Let's Meet for Drinks...at The Holiday Inn
During a recent stay at Holiday Inn in Denver, one of our contributors was rather blown away by the "fierce lobby area" particularly with that flashy white piano worthy of an Elton John singalong night.
We actually thought it as just an anomaly. Perhaps the owner of this particular Holiday Inn really wanted to set up a party scene. But according to this WSJ article, Holiday Inn as a brand is making a conscious move to give guests a social scene on property, introducing what they call a "social hub."
The social hub would tailor Holiday Inn's lunch and dinner menus to bar fare that can be shared, such as gourmet meatballs, sesame chicken wings, hamburgers and a few significant entrees, such as steaks and salmon club sandwiches.
Those changes would allow for more food to be served by the bar staff, which in turn would allow Holiday Inn's franchisees to limit their labor costs by reducing restaurant staff, especially at slow times of the day.
As for the "famous" Holiday Inn breakfast, that will still be the main meal at the hotel but that will even get a Social Hub makeover, "with buffets and cook-to-order stations for omelets and the like." Hmmm...we do love those made-to-order omelets.
The Social Hub may also include a game room outfitted with Wii and billiards tables, an outdoor patio with fire pits and even the business center. True, this is nothing new as Courtyard by Marriott, Aloft, Element and Hyatt Place have been creating their own sort of social spaces for several years now but it's nice to see Holiday Inn finally come on board.
However, before you get all excited about hanging out at a Holiday Inn, the concept is only in preliminary stages, according to the WSJ. A few Holiday Inns will get to test the Social Hub next year but it probably won't roll out to the other Holiday Inn franchises until 2012. Until then, there's always the flashy white piano at the Holiday Inn Denver Airport.
[Photo: WSJ]
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