THE ROOM REPORT ➔


Five minutes with... Heiko Figge


Hoteliers look to the future


A RECENT report commissioned by Amadeus has identified emerging customer behaviours and demands likely to dictate the hotels of the future. The ‘Hotels 2020: Beyond Segmentation’ report looks forward to a time where augmented reality, responsive guest environments and robots may become commonplace as guests demand greater personalisation, increased


NEW ROOMS FROM QHOTELS


QHOTELS has launched a new room category designed for the corporate market. The new QStar guestrooms are now available across 17 of its 21 UK properties and feature free wifi internet access, a king-size bed, luxury bedding, a newspaper and a premium hospitality tray with complimentary drinks. The new QStar rooms are available for a £30 supplement. The new style room is part of an ongoing investment programme which has already included the opening of an executive QClub bedroom floor and private lounge at The Queens in Leeds; a £170,000 bedroom upgrade at The Oxford Belfry, and the opening of The Peters- field function suite at The Midland, Manchester.


comfort and a more innovative experiences during their stay. New hotel models may include invitation-only hotels, hotels co-branded with luxury brands, white-labelled hotels and ‘catch-all’ hotel chains that will deliver one-star budget facilities through to six-star luxury properties at the opposite end of the spectrum. The report was commissioned by Amadeus and developed by


Fast Future Research and showed guests will want to tailor-make every aspect of their hotel experience, from technology to bedroom style, and price to communications. Traditional customer seg- mentation is likely to die out and will instead be replaced by demand for personalised service and a ‘total service model’. The hotel of the future will be more personal, connected and responsive, says Amadeus. It will include 'intelligent' furniture, tailor-made meal plans and diets and responsive technologies that understand how its clients think. Forward planning, anticipation and rapid implementation will become the hallmarks of successful hotel groups, the report concludes, who will need to be able to spot opportunities and dangers, develop effective strategies and implement change-programmes quickly.


MERCURE ADDS BLOOMSBURY PROFILE


Managing Director GUOMAN & THISTLE HOTELS


Educated and trained in Germany, Heiko has lived and worked in a number of different countries before settling down in the UK. He is currently responsible for 33 Thistle Hotels and five Guoman Hotels across the UK as managing director of the business.


What is your most memorable business travel trip and why? Having spent quite a bit of time traveling across the United States on business trips, I was invited to the White House and have actually been in the Oval office. This has got to be one of my most memorable travel experiences. It's a nice bright office, with plenty of natural daylight and some interesting phone gadgets on the desk, one of which I wasn’t allowed to touch.


What is your worst business travel experience and why? I can honestly say that I never had a really bad travel experience, although I do find it frustrating when flights are delayed or cancelled for no obvious reason. Running out of battery power for my laptop or Blackberry without finding anywhere in an airport to recharge it is about as bad as it gets for me!


What is your favourite destination worldwide and why? It has got to be the island of Bermuda for me. I was fortunate to have worked there for five years. It's home to great people, it's a beautiful island, there's lots of sunshine and I met my wife there as well.


THE Mercure London Bloomsbury hotel has opened under the Accor group banner. Set in an historic building dating from 1907, this is the group's 33rd UK property and opens following a franchise agree- ment with Fairview Hotels. The hotel has been exten- sively refurbished but retains its original character and style. Each Mercure guest room now features natural materials and warm tones and the hotel corridors and reception have been modernised. A new bar has been created and the


restaurant and kitchens will be completely revamped by March this year. Greg Black, general manager,


says, “It’s great to see this hotel restored to its former glory while being reinvigorated with a contemporary feel that suits today’s travellers. We are confident that guests will be wowed by the refurbishment.“ The hotel will also offer a contemporary brasserie-style restaurant. It joins a global network of over 700 Mercure hotels currently in operation around the world.


What three items do you never leave home without when on business? Shoe polish, a good supply of business cards, and an additional day’s supply of business clothing – you never know when you might have to stay an additional day or your flight might get cancelled.


What single thing could be done to improve your business travelling life? Speedier processing through security and passport control would certainly help and would make travelling a little less stressful.


What destinations would you like to visit next and why? There are far too many brilliant places in the UK that I have not yet visited yet and it would be great to take time out to do so – I would want guaranteed sunshine though!


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