Born between 1961 and 1981, independent, entrepreneurial, in search of emotional security, "infovore", individualist, ecologically committed. Who are we talking about? Generation X. They follow "the latest trends, the latest fashions, but don't spend lavishly, always looking for the best value for money", explains Jenni Benzaquern, public relations director for several brands in the Starwood Hotels and Resorts group. A consumerist agenda that the hotel industry is determined to satisfy! Particularly as Gen-Xers enter their golden years and begin to supplant baby boomers among business travellers. Since this generation - and all sociological studies agree on this point - loves brands, hoteliers are going to give it brands. Aloft, Indigo, Hyatt Place, Nylo, Cambria... it's a veritable explosion. Each has its own lifestyle concept, but they all promise unpretentious luxury, high-performance service devoid of mundanity and comfortable design at an affordable price - between 100 and 220 dollars a night. Unless you are targeting a very upmarket clientele, like Andaz, Me by Melia or 1 (pronounced one).
Techno, work, video games
With Indigo, Intercontinental got the ball rolling in 2004. "We're trying to bring the boutique concept to a wider audience. We are democratising design", announced John Anhut, senior vice-president of InterContinental. Its first eight American establishments all have a family resemblance, with the addition of a touch of local authenticity. The circular lobbies are reminiscent of the brand's emblematic snail. Both the public areas and the rooms exude a spirit of New England revisited, with solid parquet flooring, white or dark wood furnishings, depending on the establishment, and primary colours: blue, yellow...
For bolder architecture and decoration, look no further than Starwood Hotels and Resorts and start-up Nylo. With them, the loft, the emblematic residence of the American B-movie hero since the mid-1990s, has earned its letters of nobility and entered the hotel business. In this case, it's not a question of diverting an old garage or disused factory from its original function, but of constructing a new building with a trendy design, blackened steel and three-metre-high windows to make the most of the natural light. Starwood inaugurated its first Aloft Hotel - a new brand derived from W - on 19 October. Since then, the hotel has already closed its doors to carry out a number of transformations requested by its first guests. It was done in just a few weeks. Fast! And above all, virtual! Sign of the times, it all happened in Second Life. In real life, the first Aloft is due to open in Dallas in 2008, and will arrive in Europe the following year, via Brussels.
In terms of in-room comfort, we won't go back over the Grand Bed and other Heavenly Beds, which have triggered a veritable bedding explosion. Nor can we go back over the flat screen which has replaced the huge TV cabinet. Everyone has, or is getting used to them and, naturally, the chains are equipping their new establishments with them. On the other hand, it's high time to rethink the layout. Generation X is not only addicted to technology and work, but also to games, and wants to be able to switch from one to the other without constraint, when they're not doing everything at once! The room is vast and becomes part high-tech office, part leisure centre. Hyatt Place has opted for a semi-partitioned space with a 'sleeping corner' and a 'cosy corner', and between the two a swivelling TV that can be watched from anywhere. Wi-Fi connection is a matter of course, and guests can connect their Blackberry, iPod or laptop to the flat-screen TV to recreate their own world. In the bathroom, which is increasingly open to the bedroom, the oversized walk-in shower seems to have won out over the bath - too bad for those who like to luxuriate in their bath.
It's the same multi-functional, open-plan concept that predominates in the reception areas. Because Gen X is a social animal, it needs convivial places to meet its mates, get to know each other or satisfy a small hunger. In the Hyatt Place gallery or the Nylo loft, for example, the bar, restaurant, library and business centre are all one. This space, with its many nooks and crannies, becomes the heart of the hotel, the brand's signature, its universe.
Eco-friendly hotels
Light shows and music create a different atmosphere throughout the day. And while Nylo will retain its classic 24-hour restaurant service, Hyatt Place has done away with the traditional starter+dish+restaurant.
Starters, sandwiches, soups and pizzas can be ordered at any time from a touch-sensitive menu. The concept is also making inroads in five-star hotels. At Andaz, another new Hyatt brand still at the conceptual stage, "there won't be a restaurant, there will be a place to eat in the spirit of tapas, little things to nibble on", explains Michel Jauslin, Hyatt's regional vice-president. Above all, the food will be organic.
There's only one step from organic food to sustainable development. No need to go deep into the bush or to a tropical island, urban hotels are playing the environmental card. Barry Sternlinch, head of Starwood Capital Group, makes no secret of his ambition to set new ecological standards with "1" hotels and resorts that will transform the hotel industry. "Our intention is to build truly green hotels that minimise their impact on the environment," he explains, positioning 1 as the first eco-friendly luxury hotel brand. One per cent of revenues will be donated to local associations, and construction and decoration will use materials compatible with sustainable development, all under the supervision of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). Without putting forward such references, other new brands have not waited for it to launch into the same niche. The buildings of Andaz and Aloft will also be built using environmentally friendly materials, while Alt, the latest offshoot of the Canadian Germain group, whose first establishment is due to open just outside Montreal in September, is banking on eco-energy.
The springtime of brands is not about to end. Marriott has just revealed a project in the upmarket segment, and other announcements are expected to follow. However, the emergence of new names does not mean that the chains are abandoning their traditional brands. On the contrary, each one is renovating in order to remain... trendy.
