THE MILLENNIAL EDITION - WYNDHAM IN THE NORDICS

Issue #4

March

2020

GUEST

THE MILLENNIAL EDITION - WYNDHAM IN THE NORDICS

LifeX LIFESTYLE Co-living in Europe with a Nordic feel

GAME CHANGERS The globalised generation at 40

DISRUPTING THE DISRUPTERS Curbing the OTAs

Hotel Engvej

We design hotels Building greener is an always-moving target and AI Architects & Engineers has been focusing on sustainability for 50 years. Simply because – the longer a building lasts, the higher the sustainability impact will be.

© Villa Copenhagen

Hotel Engvej

Comwell Holte

Villa Copenhagen

Previously a run-down office building soon to be a 23,200-sq-m mixed community, including a hotel, housing and a nursery. The shells of the existing buildings are reused – this solution saves money and reduces the climate footprint.

The keyword is sustainability in this project, involving a new wing designed to be awarded the DGNB Gold certificate, extensions of existing facilities, and focusing on energy efficiency. A hotel in the middle of nature, on nature’s terms.

Consulting and engineering services provided for the transformation of the Copenhagen Central Post Building into an exclusive luxury hotel, always respectful of the building’s original architectural features and history.

AI a/s Refshalevej 147 Copenhagen Denmark ai@ai.dk www.ai.dk

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

10

22

30

18

24

40

CONTENTS THE WYNDHAM WORLD

TURN HOTELS ON THEIR HEAD!

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest hotel franchising company. We asked Dimitris Manikis, CEO for the EMEA region, what brings them to Scandinavia.

Stockholm-based Benjamin Calleja – founder of Livit Design – shares his visions for transforming loss-making F&B offerings into game-changing assets.

COMWELL + DOLCE

BY WYNDHAM

LIFEX LIFESTYLE

10

18

Comwell Hotels is the first Scandinavian chain to partner with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. We speak to CEO Peter Schelde about the rewards of a global partnership.

22

24

We talk with the creators of LifeX, the Copenhagen-based startup bringing co-living to cities across Europe, complete with a Nordic sense of style and community.

GAME CHANGERS 30

As the millennials approach their 40s, we digest the disruptive ways this globalised generation has changed the industry – from co-sharing to workspace hospitality.

STEEL HOUSE 40

Appealing to rambling millennials, luxury hostel Steel House Copenhagen has hit the nail on the head. Interview with CEO of Arp-Hansen Hotel Group, Dorte Krak.

DISRUPTING THE DISRUPTERS 44

A rundown of emerging strategies currently being adopted by the hotel industry to curb their dependence on OTAs.

3

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

WELCOME

Photo: Thomas Andersen

Dear Reader, Welcome to the Millennial Edition The fourth edition of GUEST magazine turns the spotlight on the millennials as this globalised demographic approach their 40s. With the rise of the co-sharing economy and the blurring of lines between home, hotel and workspace, the millennial generation and their younger siblings – Gen Z – are changing the hospitality industry from within, offering new and uncharted opportunity.

4

Our feature articles set out to decode the category-shattering concepts currently reinventing the hospitality market, including LifeX – an accommodation provider that adds a Nordic sense of style and community to co-living pads across Europe. We also interview founder of Livit Design, Benjamin Calleja, on how to turn loss-making lobbies into game-changing F&B assets.

Our cover interview for this edition is with Dimitris Manikis, President and Managing Director for the EMEA region at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts – the world’s largest hotel brand franchising company. Six months ago, this hospitality behemoth entered their first Scandinavian partnership, with Comwell Hotels. Have the Nordics become the new frontier in international franchising? GUEST magazine met Manikis while cranes swayed over the soon-to-open Comwell Copenhagen Portside Dolce by Wyndham.

As a responsive industry journal, we naturally welcome reader suggestions for future issues of the magazine. Please contact us at editor@guest-magazine.com Happy reading!

Telling & Nesager

DIGITAL

B O O K I N G , C R M & R E S TA U R A N T S Y S T E M

Kunstig Intelligens flytter ind i Picasso!

Picasso Digital er Skandinaviens eneste bookingsystem med indbygget robot. Robotten, ved navn Mona er baseret på kunstig intelligens (AI), og er skabt til at give dine gæster den bedst mulige service.

Mona kommunikerer løbende med dine gæster, uanset om de kommer fra bookingkanaler eller Picasso/Picasso Online. Mona bliver konstant klogere, og lærer nye måder at gøre livet lettere for dig og gæsten.

MØD ROBOTTEN

Mona

Digital betaling Mona sender, f.eks. 24 timer inden ankomst, bekræftelse til gæsten via email eller sms med en simpel guide og et link til forudbetaling af opholdet.

Digital check-in Mona allokerer et værelse, når der er et ledigt.

Hun tjekker betaling, og checker gæsten ind automatisk inden ankomst.

Digital nøgleudlevering Mona sender via sms en besked til gæsten med velkomst og pin kode nøgle, eller en bluetooth nøgle til værelset.

Mona frigiver tid i receptionen til kontakt med kunden!

Kontakt os og hør mere Besøg os også på www.techotel.dk

Digital check-out Mona sender på afrejsedagen en sms med besked om ‘Tak for denne gang’ samt check-ud- og betalingslink.

Tel: +45 36 19 21 13 Mail: re@techotel.dk

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

GUEST

Photo Andreas Stenmann

PUBLISHER

Telling & Nesager Gammel Strandvej 16 DK-2990 Nivaa Denmark www.tellingnesager.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michael Telling editor@guest-magazine.com

EDITOR

Kim Wyon www.copenhageneditors.com

ART DIRECTION

Mads Lehn Kruse, MK Agency www.mkagency.net

ADVERTISING

advertising@guest-magazine.com

PRINTER

Paper-Made Production 6

GUEST Magazine is published biannually by Telling & Nesager No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from Telling & Nesager.

Telling & Nesager does not accept liability for omissions and errors.

ANNONCE OLUF BRØNNUM & CO A/S IS ONE OF SCANDINAVIA’S LARGEST AND MOST EXPERIENCED SUPPLIERS TO HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, BARS AND CANTEENS. Brønnum a full-service supplier of large kitchens, ranging all the way from design to service with our country-wide sales and service organisation.

With more than 30,000 items in the range, we cover a wide choice of porcelain, glass, cutlery, kitchen and serving equipment and deliver over approx. 8,000 different items from day to day.

Ellekær 10, DK-2730 Herlev · Phone: +45 44 888 400 · mail@bronnum.dk · bronnum.dk

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

CONTRIBUTORS KIM WYON, EDITOR Founder of CopenhagenEditors, Kim Wyon is an experienced editor, writer and photographer. His editorial clients include exclusive brand magazines and leading design practices. Wyon has created editorial design for international campaigns, travel books and museum exhibitions. His editorial photography has been featured in ‘The Guardian’, ‘Condé Nast Traveller’, ‘The New York Times Magazine’, et.al.

MADS LEHN KRUSE, ART DIRECTOR Based in Copenhagen, art director Mads Lehn Kruse creates visual solutions for the arts, fashion and lifestyle industries. With his business acumen, extensive technical expertise and distinct creative signature, Mads offers creative and digital direction for an international clientele within graphic design for print, online and film.

DEANNA TING, JOURNALIST Deanna Ting is a New York-based business journalist who has covered the travel and hospitality industry for the past 14 years. Currently, she is the Senior Platforms Reporter at Digiday, reporting on the intersection of media, marketing and technology. Previously, she was the Senior Hospitality Editor at Skift, where she covered the global accommodations industry, from short-term rentals to hotels. In 2017, she authored the Complete Oral History of Boutique Hotels, covering the boutique hotel movement as it emerged in the USA in the 1980s through the early 2000s.

CHRISTIAN BRORSEN, JOURNALIST Christian Brorsen works in the intersection between design, art and marketing.

He has been editor-in-chief of ‘DesignMatters’, published by the Danish Design Center. Also holding a business degree, Brorsen has worked with product development and communications for Design Nation. And juggling his artistic talents, he has been music producer for Storyville Records and music director of legendary Jazzhus Montmartre.

THOMAS FRÖHLING, ILLUSTRATOR 8

Illustrator and graphic designer Thomas Fröhling lives and works in Stockholm.

Over the years, he has illustrated hundreds of schoolbooks, newspaper illustrations and book covers for mainly Scandinavian publishing houses. Fröhling creates illustrations with a jumble of rhythms, colours and patterns. His method resembles the collage techniques of hip-hop music.

