Month: May 2016

Briefing: Design = Context and Lifestyle

Posted on by Guy Lean

Last month Marriott opened two new AC Hotels, ‘bringing the brand’s European design and style to the UK for the first time.’ Earlier this year the Grand Hyatt Rio De Janeiro opened. Hyatt had employed an internationally acclaimed interior designer in order to ‘set a new standard of luxury’. Meanwhile Starwood is a majority investor of Design Hotels™, a selective membership group for original and extraordinary hotels.

Why is design such a big selling point for these major groups? As our experts discuss in these videos, it can be a vital aspect of brand relevancy:

Marriott’s two new hotels are a 142-room AC Hotel Manchester Salford Quays and The 90-room AC Hotel Birmingham City Centre, situated at The Mailbox shopping area. According to Marriott the AC brand is ‘based on a belief that purposeful design can enrich lives’. Each hotel features a Lounge and a Library. One area is designed to be a lively hub other designed as a quite space, but both intended to offer a place for creativity and socialisation.

Internationally acclaimed interior designer Yabu Pushelberg, designed the accommodation at Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro in Brazil with the local assistance of Brazilian designer firm Anastassiadis Arquitetos. Also, acclaimed Brazilian architect Arthur Casas designed 3 signature restaurants for the property. Hyatt says that, ‘the hotel is meticulously designed to exemplify the Grand Hyatt brand’s signature level of grandeur with an abundance of options for creating spectacular experiences.’

The Design Hotels™ website allows you to search and book a holiday from a specially selected listed properties. It says that more than 400 hotels apply for membership with Design Hotels™ each year, but only about 5 percent of them are approved. Elements that influence this decision are ‘thought-provoking design and architecture; integration into the local scene; a strong identity; cultural and environmental responsibility; and the people behind the property’, among other factors.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Political risk from ‘Brexit’

Posted on by Guy Lean

The EU referendum, which will take place in just under a month in the UK, has been the cause of much political debate. Fears have been stirred up about the potential negative impact of either outcome. But how has this affected investor sentiment and how would the UK’s exit from the European Union impact business in the hospitality industry?

Four hospitality and investment professionals discuss ‘Brexit’:

The referendum is just one example of how political uncertainty can affect business. Any potential disruption or change to regulations and the way business is done could be classed as a ‘risk’ that need to be factored into a business’s decision making at least in the short term.

Some examples of warnings arising throughout the campaigns, about the longer term effects of the decision, are that Leaving the EU would ‘spark year-long recession‘ and that Staying would increase the UKs population and put the NHS under “unsustainable” pressure.

Last year ICSA reported that 63% of boards said a UK exit from Europe could be potentially damaging to their company.

The European Union – often known as the EU – is an economic and political partnership involving 28 European countries. The UK’s exit from the EU has the potential to impact everything from immigration, to the environment, to procedure around working abroad, to law making itself.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Finding your place in hospitality

Posted on by Guy Lean

Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 27% of baby boomers held 15 or more jobs throughout their working lives. Will the millennial career path look the same? Boston College Center found that 64% of the millennials have established career goals for themselves, and 58% would prefer to stay with one employer and advance internally.

Whatever the journey looks like it takes time to build a career and find the right role. These videos discuss the many ways to have a great career in hospitality:

So how are today’s up comers approaching their careers? Boston College’s research ‘How Millennials Navigate their Careers’ revealed new insight into their mind-set and suggest that millennials may have more traditional ambitions than often thought. The survey revealed that the top three approaches to job hunting by millennials was to be referred by a friend, to research potential employers, and to search for posting on a company website.

The survey suggest that today’s young candidates are self-aware with 94% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they knew the work skills they possessed. More than 84% knew what was important to them in their careers.

In terms of what they are looking for in a role, career growth opportunities, salary and benefits were most important. 44% agreed that it they tend to make career choices based on their own values and interests rather than the choices provided by my employer.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: The measured approach to decision making

Posted on by Guy Lean

According to a report by CIMA; ‘72% of organisations admit to at least one strategic initiative failing in the last three years as a result of flaws in their decision making process.’

It is said that we make 35,000 decisions a day. In a fast evolving business day, we need to have enough confidence in our information and processes to make decisions quickly. In the longer term, important strategic changes need to be considered and implemented carefully, as our experts discuss in these videos:

Our industry is changing fast, in hospitality, time sensitive data can now be used to update strategies on the fly. But investing in the technology to do this is in and of itself a big decision to make and even a good idea can be badly actioned.

The report ‘Joining the dots: decision making for a new era’ from CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) surveyed board-level executives at large organisations. In the survey, 80% of respondents said flawed information has been used to make strategic decisions.

Technology and data, when set up carefully, can be the competitive advantage that makes a significant difference to your business. With so much data coming through it is important it is systemized and ordered well but 36% of executives say their organisation is not coping with information overload. There is debate over how useful ‘big data’ is, with 37% saying it has helped and 32% saying it has made things worse.

Another factor in good decision making, identified by the report, is communication. 43% said their level of trust in fellow executives needed improvement and 57% said more active collaboration was required.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Purpose built products for diverse consumers

Posted on by Guy Lean

A new trend report from Sabre has announced that ‘Demographics are dead’. You can no longer presume what any one consumer group will want, but you can build products that meet new expectations and invite individuals to enjoy them. The report says ‘Consumers love brands with meaning and personality’ and that 63% of global consumers claim to buy products and services that appeal to their beliefs, values or ideals.

These videos discuss creating products to meet consumer needs:

There is a growing consumer awareness of what is possible. There are many niche needs, new trends and individual desires that can be catered to with carefully designed products. The report states that 65% of consumers say bands should take a leading role in supporting individual happiness.

As the above videos reflect, many new products are fighting cater to new consumers’ needs but a strong identity and a unique angle, be it experience or price, can set a brand apart.

The study also identifies helpfulness and personalisation as two key elements of future hospitality products. Generic advertising is losing popularity. Instead brands must connect with individuals and demonstrate an understanding of them.

Trends in Sabre’s report were identified by TrendWatching, powered by a global network of 3,000+ trend spotters.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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