PERSONALITIES
Mum at Eaton Food Hall , Hong Kong
juice bar , a restaurant and bar , a rooftop bar , event space for up to 182 people , rotating art exhibits and a co-working club that can accommodate up to 370 members . Eaton Hong Kong , in Kowloon , will have similar amenities and include a two-story food hall , 185 guest rooms , a bar with a music speakeasy venue , two recording studio guestrooms , a rooftop pool , rotating art gallery , an envelop-pushing speakers ’ auditorium and event space that holds up to 700 . Projects in San Francisco and Seattle are under development , and “ Kat ” wants to grow further with an eye on management contracts as opposed to the current ownership model .
From providing job opportunities for local youth to hosting artists-in-residence for refugees and activists , conferences for change makers and public art , music and film festivals exploring topics of social change , Eaton Workshop wants to be a “ catalyst for creative and awakened youth and a tribute to their mentors and predecessors .” Properties are intended to be an incubator and a resource for the community . For example , at a chef ’ s table , chefs can offer master classes to apprentices . In each market , the brand will focus on mentorship of local youth through in-house offerings and programming , training and job opportunities .
It ’ s what Lo believes consumer want to connect with and to reflect their values . “ It has the potential to be really powerful . I do not think it ’ s been done successfully so far , because most of it is still just branded content ,” Lo says . “ So without merit , it doesn ’ t stand on its own two legs as actual content . The world is moving in that direction , where advertising is actually replaced by real live content that has merit .”
CHANGE AGENT The daughter of Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings and Langham hotel brand Chairman K . S ., Lo joined the hotel division of Great Eagle Group in 2011 and acted as executive director of Langham Hospitality Group , directing the development of The Langham Chicago , which opened in 2013 .
If the Eaton brand sounds familiar , it was created by Great Eagle , but it languished and lacked momentum . About five years ago , Chairman Lo asked his daughter to reinvent it as a forward-thinking brand . “ So even though the name is the same , it ’ s completely different , and also , we took it out from under Langham Hospitality Group and just made it its own
“ A HOTEL CAN BE A MODEL TO MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD THE WORLD THAT WE WANT .”
KATHERINE LO independent venture ,” Lo says .
While idealistic , the Eaton team has done its due diligence and believes the concept pencils out profitably . Lo says there is a growing belief that having ethical standards in a company ’ s charter is ultimately more profitable . For example , coffee partners are committed to sustainability and fair trade . “ To us , that ’ s the utmost criteria when selecting all partners and vendors at every level , from social collaborations to physical materials ,” Lo explains . “ So I hope that we can create a handbook or a model for how a hospitality business can actually execute those values at every level with the project , and still be profitable at the end of the day .”
The other question Lo needs to answer is whether enough consumers want to stay at a hotel with a big focus on activism . “ I have a lot of balance in my life between work and play , and I think that translates into what Eaton offers — equally as much effort into our social impact initiatives as into our food and beverage , bar , music and entertainment offering ,” she replies .
Lo also believes that her teams believes in the change , as well . “ I ’ ve hired many people who came from a very traditional hotel backgrounds . I ’ ve seen them embrace these concepts and come up with amazing ideas that I never would have thought of . So I would just encourage people who have been in this industry for a long time that , yeah , there ’ s always room for change .”
October 2018 hotelsmag . com 19