An affiliate of Huntington Hotel Group purchased 3.21 acres of land near San Jose Airport and will break ground next month on two new Marriott-branded hotels that will operate within a single building at 10 Skyport Drive at the intersection of North First Street in San Jose, CA. Huntington Hotel Group along with affiliate San Jose HHG Hotel Development LP will develop a 175-room Residence Inn and a 146-room SpringHill Suites 0.5 miles east of the San Jose International Airport. Barry Swenson Builder has been selected for the construction project.

The extended-stay and select-service Residence Inn by Marriott and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott will be enclosed in one seven-story building with guestrooms on levels two through seven. The hotels will share a pool, health club, gift shop, three-story parking garage as well as back-of-house areas.

“We recognized the need for additional extended stay lodging in the area due to the success of Silicon Valley technology companies and new/expanding companies driving employment growth,” states Kevin Keefer, principal of Huntington Hotel Group. He continued, “we were pleased to hear about several state-of-the-art corporate headquarters being developed in the surrounding area.” San Jose is home to more than 6,600 technology companies employing more than 254,000 people; and fourteen Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in San Jose. “The recent airport expansion influenced our decision as well,” added Kevin Keefer. Mineta San Jose Airport recently completed a $1.3 billion renovation / expansion and serves 8.3 million passengers annually (in 2012), approximately 23,000 passengers a day. Also, they plan to add direct flights to Asia from the airport.

Barry Swenson Builder has been selected for construction of this project. The firm has been a dynamic partner in the growth of Silicon Valley since 1961. Three generations of expertise deliver an unparalleled level of creative design, quality developments and efficient construction practices. “Our long standing history building well-located branded hotels make us a perfect fit to build the duel-branded Marriott at Skyport and North First. Working in tandem for the past year and completing the working drawings, we are ready for this large construction project to break ground in May,” according to Michael Black, Senior Development Manager at Barry Swenson Builder. He continued, “This deal is exciting for all parties involved—Huntington Hotel, Barry Swenson Builder—and the surrounding community.”

Source: hospitalitybusinessnews.com

HT Editor

A news report indicates that the labor organization has filed a wage/hour class action alleging violations of California’s strict meal and rest break laws against the Holiday Inn Los Angeles Airport.   The alleged victims?  Non-union service employees employed at the hotel which is located adjacent to one of the world’s busiest commercial airports.

Chuck Conine, managing partner at  human capital consultants Hospitality HR Solutions says that wage/hour litigation, and especially the class action lawsuit, is “nothing new” to California employers.  He noted that the union’s move raises the stakes for non-union employers in California in an industry where compliance with wage/hour regulations, some of the strictest in the nation, has been a “huge issue” for nearly a decade.   “Now comes the union, having been previously unsuccessful at organizing employees using traditional methods.  What are they going to do to make the point that unionization is best for employees even if they don’t have the votes to win an election?”

The unions are merely finding new ways to exercise what some employers and union-free advocates would call “strong arm tactics”, Conine said.  ”On the other side progressives view what the union is doing as necessary to break through employer resistance to allowing unionization of their workforce.  Who’s right?  That depends on your perspective.”

Previously Local 11 and other affiliates of UNITE/HERE have used tactics such as filing complaints about alleged employee safety violations with state labor and safety officials in an attempt to bring employers to the bargaining table.  In the most recent round of bargaining the San Francisco affiliate, Local 2, sent marching bands of chanting employees into the lobbies of upscale hotels in an attempt to influence the course of bargaining over a new agreement.  More recently Local 11 filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board about the actions of operators of another Los Angeles-area hotel.

“Using lawsuits, particularly the expensive to defend class action,  and filing Federal complaints to cause an employer financial pain for not conceding the unionization of their employees sounds like a bold move, yet it may have the opposite effect”, Conine suggests.  ”Some employers may say, ‘If that’s the way you want to play it, you’re on’”.

Are employees the ultimate losers in such a battle?  ”Again, that depends on your perspective”, said Conine.  ”What’s right should prevail, but economic realities and the overall decline in the appeal of unions also play a big role in the outcome.”

Source: www.hospitalityhrsolutions.com

HT Editor

For hotels, the first priority in online marketing is to make sure travelers find you when planning trips. That’s become increasingly challenging in the realm of paid search, where online travel agencies, big brands and now Google Hotel Finder dominate results, driving costs up and organic results down.

