Hotel Bars to become "Social Hubs"

The executives at Holiday Inn have discovered a new trend in the hospitality industry and are jumping on board as quickly as possible. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has unveiled a new idea, known as the social hub, in which the bars at Holiday Inn Hotels will begin to function as not only as the bar, but also the restaurant, game room and business center. Recent studies have shown that most of the visitors at these hotels are business men and women who,"are more extroverted, charismatic people who like people," (says senior VP of global brand management Kevin Kowalski). Holiday Inn hopes to create a more social environment with the opening of the "social hub", that will affect the atmosphere of the hotel, and also it's economic standing. The menu available at the hub will be more easily maintained if served by the bar staff, reducing the cost of upholding a restaurant staff. The same would go for the breakfast menu, which would develop into more a of self-serve, buffet style offer, further lowering the costs of employment for the hotel.

The idea for a "social hub" in hotels is an innovative, yet risky idea for the hospitality industry. Although I agree that Holiday Inn's may be able to save money on employment, there always runs the risk that the hub will not appeal to the majority of the visitors, and the hotel will find themselves understaffed with unhappy guests. In order to make this idea successful, I think the InterContinental Hotels Group must conduct extensive research to see if developing the hub is worth the cost. They could circulate surveys and questionnaires to ask their customers if they would be receptive to the installation of a social hub. However, in the long run, I believe that the social hub will develop into a successful aspect of the hospitality industry, and may just be the next new big trend in the industry.