Facility management solutions for the hotel industry - with professional and competent staffing.

We are a respected partner with extensive experience in the hotel industry.

Whether you are using outsourcing for the first time or have done it for years, there are significant benefits to be had by choosing Forenede Hotelservice as your partner.

Your workflows and processes will become simpler and time will be freed up to create better guest experiences. You can therefore focus on your core tasks, knowing that you have a reliable supplier.

Advantages:

Total solution

• • • • • •

• Managing and performing daily cleaning of front of house/back of house areas • Chambermaid/housekeeping services • Reception staff • Events, meetings, conferences, breakfast - preparation and management • Toiletries, flowers and guest supplies • Window cleaning, groundskeeping, grass and hedge cutting and snow removal • Carpet and furniture cleaning • Handyman tasks and small repairs • Administration and reporting

Lower costs per guest Faster and more efficient services and solutions Lower labour costs Improved quality Increased flexibility Well-trained and experienced staff, which minimises training of in-house staff • Support seven days a week

ONE POINT OF CONTACT Only one contact person, no matter how many services we provide for you.

KVALITET I ALT VI GØR

FORENEDE HOTELSERVICE A/S I Head office: Buddingevej 312-316 I 2860 Søborg I Telephone +45 3969 5050 I www.forenede-hotelservice.dk Forenede Hotelservice is a member of the Danish industry organisation HORESTA. PA R T O F F O R E N E D E S E R V I C E

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Danish MICE chain Comwell Hotels has partnered with the world’s largest hotel franchising company, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. With outbound tourism from Asia and India set to skyrocket, GUEST magazine talks to Dimitris Manikis, President and Managing Director for the EMEA region, at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, about the boons of teaming with a global brand.

By Kim Wyon

11

Continued...

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Dolce by Wyndham Attica Riviera, an oasis on the Athens Riviera.

O

12

pening two gion’s wider hospitality marhotels a day ket from the Arctic north to s o m e w h e r e the German border is still eson the globe, sentially native. Whereas most US-based Wyndham Hotels & European markets average Resorts is not only the world’s more than 80 international holargest hotel brands, Nortel franchising way, Sweden company and “As we increasingly and Denmark a leader withstill only muster address overtourin hotel manaround 20 such ism by opening agement serbrands each. new markets, it’s vices, it is also a But global playespecially import- ers are now growing hospitality players in ant that we partner exploring new u n d e re x p l o re d with industry lead- o p p o r t u n i t i e s travel destiers in environmen- in Scandinavia nations from as leisure and tal management.” business tourGeorgia to Kyrgyzstan – and ism expands Dimitris Manikis now Scandinaacross the revia. gion.

While many major ScanThe first Scandinavian dinavian cities are currently hotel chain to partner with experiencing unprecedented Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is hotel capacity growth and a Comwell Hotels, which is one rising interest from interna- of Denmark’s largest dedicattional hotel brands, the re- ed MICE hospitality providers,

operating 16 hotels in Denmark and two close to Gothenburg in Sweden. Initially, Comwell Aarhus and Comwell Copenhagen Portside (set to open in 2021) are the first hotels in the chain to join the ‘Dolce by Wyndham’ family, which boasts around 20 franchise members in North America and Europe. Three yetto-be-announced Comwell Hotels are also set to follow.

GUEST magazine caught up with Dimitris Manikis in the co-working lobby at Comwell Holte Hotel, located in the woodlands of leafy North Zealand. President and Managing Director for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa) at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts since 2018, Manikis’ key responsibilities are maximising the performance of all franchised and managed hotels as well as driving the strategic objectives of the com-

Guest

pany, including technology, loyalty programme, sales and marketing.

What brings Wyndham to Scandinavia?

“It’s amazing how Scandinavia and the wider Nordic region has evolved as a travel destination. Helsinki, for instance, has become a primary travel hub for Chinese travellers – with the main attraction being the fresh air of Lapland.

Who would ever have thought fresh air would become a travel-worthy experience?

“Although Scandinavia is only just being discovered as a new and attractive travel destination, the Scandinavian way of life has already captured the world’s imagination. I recently visited a friend who had just refurbished his holiday home on the remote Greek island of Oinousses. He had bought literally all interiors for the home in IKEA! “Scandinavia offers great stories and experiences. It’s an enviable place to live – and visit – where, like in Copenhagen, ordinary people bike to work and enjoy the open nature around them. Who would 15 years ago have imagined that Copenhagen restaurants would one day share among them 22 Michelin stars?

“But just as consumers are discovering Scandinavian products and experiences, the hotel business in Scandinavia is also becoming more extroverted and open to the world.

Our partnership with Comwell Hotels initially covers two hotels – but there are three

Issue #4

March 2020

DOLCE HOTELS & RESORTS BY WYNDHAM USA

EUROPE

California Napa Valley Silverado Resort and Spa

BELGIUM La Hulpe Dolce by Wyndham La Hulpe Brussels

Colorado Aspen Aspen Meadows Resort Colorado Springs Cheyenne Mountain Resort Colorado Springs, A Dolce Resort Indiana Indianapolis The Alexander Michigan Midland The H Hotel New Jersey Galloway Seaview, A Dolce Hotel Ohio Cincinnati The Summit, A Dolce Hotel CANADA Ontario London Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre

DENMARK Aarhus Comwell Aarhus Dolce by Wyndham Copenhagen Comwell Copenhagen Portside Dolce by Wyndham FRANCE Saint Cyr Sur-Mer Dolce by Wyndham Frégate Provence GERMANY Bad Nauheim Dolce by Wyndham Bad Nauheim GREECE Rhodes Akti Imperial Hotel & Convention Center Dolce by Wyndham Vravrona Dolce by Wyndham Attica Riviera PORTUGAL Turcifal Dolce by Wyndham CampoReal Lisboa 13

SPAIN Sitges Dolce by Wyndham Sitges Barcelona

Continued...

Guest

Issue #4

more in the pipeline. We are also open to expanding into the rest of Scandinavia. Our corporate vision is to ensure that travel becomes possible for everyone, which is why we offer a portfolio of 20 hotel brands that cover nearly all price categories. Indeed, as global markets evolve and ex-

Dolce Fregate Provence in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, France, offering the region’s most superb cuisine and wines, breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, verdant golf courses and Bandol vineyards

14

pand there are no longer places that are off the map.”

Dolce by Wyndham hotels in Europe are often MICE resorts with leisure facilities.

How does Comwell Hotels fit into the wider picture?

“The individual Comwell hotels set to join the Dolce by Wyndham family share a resort feeling and reflect the essence of the brand – they’re amazing places to hold meetings.

Comwell Hotels has the right frame of mind. It’s a ‘match made in heaven,’ if there is such a thing.

March 2020

“After all, business needs the right framework – and backdrop. Recently, I attended a meeting at our Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent and the first thing we did was draw the curtains aside to reveal the amazing city view. Traditionally, scenic beauty was considered a distraction but nothing could be farther from the truth. There’s no business that cannot be done successfully at a resort.

We share the same DNA with Comwell and are proud to be associated with a corporate leader within social responsibility and environmental care. Comwell Hotels has won numerous awards for their CSR commitment. We at Wyndham are also constantly evolving and adapting to changing times. I believe that we can learn a lot from each other – it’s a twoway partnership.”

What advantages will Comwell Hotels enjoy from partnering with Wyndham?

“The Dolce by Wyndham brand is a well-oiled MICE machine. It offers quality experiences and a technical focus. For Comwell Hotels, the partnership opens markets they have not enjoyed access to before, including market and sales support and access to over 79 million worldwide members of our Wyndham

Guest

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest franchising and hotel brand management company with over 9,200 hotels in 80 countries worldwide and representing 20 brands within all classifications.