Why even try to compete? Instead, shift resources to where you’ll get a bigger bang for your buck: owned and earned media.

Paid vs. Owned and Earned Media Whereas paid media is purchased content like cost-per-click and display advertising, owned media is content you own on platforms you control: your website, social profiles and listings on third-party sites like TripAdvisor, Google Places and OTAs.

Earned media is user-generated content (UGC), or content your guests and other third parties post about your business. It includes reviews and ratings, blogs, media articles, photos, videos and social endorsements like pluses, shares and likes.

Unlike paid and owned media, you can’t control earned media, but it’s more influential because consumers trust the opinions of other consumers more than any other advertising source. (Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising survey, 2012).

Plus it’s free. Well, almost. To maximize reach and impact you must incorporate earned media into marketing strategy.

But first, how to generate earned media? Above all, it’s cultivated on property, in that fertile ground between guest expectations and results. Simply put, pleasant surprises generate positive reviews, social endorsements and visual content sharing. Then it’s a matter of leveraging the power of this content on the social Web.

Search Meets Social Online we have two primary audiences: travelers and algorithms. Google, Yahoo and Bing run on algorithms, as do Facebook and TripAdvisor. They decide how content is displayed based on ingredients like relevancy, quality and importance.

Increasingly, the type of content that influences travelers also influences algorithms. This includes fresh, local content and “social signals” that a business is popular and relevant. Social signals are essentially earned media.

The integration of search and social is everywhere. TripAdvisor was an innovator with its Facebook integration, and Yelp offers a similar feature. Facebook friend activity is layered into Bing search, and Google+ activity into Google search. Most recently, Facebook’s Graph Search allows users to search within a walled garden of friend activity and interests.

The Social Website Don’t let Facebook and Twitter distract you too much; your website remains the primary platform for promoting your hotel online. But to maximize effectiveness it must become a living, breathing, social entity that integrates fresh, local content with user and expert content.

In addition to social icons and widgets, many brands now feature a review feed on their website. Why compromise this last bastion of control with raw, unedited guest feedback? Because it increases conversions—even when reviews are less than glowing. Travelers aren’t seeking perfection, they’re seeking the truth. And if they can’t find it on your website they’ll look elsewhere.

It’s not just the quality of reviews that’s important. Travelers and algorithms, including TripAdvisor’s popularity index, lend greater weight to a high volume of recent reviews. This has ignited an arms race in the hotel industry to stockpile reviews.

And don’t overlook the other type of earned media travel planners seek: expert content. Post or link to the latest media articles and blog posts that mention your hotel, and include travel journalists, bloggers and influencers in social networking activity.

Utility Marketing To please algorithms and travelers, your website must be user-friendly and well designed, with high quality, optimized content and lots of visuals. To take it to the next level, post fresh content regularly that answers questions travelers have before and during trips, whether searching by desktop, smart phone or tablet.

This includes information about local activities, businesses, restaurants and current events, such as a list of top ten things to do in your destination in May. Add social plugins to encourage sharing.

Publishing helpful information indirectly related to your business is called utility marketing. It’s the next generation of content marketing, with benefits to SEO and guest satisfaction. (Check out Avinash Kaushik’s blog.).

Done well, a blog is a great platform for utility marketing. Check out the Chaa Creek Lodge in Belize, Sands Beach Resort in Canary Islands and Thompson Hotels. For a social website on steroids check out Whistler Blackcomb’s The Movement.

Source: reknown.com

HT Editor

The food industry is eagerly awaiting July 22, 2013, the date fixed by the Delhi High Court for hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking ban on the sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools in the country, because the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) would be presenting the guidelines for and definition of junk food.

And now, since the High Court has directed the country’s apex food regulator to release a paper on the definition of junk food, it is said to be working with a private agency on defining junk food, which it would present before the court at the aforesaid hearing.

Speaking at a recent function, K Chandramouli, chairman, FSSAI, voiced his concern about junk food. He said, “We are going to take the issue of food safety to schools. We would consult the education ministry to include the subject of food safety in the curriculum. Children are most affected and ill-informed about the choices regarding food habits. And a food-related disease like obesity is a huge problem.”

The industry raised its concerns too. “I feel the right way is to educate and guide people about what they should eat and in what quantity,” said D V Malhan, executive secretary, All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA). He added that awareness was the key and the role of FSSAI would be vital in correcting the situation by means of regulations and making informed choices.

