EDITOR ’ S DIARY
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com Barbara Bohn , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : bbohn @ hotelsmag . com Chloe Riley , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : criley @ hotelsmag . 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 Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ 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 Oriana Lerner , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING David Wood , Publisher 1.312.274.2225 dwood @ hotelsmag . com Bill Kinross , Vice President , Group Publisher 312 / 274-2214 bkinross @ meatingplace . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London 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 of culinary and food and beverage operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
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MUCH MORE than a bed
There is no more “ faking it ” in the hotel business . Too many vigilantes and ombudsmen are watching and sharing . Too many consumers are jaded and with expectations not easily matched . Too many alternative accommodation providers are poised to steal your business . Differentiation is elusive and delivering it requires risk-taking , intuition and a strong constitution .
Enter Katherine “ Kat ” Lo , daughter of Hong Kong real estate and hotel magnate K . S . Lo , who along with the luxury Langham brand had a slow-to-develop Eaton brand that needed a refresh
Editor In Chief to make it matter more . He challenged his activist daughter , who has been a Greenpeace delegate , attended the Paris Accord and continues to fight for social change , to do just that — to make a hotel statement in a geopolitical world that many think is off course .
But how could a hotel brand make such a difference ? In Kat Lo ’ s mind , it can help create a movement and serve as a model to move toward the ideal world we dream about . And why not ? A hotel is a community that can become more social and operate in a more socially aware way . She has morphed Eaton into a brand that ties together causeoriented content , wellness , art and music and community , featuring high design fit for the digital age . Lo wants it to serve as a catalyst for creative types and awakened youth . But its appeal is potentially even broader than the narrow may think , and she has the business pedigree to make sure it pencils out profitably .
Eaton Workshop opened its first owned properties a few months ago in Hong Kong and Washington , D . C ., where it has been dubbed by the media “ the anti-Trump hotel .” Hotels in Seattle and San Francisco are coming next , and Lo would like to see the brand grow via management .
It ticks off all the boxes for thoughtfulness and utility for today ’ s travelers , and not surprisingly includes a membership-based co-working space . It is so on point that I couldn ’ t wait to speak to her about what drives her and better understand how she arrived at the finished product ( see p18 for the interview ). Now we shall see how well it is received . Does activism and hospitality mix ? Given the right locations , Lo may have created a model that will be copied . Others in the same vein have come before her , but no concept I know takes it to these lengths to marry advocacy with hotel development and operations .
To me , for those willing to take a risk and rue sameness , the message is that the time has arrived for brands and independent concept creators to include as many as Eaton Workshop ’ s attributes as they can . I know , easier said than done for existing larger brands , but its leadership can take steps in these directions and enlightened team members will likely buy in and want to follow the leaders . It is already happening . Hotels can change for the greater good .
October 2018 hotelsmag . com 7