At the 2020 FRAME Awards, founder of Design Hotels, Claus Sendlinger, said that he believes 90% of hotels are simply places to sleep with little to no true hospitality.
Many of the new measures taken against coronavirus, such as limiting person-to-person contact, could mean that hotels become even less personal and hospitable. So how do we find a balance between experience and safety in this new world we find ourselves in?
And are rooms like this one the new normal?
Photo via MUJI Hotels
Industry Insights
🛌 🏨 Hoteliers, guests want you to streamline and declutter.
People were already growing more interested in experiences over material possessions before the pandemic. New research shows that the higher earning customer segment views decluttering at home as a form of wellness. This year, “lagom”—the Swedish minimalism trend that spawned its own industry—is back and badder than ever. But you know, not too bad. Just the right amount of bad.
🍱 🇯🇵 How can we strike the right balance between comfort and hospitality? As always, Japan is ahead of the curve.
People no longer want hotel rooms with lots of stuff in them. Who has handled objects and whether everything is squeaky clean are now front-of-mind for guests. Concepts like the ultra-minimalist MUJI Hotels, from Japan, combine both comfort and minimalism. More brands will need to move in this direction. Indeed, the next big entrepreneur in hospitality could be our answer to Marie Kondo. We can only hope they spark as much joy.
🔑 🤖 Still giving your guests plastic keycards? Time for an upgrade.
Opening doors with an app was once a gimmick, but digital room keys and self check-ins will be true essentials moving forward. It’s time to iron out the digital creases, especially given that many hotels still lack a clear strategy in this area. But you can’t just launch an app and hope for the best. Tech has to be part of a well-designed and well-kept system—preferably one that doesn’t crash when the WiFi drops because you’ve stepped into an elevator.
🍫 🗒️ The shift doesn’t stop there either. Goodbye minibars, tiny notepads and those deliciously stylish hotel pencils.
Many properties will remove all the “nice to have” extras from their rooms to accommodate higher hygiene and cleaning standards. Hoteliers will need to emphasise the quality and craftsmanship of the furniture, artwork and decor in their stripped-back rooms instead. This is an opportunity for us to rethink industry conventions and create new, future-proof standards.
👩🍳🍲 Is COVID-19 also the end of our most beloved hotel tradition: the buffet?
The days of the breakfast buffet may be behind us. Good news for food waste but a fresh challenge for hoteliers. Rates including breakfast could soon become a thing of the past, but smart brands will spot an opportunity: to provide breakfast-to-go or create personalised breakfasts delivered straight to rooms. There are important questions to ask though. For example, will Americans have to replace their beloved National Buffet Day with something else now?
With so much change ahead, hotels need to reinvent themselves and redefine what hospitality stands for in this brave new world. Don’t worry, though, The Check-In has plenty of tips and insights to help you navigate the shifts. In return, you would help us enormously by forwarding this email to a friend and asking them to subscribe.
About Our Emails
The Check-In is a twice-monthly newsletter that aims to push the hospitality industry forward. In these emails, David Kijlstra and friends challenge the status quo of hospitality thinking, meet the maverick hoteliers of the world, and share their take on the latest industry trends, concepts and ideas. Hit “reply” on any of our messages to share your thoughts or say hello to the team.