Inspiring through Spotify playlists, food trucks (and more)

September 7, 2021

Hospitality Daily is a non-boring summary of stories for busy people who want to get better each day at providing hospitality.

Whether or not your hotel is running at full occupancy, showing hospitality isn’t limited to within the walls of your property. In today’s issue, you’ll find hoteliers that are showing hospitality in new and creative ways.

If you can’t transact, inspire

Yeoh Siew Hoon shares her perspective from Singapore: "Inspiration used to be the domain of traditional travel brands like Intrepid or Abercrombie & Kent but it seems to me that in the absence of transactions, even the online travel world is turning to inspiration to sell the idea of travel, unlike before when they saw their only task was to sell it as easily as possible in a click or two.” Suddenly, explorers and adventurers are back in the limelight, sharing their tales to whet our appetite for the day that will eventually come.

Kimpton’s endless summer playlist

To help ward off the “Fall scaries” Kimpton dropped a new playlist on Spotify. I love this example of a simple, free amenity as a way to spread joy and build brand loyalty.

GuestHouse launches pop-up “tipple truck”

The brothers behind GuestHouse have launched a “Tipple Truck” to serve cocktails and candy floss at several food festivals across the UK. The cocktails will be inspired by the British holidays, based on Bath Gin, Priory Vodka (handcrafted in York), and Tuaca liqueur from Brighton. This is another great example of taking hospitality outside the walls of your hotel and creatively introducing people to your brand in a fun way.

What might hotels look like post-pandemic?

Creative Supply founder Youri Sawerschel and Frame Magazine’s Tracey Ingram share insights from Sawerschel’s realm of brand strategy and brand design, and Ingram’s role as editor at large for one of the world’s leading interior-design publications. Here they talk about the future of hotels, post-pandemic.

Hotel social spaces this year - and beyond

With all the talk around ‘social distancing’ and regulations against human interaction, many of the industry’s leaders believe that tomorrow’s hotel scene will be a celebration of human connection. (Which is an area where hotels have a distinct advantage over other lodging alternatives.)

“The advantage of hotels is that you can offer different levels of stimulation through transition spaces as well as in social spaces,” explained Beth Campbell, CEO, Campbell House. “This helps to build the momentum and makes the experience even more meaningful.”

Charlie MacGregor, Founder, The Student Hotel (TSH), was among the first to push hospitality into the lifestyle lane. “By making the lobby the beating heart of a hotel, you immediately set the scene – and energy level – for guests and locals alike who are arriving,” he said. “With Covid, we have seen this new generation of corporate travelers, where people are digital nomads and want to work as well as play in spaces.”

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And that’s it, folks! Go out there and make someone’s day today.