Hotels Lean on Tech and Design to Embed Local Culture Within Brands


Skift Take

Brands that manage to provide a different experience for each guest will win their loyalty. It's easier said than done.

Hotels can no longer take a uniform approach to hotel design, experts warned on Thursday at Design the Future, a Skift online summit. With local guests replacing transient travelers, hotel brands need to rethink how each property looks and feels, but the tricky part is building the right picture of a guest that has so many new needs. “Because of the pandemic, hotels are more than a place to sleep,” said Tom Ito, principal at architecture, design, planning and consulting firm Gensler. “That local catchment is using hotels in a new way; for some it’s their ultimate workplace.” Brands that embrace technology are more likely to succeed in figuring out what guests want. Collaborative workspace group NeueHouse is explor