It's All About the Next-Jen

September, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts officially unveiled its new Hotel Jen brand with the launch of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore. The new brand, which replaces the former Traders brand, is inspired by the virtual persona of Jen, a hotelier who loves life, travel and adventure.

MORE Tour Operator

New Year’s Travel Resolutions for 2023

Discover a New Realm of Travel Possibilities in Saudi Arabia

Helping Advisors Deliver on New Travel Trends

Vacation Agent recently caught up with Lothar Nessmann, chief operating officer of Hotel Jen. Nessmann discussed what the Hotel Jen brand aims to accomplish, which types of travelers it serves, the importance of catering to technological advancements and Asian travelers, and more.

Here’s an in-depth look into the Hotel Jen brand, courtesy of Nessman.

What is Hotel Jen about?

Over the past 25 years the Traders brand has generated very solid business results and gained a highly loyal core group of guests. However, as customer needs and expectations continue to evolve, we recognize that we need to adapt the brand accordingly to ensure continued success in the coming years. The biggest change we have seen is that our core customers are becoming more and more young-at-heart and Millennial-minded, regardless of their actual age. They are digitally savvy, highly social, and, most importantly, they want an effortless, fuss-free hotel experience. To steer the brand in this direction, we needed to make a fundamental change in the way we operate and the way we communicate to the market. Thus we created Hotel Jen around a unique brand proposition: that Jen is a virtual persona, the friend you love to stay with, and the ideal host of the Millennial-minded guest. This allows us not only to accommodate the changing requirements of our existing customers, but also to capture a new generation of travelers.

Who does Hotel Jen target? Are Millennials a focus?

We are targeting independently minded business and leisure travelers, families and groups. More than demographics, we are targeting the Millennial-minded guest. So, they may be 18 or 80 years of age, but they share traits in what they are looking for in a hotel experience and also in a destination experience.

What makes Hotel Jen unique? What does it offer to guests that makes it stand out?

The way we describe it, the Hotel Jen brand delivers what matters most to guests with this Millennial mindset. It’s quality, comfort and value paired with honest, authentic service; all underpinned by the important things done well and without unnecessary fuss or intrusion, which is being more important for independently minded travelers. Across the hotels there will be several key touch points that we group as “simple pleasures,” “easy efficiency” and “a sense of adventure.”

The simple pleasures are fast free Wi-Fi access everywhere throughout the hotel; fun and colorful mobile device charging stations at key locations in each hotel; laundry service at one price for unlimited items in the laundry bag, and a PressReader app with free access to 2,500 online publications, replacing the traditional morning newspaper. And, something many of our first guests have picked up on, a cup of chopped local seasonal fruit served with a bamboo skewer – placed in the mini-bar for the guest’s arrival – replacing the usual whole pieces of fruit served in hotel rooms.

Then, there are the brand touch points that we call “easy efficiency”: in-room and restaurant dining options featuring fresh local products selected for flavor, fusion and fun; “OnTheGo” deli counter providing fast and flavorsome meal and snack solutions; and free coffee and snack-box-to-go options after breakfast, encouraging guests to take that little something extra as they are on the go for business or leisure and, finally, vending machines with beverage, snack and convenience items on each hotel floor with items priced competitively to convenience store prices.

Finally, Jen, the virtual persona, is the friend guests will want to stay with — each hotel has local lifestyle and cultural experts to provide “a sense of adventure.” The staff are on hand to recommend cultural spots, local cuisines and new places to explore off the beaten track. Guests can also find local tips on Jen’s travel blog on the website homepage for each hotel.

Technology continues to evolve and influence the travel industry. How important was it for Hotel Jen to have a technological focus?

Very important. It underpins several of the key touch points with cutting-edge technology throughout the hotel enabling fast, free Wi-Fi access everywhere, all of the time, the mobile device charging stations, iMac stations for today’s tech-savvy travelers and the PressReader service, which in turn cuts paper waste.

How does Hotel Jen extend Shangri-La’s overall vision?

We are looking to the future and identifying and responding to the global trends and particular needs of the ‘Millennial-mindset’ business and leisure traveler. We see that consumers are ready for such a product and we have the expertise to deliver compelling accommodations and service that align to their needs. We recognize that the opportunity for growth lies within this mid-range market segment so our unique Hotel Jen launch and rebrand will deliver a style and service delivery that appeals to the “new generation” of travelers, while staying faithful and committed to our existing customers who, we have recognized, have similarly evolving needs.

Does Hotel Jen/Shangri-La have programs for travel agents? What are they, and what are the benefits?

Yes we do. Both online and offline, travel agents are an integral part of our business, and, in fact, we have managed to pull our existing relationships to the new brand.

“As customer needs and expectations continue to evolve, we recognize that we need to adapt the brand accordingly to ensure continued success in the coming years.”