“Industry experts stressed on the need to maintain a balance, because that could affect the employment of people involved in manufacturing. The problem is people’s eating habits. There are many items, which are prepared with a lot of oil and in-house. For example, parathas are heavy, but parents give the kids these items,” they said.

The High Court also directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to consult the All India Food Processors’ Association while framing the guidelines, but AIFPA officials said that they are yet to be approached by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Uday Foundation’s Rahul Verma, who filed the PIL, emphasised that anything that is high on sodium and low on nutrition should not be sold in and around schools.

He raised four suggestions, namely guidelines be framed on what should be sold in schools; a comprehensive canteen policy be implemented in schools; the sale of junk food be banned in the peripheries of schools, and children be prohibited from endorsing junk food in advertisements.

Verma said the court’s ruling would have an impact on three of the four recommendations, the only exception being the one concerning advertisements. He added, “Kids need nutritional food when the first recess happens around 11am in schools, because the last nutritional food they had would have been the previous night and most of the school-goers do not have much time for a proper breakfast in the morning.”

Source: fnbnews.com

HT Editor

For many, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were watching the tanks and women with guns march in Beijing for the 60th anniversary of the PRC; but China is now pulling the party hats back out as it prepares for the 90th anniversary of the founding of its Communist party next July.
Part of the pre-party festivities leading up to July 1, according to recent piece in the Telegraph, is developing many of the country’s once famous revolutionary sites that young Chinese are now visiting to reconnect with China’s past.
Dubbed Red Tourism, this type of reverence for national sites is not new, but has taken on additional importance in recent years. Now supported by the government, Red Tourism is seen by many as a way to unify, or dare we say harmonize, Chinese society, which has come under a growing amount of stress in the past few years.
“Chinese people cannot forget their history, and the best way to do that is to go and remember it, to study it — that’s where Red Tourism comes from,” said Chen Doushu, the head of the agency organizing the red tours.
The Telegraph identified five sites as the major stops on a Red Tourism trail — sadly, the first meeting place of the Communist Party in Shanghai’s Xintiandi doesn’t make the cut.
The top spots are: Yan’an, known as Chairman Mao’s wartime base (people go to see the caves where the party plotted many of its major decisions), Shaoshan where Mao was born (don’t miss the hongshao rou there, a Mao favorite), Jinggang Mountain, which boasts more than 100 “revolutionary” attractions, and Zunyi and Nanchang.
Chinese people cannot forget their history, and the best way to do that is to go and remember it, to study it — that’s where Red Tourism comes from.— Chen Doushu, the head of the agency organizing the red tours
Do we see a road trip in the making?
According to the Chinese National Tourism Administration, the number of visitors at the country’s top 10 Red Tourism sites has grown by more than 50 percent a year for the last few years.
Although these five sites make up the main trail of China’s Red Tourism, other lesser known sites are benefiting from the trend, like Qionghai, Hainan.
Although Hainan is mainly known for its beaches, Red tourists can visit Pan Xianying, a 95-year-old mother of seven who is one of three surviving members of an all-female Red Army unit that was based in Qionghai.
Qionghai authorities have decided to capitalize on the town’s importance as the base of the all-female detachment, starting tours of the group’s former training grounds and meeting spots.
360 people went on the tours in April.
More than creating a spirit of national unity as the government hopes, Red Tourism also creates jobs and investment.
In 2004, the Chinese government spent more that RMB 2.15 billion on developing sites like Chairman Mao’s hometown of Shaoshan. The investment has paid off, creating over two million jobs, according to the Telegraph.
Although the campaign has the potential to do a lot of good, China blogger Stan Abrams points out on his China Hearsay blog that, “If the nation’s socialist roots can be used, via tourism, to remind everyone (particularly the rich) that they are all in this together, that could be constructive.”
“For example,” he writes, “perhaps it could convince a few greedy company execs that adding poison to food products is not in the best interests of society.”
He adds that if this is just tourism for tourism’s sake, that this will be a short-lived trend, and that no constructive lessons will be learned.

Source: CNN

HT Editor

International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) conference in Berlin, Germany, Marriott announced a partnership with Inter Hospitality, the property division of Inter IKEA Group, to create a new brand called Moxy Hotels.

