Tag Archives: hotel

Invisible Mirrorcube eco-hotel room available for purchase

Situated in the forest area around Harads, Sweden, Treehotel has now implemented five of the 24 rooms it has planned for the area. Among those are “The Blue Cone,” “The UFO” and “The Bird’s Nest,” all suspended four to six meters above the ground and designed in eco-minded fashion by some of Scandinavia’s leading architects.

Designed to blend into its surroundings so as not to ruin the view, the Mirrorcube is an addition to this collection, featuring mirrored walls that reflect their surroundings and yet are safe for passing birds thanks to a layer of infrared film. Featuring six windows and a panoramic view, the Mirrorcube accommodates two people with a double bed, bathroom, lounge, and rooftop terrace.

Perhaps most interestingly of all, the Mirrorcube is now for sale, with a delivery time of roughly four months. Retail pricing is reportedly about EUR 275,000 excluding transportation costs.

Because of the cube’s ability to blend into its surroundings so well, it may be a perfect choice for those looking to create accommodation in areas of natural beauty. Treehotel is currently looking for suitable resellers for its Mirrorcube.

via Swedish hotel’s nearly invisible glass ‘tree rooms’ | Springwise.

2012 top trends to dominate Middle East hotel sector

Ten leading hoteliers present the top 10 industry trends expected to dominate the Middle East hotel sector in 2012

1. M-commerce
“Rapid advancements in travel technology are on the cards, especially mobile bookings which has opened a whole new world. According to industry sources 18% of mobile users are expected to make bookings using their smart devices.”Michel Noblet, President & CEO, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings

2. Influence of consumer ratings
“Websites such as Trip Advisor will continue to push hotels to become better attuned to customer’s needs. It is no longer about what we say about ourselves in a brochure that maters, it is what our reviewers say. We need to listen to our guests and even though not every review can be positive, hotels need to acknowledge issues and work to fix them.”Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, President and CEO of Millennium & Copthorne, Middle East and Africa.

3. Digital booking
“Online booking will be another top trend. Our hotels will heavily switch to the online channel. Potential and existing clients are becoming tech-savvy experts. They know what they want, and are far more sophisticated in what they are looking for, easily accessing information about our hotels through digital tools. Thus, our key priority area is to be on top of the latest online tools and aggressively develop our digital services and presence: from mobile apps to E-Marketing, to our loyalty program, Le Club Accorhotels.”Christophe Landais, managing director, Accor Middle East

4. Growth of the mid-market

We think it will be a bit of a return to 2009 in 2012. In light of the economic instability in Europe I think added value packages will once again become very attractive. This instability will help grow another trend, mid-market hotels. I predict this will continue to grow in the region throughout 2012, especially the clearly defined brands within the mid-market segment.Marko Hytonen, Area Vice President, The Rezidor Hotel Group

5. Emergence of new brands

“I believe we will see the introduction and growth of brands that are new to the region, brands such as Hotel Indigo. We are yet to bring Hotel Indigo to this part of the world, but following the success of the brand elsewhere we expect to announce our first property early next year. The growth of our Staybridge Suites brand will also continue and this helps us cater for the needs of the long stay guest.”John Bamsey, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East & Africa, InterContinental Hotels Group

6. Spa and wellness

“Spas are becoming important to both the leisure and business traveler. Nowadays, they are a necessity rather than a luxury, just as a health and fitness club is today, as more and more people seem to be looking seriously at their personal health and well being. Rotana has introduced spa facilities to many of its properties following extensive research into the desires and needs of guests. The direction we are going is to include a Spa in each of our 5 star Resorts & Hotels.”Selim El Zyr, president and CEO, Rotana Hotels

7. Talent and training

“The battle for talent is a real one compounded by the complexities of the need to engage countries very real needs to immerse their own workforce in our industry” Jeff Strachan, vice president – sales and marketing, MEA, Marriott

8. Rise of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) travellers 
“These emerging economies are slowly but surely making their mark as strong source markets as well as development markets. Hilton has recognised this and, with particular regard to China, launched an initiative in 2011 called Hilton Huanying — a tailored experience for all travellers of Chinese origin. Inspired by the Chinese word for ‘welcome’, the programme enables visitors to book Hilton hotels with confidence knowing the properties will meet their cultural needs and expectations. These include, front desk team member fluent in Chinese, tea kettles, dedicated Chinese broadcasting channel on TV, welcome letter in Chinese and chinese tea available in the bedrooms. We also provide special Chinese dishes at breakfast. Over 50 hotels in the Hilton Hotels & Resorts portfolio have signed up to the programme.”Rudi Jagersbacher, President, Hilton Worldwide, Middle East & Africa

9. Bargain hunters
“One of the most important trends is the very short lead of advance booking. This can be attributed to the availability of airline capacity to specific destinations which in turn relaxes customers urgency for advanced booking and allows guests the opportunity to search for last minute bargains. Guests are looking for added-value. In terms of preferences and behaviour patterns, travellers are still taking vacations and travelling widely but they demand extra value for money more than before. They are still looking for quality of service and personalized experiences but added value is a key factor while selecting their accommodations.”Gerard Hotelier, Vice President Operations- Middle East, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts

