From sustainability triumphs to recruitment challenges, I unveil the future of guest experiences in 2024!
Bleisure - Key necessities required by those travelling on bleisure.
Bleisure, a term I keep referring to as this is most definitely a continuing hospitality trend. It refers to those guests travelling for business and leisure. An aparthotel such as The Gresham, lends itself perfectly to guests travelling on bleisure trips.
With the rise of hybrid work styles post-COVID, the hotel offers flexibility. Guests can work in the bar at Black Iron Social, use a dedicated meeting space, rent a desk at Gresham Works, or set up in a private apartment with separate rooms for privacy. They have the option to dine either in their room or in our restaurant.
For business individuals requiring short to medium-term stays, such as contractors on extended trips away from home, flexibility and a cost-effective, comfortable environment are essential.
The location of our Aparthotel, centre of Leicester City benefits those on bleisure trips as there are many entertainment options for those leisurely times plus, quiet business spaces for when concentration is required. Being centrally located offers several advantages, especially in terms of accessibility and convenience for business individuals. Extensive transport links in Leicester make it easier for people to reach the aparthotel.
Sustainability - How The Gresham tackled carbon footprint by making a mark but not one that affects the planet.
We started our sustainability journey when our building was renovated from the former Fenwicks building. The wood and other building materials were locally sourced as opposed to shipping from abroad and the old materials were recycled, giving it a new purpose. The builders who worked on the renovation project were locally sourced to support our local community businesses.
In 2023, we looked into offsetting our carbon footprint by using an initiative that will leave a positive impact on the environment. The initiative of a virtual forest came to our attention. We worked with the environmental organisation Ecologi who work on verified projects across the globe to contribute to reforestation and carbon capture.
For every direct booking we will plant one tree in our virtual forest. To date we have planted over 300 trees which equates to 1 tonne of CO2e saved so far. The Gresham has been awarded the EcoSmart accreditation for our current sustainability work but strives to continue making a positive impact on the planet.
Our 2024 sustainability goals include investing in an eco-friendly energy system and installing solar panels on the spacious roof. Also further improving our systems to include turning off nighttime air conditioning, using water restriction valves, offering less frequent guest laundry, using energy-efficient boilers, implementing LED lighting, and cutting down on paper usage.
Recruitment - How do we source skilled hospitality enthusiasts in the future?
Towards the end of 2023 I was invited to take part in a thought leadership podcast with Hotel Owner magazine. During this interview which featured on their ‘Checking In’ podcast I expressed my thoughts and experience on recruiting staff within the industry.
Nowadays it takes a lot of time and effort to try to recruit skilled staff. I believe this because the hospitality industry is hardly spoken about in the education sector which leads to little interest from students looking for a career in our industry.
A 2023 Deloitte survey that showed more than half of hotel executives (53%) say their properties have between 25–74% of the workforce they had in 2019 showing recruitment has been challenging the last 4 years. However, the sector offers a wide range of careers, and can help students to increase and develop their skills like building confidence and resilience, both seen as key life skills.
Therefore, this year may bring harder recruitment periods however, we should as an industry get talking to students about the phenomenal career opportunities they could undertake to generate more interest.
Also every job role in life requires excellent customer service and communication skills. Working in the hospitality industry means that these skills can be developed in real time.
Ultimately, the trends are important to acknowledge however the primary goal for everyone is to provide a memorable experience for all guests. The unique qualities of aparthotels is the flexibility and personalised stays that we can offer guests.
If you are interested in a corporate booking please contact me via reservations@thegreshamaparthotel.com
