It’s time to shed the image of dark boardrooms and stuffy conference spaces. Hotels are reinventing their meetings spaces in an effort to appeal to a younger, hipper and more tech-savvy crowd.
Today’s hotel conference rooms are equipped with updated technology, adjusted lighting based on time of day and “mood” settings. The new features offer innovative options that bring a bit of culture into the traditionally drab meetings space while also focusing more on the work-life balance that busy execs juggle on a daily basis.
Working with Steelcase and IDEO, Marriott Hotels & Resorts intends to add more appeal to its hotel’s meeting spaces, giving the next generation of meeting planners something to look forward to.
“By 2013, almost 35% of the global workforce will be mobile. We are designing hotels for a new generation that is used to working how, where and oftentimes whenever they want,” said Paul Cahill, senior VP of brand management for Marriott.
At InterContinental Hotels Group, getting people out of the meeting room is just as important as getting them in. As part of the newly-implemented InterContinental Meetings system the hotels offer insights from their “Insider Collection,” which provides a range of local experience options for guests to enjoy when they’re not in the boardroom, ranging from off-site excursions to community involvement and team building exercises. At Mandarin Oriental, the hotel group has been working on more creative angles to help build interest in meeting and planning spaces. The newest trend in meetings is taking place outside of the conventional meeting rooms.
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