Grounded
Grounded
Platinum rewards members have been accustomed to sky-high views from Marriott hotels ’ private lounge . They should enjoy them while they can . A design shift reflected in Marriott International ’ s M Beta hotel in Charlotte , North Carolina , and replicated in 26 Marriott hotels so far is moving the lounge down to the lobby and replacing the upper floor space with guestrooms .
“ Our owners were really the origin of the idea ,” says Mike Dearing , the brand ’ s managing director . The moves has some hoped-for ripple effects : Underutilized space near the lobby , like swimming pools or restaurants , gets a new function ; the M Club Lounge gets more notice from nonqualifying guests who might opt to pay a premium of US $ 30 to $ 60 for access ; and the hotel picks up three revenue-earning guestrooms . “ When we do the conversion and bring it down to the lobby level , not only is the design décor elevated and the food and beverage much different and much better , it ’ s also a much larger space ,” Dearing says . Previously 1,000 square feet , the club standard is now 1,400 square feet and could go up to 2,000 depending on the number of elite guests .
Dearing declines to offer numbers on the ROI for the switch , which comes out of the owners ' pocketbooks , but says early adopters are seeing strong returns on upselling for room rates and F & B after construction costs . And guests of the lounge , which offers free breakfast , hors d ’ oeuvres and snacks through the day , can choose to pay for premium wine and cocktails rather than drink the less-premium , but complimentary , alcohol in the lounge .
The switch-out is limited for now to U . S . properties , Dearing says .
the show
10 – 14 . 2 . 2017
Meeting point horeca . Discuss innovative catering concepts , superior complete solutions and more . In the Dining area at the world ’ s most important consumer goods trade fair .
Information and tickets at ambiente . messefrankfurt . com
An M Club Lounge