The new brand will be Marriott International’s first entry into the economy tier, three-star hospitality segment in Europe.

Designed to capture the rapidly emerging millennial traveller, Marriott said the new brand “combines contemporary stylish design, approachable service and, most importantly, an affordable price”.

The brand will debut in Italy, with the first Moxy Hotel expected to open in Milan in early 2014.

To grow the brand rapidly, Marriott is working closely with Inter Hospitality who will be the initial developer and owner of the first Moxy Hotels properties.

Inter Hospitality was established in January 2012 to “create long term value for the Property Division of Inter IKEA Group by developing and investing in hotel properties and student properties across Europe”, according to the company.

Marriott has selected Nordic Hospitality to be its first franchisee to operate the brand. Nordic Hospitality is an experienced hotel operator that currently manages several Marriott brand hotels in Scandinavia.

“Moxy Hotels is the essence of the next generation traveler, not only Gen X and Y but people with a younger sensibility, for whom contemporary style is paramount,” said Marriott International’s President and CEO, Arne Sorenson.

“Every aspect of the hotel was thoughtfully researched and crafted to reflect and deliver on the changing lifestyles and expectations of this fast-growing customer segment.

“We believe Marriott will lead the way in redefining the traditional economy hotel experience throughout Europe [and] we are thrilled to be able to launch the brand with Inter Hospitality as an owner and Nordic as our franchisee.

“With a dedicated real estate partner and an experienced operator, we expect a fast start and the exceptional customer service that is associated with all of Marriott’s brands.”

Marriott plans to add 150 franchised Moxy Hotels in Europe over the next 10 years, aiming for locations in Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

“The agreement with Marriott and Nordic Hospitality gives us a great opportunity to use our development expertise to build a high-quality hotel property investment portfolio,” said Inter Hospitality’s Managing Director, Peter Andrews.

“Our initial focus is on acquiring sites for the new brand in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.

“Over the next five years we aim to secure at least 50 sites for development.”

The new brand will help fuel Marriott’s companywide growth in the region, which is expected to reach 80,000 rooms by 2015.

“We see a huge opportunity to expand our market share in Europe with Moxy Hotels,” said Marriott International’s President and Managing Director of Europe, Amy McPherson.

“The economy tier in Europe represents nearly half of total room supply, yet only 20 percent of these hotels are branded. Moxy Hotels will be a great addition to our portfolio of brands in Europe.”

According to Marriott, Moxy Hotels has been in development for nearly two years. Marriott, together with Nordic Hospitality, has conducted extensive consumer research across Europe including construction of sample rooms for focus group studies.

“No design element was too small to test with these tech-savvy consumers,” said Moxy Hotels’ Brand Vice President, Ramesh Jackson.

“We learned that these confident explorers are wildly self-sufficient, but still want a chance to connect with each other in inviting social spaces in person or digitally. Based on the concept test results we believe Moxy Hotels will revolutionize the industry.”

He said guestrooms would be functional and well-designed, with upscale bath amenities, large flat screen televisions and built-in USB ports located within each wall socket.

The color palette features calming neutral tones reminiscent of rich brown leather, combined with natural materials to evoke an organic, comfortable and restorative feel.

Each room will also feature a floor to ceiling signature “art wall” that is hand selected to reflect the local city or surroundings.

Moxy Hotels will also public spaces for guests to relax and socialize offering healthy continental breakfast and an evening bar featuring wines by the glass and local brews.

In addition, hotels will have two ‘Plug and Meet’ meeting spaces on the lobby level designed with modern ergonomic seating, large writing walls and 56-inch televisions for presentation projection.

The lobby will boast state-of-the art computers and 24/7 market featuring snacks and drinks.

Guests will enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, and may opt to check in using their mobile devices.

Moxy Hotels will also be part of Marriott Rewards, Marriott International’s award-winning global guest loyalty program with more than 40 million members worldwide.

Source: www.hotelmanagement.com.au

HT Editor

The headlines are full of news about Google Glass, futuristic eyewear that has the search and alert capability of a smartphone and could revolutionise travel by providing instant, geographically relevant information about unfamiliar areas on the go. But until the expensive device hits the market at the end of 2013, Google has a few lesser-known and more affordable apps to help travellers learn about their destination. The apps are free, useful and – to be frank – far less geeky.