DISTINCTIVE • Wyndham Grand UPSCALE • Dolce Hotels and Resorts by Wyndham • Wyndham LIFESTYLE • TRYP by Wyndham • Esplendor Wyndham • Dazzler by Wyndham • Trademark Collection by Wyndham MIDSCALE • La Quinta by Wyndham • Wingate by Wyndham • Wyndham Garden • AmericInn by Wyndham • Ramada by Wyndham • Ramada Encore by Wyndham • Baymont by Wyndham VALUE • Microtel by Wyndham • Days Inn by Wyndham • Super 8 by Wyndham • Howard Johnson by Wyndham • Travelodge by Wyndham EXTENDED STAY • Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham

Issue #4

March 2020

Rewards programme. This tribe but today we see them is especially important in as individuals. As a young a time of rising outbound man, my father taught me travel from markets where about such tribal stereoWyndham is already well es- types: what to expect from a tablished, such as from Chi- military man and from a busina and India. nessman. But Our Super 8 these labels “The most importby Wyndham no longer apant lesson is to economy hoply. Business look beyond labels. and tels in China leisure have, for inare no longer We used to view stance, generseparate parts businesspeople ated great inof our lives. as belonging to a terest among A businesstribe but today we person may Chinese toursee them as indiists travelling take a run in to Germany, the morning, viduals.” where we have attend a busiDimitris Manikis also estabness meeting lished Super 8 and lunch and

by Wyndham hotels. then spend the afternoon “In India, we are repre- enjoying cultural experiencsented by several brands, es.” including Ramada by Wyndham and Howard Johnson by What social responsibility Wyndham – and are planning topics should the industry be to add Wyndham Grand and paying particular attention Hawthorn Suites by Wynd- to? ham to the market. One of the fastest-growing demo“My prediction is that the graphics in the global travel top issues we will be discussindustry is the Indian middle ing and reading about in the class. Currently, 90 percent industry over the next three of their travel activity is do- years will be overtourism and mestic, but outbound travel climate change. It was Greta is expected to grow from 25 Thunberg who gave voice to million today to 50 million in the climate crisis just over the next couple of years.” a year ago, and since then Iceland has even unveiled a Millennials have changed plaque commemorating the the MICE industry in many loss of some of their glaciers. ways. What in your view is And as we increasingly adthe most important lesson dress overtourism by openfor today’s hotel operators? ing new and untapped markets, it’s especially important “The most important les- that we engage with partners son is to look beyond labels. who are industry leaders in We used to view business- environmental management, people as belonging to a such as in the case with Com-

Continued...

15

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Dolce by Wyndham Attica Riviera, an oasis on the Athens Riviera, one of two Dolce by Wyndham resorts in Greece offering supreme accommodation.

16

well Hotels. should, indeed, always be “I also believe that we in ready to hop on a plane and the industry have a wider duty meet partners face to face – of care towards our business and engage with partners as partners. My father, who was you would family members. a businessman, “ N a t u r a l l y, once told me we also have “We have a duty to a duty of care that he needensure that traved to travel towards our exellers who spend so extensively tended family in Greece beof hotel guests their savings and cause he had – a duty to enprecious leisure 999 mouths to sure that traveltime with us enjoy lers who spend feed. I didn’t wonderful, unforunderstand at their savings gettable experithe time, sayand their preing: ‘But we cious leisure ences.” are only me, time with us enDimitris Manikis my brother joy wonderful, and our mum – unforgettable who are the rest?’ Naturally, experiences. I have noticed he meant his employees and that when it comes to shartheir dependents. I was very ing photos – not only on sohappy to hear among some cial media but also the phoof our partners that the word tos we hang on walls in our ‘family’ springs to mind when homes and those we show to they think of Wyndham. You our friends and colleagues –

that they tend to be of holiday situations. These are some of life’s most memorable moments, and we in the industry have a duty of care to ensure that these travel memories are exceptional.”

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

The yet to open Comwell Copenhagen Portside Dolce by Wyndham in Copenhagen’s new dockland district of Nordhavn.

17

Guest

18

Issue #4

March 2020

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

COMWELL AARHUS DOLCE BY WYNDHAM Enjoying a prime downtown location by the rapidly re-developing harbour in Denmark’s second-largest city, Comwell Aarhus offers 240 guestrooms on the first 12 floors of a 25-storey landmark building. A new 15-storey annex will include an additional 198 rooms as well as conference facilities and a rooftop restaurant and lounge. The hotel also partners with the adjacent 1500m2 heritage conference facility in a former locomotive workshop, Centralværkstedet Smedien.

By Kim Wyon

Comwell Hotels is the first Scandinavian chain to partner with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. With two Comwell hotels joining the Dolce by Wyndham portfolio, their doors are set to open to new loyalty members in their millions.

You would be forgiven for believing that Comwell Hotels needed no further brand management. With 50 years of history on the Danish market and with soul-pleasing destinations that include palatial seaside spas and scenic conference resorts, the Comwell brand is already top-ofmind among Danish MICE operators, winning the Best Hotel title

at the Danish Travel Awards last year. In 2019, Comwell was even the highest-rated hotel chain in the Danish Sustainable Brand Index B2C. But in the modern world of travel, sustaining your success takes more than nurturing a home-grown following.

With an eye to wider international markets, Comwell Hotels is now the first Scandinavian hotel chain

to enter a partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, allowing two of their state-of-the-art hotels – one in Copenhagen and one in Aarhus – to join the Dolce

by Wyndham collection. GUEST magazine spoke to CEO of Comwell Hotels, Peter Schelde.

Continued...

19

Guest

COMWELL HOTELS Comwell Hotels consists of 16 hotels in Denmark and two in Sweden. All are sizeable resorts and properties with conference facilities and lifestyle amenities.

Comwell Borupgaard Comwell Holte Conference Center Copenhagen Comwell Copenhagen Portside Dolce by Wyndham Comwell Roskilde Comwell Køge Strand Comwell Sorø Comwell Korsør Comwell Klarskovgaard Comwell Middelfart Comwell Kongebrogaarden Comwell Aarhus by Wyndham Comwell Hvide Hus Aalborg Comwell Kellers Park Comwell Kolding Comwell Rebild Bakker Centralværkstedet (conference facility in Aarhus) Comwell Varbergs Kusthotel (Sweden) Aspenas Herrgård (Sweden) H.C. Andersen Hotel Odense

20

Issue #4

What are your visions for your partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts – and how would you describe the match between you?

“Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest hotel franchise company, represented worldwide and with 77 million loyalty members.

They have a strong international sales team with global customers, which means that in future we will gain a strong standing in the market, not least when we open our first hotel in Copenhagen in January 2021.

“So, our collaboration means that we will attain significantly better exposure to foreign tourists, businesspeople and the conference and congress market when travellers search for hotels in Denmark. That is not the case today. As I see it, we are currently competing with other hotels for the same customers in Denmark.

I see this collaboration as giving us a global market that is significantly larger.

“Our longstanding and solid expertise in meetings and conferences as well as our award-winning concepts are a good match with the

March 2020

Wyndham brand. I think we can learn a lot from each other.”

The conference industry is experiencing many changes. On the one hand, it is expanding, yet on the other hand, we are seeing a greater awareness of the environmental cost of travel among businesses in Scandinavia, many of which are now studying online alternatives to physical meetings. How are these developments affecting the product you offer?

“I don’t think one excludes the other. Firstly, we at Comwell have been aiming for sustainability since 2015. An undertaking for which we have gained a lot of recognition and awards both at home and abroad.

We clearly notice that our customers are increasingly choosing partners who take their CSR policy seriously and can contribute to the customer’s ‘green journey’.

“Secondly, we have never been more innovative than in current years. We are constantly developing new concepts and learning tools

Central to the Dolce by Wyndham brand are hotels with a resort feeling. Here the culinary world of Comwell Aarhus Dolce By Wyndham.

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

COMWELL COPENHAGEN PORTSIDE DOLCE BY WYNDHAM Located in Nordhavn, one of Copenhagen’s fastest-growing dockland developments, the hotel is set to open in 2021 and will comprise 484 guestrooms, including 3 suites, in addition to 18 conference rooms. Next to the hotel, a new metro line (M4) will open later this year, ensuring fully-automated transit service to the city centre in just 10 minutes. There are also plans to add a water taxi service to romantically bring guests into town via the waterways.

both internally and in collaboration with external partners. Naturally, we do this because as a meeting and conference provider, we really need to reflect the reality we live in. In just a few years’ time, we will be confronted with a whole new generation that is used to communicating and meeting in completely different ways than we do today.

“I don’t think the need to meet face to face will ever become redundant. We just need to think of new methods and tools for our concept and new offers for our customers.”

There is a growing international trend towards combining business or conference stays with leisure. How does this influence the way you develop your hotel concepts?

“We do this by constantly focusing on our concepts and fine hospitality.

For very many of our business guests,

the keyword is convenience. It should be easy to book, check in and check out and to order services. But this will never be enough on its own. Good hospitality must include a high level of flexibility and personal service.

