The lifestyle hotel, once found only among independent boutique properties, has gone mainstream, with major hotel companies rolling out brands designed to please a new generation of travelers who eschew the traditional, generic hotel experience in favor of one with social work spaces, wellness amenities and a strong sense of authenticity and place.
Brands such as Hyatt Centric, Canopy by Hilton, Marriott’s Moxy, InterContinental Hotel Group’s EVEN and Starwood’s Aloft, Element and Tribute are among examples of how the big players are taking steps to ensure that they stay current in the marketplace, said Bjorn Hanson, a hotel consultant and professor at New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism.
“There’s a changing view of what it means to be a hotel brand—it used to mean that whether you stayed in New York or Honolulu, the hotel would be identical,” he said. “Today, that’s a negative. Companies are creating these lifestyle brands so they can compete against the hotels that are unusual and different. They don’t want to miss the opportunity.”
While the brands vary in terms of style, Hanson noted there are several elements that most have in common, including local ambience, environmental sensitivity and state-of-the-art technology that includes plenty of high-speed connectivity.
Robert Mandelbaum, director of research information services for CBRE, a hotel industry consultancy, observed that lifestyle hotels, which tend to be relatively small and offer limited meeting space, are much easier to finance and develop than large convention hotels. At the same time, consumer demand is strong for them.
“They are aimed at a generation that is looking for a unique local experience—the old Holiday Inn slogan that ‘no surprise is a good surprise’ is no longer true,” Mandelbaum said. “Newer travelers want to be surprised in a good way. They want the better restaurant serving farm-to-table cuisine and craft beers. They want communal seating. Even the big full-service hotels are picking up on this.”
Gary Steffen, global head of the new Canopy by Hilton brand, agreed, referring to the research done in developing the Canopy concept.
“[We found that] many travelers are underwhelmed by cookie-cutter hotels and simply want a comfortable place to relax and refresh, to have truly authentic experiences and really experience the city they’re visiting,” he said.
Who Is the Guest?
While the growing number of Millennial business and leisure travelers may be driving the trend for lifestyle hotels, the target demographics actually cross generational lines, according to Hanson, who has worked with several hotel companies in developing new brand concepts.
“The goal is to create a physical space and an attitude that will appeal to younger travelers but not alienate older travelers,” he said. “They are striving to send out an affirmative message that everyone is welcome.”
When announcing Hyatt’s new Centric brand last year, Kristine Rose, former vice president of brands for Hyatt, described its target demographic as “modern explorers” looking for experiential travel and a hotel that reflects its destination.
“Modern explorers are a savvy, curious group,” she said. “Their expectations are simple, but their standards are high, and they want their experience to be intuitive and smart.”
For the Aloft and Element brands, it’s not about appealing to a certain demographic but to a “psychographic,” according to Paige Francis, Starwood’s vice president of global brand management for specialty select brands.
“We are looking at the new generation of travelers who we see more as explorers than tourists,” she said. “They want something authentic and real—like they just jumped into an Instagram feed of the local area. Our hotels deliver that.”
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The New Meeting Space
Traditional meeting facilities are not usually a significant part of the newer lifestyle brand hotels, with most featuring flexible and informal gathering spaces rather than full-scale ballrooms or conference centers. For example, the Canopy by Hilton brand, which currently has one property open and several others set to debut next year, will feature multipurpose spaces in its lobbies that can function as casual meeting areas as well as places for guests to socialize, according to Steffen.
“Additionally, each hotel will feature a number of flexible ‘incubator’ meeting rooms with a communal pantry area,” he said. “The meeting rooms will be designed to create a social and interactive atmosphere that encourages the sharing of ideas. They will also incorporate local art, design and ambience that echoes the communities they are joining.”
Starwood’s Aloft brand serves small groups with “tactic” meeting spaces, including some in the lobby area, which are equipped with fast Wi-Fi, TV screens with laptop hookups, ample charging stations and on-site audiovisual support, according to Francis.
At Element hotels, which have an environmentally friendly focus, “meeting spaces are open and bright, with clean, urban-inspired design. In addition, they are customizable and feature a flexible layout to meet the needs of any social event,” she said.
While usually not geared for large meetings, lifestyle hotels can work well for small groups where the program’s focus is on teambuilding rather than structured sessions, according to Meredith Martini, CEO of meetingWorks.
“From a teambuilding perspective, we see these types of properties being used for active groups, especially from start-ups, who want to get out and see the area and like to work together in casual settings,” she said.