Google Now is an Android app that suggests things you might be interested in based on personal data, such as events in your calendar, your search history and your travel patterns. For instance, if it discovers an upcoming boarding pass and hotel reservation in your Gmail account, it will alert you on the day of departure to the status of your flight, provide a traffic report from your location to the airport and, after you touch down, present driving directions between the arrival airport and your hotel. Once you reach a destination, it can suggest nearby restaurants based on your past selections, and sometimes will even recommend dishes to try. The app may be iPhone-ready before summer, and the Android version only works in the US and UK so far.

Given that iPhone users can’t use Google Now, they may want to consider Grokr, a US-only third-party app that also alerts you to relevant information by analysing your device’s data and – in a trick that Google Now can’t do –tapping in to your social networks, analysing what you and your friends have posted on Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and 70 other services. For instance, after seeing which artists I have followed or listened to, Grokr began sending alerts when these artists were scheduled to perform nearby. Grokr’s general search is also as smart as Google Now’s. For example, if you search for “Massaman curry near me”, it will only recommend nearby restaurants that serve that dish.

A pocket tour guide
If you don’t like an app tapping into your private data, you may prefer Google’s Field Trip, which susses out nearby attractions based solely on the interests you’ve chosen, such as architecture, historic landmarks, shopping, nightlife, galleries and things that are “unique”. The app can also suggest nearby promotions, such as a free drink at a pub, local tours and activities.

Both Android and, as of March 2013, iPhone versions are available, but they only work in the US and UK. All versions of the app notify you when you’re near something interesting by vibrating and flashing a message on your home screen. You can adjust the frequency of these alerts, or you can turn the alerts off and only see interesting places (in list form or plotted on map) when you open the app. If something catches your eye, you can save it or share it with a friend by email, Google+ or Twitter.

Google Field Trip has other advantages over the traditional printed guide. As I was walking down Bow Street through London’s Covent Garden neighbourhood, Field Trip sent an alert that the street was created in 1637 and had once been home to many notable people including author Henry Fielding and actor Charles Macklin. Similarly detailed street-level historical insight might have easily been overlooked in a paper guidebook.

The app’s information comes from blogs and publications such as Cool Hunting, Eater, Thrillist and Time Out, and you can opt to only receive tips from a selection of the publications on offer. The app even includes an option for a voice to read the discoveries aloud if you need to keep your eyes on the road.

Unlike these multi-talented predictive apps, Google Translate does only one thing – provide translations of words and phrases between 65 languages – but it does it well. You can look up a translation by typing it in or speaking the words into your phone’s microphone. In most cases, a computerised voice will then pronounce the translated word or phrase. In tests, the app was quick to return text-based answers, but the speed of the voice-based answers depended on the strength of a mobile’s network connection and the amount of background noise.

Google Translate has been free for Android and iPhone since February 2011. But in March, a new version for recent Android systems (2.3 Gingerbread and higher) added offline support, meaning it can now be used to download free language packs in advance and receive translations even when you’re not connected to a network. Google says it will soon add this capability to other versions of the app, but in the meantime, all versions let you save already translated words and phrases for easy access when you’re offline.

As great as Google Translate is, a faster way of getting your idea across is often to skip the precise translations and instead use pictographs – or illustrated symbols of words or phrases – to get your point across. The app Image It lets you quickly look up travel-relevant pictographs, such as a drawing of a stamp to indicate you want to buy one to mail a postcard, from an array of travel-related topics, from food to transport and medical emergency to shopping. Drag and drop up to three images to make a hieroglyphic sentence of a thought. Show the app to a local, and he or she can point at an illustration that represents their answer. The $0.99 iPhone and Android app uses French as the primary translation language, but you can switch the default language to English, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese or Arabic.

Source: www.bbc.com

HT Editor

Praslin has for many years been the center of the island’s tourism industry. The new bank of prime hotels constructed on Mahe in recent years had shifted the focus back to the main island. Now, additional rooms on Cote d’Or Beach and other proposed tourism developments on Praslin have prompted the tourism industry’s association to remind the Minister responsible for Tourism of the need to ensure that visitor arrival numbers for Praslin increases at the same pace as new approved developments.

The working visit by Minister Alain St.Ange, the Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, to the island of Praslin this week was the opportunity also for the industry’s association to show to the Minister the new tourism accommodation establishments being constructed on Cote D’Or Beach. One such construction is next door to L’Archipel Hotel, and the other two establishments are down the road on the main Cote D’Or Beach itself.