“Denmark is known for its high price level. So, if business guests or tourists are to pay three times the price for a cup of coffee compared to many other countries, then we need to add an extra dose of service to the experience.

“I think Comwell wins a lot when a business guest has experienced our high level of service, well-crafted organic food, good location and modern spa concept. Then, hopefully, we will be top-of-mind when one day they return to Denmark – or for that matter when a Dane visits other cities in our own country as a private traveller.”

21

Guest

By Kim Wyon

22

Issue #4

March 2020

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Founder of Livit Design, Benjamin Calleja

Founder of Livit Design, Benjamin Calleja shares his visions for how F&B offerings can become drivers of the hotel industry, turning loss-making lobbies into game-changing assets.

E

very eight hours somewhere in the world, a new restaurant opens with guest-centric design by Livit Design, founded and headed by Benjamin Calleja. Shaping the rollout of major restaurant chains globally (also at hotels), Livit Design is no novice to the challenges of F&B offerings in the hotel industry. GUEST magazine invited Benjamin Calleja to share his visions for how today’s struggling F&B offerings can become driving assets in tomorrow’s hospitality market.

Walk into hotels in Scandinavia and you’ll often see gapingly empty lobbies, cafés and restaurants. How do you turn these liabilities into money-makers?

“Hotels have lost their soul.

They used to be go-to places and destinations in their own right.

Many hotels don’t see F&B offerings as a core business activity. We need to re-energise the common space. And you can do so by turning the concept of how to develop a hotel on its head.

Traditionally, we view the hotel as a vertical stack of accommodation where on the ground floor

you add F&B offerings. Basically, we should be doing the opposite. We need to develop F&B concepts that are attractive and sustainable even without placing a hotel on top of them. That way you first create a social hub and then add hotel rooms.”

How do you design hotels to become social hubs?

“You need to address the softer values – create appealing work areas and shared space in the lobby and encourage social connections. That’s the strategy. Hotels are by nature social spaces and the need for social interaction should guide the design. Guest experiences should also be curated, but hotels often do the exact opposite of what is required to create a social hub.

They hire concierges to ensure guests enjoy exceptional experiences – outside the hotel premises. This is a missed opportunity.

Hotels should work to bring the city to the hotel instead of encouraging guests to explore beyond the hotel. There are many ways to achieve this. Hotels can arrange pop-up art and culinary experiences, for instance – and

that way ensure they become a social hub and local destination.”

Conference attendance is becoming increasingly micro-managed. Delegates often seek to personalise their experience, picking and choosing from a multitude of options. This means that identifying peak catering hours at conference hotels is becoming less predictable. How can venues turn this around?

“Technology can help track and identify the flow of people at a venue in real time. You can then encourage delegates to take lunch breaks and enjoy food offerings during off-peak hours by adopting dynamic pricing. As consumers, we’re used to paying differentiated prices for hotel stays and airline fares – and for pretty much anything else we buy.

But when it comes to restaurant offerings, we somehow still feel this is less acceptable. Dynamic pricing can encourage people to go for special offers, which may help even out peak dining hours and turn off-hours into new revenue-makers.”

23

Guest

Issue #4

THE LIFEX LIFESTYLE

By Christian Brorsen

24

An essential element of LifeX is the furnishing of their co-living apartments, adding a Nordic sense of home to the interiors.

March 2020

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Copenhagen-based startup LifeX brings serviced co-living to cities across Europe with an inclusive sense of Nordic style curated by HAY.

M

illennials are seeking new and more flexible ways to live when relocating to a new city. They also aspire to become part of the community in their newfound neighbourhoods. At a time when young professionals see the whole world as their workplace and increasingly travel or move in search of the most interesting job opportunities, new housing requirements are arising that are not naturally met by existing home rental agencies or housing schemes.

When Ritu Jain and her partner Sune Theodorsen moved to “We millennials Copenhagen in 2016 they saw a want the flexibility of creating a home new and untapped wherever we want opportunity. With investment help and the ability to from Founders A/S move if we wish.” they developed a tech platform called Ritu Jain LifeX that reaches out to major cities across Europe, including Berlin, Paris, Munich and Vienna, where young professionals settle to work. LifeX connects owners of apartments or properties with tenants seeking to become part of a co-living community. In addition, LifeX provides real estate operations in conjunction with professional property managers, runs the administration, offers housekeeping and assists new arrivals with the essentials of moving to a new city. In the

wider perspective, there are few limits to potential services or the business growth of their co-living enterprise.

LifeX co-living tenants are typically young expats, just like the founders of LifeX themselves.

When Ritu Jain was offered an attractive job in Copenhagen, she had no idea what a challenge it would be to find housing. In her own words: “I was surprised to find that it wasn’t as easy as I had expected.

First and foremost, my partner and I needed to find a home, a flexible setting where we could feel comfortable while exploring this new city. Most millennials, like ourselves, don’t need to own a place or accumulate physical things to make a home.

We just need a place where we can belong in a new land without having to make permanent commitments. In our case, we needed some flexibility so we could figure out if we wanted to make this our long-term base. The challenge is that the standard housing model today doesn’t accommodate for the needs of a mobile population. Corporate housing used to fill that gap, but only for the top executives travelling with large corporations. The only options most people have is to either sign long-term leases with large deposits or attempt to buy something in a city you hardly know. On top of that, all the up-front costs around furnishings and the time it takes to get set up is not something we want to

Continued...

25

Guest

HAY HAY is a Danish furniture and home accessories company founded in 2002 with the ambition of creating contemporary furniture with international appeal and an eye for modern living. Striving to make good design accessible to the largest possible audience, HAY is also a strong player in the contract market, supplying furnishings for major Danish hospitality players such as Comwell. Millennial-style hospitality experiences furnished by HAY include the Nomad Workspace (a co-working space in Copenhagen) and the international Dream Hostel chain. HAY has also teamed with LifeX to provide Nordic-style interiors for their serviced co-living apartments throughout Europe.

Photos: Jakob Marovt. www.hay.dk

26

Issue #4

March 2020

prioritise anymore. A hotel or Airbnb can be a stop-gap measure for a few weeks, but then what?

“What we realised is that moving doesn’t have to be this stressful. There should be easier options to move to a country, have flexible housing and a launch pad to kickstart a new life. We millennials want the flexibility of creating a home wherever we want and the ability to move to another home if we wish to do so.

“LifeX is challenging the way we think about living by providing a modern co-living – essentially a landing pad in a new city which is flexible, all-inclusive and provides a community on arrival. We offer assistance with work permits and visa processing and take care of all the practical things like opening a bank account and everything in between. Our goal is to take away the stress of transition and provide our members with a happy first experience in a new city.

We love the hygge and Sunday dinners together, and spend time connecting with people offline.”

Ritu Jain and Sune Theodorsen moved to Copenhagen in 2016. Based on their own experiences in the difficulty of finding accommodation, they created the LifeX serviced co-living company whose online platform allows homeowners in cities across Europe to connect with prospect co-living tenants.

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

NORDIC DESIGN A very important element of LifeX co-living is the furnishing of the apartments, both in the private bedrooms and common areas. From the very outset, Danish hygge and design have guided the interior design of LifeX apartments, which is why it only seemed natural to partner with HAY, a Danish design company that brings the best of Nordic design to an international audience. All LifeX co-living apartments are therefore appointed with sleek and pared-back HAY design. For Rolf Hay, founder of the HAY company, LifeX is not just another project, but an idea that points to the future and can help solve the challenges of globalisation and urbanisation. Rolf Hay says about LifeX: “For me, LifeX deals with one of the most salient issues in our time, which is the importance of sharing.

Urban life has become incredibly

challenged by the fact that everyone wants to live in the same place. Cities are expanding, everyone is moving there, and we simply don’t have enough living space. This, of course, drives real-estate prices sky high, which furthers the problem. What LifeX offers is a way of bypassing this.

And then, of course, maybe just as important is the sense of belonging that the project provides, for newcomers who arrive in a city for a new job or a new opportunity and don’t have a network. I think many people, when they come to Copenhagen and meet the Danes, find us friendly on the surface, but it’s very difficult to get closer.

That’s why it’s really cool when you can arrive to an environment that is more than just an apartment but a community with people in the same situation as you. LifeX offers the opportunity to become a part of a community.

