THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Brittany Farb , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : bfarb @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Managing Editor , New Media 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mary Gostelow , Oriana Lerner
PUBLISHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President & CEO , Loews Hotels & Resorts , New York City
Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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LifestyLe evolution complete i have lost track of the brands that have been launched in the last 18 months – it has to be somewhere north of 20 , and that is just here in the United States . Every one of them is dubbed “ lifestyle ,” which leads me to think we should abandon the practice of identifying new hotels as lifestyle-focused because today everything new and some things old are supposedly lifestyle – in one form or another . So , what does that make of the hotels created during the previous millennium ? Weren ’ t they reflections of lifestyles , as well ? Or has technology left such an indelible and profound mark on all of us that it is the underlying catalyst of our current movement ? Perhaps we should move on with the understanding that lifestyle is the new norm .
In my hometown , Chicago , a brand almost five years in the making has finally revealed itself . Virgin Hotels is the focus of our cover and design story on p30 . It uniquely channels the mother ship Virgin brand created by bigger-than-life entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson , which is one thing that separates Virgin Hotels from other newcomers . The potential halo effect of the brand name that resonates as far back as 1972 and the launch of Virgin records gives the hotel brand a long tail and a potential edge – if it can execute and find more investors to license the name .
While Sir Richard is not involved in the day-to-day , he has played a role in developing the essence of the brand , which refreshingly seems to revolve around cheeky British humor , casual accessibility and the absence of nickleand-diming – either real or perceived . Wi-Fi is free ( no tiering ), mini-bar prices are on par with local mini-marts , free happy hour goes beyond beer and wine , and the new concept with really comfortable beds is positioned square in the
middle of the segment . I ’ d call it 4-star with a casual twist . But like so many new brands , we will see how long it takes to get critical mass .
Here is what Virgin does not have – an automatic pipeline of 15 , which is what Hyatt Hotels Corp . had in January when it launched Hyatt Centric . That ’ s the way to come out of the box – not by announcing one or two developments but with 15 that will be developed this year via conversion , franchise and new construction .
Another recently launched brand out of Hong Kong that has my attention is Great Eagle ’ s Cordis , which translates to “ heart ” in Latin and will trade on empathy and service – some personal and some technology-driven . The concept makes sense and will look to China for its ramp up , as well as look for a portfolio acquisition to drive European expansion .
Any way you want to slice it , the evolution to lifestyle in its many forms appears complete . We should know by now what separates contenders from pretenders . Now we get to sit back and watch .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com March 2015 HOTELS 7