Following a £1.3m renovation, the London Marriott Hotel Kensington has relaunched meeting and events spaces that meet the needs of today’s bookers and travellers with inspiring and versatile facilities. Featuring modern design and the latest wireless technology, the hotel’s nine flexible and interchangeable rooms can host a total of 235 delegates over two floors, or up to 100 delegates in the largest meeting space.
Marriott Hotels is revolutionising the guest experience throughout its properties, tailoring technology and design to the expectations of Gen X and Gen Y travellers. The renovation at the London Marriott Hotel Kensington – the group’s third European hotel to host Marriott Hotels’ next generation meeting spaces, after Amsterdam Marriott and Munich Marriott – brings secure internet connectivity, wireless enabled LED screens and projectors, and the BARCO Click Share system that allows multiple laptops and tablets to connect to screens wirelessly.
In addition, a Meeting Services App called Red Coat Direct gives event planners immediate communication with the hotel team, prompting an instant response without the organiser having to leave the meeting room.
The space is designed to inspire social and collaborative meetings and delegates can enjoy interactive meeting room features such as the ability to write on walls and breakout tables to allow creative thinking. The adaptable rooms can be set up in conventional boardroom or theatre style, or delegates can take advantage of a mixture of high and low tables and chairs to create different layouts to reflect the meeting purpose. In brief, the new spaces can be moulded to needs of organisers and participants alike to ensure every meeting achieves its desired objectives and goals.
The non-traditional breakout areas are light and spacious with comfortable and versatile seating options to allow working and networking with equal ease, and a central food and beverage station where delegates can enjoy delicious and energising food and beverage experiences. The area includes intimate cabin seating with multiple electrical outlets to inspire collaboration both in and out of the meeting room and help bring meetings to life.
These new spaces reflect the larger transformation of Marriott Hotels that is informing how Marriott interacts with guests. Evidence of this is in the Greatroom lobby, an open space that can be put to social or business use, with free Wi-Fi connectivity, plus all-day menus that cater for all requirements from snacks to meals. This has been adopted in approximately half Marriott Hotels’ portfolio in Europe and is expected to take up residence in all properties by the end of 2015.
The transformation has also touched the arrival and departure experience with mobile check-in and check-out now available to Marriott Rewards members at all 500 Marriott Hotels globally and at 1,200 hotels in total within the company’s worldwide portfolio. By the end of the year, the service with be rolled out to all 4,000 properties, providing guests with added convenience and greater choice. Mobile service requests, such as additional towels and pillows and valet service, are also being tested in 15 hotels in the U.S., enabling guests to chat with the hotel’s hosts in real time.
