Profiling ‘The Neighbour’: Is this your hotel of the future?

By definition a neighbour is a person who shows familiarity, kindness, and is in close proximity to another. These are all qualities your hotel could adopt to build a successful business plan into the future.

According to research from Deloitte and Doblin, and laid out in SiteMinder’s interactive quiz, hotels in the future will take on specific characteristics to change the shape of hotel service and experience. ‘The Neighbour’ is one of these.

An overview of ‘The Neighbour’

Loyal to its definition, ‘The Neighbour’ understands the importance and necessity of fitting in with the surrounding area and becoming one with its destination.

The main traits surrounding ‘The Neighbour’ will be:

• Familiarity
• Cultural sensitivity
• Adaptability
• Active participation
• Communication

Research reveals that hotel’s of the future may take on the characteristics of 'The Neighbour'.

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What inspires ‘The Neighbour’?

‘The Neighbour’ is driven by guests who are looking for a purposeful way to engage with the local area and experience the heart of the destination’s culture.

Often guests find the spaces of a hotel generic and unappealing. It doesn’t seem like a place they want to hang out because it’s empty of the experiences they can find elsewhere in their destination. They want their hotel to be a welcoming extension of the exterior environment, further enriching the time they spend on their trip.

‘The Neighbour’ aspires to make this happen.

What actions will ‘The Neighbour’ take?

As a hotel, ‘The Neighbour’ will have three important functions.

1. Be more receptive to local aesthetics

Knowing how guests feel about the stagnant nature of some hotels, ‘The Neighbour’ will move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and instead deliver a more culturally diverse experience while maintaining a consistent level of service.

2. Bridge the gap between guests and destination

The hotel won’t just take on characteristics of the surrounding area, but will endeavour to also become a destination for the local community to engage with, allowing the property to make a properly authentic offering.

3. Contribute to local culture

While ‘The Neighbour’ can be a portal to local culture for guests, it can be more. By taking a destination-first approach to its spaces and branding, it can become a cultural attraction itself.

Specific attributes of ‘The Neighbour’

To solidify the above plans, ‘The Neighbour’ will take on four major attributes:

1. Local destination

‘The Neighbour’ will repurpose the hotel to bring the outside in making it a desirable place to hang out. This might mean opening space for a local farmer’s market or other local activities.

2. Cultural hub

When visitors come from overseas, community engagement is high on their agenda. ‘The Neighbour’ has the opportunity to collaborate with others to promote things like educational forums, public events, and exhibitions.

3. Adaptable brand

Taking on new qualities is something ‘The Neighbour’ will excel at. This will include incorporating the work of local designers, artists, and craftsmen into the spaces of the hotel to blend itself comfortably into the flavour of its destination.

4. Active participation

‘The Neighbour’ considers what it can do for the community as a way of expanding into new opportunities for hospitality. It activates external spaces around the hotel for locals to enjoy, and offers opportunities for guests to participate as well. For example, offering current public spaces for rooftop gardens that locals and restaurants can use.