Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has unveiled its next generation guestroom—an innovative design developed to meet the changing needs of today’s modern business traveler.
Guestroom designs, particularly the placement of the bed, have remained mostly unchanged for the last 60 years since standardized guestroom dimensions were introduced by Kemmons Wilson, founder of the Holiday Inn Brand. The new Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts guestroom introduces a uniquely angled bed design.
Working for the past two years with leading designers from outside the sector, such as Future Agenda and Pearson Lloyd, the group has developed a design that challenges the traditional norms of business space in hotels.
“At IHG we have a deep understanding of our guests and meet their differing needs through our family of brands,” says Keith Barr, chief commercial officer of IHG. “At the heart of Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand is a commitment to helping the modern business traveler meet the challenges and hectic pace of today’s 24/7, ‘always on’ environment. We want to help all our guests to have a successful life—not just a successful stay.”
The new Crowne Plaza brand’s room allows guests to move freely between three key areas—a cocooned bed, a flexible nook, and a streamlined workspace. The angled bed has a padded, curved headboard, which reduces noise levels and features insulated wall panels on each side of the room. In comparison to a typical hotel room, consumer testing revealed a 30 percent improvement in noise reduction.
The nook area offers a multi-purpose and comfortable space to hold informal meetings and doubles as an area to socialize and relax away from the traditional workspace. The multi-purpose workspace then provides a clutter-free surface with accessible outlets and adjustable lighting.
The new guestroom will launch in the Americas region in 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown.
