Hospitality & Design Summit 2009 - 157

branded JoUrneyS Lifestyle brands not traditionally associated with tourism are looking to carry forth their brand prominence and equity into a new market. Consumers trust known designers to deliver superior experiences in fashion and home furnishings, say, so expecting a similar style in their branded vacation is but another step in the same direction. Louis Vuitton produces upscale guidebooks to destinations around the world, while Krug runs Odyssey, an invitation-only tour of Europe by vintage Citroën, modern Range Rover, helicopter, and private jet. In December 2008, design-conscious lifestyle magazine Wallpaper* teamed up with travel experts Black Tomato to offer readers bespoke Wallpaper*-backed trips. cHic innS In an age where travel is increasingly defined by experience, local knowledge and an appreciation of local culture have led to the launch of hotels that celebrate their context. More hotels are likely to become “local cultural hubs” that promote local communities and artisans, says Jeroen Bergmans, editorial director at Travel Intelligence. A new breed of chic inns provides a sense of place and an intimate experience for the authenticity seeker. The Fox and Anchor, a restored traditional pub in central London, serves local food and real ales downstairs and houses six luxury rooms upstairs. Designer Ilse Crawford’s redevelopments of old coaching inns–including The Olde Bell Inn in Hurley, Berkshire, and The Crowne Inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire–focus on the local community and history of each building. bleiSUre As the worlds of business and leisure increasingly blur, we are noting the rise of “Bleisure time.” And as work and play become all encompassing, so too, must the hospitality industry that services this lifestyle. Boutique design hotels such as those developed by Hyatt’s Andaz brand are the new business hotels. Andaz does away with the reception desk altogether for a warmer welcome: a member of staff escorts guests to their rooms. Further recognizing that business travelers are people who need time out, too, Bleisure hotels bring local culture to guests who may not have time to strike out on their own in a new city. The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, for instance, features an atrium that doubles as an impressive art gallery. online travel Some 35 percent ($98 billion) of the U.S. travel market, a market worth $276 billion in 2008, is online, according to online travel research company PhoCusWright. The online sector is outstripping growth in the overall market as well: it was up nine percent in 2008 (compared to four percent growth in the market overall), and is predicted to increase seven percent in 2009 and 2010, PhoCusWright reports. We see a similar picture in Europe, where the online travel market is estimated to be 28 percent of the total market, PhoCusWright research shows–worth, according to EyeforTravel Research about €50 billion. The percentage of the market, and the absolute figure, is predicted to rise: PhoCusWright suggests that online will account for 32 percent, then 35 percent, of the overall market in 2009 and 2010. “Web 2.0 and social networking have changed the way our customers engage with us,” says Daniel Kerzner, regional director of marketing for northwest Europe, of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We used to be the only source for content on our properties, but we have quickly become one of many channels our guests research for content.” Peer to Peer reviewS Indeed no matter which aspect of the trip a consumer is researching, there’s now a website out there to provide them with relevant information. Want to know which airline’s seats come with the best legroom? Log on to SeatGuru (now owned by TripAdvisor). Want to know where to find the best in-flight meal? Check out AirlineMeals. net for pictures and other travelers’ candid comments. And with people spending more time chatting to each other and doing their own research, we are even witnessing the emergence of a trend for people designing, making and downloading their own guidebooks. Offbeat Guides searches the Internet for and compiles the most upto-date travel information on more than 30,000 destinations, and allows users to personalize their guides based on travel dates and individual interests. Consumers are then given an option to purchase their personalized guides as bound copies. Traditional guidebook companies are, understandably, threatened by users creating their own guides. In response, U.K. publisher Dorling Kindersley, creators of the acclaimed Eyewitness Travel Guides, have launched traveldk.com. Here users may create personalized guidebooks based on existing Eyewitness information. Lonely Planet, too, launched its Trip Planner, an online service that allows users to choose from the publisher’s extensive travel database of hotels, restaurants, cultural sites, shops and other tourist information to compile a guide based purely on personal interests. The mix of an individualized guide and a trusted brand is a winning formula, but contributions from fellow travelers are an invaluable addition. “Consumers in the future will be looking for trusted guidance from experts as well as authenticity from real people,” says Josh Steinitz at travel website Nile Guide. Nile Guide, which allows travelers to compile custom itineraries that can be printed out or downloaded onto a laptop or PDA, includes recommendations from local experts in cities and countries around the world. Smarter SearcH Using location-aware and socially based information, Dopplr helps users make more of their travels by sharing plans for future trips with friends and colleagues. The service highlights coincidences, alerting members, for example, to the fact that their friends will be in the same holiday destination at the same time they’re there. Dopplr plans to build in the possibility for users to share their travel experiences on the network, highlighting, for example, a particularly cozy hotel, or the unfortunate service at a top restaurant. “How much is it worth,” asks Dopplr CEO Marko Ahtisaari, “for BA or Virgin Atlantic to make an offer to people who have stated an intention to fly from London to San Francisco this spring?” wHat tHiS meanS to yoUr brand This of course is the future of leisure and hospitality in a post reces- h o s p i t a l i t y d es ign s ummit 2 0 0 9

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Hospitality & Design Summit 2009

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