“If you look back through history, I think the core values of Scandinavian design were strongly driven by creating quality products in a democratic context, suited for the modern lifestyle. This is perfect for a project like LifeX, where you are creating a simple, well furnished, beautiful apartment, while allowing – through the simplicity of the products – for the person who is moving in to create a personalised environment that feels like home. That is what Scandinavian design offers: furniture that is simple and neutral without being poor, which creates a solid framework for building an individual identity,” says Rolf Hay to GUEST magazine.

Inviting communal space is key to shared living.

27

Continued...

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

ABOUT LIFEX Established in June 2017 in Copenhagen, LifeX offers more than 40 apartments and has 200 co-living members in Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, Munich, and Vienna.

LifeX is a tech platform that connects owners of attractive apartments with prospect tenants. All apartments are appointed with HAY furnishing to reflect the simple beauty of Nordic living. LifeX makes it easy for new arrivals to handle all the practicalities of moving to a new destination. But more importantly, new residents immediately become part of a community and a local network.

28

“For me, LifeX deals with one of the most salient issues in our time, which is the importance of sharing.�

Rolf Hay

LifeX currently has 20 employees and is part of the cluster of innovative tech companies supported by Founders A/S, which is owned by the William Demant Foundation, Kirkbi A/S and Anders Holck Poulsen, founder and owner of Bestseller A/S. www.joinlifex.com

www.gottlieb-co.dk

Please do disturb!

Hospitali

ty Agenc y

If you like guests, you’ll love us!

We are an independent creative agency based in Copenhagen - Denmark.

We specialize in strategic marketing services, and creative campaigns for brands in the hospitality sector and the experience economy.

We create solutions that attract and convert based on industry insights, strategic creativity and digital knowhow.

We work with hotels, restaurants, conference centres, venues, destinations, tourist attractions and everything in between.

-So, if you would like more guests please do contact us.

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

30

CityHub hotels offer self-contained sleeping pods they call ‘hubs’ containing a sizable double bed and equipped with music streaming and WiFi. CityHub is currently set to expand in Scandinavia.

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

As the millennials approach their 40s, GUEST magazine digests the disruptive ways this globalised generation is changing the business of hospitality – blurring the borders between workspace, home and hotel.

By Kim Wyon & Christian Brorsen

The millennial demography is no longer niche. Now aged between 25 and 43, the older of this first generation of digital nomads have reached their early 40s, carving out senior corporate careers and raising families. Currently, they are being joined on the travel circuit by their younger siblings born after 1996, called Generation Z (Gen Z). Combined, this younger demographic now makes up 50 percent of the world’s workforce.

Catering to the needs and cravings of younger generations,

hospitality providers worldwide are developing game-changing business models that blur the borders between home, hotel and workplace. Underpinning several innovative industry developments is the re-evaluation of shared space. This is seen with category-shattering hotel accommodations that recalibrate the ratio between private space and public space, offering shoebox-sized guestrooms yet spacious lobbies for co-working and socialising – also for daytime-only paying guests. Another emerg-

ing trend is workspace hospitality – dubbed ‘workspitality’ – where hotel amenities are co-shared with neighbouring offices and where traditional hotel services are extended to workplaces in the local community.

GUEST magazine takes a whirlwind tour of millennial-friendly concepts reshaping the industry as we know it.

Continued...

31

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

The CityHub Copenhagen hotel with 215 ‘hubs’ will be the chain’s largest to date

HOTELS AS SOCIAL SPACES

32

From The Hoxton and Ace Hotel to Moxy (by Marriott) and citizenM, millennial-friendly hotels – sometimes called ‘micro-hotels’ – break the rules of traditional categorisation, offering downsized guestrooms and maximised co-shared space.

Complete with Insta-worthy designer lobbies, full-service micro-hotels were originally conceived to entice travellers away from homey Airbnb offerings and to curb the rise of luxury hostels (dubbed ‘poshtels’).

An early example of the poshtel concept, Generator Hostels (locations include Stockholm and Copenhagen) first launched in 2007 to target the then emerging breed of backpackers (coined ‘flashpackers’) who sought cushier amenities and more shared chill-out space than previous,

cash-strapped backpackers. Sin- able double bed and equipped gle and double rooms were later with music streaming and WiFi. added to their mix of accommo- Bathrooms and toilets are shared dations, erasing the line between as at regular hostels. But is Scanhostel and hotel. dinavia ready for Now, the the ‘hub’?

“Millennial-friendly Scandinavian “As part of market is bracing our expansion hotels break the for an entirely rules of traditional throughout Eunew generation rope, CityHub categorisation by of cleverly-desees Scandinavia offering a new ratio as an interesting signed urban between private hostels to renew market. Indeed, their cred with and public space.” we are currentyounger travelly looking for a lers. Few would suitable location have believed a decade ago that in Stockholm,” says CityHub Asian-styled capsule hotels would co-founder Pieter van Tilburg to find a European (let alone a Scan- GUEST magazine. dinavian) iteration combined with The CityHub Copenhagen generous co-shared space – but hotel with 215 ‘hubs’ will be the now it’s happening. This year, the chain’s largest to date, and as an CityHub chain is set to open their added Scandinavian feature, the first hotel outside the Nether- hotel – apart from urban courtlands, in Copenhagen’s hot and yard and roof terrace – will also happening Vesterbro district. Cit- offer access to a steaming hot yHub hotels offer sleeping pods sauna. they call ‘hubs’ containing a siz-

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

33

Utilising and commercialising shared space at hotels is one of the key drivers of innovation at AccorHotels, which has announced a wide programme of co-working concepts at its hotels Europe-wide.

Continued...

Guest

NEW AGE OF CO-WORKING Does anyone remember the internet café? These early machine rooms of the then newfangled Internet helped leapfrog a whole generation into a new way of working. Similarly, co-working spaces later emerged to offer freelancers as well as fundstrapped startups communal workspace for co-creation and networking.

An early example in Scandinavia was Mesh in Oslo, which in 2012 became Norway’s first co-working space. Today, Mesh is a member of the Creators Community of innovation hubs across the Nordic region. Worldwide, such co-working offerings have not only been developed as incubators and accelerators, but also as carefully curated ‘collaborative workspaces’ for curious and creative individuals.

NeueHouse in New York and Los Angeles (founded in 2011) is one such example offering a range of services and co-shared amenities, including broadcast studios, screening rooms and membership hotel perks – and naturally, culture-savvy communal dining.

Issue #4

Co-working offices, however, are no longer a fringe offering for ecosystems of startups – major corporations are increasingly signing up. With the woes of global flagbearer WeWork (trail-blazed in 2008) fresh in mind, you may be forgiven for believing that the business case for co-working leases was shaky. But there are definite advantages. Basically, co-working as a business concept bridges a property owner’s requirements for long-term security and the tenant’s desire for flexibility, scalability and financial efficiency. There are, indeed, compelling competitive advantages. HUBNORDIC is a collection of three co-working office properties in Copenhagen’s Ørestad district owned by KLP Ejendomme A/S, a Danish property investment subsidiary of Norwegian pension fund KLP. As an institutional investor, long-term viability and risk management are natural concerns.

“Unlike many other European cities, Copenhagen has many different evolving business centres that often enjoy the fleeting interest of novelty.

The office lease market is competitive and as a pension fund we believe that if we fail to invest in customer service we will risk creating products

March 2020

for which there will be no future demand. The current job market means that corporations, whether tech companies or auditors, are competing for the very same professionals. That’s why with the HUBNORDIC project we seek to give businesses the opportunity to enhance their global recruitment by offering a dynamic and colourful co-shared workspace rich in experiences,” says CEO of KLP Ejendomme A/S, Søren Risager-Hansen, to GUEST magazine. “We no longer simply supply office space, we offer services. Front desks, meeting facilities, garage parking and lobby cafés – these are all mainstays of co-working office developments. What we seek to do is give these amenities an added competitive edge – and stay one step ahead. We are learning all the time,” Risager-Hansen adds.

Across Scandinavia, the drive towards offering serviced co-working space as a long-term investment strategy is gathering momentum.

Swedish property investor Castellum last year acquired United Spaces, a company that has more than a decade of experience in developing full-service co-working office space. A forward-thinking investor, Castellum

HUBNORDIC office spaces are developed as integral parts of urban environments in Copenhagen’s Ørestad district.

34

Guest

Swedish property investor Castellum last year acquired United Spaces, a company that has more than a decade of experience in developing full-service co-working office space.

