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Hotels "have got to be so much more than hotels" was the overarching theme in the Annual Hotel Conference key notes speech. In his address, Danny Percorelli, MD of Exclusive Hotels, discussed the many areas in which hotels need to be experimental and innovative in order to survive.
Particular focus was placed on 'Instagram moments'. it's no longer enough to be providing guests with an exceptional stay; the hotel experience needs to be visually superior in a way that can be displayed and ranked against the hotel experiences of their peers. As young guests place higher importance on events and experiences rather than possessions, hotels and travel gain value as a tool for social validation. They must prove themselves and the experiences they offer as worthy of being posted on Facebook and Instagram. "We spend a lot of time making sure there are plenty of spaces where the client is going to take that shot", explained Percorelli.
In addition, as the traditional hotel industry is disrupted by brands like Airbnb offering a "home from home" style stay, hoteliers need to ensure their offerings stand out as experiences that houses and private residences can't deliver.
Hotels also need to be "more than hotels" literally, in their approach to onsite restaurants. Often viewed as an add-on, hoteliers ought to remember that their food and drink offerings are competing against restaurant brands. To guarantee their food and service measures up against the competition, operators will want to make sure that the experience guests receive at the onsite restaurant reflects the quality and service standards of the hotel. As restaurant trends tend to cycle more quickly than hotels do, Percorelli emphasised that this is an area in which hoteliers need to be investing and innovating in order to stay competitive.