The tourism industry said that as they encouraged more Seychelles to join the tourism industry, it remained important for Praslin to retain its appeal as the idyllic island destination. Minister St.Ange said that he had listened to the trade and that he had heard their plea to safeguard their island.

“Seychelles needs to maintain what attracts visitors to our shores. This is a commitment made by the President of the Republic and by his government. Every agency of the government is aware that our country’s economy is dependent on a sustainable tourism development vision. Today I have seen the 3 new tourism establishment constructions at Cote D’Or, and it is clear that soon they will be opening their doors to our visitors. This means that we need to be ready as a country to ensure that our arrival numbers take into consideration these new rooms,” Minister St.Ange said.

Source: Eturbonews

HT Editor

Many travellers find the sheer volume of online booking tools to be overwhelming. So this is the fourth in a month-long series that highlights a handful of websites that will change the travel game in 2013. Previous posts were on GetGoing, Flightfox and Superfly.
Unique premise
Reserving the right hotel room is a tricky thing. According to a study by market research firm PhoCusWright, 57% of 2012’s online bookings in the US took place directly through hotels’ websites, with online travel agencies, such as Hotels.com and Travelocity.com, making up the bulk of the rest.
But when booking with an online travel agency, you risk overpaying (since the prices listed may not be the lowest available) or thinking a hotel is sold out (when really the site’s allotment of rooms has sold out, not the property itself). Online travel agencies also give you little control over which room you’ll actually be assigned at check-in.
Then again, booking directly through a hotel offers its own challenges, the most obvious being that finding the best property with the best deal can require a lot of time-consuming comparison-shopping.
Addressing these concerns is Room 77, a hotel metasearch site that aims to get travellers the exact room they want. Listing 100,000 hotels in the US and another 100,000 worldwide, Room 77 scours dozens of sites (including online travel agencies and individual hotel websites) to nab the most attractive accommodation deal, similar to other metasearch engines such as Google Hotel Finder, HotelsCombined and Kayak.
But unlike these other sites, for any property that is rated four stars or better, or for any reservation that totals at least $400, Room 77 offers a virtual concierge service that takes into account which room characteristics are the most important to you, such as a skyline view, a far distance from the lifts, floor preference and availability of a spare cot for a young child. This “Hotel Direct” rate is often slightly more expensive than those found on competing sites, but Room 77’s employees work with the hotel to figure out which of its rooms would best match your preferences. According to Room 77’s post-trip surveys, about 90% of room requests are fulfilled.
Another unique advantage is that Room 77 is the only site to allow users to sort hotels by their TripAdvisor ratings (other than TripAdvisor itself). It’s also the only site that takes into account US-centric discounts such as AAA-membership or senior, military or government rates. Lastly, as of 18 March, when you search Room 77 via a smartphone’s or tablet’s browser or via Room 77’s Android and iPhone apps, you can see mobile-only hotel rates among the other available prices.
Test case
In a recent search for hotels in São Paulo, Room 77 fetched a list of hundreds of properties with rates from a variety of hotels and third-party sites. Clicking one of the listings, Hotel Unique, revealed generic details about the property, along with options to book a “standard room” via Expedia, Booking.com and other major sites, from $562 a night.
But the Hotel Direct option for the same property revealed details on a dozen room types, from a basic 25sqm room for $625 a night to a posh 95sqm room for $1,530 a night – all of which included complimentary Havaianas footwear and a nightly turndown service. Hotel Unique’s rules apply, so customers pay on arrival, and the cancellation policy requires a fee equal to one night’s stay. While you could save money going with the generic “standard room” available elsewhere, Room 77’s virtual concierge service could improve your chances of receiving a room you adore.
Flaws that need fixing
Some of Room 77’s functions are needlessly confusing. For example, the map-based search, which involves searching for hotels within specific neighbourhood boundaries, is marginalised by the site’s design, making it hard to find.
Searching by neighbourhood or proximity to major attractions is also oddly complicated. Even if you search for a room based on a specific street address, the results still default to ranking by “popularity”, forcing users to re-sort by distance to get the selections they wanted.
Quirks aside, the start-up, amply funded by Expedia and travel expenses software maker Concur, can bring plenty of resources to bear on improving its service, and we expect additional enhancements to be unveiled soon.

Source: BBC

HT Editor