PHOTO: Hyatt Regency Bellevue's new technology-focused lobby. (courtesy Hyatt Regency Bellevue)
Hyatt Regency Bellevue is working on a $5.2 million renovation that promises to be the leading edge in tech-savvy hospitality.
The three-part project, slated to be completed by the end of 2014, includes the revamping of the hotel's lobby, a redesign of the pre-function and ballroom meetings spaces and a revitalization of 381 guestrooms in the Cascade Tower.
Highlighting the project: two 55-inch interactive touchscreen tables already in the lobby, inspired by Hyatt Regency Bellevue's strong relationship with Washington-based Microsoft, Monscierge and Interknowlogy.
Via the Windows 8-powered tables, guests can do anything from browse hotel and area information to play games to view flights to surf the Internet.
Some rather interesting developments have spawned from the tech-centric tables, as well.
"The funny thing is, you put a piece of technology in an area and you think you know how it's going to be used," said John D'Angelo, director of rooms at Hyatt Regency Bellevue. "Then, all of a sudden, you come over there and you see kids surfing around, pulling up the map feature and flying through the streets of Seattle, and then you see adults in their 40s and 50s playing air hockey and Frogger."
Hyatt Regency Bellevue's original lobby, D'Angelo noted, was your typical hotel lobby. It had a fireplace. It had classic furniture. It had a piano. It was "nice, classic, clean, but definitely not modern and not as inviting for today's generation," D'Angelo said.
But the renovation has made the lobby into more of an interactive communications hub, so to speak.
"We turned it into something that's a great gathering place," D'Angelo said. "It's a great place for people to come have meetings, have a cup of coffee, relax, catch up on the news, catch up on their email, plug in and play. It's pretty exciting. It's a totally different look and it's really shaped the entire vibe of our lobby and our arrival experience."
That vibe includes more interactions among guests, ironic given how some feel technology has pulled us apart.
[BLURB]"In a day and age where people just don't communicate face-to-face anymore, you have people getting together again. It's an old tradition that has been inspired by new technology. It's almost backwards."- John D'Angelo, director of rooms at Hyatt Regency Bellevue[/BLURB]
[/CALLOUT]
"In a day and age where people just don't communicate face-to-face anymore, you have people getting together again," D'Angelo said. "It's an old tradition that has been inspired by new technology. It's almost backwards."
Now, it's not uncommon to see someone from England showing someone from San Francisco his home in Manchester via the tables' touchscreen maps, for example.
"It's fascinating to watch and it's very exciting," D'Angelo added. "Every time I pass by there I see something different that I wasn't expecting."
The relationship with Microsoft has been critical to the project, D'Angelo noted.
"Our relationship with Microsoft is monumental," he said. "We're best friends and we're good neighbors with them. And because of that relationship, it really inspired us to work with them to be able to produce something like this. So they're a huge part of this. They've really helped with some of the technology, especially the coffee table touchscreens."
It all stems from a caring for people, something D'Angelo said Microsoft and Hyatt Regency Bellevue both share. The way you treat your employees is passed on to guests.
Hyatt Regency Bellevue also came out with its own self-titled app via a partnership with Monscierge a few months ago. Guests can get detailed information about amenities, look at various maps, check out running routes though Bellevue's beautiful area, order room service or bathroom items and view local recommendations for restaurants, golf courses, activities and more.
On top of that, the hotel will be introducing several tablets for guests to use in the lobby by the end of the renovation. The rooms have already been equipped with extra ports for electronics.
That's in addition to the hotel's lightning-fast Internet, which was a must for a hotel nine miles from downtown Seattle and surrounded by companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
"There's a lot of technology here in Bellevue and everybody needs to be connected," D'Angelo said.
But behind all of the technology lies a willingness to go a step further to help people.
"That human care, it just goes a long way, and it kind of defines the direction we're going now," D'Angelo said. "You need a lot of different things, and mostly that culture."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