Issue #4

is the sole Nordic property and construction company listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), owning properties not only in 20 Swedish cities but also in Helsinki and Copenhagen.

“Co-working is about so much more than attractive workspaces. It’s resource-efficient for the planet as well as for our wallets, but it’s also about building fellowship and a unifying flow among people, spontaneous meetings and creativity. In central London and Manhattan, co-working now accounts for 25-30 percent of the newly signed lease agreements on the o ff i c e - s p a c e market. We would like to open several co-working spaces in the near future in Scandinavia, and we see this as a strong and clear option, both for micro-companies and for major enterprises. We see the importance of adding services to our existing portfolio of primarily office and logistic properties in order to be successful and competitive in the long term,” Henrik Saxborn, CEO of Castellum says to GUEST magazine.

Representing a different approach to the provision of co-working space, OfficeHub (founded in 2016) has developed a web-based marketplace where property owners on the Danish market can list their available office space. Over the past couple

March 2020

of years, the company has adopted a managed marketplace approach that includes lease brokering and a wider range of services from housekeeping to catering.

“We originally thought we would become the Airbnb for co-working spaces, but it turned out that finding the right kind of office is a much bigger decision than deciding where to spend a two-week holiday. There are many parameters to consider, including accessibility, location and potential to grow without having to move again. We have therefore adopted a managed marketplace approach where we help create greater market transparency and offer our services in brokering the right deal. We also provide services related to the maintenance and operation of an office or workplace, creating a one-stop shop for the co-working segment in the real estate market. Our advantage is our wide network of property providers featured on OfficeHub as well as our experience in the field,” co-founder and CTO of OfficeHub, Marc Falk, says to GUEST magazine.

Surprisingly, Airbnb is a latecomer to the co-working market.

Although one of the company’s major selling points is offering the convenience of ample rented living space, the company only last year introduced a toggle specifically facilitating searches for work-friendly accommodation.

35

Continued...

Guest

WORKSPITALITY – WORKPLACE HOSPITALITY

36

Issue #4

space. It’s logical to think that a hotel is for hotel guests, and that our meeting rooms are for people who want to do business.

But what about co-workers? Our Scandinavian hotels are no answer has been to introduce newcomers to offering co-work- day passes, which also appeal ing space. Across the industry, to global nomads seeking an inhotels have long sought to com- spiring place to work for a day. modify underused lobbies and citizenM is not a co-working ofbusiness centres by relaunching fice concept, but a great place them as co-working facilities – not to drop by with your laptop,” always successfully. But aiming to citizenM says in a statement to reach the millennial segment of GUEST magazine, while also contravellers, providing co-working firming their wider interest in the space is widely considered key to Scandinavian market. They are currently seeking new locations in success.

Copenhagen is currently ex- Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Another Netherlands-based periencing what arguably could example is the ZOKU hotel brand be called a new wave of Netherlands-based hotel brands where (originally launched in 2016 in co-working is embedded in their Amsterdam) that offers studio acDNA. citizenM is another mil- commodation with homey, builtlennial-targeted lifestyle brand in workspace. Described by ‘Tech based in the Netherlands, cur- Insider’ magazine as “WeWork rently with 30 hotels scattered combined with Airbnb”, the first across the globe from Taipei to ZOKU hotel outside the NetherSeattle – and since 2018 also in lands is slated to open later this year in Copenhagen’s Ørestad Copenhagen.

“Thanks to our vibrant and Nord district, a development set large living rooms, we ooze a to be followed by a rollout of 50 ZOKU hotels in ‘welcome to major European all’ personalicities from Vien“Throughout the ty, which makes na to Paris as well industry, ‘Workour hotels buzzing, guests and spitality’ promises as in several US cities. Apart from meeting room new avenues of the 30m2 Loft users enthusiasrevenue, while Studios for shorttic, and outside term stays, ZOKU supporting a better people come in work/life balance, also offers sofor a coffee or a drink. As we like not least for young called Bootstrap Rooms complete to say, in our livcorporate profeswith bunkbeds ing rooms they sionals.” and access to can ‘work, rest the hotel’s ample and play’. While we love that our living rooms are co-working and socialising enviso popular, it isn’t clear at the ronment. Purpose-built using salmoment what we allow in our vaged and recycled building materials, the 160-room ZOKU hotel

March 2020

GLOBALISED GENERATIONS The generations reshaping hospitality.

MILLENNIALS Born between the late 1970s and 1990s, the millennials are the first generation to become digital nomads and experience the open skies of cheap air travel. They shaped social media and co-sharing platforms such as Airbnb. They are also the first ‘poststuff’ generation who generally value experiences higher than possessions.

And with the wide world as their workplace, millennials were the first to embrace co-working spaces and are currently reinventing co-living for a new age of serviced shared apartments.

As travellers, they are adventurous and seek authentic local experiences guided by their social media network.

GENERATION Z Born after 1996, Generation Z is the first demographic never to have experienced a time without the Internet.

With the Great Recession of 2008 as part of their childhood, they are more pragmatic than their older siblings.

They avoid taking loans and are more career-focused. Like millennials, they are into renting rather than owning and embrace car-sharing and co-living. Generation Z consumers are less inclined to waiting and saving – they want experiences now! So why own when you can share and rent? Smartphone-immersed and influenced by social media, they are very conscious of their online presence. As travellers, they seek authentic local experiences that reflect their personal narrative and love of co-creation.

Guest

Issue #4

in Copenhagen will also include eco-conscious amenities such as an organic supermarket.

Faced with such service innovation from emerging independent brands, major franchising companies aren’t resting on their proverbial laurels. AccorHotels is developing new co-working concepts to support their existing portfolio of 20 hotel brands.

Initially targeting France, the AccorHotels co-working concept dubbed “augmented hospitality” is to be marketed under the Wojo brand name. Eight Wojo venues have already opened in Paris, and two in Lyon.

On a wider European scale, AccorHotels is to offer three different Wojo models. The first, called Wojo Spots, will cover co-working facilities accessible to hotel guests free of charge,

March 2020

whereas non-staying visitors must subscribe. AccorHotels aims to establish 1,000 such Wojo Spots at affiliated hotels throughout Europe by 2022. Their second concept, Wojo Corners, will eventually bring AccorHotels into entirely uncharted waters. Although initially opening at affiliated hotels, Wojo Corners will later also open at train stations, airports and shopping centres. The first Wojo Corner was launched in 2018 at Hotel Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacré-Cœur, and the aim is to open 100 across Europe by 2022. With their third concept, Wojo Sites, AccorHotels takes the final plunge into developing a stand-alone co-working brand.

Wojo Sites are to offer full-service corporate offices of over 1,000m2 but no accommodation.

The provision of Wojo co-work-

citizenM develops their lobbies as co-working spaces and invites non-staying guests to use their facilities for a day-fee.

37

Continued...

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Wojo Paris Champs Elysées, one of a growing number of Wojo co-working spaces in the French capital.

38

ing concepts – with or without hotel rooms – has been described

by Wojo CEO Stéphane Bensimon as ‘Workspitality’. This expanded understanding of workspace hospitality is also emerging in corporate office development – projects where hotels provide a wide range of hospitality services to neighbouring office tenants.

Skanska A/S is currently developing two new major office projects in Copenhagen that both include hotels. Next year, Scandic CPH Strandpark is set to open in Scanport, a new waterfront business district within close reach of the city’s airport. The conference hotel will offer 357 rooms as well as a wide range of facilities from meeting rooms and underground parking to a restaurant and indoor pool – functions that will be accessible for the neighbouring office complex, Scanport Glasværk and coming office projects. Likewise, Skanska is expanding its Nest45 office development with an annexed hotel slated to open in 2021. Located next to the

city’s largest conference venue, Bella Center Copenhagen, the 186-room hotel is to be operated under the AccorHotels brand Ibis Style, a franchise that combines business with leisure – in this case in more ways than one.

“It is our experience that potential office tenants are to a greater extent than previously looking at the total package. What we as property developers can offer besides office space with a fixed square-metre rent is the flexibility of co-working space to expand according to need as well as a range of added services that include meeting facilities, catering, fitness centres and bicycle parking and repair.

Other services in demand include reception, private housekeeping, food delivery and laundry service.

Many such services are a natural part of a hotel concept that make everyday life easier for the individual corporate employees, which is why we believe it makes good sense to combine offices with a business hotel. From the

developer’s perspective, then besides the availability of hospitality provision from a hotel, there are also several other facilities that can be co-utilised, such as fitness, restaurants and parking,” says Peter Nymann, CEO of Skanska A/S Denmark, to GUEST magazine.

