🍍 Ritz-Carlton on the value of communal spaces

Plus: How the W Minneapolis is becoming a change agent

Nov 24, 2021

This is the last issue of Hospitality Daily before I take a few days offline to spend with my family for Thanksgiving break. Want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who have been following along with the launch of this newsletter. We now have 3,300+ hoteliers around the world reading this, including many of my hospitality heroes who inspire me daily with the hotels and brands they run.

Alright - here’s the stories we have today:

Ritz-Carlton on the value of communal spaces
Palácio Estoril Hotel’s nature program
How the W Minneapolis is becoming a change agent in its community

This newsletter is sponsored by Mews Unfold - a free digital event for hoteliers coming up very soon: December 1-2.

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Ritz-Carlton research: the value of communal spaces

The Ritz-Carlton recently released its Next-Gen Luxury Travel Preferences Insight Report, which provides insights into the changing preferences of the next generation of luxury travelers.

Some of the trends are likely familiar to you. The importance of high tech and high touch. The value of providing experiences. “Bleisure” becoming a norm with the rise of remote work options.

But one thing stood out to me that we’ve touched on before in this newsletter: that many are viewing hotels as much more than just a place to stay.

The new generation of guests perceive the value of the venue-as-a-scene during their stay. They appreciate art exhibitions, brand crossover launches, fine dining experience or yoga sessions on the hotel terrace, all of which can become the reason why they choose a particular hotel.

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Amenity of the week: Palácio Estoril Hotel’s nature program

I’m always intrigued by hotels that provide unique guest experiences based on their location and what they can uniquely provide.

Portugal’s Palácio Estoril Hotel is an example of this with their “Renature” package.

Renature nature connection experience is dedicated to bring you into contact with nature and improve your overall wellbeing and relieve your stress. Forest Therapy is an evidence based practice, inspired in the Japanese practice Shinrin-Yoku, created in the 80s as a response from the Japanese Government, to an increase in stress related disorders in the population. It consists of a leisurely guided walk in nature that offers opportunities for sensory connection, slowing down and relaxation.

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How the W Minneapolis is becoming a change agent

W Minneapolis—The Foshay recently announced “Welcome at W,” a new initiative in which non-profit organizations are given complimentary use of the hotel’s boardroom and meeting spaces to help plan, prepare, and propel Minneapolis to a new future.

According to Christy Loy, general manager of W Minneapolis, the impetus for Welcome at W came from the idea that every business can be a force of change and a force for good. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 by Minneapolis police, which prompted protests across the city and around the globe, Loy says, “There was an opportunity to be intentionally more inclusive and to help in all the ways we can to rebuild our city. Nonprofit organizations are an important partner in both of those endeavors, so it only made sense to open our doors to them.”

Recognizing its ability to provide a setting that allows for productivity and effectiveness, the team decided to lend its meeting space to those who could put it to good use.

[read more]