Best of hospitality in the news – part 16 – 2 December 2016
As the Dorchester hotel tells its female staff how to dress, here are 9 tips for its male workers
It served as a base for General Eisenhower during the Second World War, was frequented by Elizabeth Taylor during the 1970s, and played host to Prince Philip’s stag do. Needless to say, then, that the Dorchester hotel’s reputation for finery is built on solid foundations. But its immaculate feathers were ruffled on Wednesday after a list of dos and don’ts for how staff should dress was given out – to its female workers.
The Telegraph
Major UK hotels Hilton, Shiva join fight against modern slavery
Hotels across Britain are joining forces to fight modern slavery in an initiative to be unveiled on Wednesday that will encourage staff and guests to help spot signs of trafficking in hotel foyers and corridors.
Reuters
Taj Hotels, Shangri-La form alliance on loyalty programmes
Two of Asia’s iconic luxury hotel groups, Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, today said they have formed a strategic alliance on loyalty programmes to broaden their reach across Asia and the world.
Economic Times
New York City getting more pod hotels
The idea of the pod hotel originated in Japan. Tiny, inexpensive hotel rooms were perfect for businessmen and young people. In Manhattan, the pod concept has expanded. Pod 51 was the first to open in the city. The rooms aren’t big but they’re well appointed.
Fox5 (Video)
This is the safest room to book in a hotel
Safety is at the forefront of most travelers’ minds, not matter how short or rote the trip. How well can you protect yourself? What steps should you take to better ensure your safety? Travel + Leisure first tackled this topic with a post on the safest seat on the airplane—and now we’ve got intel on the safest room in a hotel.
ThisInsider
8 Of The World’s Most Stylish Hotels – From Mexico To Paris
Writer Sara Bliss has been obsessed with hotels since a very early age, when she sometimes got to tag along with her father on business trips. “He loved a great hotel. Favorites were the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, the Savoy in London and the Oriental in Bangkok,” she says. “I was in awe every time we stepped in the door of a new hotel. I loved how each one was its own fascinating, unique world.”
Forbes
Netflix and Streaming Video Are Replacing Hotel Pay-Per-View Entertainment
It might be crazy to think of this — especially at a time when some of us still agonize over the super-slow speed with which it takes to download a simple PDF in some hotel rooms — but we’re calling it: In just a few years’ time, it’s highly likely that the Internet of Things (IoT) will be coming to a hotel room near you.
skift.com
Hotel stays: 10 things you should really know about hotels
This is a topic made for nervous nellies. Stay away from the coffee maker in your room because who knows what’s gone in apart from H2O. Truly? Bedspreads, blankets and doonas are rarely cleaned. Big reveal? It costs around $30 to dry clean a doona, want that added to your hotel bill?
Traveller (AU)
Eight fun, quirky budget-friendly hotel chains
The words “hotel chain” might conjure images of lackluster decor, outdated carpeting and generic food. But while many budget properties leave you uninspired, others are quirky and cool, with hip amenities, affordable prices and chic details that are worthy of a spot on your Instagram feed. Oyster.com brings you eight budget-friendly hotel chains offering properties that pack plenty of pizzazz.
USA Today
Austrian hotel seeks to show the way on hiring refugees
The Magdas Hotel in Vienna aims to make a difference in a country where concerns about immigration and rising unemployment have helped boost the far-right Freedom Party. Most of its staff arrived in Austria as refugees, often after harrowing journeys from their homelands in Africa or Asia.
Reuters