Shangri-La Hotels has launched a new brand, Hotel Jen, to cater to a new ‘Jeneration’ of independently minded business and leisure travellers, as part of a strategy to rebrand its Traders Hotels across Asia Pacific.
“The Hotel Jen experience delivers what matters most to guests with a millennial mind set. They appreciate important things done well; demand quality, comfort and value, together with honest, authentic service; and want privacy and efficiency without unnecessary fuss or intrusion,” Greg Dogan, president and CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts said.
The group is already underway to transform Singapore’s Shangri-La Traders Hotel to Hotel Jen Orchardgateway by September, and plans on opening a further 9 Hotel Jens in major cities across the Asia Pacific by March 2015 including Hong Kong, Brisbane, Penang, Beijing, Johor Bahru, Manila, Maldives and Shenyang. Future Hotel Jen development projects are under discussion in key gateway cities in South East Asia.
According to the group, Hotel Jen “will bring an intuitive service attitude and relaxed, friendly style to the diverse collection of existing and new mid-range hotels situated in the best locations in Asia Pacific”.
“The Hotel Jen brand is inspired by the virtual persona Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places. Hotel Jen takes care of guests with efficiency and care, while also giving them informed access to the best a particular destination has to offer.”
“The Traders brand has had a 30-year history of success in generating solid business, carving out a niche amidst a highly competitive industry and building a loyal base of customers.
“However, we are looking to the future and – based on extensive consumer research and insight into the way our target market lives and travels, including talking and listening to our customers – we are recognising and responding to the global travel trends and particular needs of this new generation traveller. This will keep us relevant and competitive for the next 20 years to come,” Mr Dogan said.
The hotels will feature free WiFi throughout and convenient mobile charging stations.
The Hotel Jen will also guide guests to the best of where they are, through local restaurant recommendations, under-the-radar sights and unusual boutiques.
Hotel Jen’s restaurants will offer free coffee, and “snack-box-to-go” after breakfast and grab-and-go kiosks.
“We are excited to be launching and engaging this new brand so rapidly. We definitely want to retain our existing customer base, who have been extremely loyal to us, but we also recognise that their needs have changed. Today’s guests want more flexibility, as busy non-traditional work hours tend to blend the boundaries between business and leisure,” said Lothar Nessmann, chief operations officer of the Hotel Jen brand.