Hotels were encouraged to encorporate the "Touches of Hyatt" into our operations. This provided the colour and the character to the hotel experience and allowed local artists and farmers to see their products proudly displayed or used in innovative ways as part of a local 5 Star experience.

However, the time has not come to relegate all of the fun to the 'boutique' brands. This industry is an entertainment industry with a full and unlimited license to create fun, life and style through and with our employees so that the full benefit of a visit to a neighbourhood is appreciated to its fullest by all our visitors.

For another (perhaps more rational) approach to this subject, click on, http://hotellaw.jmbm.com/2007/04/hotel_lawyer_the_new_lifestyle.html

Here are some of the words used in another totally unrelated announcement of a new lifestyle brand.......

"set to revolutionise the modern hotel ethos by providing guests with a more sensuous, flirtatious and personable experience seasoned with an enhanced WOW factor! "......"Each hotel will be unique with its own signature scent, music and atmosphere; yet will be harmonious with our brand name. XX Hotel will symbolise the future of the modern hotel experience, an experience that heightens the senses and allows our guests to lose themselves and feel right at home".

OK.....sounds good to me. But would my wife be comfortable with my choice of this brand for my next business trip? I'll let you know later, if I survive the suggestion.

For more on how your hotel can enhance its life and style, contact [email protected]