Throughout the industry, ‘Workspitality’ promises new avenues of revenue, while supporting a better work/life balance, not least for young corporate professionals – an important factor when recruiting and seeking to retain the travel-ready Gen Z demographic.

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

39

Skanska has developed the Nest45 corporate office complex in Copenhagen to include an Ibis Style hotel (opening in 2021).

Shared lobby space facilitates interaction with local users who also enjoy access to F&B offerings.

Guest

40

Issue #4

March 2020

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

Co-shared amenities are the backbone of Steel House Copenhagen, including a self-catering kitchen, gaming room, screening room, a CrossFit gym and an indoor pool located below the bike entrance to the courtyard. Photo: Copenhagen Editors.

By Christian Brorsen

Designed to appeal to rambling travellers of the co-sharing demographic, Steel House Copenhagen has hit the nail on the head. GUEST magazine speaks to Dorte Krak, CEO of Arp-Hansen Hotel Group, about the lessons from their premier luxury hostel.

Steel House Copenhagen is a successful business case and a pleasant surprise for Dorte Krak, CEO of Arp-Hansen Hotel Group. Conceived as a millennial-style luxury hostel, Steel House Copenhagen opened in 2017 in a repurposed metalworker trade union HQ, converted to offer a rough-edged world of exposed concrete walls and stripped-bare pipes and ducts.

With 253 dorm and double rooms and no less than 1,150 beds, the luxury lies not so much in the size and privacy of the guestrooms but in the homey and welcoming atmosphere of the shared amenities. With plush communal lounges, a self-catering kitchen

(called ‘show kitchen’), laundry, gaming room, screening room, a CrossFit gym and a splash-happy indoor pool, Steel House Copenhagen was designed to entice travellers away from the boons of Airbnb – travellers who follow their hearts and spend less time on planning ahead and more time on enjoying the moment in the experience-widening company of likeminded strangers.

And it’s the shared social spaces at Steel House Copenhagen and wider-than-anticipated demographic that have proved key to its business success.

Dorte Krak

41

Continued...

Guest

What does it take to make a project like Steel House Copenhagen profitable?

“On the whole, it’s the size of the property that is decisive for what kind of hotel you can establish and make profitable. The fixed costs, including front desk staff, are difficult to reduce and that’s why the number of rooms is critical. A building where you can create 253 rooms is actually too small, but when you can sell beds individually, as you do at a hostel, then it suddenly makes financial sense.

“It is also important to emphasise that it requires a different type of staff to operate units such as Steel House Copenhagen, preferably employees with an international background.

Having traditional hotel training isn’t necessarily an advantage – the guests have a different kind of preference.

We have experienced a very special

Issue #4

March 2020

commitment among our employees They also have an incredibly wide tarand a community that is unique. A get group. Steel House mainly has special culture. That said, a business guests in their 20s, 30s and 40s. such as Steel House Copenhagen re“There is a large group of people quires a higher flow of who travel to desguests, which causes tinations to where “Conceptually, it greater wear and tear there are cheap and requires that the flight connections has been importtraditional hard-core ant for us to create and where there operations are taken common areas that should also preferavery seriously. So we bly be cheap accominvite you to stay, cannot do without emmodation. That has make your own ployees who have the been lacking here expertise.” food, drink a coffee in Copenhagen. The life of the city itself and simply hang What kind of guests is the most importout.” are you attracting to ant asset; that’s what Steel House Copenhapeople travel for.

Dorte Krak gen?

“Many travel around without hav“When we look at the target group ing decided how long they want to for Steel House Copenhagen, it’s wid- stay at the individual destinations, so er than we had anticipated. It’s a bit we often see guests extend their stay. like Norwegian [low-cost airline, ed.]. It’s a different way to travel.

Amenities at Steel House Copenhagen are pay-as-you-go. Room keycards can be used to access the shared kitchen for a small fee. Here guests can cook, eat and socialise with views to the street life.

42

Guest

Hostel life at Steel House Copenhagen includes co-working space, bike rental and free shared amenities such as coffee-makers – unless you opt for barista coffees from the bar.

Issue #4

“To be honest, Steel House Copenhagen is also an attempt to recapture a bite of what Airbnb has taken from hotels. Today, Airbnb has about one million room nights out of the four million room nights that are sold each year in Copenhagen.”

What does the social aspect of the hostel mean to your business?

“Conceptually, it has been important for us to create common areas that invite you to stay, make your own food, drink a cup of coffee or enjoy a beer and simply hang out. We have succeeded beyond all expectations.

Earnings-wise, this is also an important contribution to the hotel’s operation that one cannot ignore.

“In popular terms, the success of a hotel concept like Steel House Copenhagen can be measured in the bar.

“For us, Steel House has been about developing a new product that caters to the generation that likes to share, the millennials. If we look to the future, we believe that the social aspect where you get to know each other, eat together, etc., is something that all hotel guests will demand. And we’ll take note of that at our other hotels. It shouldn’t be like at a hostel, but there are elements

March 2020

that can be copied. We believe it can be introduced as a spice, but to a limited extent, depending on the hotel. Overall, there is a movement in that direction – a good example is Hotel Hornbækhus where the new owner, Lennart Lajboschitz [founder of the Flying Tiger Copenhagen stores, ed.] has introduced communal dining and with good success.”

43

Guest

44

Issue #4

March 2020

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

By Deanna Ting

The hotel industry is constantly seeking new creative ways to circumvent OTAs. But as their mutual dependency increasingly becomes clear, the tech industry giants tap into the game.

Nearly three decades ago, one of the biggest disruptors to ever impact the hotel industry was born: the online travel agency (OTA). OTAs upended the distribution model for hotels and the travel industry as a whole, and made many hotels utterly dependent on them.

But today’s hotel industry is

devising new ways to circumvent these online middlemen and to establish more direct relationships with guests. From small boutique properties to massive hotel chains and everything in between, today’s hotels are employing innovative strategies to reclaim those lost commissions and build stronger guest loyalty

in the process.

Here’s a look at a few of the ways that hotels, particularly those based in the US, are doing just that.

Continued...

45

Guest

Issue #4

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

er chains by signing up for soft brand collections.

Some lifestyle hotels have found other ways to team togethIn any industry disrupted by er without losing their indepenmiddlemen, achieving scale is dence. an obvious and reliable strateIn 2016, Standard Internationgy. This is why Marriott acquired al, the parent company behind Starwood for US $13.6 billion to lifestyle-focused Standard Hobecome the world’s largest hotel tels, launched its own last-minute company. It’s why Accor bought hotel booking platform, called Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel One Night. Today on One Night, for US $2.7 billion; and it’s why consumers book more than 200 Hyatt bought Two Roads Hospi- hotels in 17 markets worldwide. tality for US $480 million.

Last February, One Night secured There is obSeries A funding vious strength and was spun off “The more experi- from Standard Inin numbers. For ences you can offer ternational, with bigger hotel players like Marriott, to your existing or Standard chief Accor and Hyatt, potential custom- commercial ofscale means betficer Jimmy Suh ers, the better” ter negotiating leading its operpower with the ations.

OTAs for lower commission rates Suh said at the time, “With the and more favourable terms. funding, we also will be launching In 2019, almost three years a new distribution channel later after Marriott bought Starwood, this year that is poised to disrupt Marriott International CEO Arne traditional online travel agencies Sorenson told investors, and set the stage for the next “Starwood has made us a generation of travel agents.” more formidable competitor, That new channel, called Benproviding a more valuable loyalty ny, has yet to formally debut, but programme, brands with strong reports about it first surfaced in appeal to loyalty members and August, describing it as a “social owners, talented associates, ter- travel agency.” rific locations, particularly in the fast-growing Asia Pacific region, significant cost synergies and meaningful scale.”

But even for relatively smaller players, including independent hotels and lifestyle hotels, scalHotel companies are also being up together has its benefits. coming OTA-like in terms of what Some independent hotels have they can offer to guests, thanks historically chosen to join ho- to scale and entering into what tel marketing alliances like Pre- Hyatt Hotels CEO Mark Hopferred Hotels or Leading Hotels lamazian has called “adjacent of the World, while some have spaces” that complement their piggybacked on the scale of larg- core hospitality business and also

GETTING INTO ADJACENT SPACES

46

March 2020

Guest

give consumers more opportunities and reasons to engage with a hotel company.

