Business management & development
recruitment model, talking about the potential opportunities that could arise if disadvantaged people, such as refugees, were trained to work in hospitality roles. Afterall, as Norden added, such an approach would fulfil a dual-purpose: helping improve the lives of disadvantaged people while also tackling the staffing crisis plaguing the industry. “We need staff in the hospitality industry and these guys are looking at training people who can’t get a job and are underprivileged… [enabling] them to become valued team members,” Norden said. “I think those kind of initiatives allow us to give something back and that’s where the future lies – in thinking about others.”
Guests at the networking event came prepared with probing questions for the panel.
“There’s always that [perception] of coming in as an international architect [where you] kind of impose yourself on where you’re working, but the way I see it is that it’s really about working together by collaborating and by immersing yourself into, or bringing an outsider’s view to it,” Norden said. “The important thing is not to come in there and dictate, but become part of team,” she added.
A question of inclusivity
Given the notable contributions hotels and hoteliers have made during the pandemic through sheltering homeless people, one audience member asked the speakers what role mixed-used properties might play in combating housing inequality and homelessness.
“We need staff in the hospitality industry and these guys are looking at training people who can’t get a job and are underprivileged… [enabling] them to become valued team members.”
Tina Norden
Moren responded by acknowledging and admitting that it remained an “awful” problem without a clear or obvious solution. One positive change he pointed towards, however, was the increasing variety of hotel or hospitality offerings that were becoming popular on the market, with brands now offering cheaper and more tailored accommodation such as dormitories, rooms, suits, kitchenettes. “That then satisfies the market from the very bottom to the top, and actually people like that,” he said. Taking a different angle, Norden talked about the importance of diversifying the hospitality
22
Another intriguing question that was put to Moren, Steul and Norden queried the real forces behind the increasing popularity of the MUD concept. Is it the result of changing social mores and an amenity obsessed culture, or is it purely incentivised by a thirst for greater revenue? Norden argued it was probably a 50/50 split, with social changes being the catalyst first and then architects and developers looking to capitalise on those trends by building multi- functional buildings that serve those interests. “What it does when you make those ground floors more active and more engaged, for instance, is that you contribute back to the environment around the hotels,” Steul added. The discussion finished with a hypothetical flourish as all three architects were asked by Palmas what they would do if they had £500m to spend on a mixed-use architectural project. Hailing from South Africa, Moren argued that the money would be best spent helping impoverished African communities build better schools and housing. Rather than creating another lavish new build in the heart of London, Steul felt the money would be well spent on improving existing buildings in the capital. Norden, meanwhile, argued for the importance of investing in areas of London – or elsewhere – in dire need of regeneration by creating a residential hotel on the underused urban periphery. Given these contrasting answers, all three proposals highlight the flexible, versatile philosophy that ultimately powers the MUD concept. With sustainable building approaches increasingly becoming an outright necessity to help combat climate change, and society becoming more polarised and hard to predict, there is no doubt that more thoughtfully made community-driven projects will be required in the future. On that note, all three guests were united in their parting message regarding the future of MUDs: the hospitality industry can and will do more. ●
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
The Photo Team Photography Ltd
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73
