‘Bleisure’ seekers head to Midtown

“Our industry is all about people. We want everyone who comes to be inspired but also surprised by the unique experiences we offer.”

For Sharan Pasricha, founder and CEO of Ennismore, which counts the Hoxton, Holborn in their growing empire, hospitality is also about the emotion service evokes: “Hospitality is the way you’re made to feel from the moment you walk through the doors. It’s the whole guest journey, from the first person they meet, to the minute they leave.”

When they launched the Hoxton, Shoreditch in 2006 it was labelled the “no bullsh*t hotel” because of their eschewal of high-price minibars and highrate phone-calls. “We became the anti-hotel,” says Pasricha. “We have never been just about offering a bed for the night. We want to be more than that, a place where people can eat, drink, work and play any time of day.”

The Hoxton aspires to be a community hub, and rewards loyal guests. “We offer a place to hang out and curate an amazing events programme inspired by the area. This appeals as much to locals as to guests, with free weekly Pilates, creative talks and cocktail master classes.”

The Grange Holborn is slightly more geared towards the business traveller. It has a connected, modern clientele who will “share” their expectations publicly. The hotel’s spokesperson Claire Farrington stresses the importance of continuous investment in technology and innovation. “Guests are bringing more devices with them than ever and hotels have to be ready to support that with high-speed connectivity.”

Bosnor feels that with so many five-star hotels, it’s important to be different. “Our butlers become extensions of the families that stay with us and are like PAs to our guests,” he says. The Rosewood strives to deliver a “relationship hospitality” that is intuitive and bespoke.

At the Grange, Farrington thinks the future of hospitality means understanding how to blend business and pleasure, or “bleisure”, as she coins it. “A recent report suggests that 83 per cent of people use time on business trips to explore the city they’re visiting, so we need to have state-of-the-art facilities in welcoming, informal surroundings.”

The successful modern hotel anticipates its customer’s every need. People are definitely after “more bang for their buck”, says Pasricha. “They’re valuing experiences and don’t want to feel disconnected in stuffy hotel lobbies, but to feel part of the neighbourhood, where they can connect with locals.”

Has the success of short-term rental operators like onefinestay and Airbnb put pressure on hotels? “I don’t think Airbnb has helped raise hospitality standards in the hotel industry — they are of a high quality, naturally,” says the Grange’s Farrington.

“But what has been brought to the industry’s attention, but not by Airbnb alone, is the personalisation of a stay. That feeling that you’re connected to the area you’re staying in whether it be by a concierge, or a hotel’s partnerships or by a note from a host about their favourite things to do.”

Midtown hotels have always been the first port of call for tourists and businesses. They’re perfectly sandwiched between the tourist hubs of Covent Garden and Oxford Street, creative Bloomsbury, and high—tech Holborn. That alone must keep these hotels on their toes.