HotelsMag December 2012 | Page 14

GLOBAL UPDATE what ’ s hot

A Park View guestroom at East , Beijing

SWIRE BRAND EXPANDS

Hong Kong-based Swire Hotels in September opened the 369-room lifestyle hotel East , Beijing , a joint venture with Sino-Ocean Land . With a target customer of business travelers — particularly in art , design and fashion — amenities have a distinct focus on technology . Rooms are equipped with an iPod Touch and docking station and multi-scene lighting . The front desk is also high-tech , offering paperless check-in and checkout , while the Upstairs Lounge on the 24th and 25th floors features iPads for guests .
Food and beverage options include Feast , an all-day-dining restaurant featuring international cuisine ; Hagaki , a Californiainspired Japanese restaurant ; Domain , a café with workstations with iPads on loan ; and Xian , which combines a pub , whiskey bar , live music venue , games room and garden terrace .
The property is part of the One Indigo development in the Chaojang District and boasts rooms sized from 323 sq ft ( 30 sq m ) to 753 sq ft ( 70 sq m ).
The opening rate sits at 798 yuan ( US $ 128 ) plus a 15 % service charge .

CULINARY

This fall IHG launched the Kitchen

CLOUT Passport online promotion for its InterContinental Kitchen Cookbook iPad app , inviting food bloggers to work alongside InterContinental Hotels & Resorts restaurant chefs . “ The Kitchen Passport bloggers were chosen based on topics they cover , their overall social media audience and reach and interest in the program ,” says Debbie Grant , director of brand management , InterContinental Hotels & Resorts .

InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta , for example , invited Anne Dolce of The Daily Meal blog to develop dishes with chef Art Smith at the hotel restaurant Southern Art .
IHG is sharing Kitchen Passport via Facebook , YouTube and Twitter with the hashtag # ICKitchen . IHG says it expects to see an increase in downloads for the app as a result of the promotion .
The event series kicked off with Marriott Meetup in September in Boston .

MARRIOTT GETS WIRED

Marriott International this fall launched the Wired + Marriott Culturazzi Series , an event series partnership with tech magazine Wired for its namesake Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand .
“ Through these events — which are meant to inspire , inform and entertain — as well as our overall marketing
and PR efforts , we will help increase Marriott ’ s share of the Gen X and Gen Y frequent business traveler target ,” says John Wolf , Marriott International ’ s vice president of global public relations . “ They are mobile and always connected to work , family and friends . They want high-tech but also high-touch service .”
The events kicked off with Marriott Meetup in September at the Marriott
Boston Long Wharf Hotel . It featured Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and was attended by 127 people . Other events included the Humor Me Comedy Showcase in October at the Marriott Marina del Rey , attended by 237 people . The event series culminates this month at the Wired Store in New York City , where Marriott will present an interactive display and VIP event .
12 HOTELS December 2012 www . hotelsmag . com