A New Concept in Accommodation: Club Style

 Yelena Belashova
General Manager
Crowne Plaza, World Trade Center Moscow Hotel

Club style of accommodation is a new trendy concept of top corporate companies, featured by contemporary conference facilities for business events.

After a global economic downturn, the world's travel trends have been significantly changed. In my opinion, the recession helped to formulate a new view on hospitality business. Today's business traveler is no longer interested in luxurious venues, but he strives to get real value for his money. Prime corporate accounts require an ideal hotel for their guests who want to enjoy the five-star surroundings but also have demanding business requirements. Today is the time when new hotel concept of Club accommodation turns to be not only a fashionable trend, but actually a way of modern life.

And what is Club style itself? Each professional can understand it slightly differently, but based on personal experience of opening the Club extension of Crowne Plaza Moscow hotel, I would like to highlight several principles that are crucial in my mind. Club style of accommodation should be based on deeper understanding of influences and ideas that create comfort, usefulness and bring out a feeling of "rightness." It's a style backed by substance, where everything has its reason. And there is clear reason for everything. Club rooms should be designed to be genuine and uncomplicated, offering those luxury touches that really matter, comprising a deeply comfortable space to unwind, supported by 21st-century technology, which modern travelers have come to expect. It's not luxury in the sense that is normally given. It's far subtler. The whole environment of the hotel should give you a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. And of course the service needs to be impeccable, which I feel is valued even more than any physical aspects that a hotel can deliver.

What should we do to offer the ultimate service and create an experience to write home about? Just imagine that your Club room key gives you access to a range of privileges and facilities that ensures a professional and personalized service during every moment of your stay. In addition to such essential services as private check-in and concierge service, free internet access and access to dedicated Club gym as well as an executive Club lounge where complimentary breakfast and hors d'oeuvres are served, you will experience the very Club approach to your business events. As it's strongly believed that running an event smoothly ensures business reputation and image are reflected positively to all delegates and clients, you will have a single point of contact throughout the event, your personal meeting director, who will make any last minute arrangements or resolve any issues and concerns. Just as personalizing your meeting spaces and facilities, the same flexible, personalized service will be applied to food and refreshments. That's what Club approach means.

In my opinion, Club style of accommodation will indeed become one of the hottest taglines on the travel industry's lips in today's climate. It is, without a doubt, a winning formula that yields results. But to achieve success, it's essential to balance the cornerstones of elegance, authenticity, distinction and knowledge and offer privacy, security, flexibility and convenience, exquisitely held together with ribbons of top-class friendly service.