For Hyatt, those spaces have included alternative accommodations (with short-lived pilots with Onefinestay and Oasis), fitness/ wellness (Hyatt bought boutique fitness chain Exhale in 2017), and offering experiences, or bookable tours and activities.

“Wellbeing is at the core of our purpose of care,” said Julia Vander Ploeg, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Digital for Hyatt. Vander Ploeg said Hyatt loyalty members can earn and redeem loyalty points at participating Exhale locations as well as through the FIND experience platform, “a curated and growing selection of over 200 unique, member-only experiences in more than 35 destinations around

Issue #4

the world designed to positively impact World of Hyatt members’ wellbeing.”

For others, it might be offering short-term rentals, as Marriott is now with Homes & Villas by Marriott, or even getting into the co-working space, as Hoxton Hotels and Accor have.

The more experiences you can offer to your existing or potential customers, the better, the more stickiness you have and, hopefully, the more loyalty.

LEVELLING WITH LOYALTY Loyalty programmes have been a mainstay in hotel playbooks for fighting back against the OTAs and enticing guests to book direct. Four years ago, the

March 2020

major hotel companies — Hilton, IHG and Marriott among them — waged what some described as a “direct booking war” against the OTAs by offering discounted room rates to members of their respective loyalty programmes.

Today, however, the conversation has shifted a bit, and instead of telling guests they’ll save when they book direct as a loyalty member, hotels are now telling them that they’ll also have an even better travel experience when they book direct.

Last year, Hilton launched a global marketing campaign, “Expect Better, Expect Hilton” that “was grounded in insights that revealed that many consumers view travel planning sceptically, and as a series of compromises,” said Patricia Page-Champion, Senior Vice President and Global

Continued...

47

Guest

Commercial Director for Hilton.

“We really wanted to reassure travellers that booking direct with Hilton gets them the best deal through our price-match guarantee, as well as giving them extra perks.”

Those perks include free WiFi, Digital Key (opening your room with your own smartphone); the ability to choose your own room; and at some hotels, benefiting from Connected Rooms that let you control everything, from the temperature to the shades, with your own phone.

Since the campaign launched, Page-Champion said Hilton has seen “double-digit growth in brand consideration among leisure travellers who saw the TV advertisements.” She added, “Booking intent has increased nearly 10 percent among people who would normally book through third-party travel companies.” And membership numbers for the Hilton Honors loyalty programme have increased by 20 percent over the previous year to more than 100 million members.

FLAUNTING THEIR ATTRIBUTES

48

For hotels, promising the best possible guest experience starts at the time of booking, before a guest even steps past their doors.

IHG and Marriott are employing attribute-based guest reservations systems that give users some control over the types of attributes they’d like in their rooms, such as the number of beds or bed types; balconies; distance from the elevator, etc. Choosing

Issue #4

March 2020

certain attributes will generate fees may be steeper, the net revsearches that only show rooms enue made from bookings – withthat have that unique combina- out having to spend additional tion of features a guest wants so money on marketing and soft they can start customising their brand fees – could potentially be stay from the very beginning. higher than if that independent OTAs, too, will receive an ini- joined a soft brand or flagged ittial set of very basic attributes self with a brand. that categorise the room invenIn recent years, OTAs like tories that they advertise on their Booking Holdings and Expedia platforms. But hotel brands like have increasingly offered more Marriott and IHG will retain con- business tools and services for trol of the thousands of possible independent hotels, including attributes and but not limited combinations to marketing.

“Direct booking that a guest can One example of war or not, the have, giving this is Expedia guests even more truth is that hotels Partner Central, incentive to book which launched and OTAs fundadirect with the in 2016. In some mentally rely on hotel brand than ways, both OTAs one another” with an OTA. The and major hotel OTAs can’t sell conglomerates every attribute or every combi- like Marriott and its peers are not nation of attributes, but the hotel just fighting for bookings from can. Once consumers get used to consumers, they’re fighting to this type of customisation, they win over independent hotel ownmay be more likely to book direct ers, too. than with OTAs. Last autumn, Marriott anThis tactic, however, has lim- nounced an exclusive partnership its for smaller hotel chains or in- with Expedia, naming the OTA as dependents who don’t have the its preferred global distributor resources to overhaul their guest of Marriott’s wholesale and proreservations systems to offer this motional room rates, curtailing customisable booking experi- the power of another third-party ence. distribution channel – bedbanks, such as HotelBeds, WebBeds and MG Bedbank. Since October, these bedbanks have had to work directly with Expedia Partner Solutions in order to have access to its more than 7,000 hotels worldwide.

For independents – and even for the world’s largest hotel company – sometimes there’s a benefit in partnering with OTAs or at least leveraging their tech and marketing budgets to their advantage. While the commission

USING OTAS TO THEIR ADVANTAGE

Guest

Issue #4

March 2020

49

Continued...

Guest

TECH PLATFORMS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES

50

Issue #4

Facebook. We have already seen how Expedia has been compelled to use higher-cost Google Hotels rather than lower-cost organic channels such as Google Search – and caused their market share to fall.

Some independent hotels are Direct booking war or not, the truth is that hotels and OTAs fun- advertising their rooms on Airbdamentally rely on one another in nb, because Airbnb’s commission structure can be more favourable a number of ways.

A guest may book her room than traditional OTAs in most inon an OTA, but once she checks stances. The increased competiinto her hotel, it’s up to the hotel tion is, in some ways, benefiting to give her the best hospitality – smaller, independent hoteliers.

And it’s also impacting how and hopefully convince her that the larger hotel for her next stay, companies stratshe should book “I think we are in direct. an absolute war for egize, too.

However, it Modus Hotels who owns the cusshould be notCEO Aaron Katz tomer. It’s a longed, said Robert told me, “If we term war.”

Cole, CEO of pay 20 percent [in hospitality and an OTA commisMarriott CEO travel technology sion fee] to get a Arne M. Sorenson consulting firm customer, that’s RockCheetah to not an expensive way to get a loyal member into GUEST magazine, “Google is not your organisation. You get that an OTA. It is simply the platform opportunity to turn that person that connects travellers to the into a loyal member of your or- travel sellers.” Google, he said, benefits because it’s just the platganisation.”

And as vigilant as hotels are form. “Google is compensated today about curbing disruption for fulfilling the role of advertisfrom OTAs, both hotels and OTAs ing platform, not as a travel seller have another disruptor they need or operator. This is a very high to account for: tech platforms margin business, which appeals like Google and Amazon or even to Google shareholders – much

March 2020

more than owning/managing hotels or running a travel agency, online or otherwise.”

In other words, Google may not be as much of a direct threat to hotels as the online travel agencies such as Booking and Expedia are; it may, in fact, be hurting the OTAs much more than the hotels. But the work that these tech platforms like Google are doing are having an impact on how larger hotel companies strategize for the future.

At the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in 2018, Marriott CEO Sorenson said, “I think we are in an absolute war for who owns the customer. It’s a long-term war, and ‘long term’ in digital space might be a few years. I think less about Airbnb than I do about Google and Facebook and all these other digital empires who own all of us.

What Amazon is doing with these digital assistants is reinventing voice search. They are all getting into having a profile for each and every one of our customers, so how do we use that to make sure we are monetising that relationship as much as we can? This is a battle we are going to be fighting for some time,” and he added, “Each of us is making our bets in this space.”

High quality customer feedback in 30 seconds? With Foodback it's now possible!

Check it out by scanning the QR code below with your smartphone

Foodback – the all-inclusive, world leading feedback solution for food & beverage

Quick & Fun Engages your customers to leave more feedback Tailored for Food & Beverage Backed by world-class research, perfect for restaurants, hotels, canteens & cafes Real Time Analysis React instantly to keep your customers happy Long Term Improvements Foodback helps you stay on top of the game Increase Revenue By always keeping your customers satisďŹ ed

Contact hello@foodback.com and test Foodback for free today!

A carpet from ege is not just something you put on your floor. Not just a flooring solution that softens your footsteps. Not just an element of a room that improves the acoustic capabilities or brings comfort to your everyday life. A carpet changes everything and lets you explore new dimensions of a room. Made from the most durable materials and produced in Europe's most modern facilities by the world's only CSR certified carpet manufacturer, we, at ege, are proud to join you in exploring space. Learn more at egecarpets.com