15 years
Very strange. I wonder if more hotels will try to go in a "social" direction. It doesn't look like they are going to compete with hostels on prices.
Their website is interesting:
http://www.denizenhotels.com/
ok, so not quite. but i found one particular line of this article VERY interesting.
Rinck predicts Denizen will be more social than other hotels with ideas such as communal gathering places and shared tables in restaurants to aid that.
for quite a while now, hostels have been plugged (for better or worse) as having hotel style facilities (such as private rooms) and now the HILTON group is opening a bunch of boutique hotels aimed at young, tech savvy types with a new emphasis social spaces? is this bizarro world?!
article here
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/hilton-aims-its-latest-hotels-at-younger-travellers-20090318-91gm.html
15 years
Very strange. I wonder if more hotels will try to go in a "social" direction. It doesn't look like they are going to compete with hostels on prices.
Their website is interesting:
http://www.denizenhotels.com/
15 years
I wonder if more hotels will try to go in a "social" direction.
Club Med is a chain of resorts that concentrates on the social interaction of the guests as well as the staff. They do a great job of it too. The Accor hotel group got really interested in the concept for a while. So interested, in fact, that they bought the majority share of Club Med stocks and started an internal research project to find out how they could bring the sociable aspect into their standard hotels. When they felt that they had learned enough they sold off their shares. I have yet to hear of any socially-inclined intitiatives being taken in any of their hotel divisions.
Even if Hilton puts in a common lounge and shared tables in the restaurant (both excellent ideas) I don't think their business travellers will take advantage of them. I have seen plenty of nice hotel lobbies with comfortable couches sitting completely empty, because their clients aren't there to socialize. Similarly, I doubt someone with a backpacker mentality, who would love the common areas and try to meet other travellers, would feel comfortable sitting in a Hilton/Denizen lounge surrounded by people trying to conduct business.
It's a nice idea that will look good in marketing spots, but in practice I doubt it will really change the atmosphere.
15 years
Yeah, I don't see it working either. Hotels just can't be all things to all people - at least very few can successfully. Most hotels don't want to serve just the younger crowd and neglect the business or family/leisure traveler unless they wanted a cheap party hotel similar to Hooters hotels - yuck. The size alone of most hotels don't foster the intimate social atmosphere of a typical youth hostel. Plus, hotel front desk operations aren't set up to provide the laid-back, friendly personal service you'd expect at a hostel. It's all business and no play there. You're just another faceless annoying guest. They can add as many 'social' spaces as they like but it won't work unless they also change the way they do business, which they won't.
15 years
They can add as many 'social' spaces as they like but it won't work unless they also change the way they do business, which they won't.
Exactly.
Related Pages
Log in to join discussion