Skift Take
It makes sense for Hilton to fix its marquee brand by appealing to event planners with upscale lodging and interesting spaces. It will take some time to see how its commitment to pleasing planners really goes.
Hilton Worldwide has a new meetings-centric brand on the way that incorporates many emerging trends to hit the events space in recent years.
Signia Hilton will incorporate flexible meeting spaces along with indoor/outdoor spaces, giving meeting planners more options when staging an event. Hilton is investing in groups, which account for 30 percent of its global business, so we will see if this upscale brand resonates with what planners are looking for.
They want to build a better Hilton hotel, basically. Check out the story below.
We’ve also got the latest research on wellness in events from the Incentive Research Foundation. Everyone seems to care about designing healthier events even if most planners say their events are only somewhat healthy.
If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out to me via email at [email protected] or tweet me @sheivach.
— Andrew Sheivachman, Senior Editor
The Future of Events and Meetings
The New Signia Hilton Is Designed for Meetings and Events: In other words, think of the Signia Hilton as Hilton’s take on Crowne Plaza, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton Grand, and Dolce Hotels.
Making Meetings and Events Healthier Goes Beyond Tight Budgets: Reading between the lines, it seems many events are making modest tweaks to ensure attendees aren’t sitting in their chairs feeling miserable all day. You don’t need yoga and hikes to make an event slightly healthier.
How Luxury Hospitality Can Use Technology to Stay Human: Trends in travel are never mutually exclusive. We take a look at a new report out of Switzerland to examine how the biggest trends in hospitality overlap and how they impact the luxury sector.
Around the Industry
Wyndham Backtracks on Award-Winning Loyalty Program: Wyndham pulled an about-face on its award-winning loyalty program last week. Perhaps aligning every award room in the hotel’s network to the same price wasn’t sustainable after all.
Caesars Looks to Mobile Tech to Raise the Hotel Guest Experience: Caesars had under-invested in the tech needed to support the hotel side of its business. Recently it has been playing catch-up. Some of its experiments are innovative, such as mobile ordering for food in the lobby or by the pool.
UK Travelers See New Opportunities From Brexit Uncertainty With Stronger Pound: After living with uncertainty over Brexit for so long, UK residents may take some comfort in a recent boost in the value of the pound versus the euro, making a spontaneous trip to warmer climates on the continent more affordable.
Subscribe
Skift Senior Editor Andrew Sheivachman [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Tags: hilton, meetings, meetingsiq, wellness
Photo credit: The entrance to a Signia Hilton hotel. Hilton Worldwide has a new meetings-centric brand on the way. Hilton