10. Social media
“Social media creates opportunities never envisioned before. It influences how you are positioned on google, your reputation can be damaged or enhanced within a blink of an eye, social commerce is coming, and all this is going mobile. It is a revolution for the hotel industry, and it is just the beginning. Said that, as a company you have to wonder how to invest and how much. The ROI is still not clear, and there is a RISK on spending too much.” Sami Nasser, SVP, Sofitel Middle East and Indian Ocean 

Via http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

New Sustainability Book Highlights Best Practices in Hotel Development and Operations

Sustainability is an important topic that affects every stage of hotel development and operation. Hotel Sustainable Development: Principles and Best Practices, published by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI), provides hospitality professionals with a wealth of information about key factors to be considered when exploring sustainability.

Editors A.J. Singh, international lodging, finance and real estate associate professor in The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University, and Hervé Houdré, general manager of the InterContinental New York Barclay, and leading sustainable development experts identify emerging trends and discuss how sustainability affects regulatory, policy, development, architectural, financial, and operational issues. Each chapter presents important elements in the implementation of sustainable development to provide valuable insights to hotel investors, developers, owners, and lodging operators.

The book is divided into four sections:

  • Historical Context: Local and Global Perspective
  • Development and Investment Perspective
  • Hotel Corporate and Property Perspective
  • Operating Perspective

The overarching theme of the book follows John Elkington’s approach of the “Triple Bottom-line.” This is the most commonly accepted perspective of sustainable development by most businesses, as it comprehensively looks at sustainable development from three perspectives: People, Planet and Profit. The common theme across all the chapters is “value creation.” While value creation addresses all stakeholders in a hotel development or operation, the primary question that each chapter addresses is whether sustainable development metrics indicate financial incentives for investors, developers, owners, and lodging operators.

A number of hospitality organizations supported the publication of this book, including the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC), National Association of Hotel and Lodging Engineers (NAHLE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Hotel Asset Managers Association (HAMA). (Source: Hotelnewsresource.com)

Lebanon’s hotels need to implement responsible hospitality

A great article by Omar J. Sakr, in the Hospitality News Magazine, gives a detailed picture of Lebanon’s Hotel industry as per the introduction of environmental practices.

The author talks about the major findings of his recent field research conducted in Lebanon between June 2010 and January 2011, which show that international hotel chains in Lebanon are more likely to implement environmental practices than local ones. This research also identified different barriers that are not allowing hotels to fully adopt environmentally friendly practices. The major identified barriers were the financial resources of the hotel, the lack of national infrastructure, the lack of awareness among managers and staff, the lack of awareness among guests, the lack of expertise in applying EMS (Environmental Management Systems), and finally the lack of compliance with the existing legislation, which is not compulsory in most of the cases.

75% of international chain hotels in Lebanon are implementing environmental practices with 50% of them implementing formal EMS; the results of the local and regional hotels have shown that only 16% of these hotels are implementing some types of environmental practices and the remaining hotels of this category are mostly implementing energy saving measures.

Not all the hotels managed by international chains are implementing what their mother companies have already achieved in other markets. They are likely to introduce different environmental practices and at varying levels. One of these hotels had not introduced any environmental action, while another hotel has a Responsible Business Manager; other hotels generally assigned environmental policies and practices to the engineering manager

The managers of international hotel chains showed more interest in implementing environmental practices then the managers of local hotels, mainly as a result of the culture of the mother company and the economies of scale at which their companies operate. It is worth pointing out that none of the rurally located hotels, which are individually owned, participated in the survey. The lack of environmental management is the most probable reason for this. The full article is available here.

Hospitality Industry Leaders Launch Sustainable Purchasing Consortium

A group of leaders in the hotel industry representing brands, hotel suppliers, architecture firms, purchasing companies, and sustainability experts today launched the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium.  The Consortium, led by MindClick SGM™, will work collaboratively to facilitate greening the furniture, fixture and equipment (FF&E) supply chain for hotels by: 

  • Leading the industry in development of an industrywide Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI) to comprehensively measure the sustainability of FF&E suppliers and the products they sell;
  • Collaborating to establish consistent measures of sustainable purchasing performance for brands, owners and FF&E manufacturers; and 
  • Establishing key performance indicators that enhance the environmental and social impact of the hotel industry while continuing to provide the highest levels of quality and service for hotel guests.

With nearly 51,000 lodging properties in the United States alone, and billions of dollars spent in FF&E purchasing annually, the hospitality industry has an important role to play in its path toward greater sustainability.  Industry leaders recognize that reducing their environmental footprint can only be accomplished through the combination of sustainable buildings, operations and greening the supply chain.  

The goal of the Consortium is to provide the industry with a unified approach to greening the global supply chain through customization of an industrywide purchasing index (HSPI) that measures and reports on the sustainability performance of suppliers.  Beginning with FF&E, the HSPI will set the standard for sustainable purchasing and create a repository of supplier performance, including corporate social responsibility, product, and environmental sustainability.

Consortium founding members include Marriott International, Audit Logistics, Benjamin West, Delta Faucet Company, Innvision, InterfaceFLOR, PE INTERNATIONAL Inc., RTKL, SERA Architects, and Valley Forge Fabrics.

