Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Reveals New European Designs

WHY IT RATES: Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is challenging the business as usual model and seeking to redefine the business travel hotel with its new designs that include Plaza WorkSpaces and WorkLife Rooms. —Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, unveiled new designs for Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts' European hotels.

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The designs are on show March 5-7 at IHIF 2018 in Berlin, one of Europe’s largest industry investment conferences. Visitors can walk around the new concept and explore a Crowne Plaza flagship hotel via virtual reality, giving hotel owners and investors the chance to experience and interact with the ‘Plaza WorkSpace’ and ‘WorkLife Room’.

These designs are part of a global Crowne Plaza program to ensure the brand is the first choice for modern business travelers and more profitable for hotel owners. The brand is benefiting from a $200 million investment in the Americas over three years, where the new hotel concepts have already been trialed.

Now it is shaking up the competition in Europe by challenging ‘business as usual’ to redefine the business travel hotel, creating a new experience to meet the needs of how travelers want to work, meet and socialize in hotels.

In Europe, IHG has collaborated with world-renowned design studio Conran and Partners, to challenge the preconceptions of a standard business hotel, deliver inspiring settings and creating more flexible working environments. This, combined with enhanced service, food that fuels and technology to get the job done will transform the guest experience at Crowne Plaza.

“We’re investing in Crowne Plaza to make it the first choice for modern business travelers and more profitable for hotel owners," Mike Greenup, vice president of brand management for Europe at IHG, said. "We’ve partnered closely with our owners throughout this project and every element of the new design has been shaped with return on investment in mind."

"Working with leading design studio Conran and Partners, we’ve created communal workspaces where guests can switch effortlessly between work and socializing," Greenup added. "We know that guests are looking for spaces that are more flexible, on-demand and collaborative and our new design delivers this, while putting every square meter of the hotel to work to generate revenue. Following the success of the new designs in the Americas, we’re thrilled to be bringing this to life in Europe - this is an exciting new chapter for one of the world’s fastest growing hotel brands.”

Central to the hotel is the ‘Plaza WorkSpace,’ a flexible collection of agile working areas modeled on a public square, where guests and local businesses can switch effortlessly between work and downtime. Co-working spaces with huddle spots and built-in touch screens will sit alongside food and drink options, with the aim of increasing dwell times, F&B revenue and generating non-guest spend.

“We have been working closely with IHG over the last year to understand past, present and future guest profiles for Crowne Plaza, so we can define and exceed their expectations," Simon Kincaid, director, Conran and Partners said. "The needs of modern business travelers are liquid and demanding. Travelers expect seamless service and want an experience that parallels the ease and flexibility of brands such as Uber or Apple, progressive co-working environments, members’ clubs and immersive retail experiences.”

The guest room has also been re-defined with the new "WorkLife Room" a calming environment designed with three distinct zones to support work, downtime and a better night’s sleep. Rooms will feature materials that reduce noise disturbance while lighting settings will enhance the sleep experience.

Informal meeting areas have also transformed. ‘The Forum’ is a dynamic bookable event and co-working space with a ‘Spanish Steps’-style layout that makes it ideal for presentations and guest speakers. ‘The Studio’ is an on-demand bookable space that can be used for collaborative workshops by day and private dining by night.

IHG is partnering with owners on three flagship Crowne Plaza hotels to roll-out the new designs from later this year: Crowne Plaza London - Heathrow, Crowne Plaza Paris - République and Crowne Plaza Hamburg – City Alster.

SOURCE: IHG press release