“Marriott has a more than 20-year commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Dave Lippert, Marriott vice president of architecture & construction procurement.  “Our membership in this consortium will help us meet our aggressive goals to continue to reduce our global footprint.”

MindClick SGM™ and Consortium members will work together to facilitate alignment of HSPI with industry accepted sustainability standards including the LEED® rating system and various product category standards. ( Source: HSPI Press Release)

A new sustainable design policy for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is expanding its green commitments through a new sustainable design policy. In addition to promoting the use of recognized green building certification systems such as LEED, the policy includes new environmental criteria and checklists for renovation and retrofit projects, environmental consultation during the design brief and construction process, and the creation of a green-build best practices repository for use by Fairmont’s hotels, engineers, developers, project leads, and architects.

“We literally wrote the book on hotel sustainability and have been focused on making our properties as environmentally sound as possible, says president, Chris Cahill. “Now, we’re instituting formal design and construction guidelines for our pipeline of new hotel projects and ongoing capital agenda. Environmental stewardship is part of Fairmont’s DNA and we want to ensure it’s evident in all phases of our business.”

The program has been implemented at two Fairmont hotels. Fairmont Pittsburgh, the brand’s first LEED-certified hotel, incorporates energy efficient lighting and appliances; enzyme waste systems; furnishings and other guestroom amenities made from recycled, organic, or sustainable material; and the use of paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets, and fabrics with no or low emissions. Meanwhile, the Savoy in London (pictured) has a waste management system, as well as a heat and power plant that reduces the hotel’s reliance on the national grid by approximately 50 percent.

The policy is part of The Fairmont Green Partnership program, allowing the Group to meet and exceed guest expectations of operational sustainability. It focuses on improvements in waste management, sustainability, and energy and water conservation at Fairmont’s properties, and innovative community outreach programs involving local groups and partnership. (Source: Hospitality design.com)

A greener Novotel by 2012

PARIS Accor’s midscale Novotel brand is on pace to meet its goal of becoming 100% environmentally sustainable by next year, the group says.

To date, 78 of Novotel’s portfolio of more than 400 hotels have been certified as sustainable by EarthCheck, the organization formerly known as Green Globe. Novotel’s commitment to sustainable development has enabled the brand to achieve the following green results as of year-end 2010:

  • 98% of hotels apply and monitor the 65 actions in the Accor Hotel Environment Charter
  • 80% have installed energy-efficient light bulbs in areas that stay lit 24 hours a day
  • 92% have installed flow regulators on faucets and in showers
  • 89% recycle paper and cardboard packaging
  • 86% dispose of compact fluorescent tubes and light bulbs safely
  • 60% serve organic products
  • 60% offer nutritionally balanced meals for children.

EarthCheck certification is awarded after a preliminary assessment of a hotel’s performance and the deployment of an appropriate management system covering implementation of a sustainable development policy, water use, energy use, waste management, paper consumption, use of pesticides, use of cleaning and sanitation products, and commitments to the local community. At least 10 months are required for a hotel to receive certification, which is awarded by an independent outside auditor and is reevaluated every two years.

“Since 2008, Novotel teams have been actively involved in the EarthCheck certification program so that we can meet our goal of certifying the entire network by 2012,” says Pierre Lagrange, Novotel’s global marketing director. “Novotel’s commitment to the principles of sustainable development is an integral part of the brand’s promise of customer well-being (Source: Ghaward.ie)

Luxury and sustainability… a trend we will see more of in China

URBN Hotels & Resorts announced plans for URBN Hotel Pudong, a new green hotel that will become the first positive-impact hotel in China. The hotel is slated to open Spring 2012.

In collaboration with Vanke, China’s largest residential real estate developer, URBN’s 20,000 square metre boutique hotel is part of a larger commercial, retail and residential development in the Sanlin district of Pudong in Shanghai. They have tapped Fumihiko Maki, the world-acclaimed Japanese architect whose current works include the United Nations building and World Trade Center Tower 4 in New York City, to design the project.

The development, which is estimated to cost RMB 312 million (US$47 million), will include 55 hotel rooms, 50 URBN serviced residences, and 4,500 square metres of dining, wellness and art spaces.

URBN created China’s first carbon-neutral hotel, the chic and hip URBN Shanghai in the Jingan district. URBN Shanghai is passionately committed to the environment and is at the forefront of the growing consumer eco-movement in China. URBN tracks the hotel’s entire carbon footprint and offsets it by purchasing carbon credits or investing in local “green” energy development and emission reduction projects. The hotel provides guests the option to find out their footprint during their stay and by donating trees to Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots foundation to offset.

For the new URBN Hotel Pudong, Jules Kwan, Managing Director of URBN Hotels indicated that “the aim is to make this hotel go beyond sustainability … the hotel will increase the biodiversity of the site, and will discharge water that is cleaner than the water from the city’s water supply.” The hotel hopes to get LEED and China Green Star certifications. Also, URBN Hotel Pudong aims to surpass the 35% energy savings target hit by URBN Shanghai. (Source: Red-Luxury)