HD Expo + Conference 2021 goes out with a bang in Las Vegas, a hotel owner-operator experiments with new pricing structure, and Airbnb steps up to house Afghan refugees. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Hotels consider a more customized pricing experience
The Sunken Lounge at TWA Hotel in Queens, New York
Hotel management and development company MCR Hotels will soon implement an à la carte pricing model at some of its properties, including the TWA Hotel at JFK airport and the High Line Hotel in Manhattan, reports Fortune. By being charged separately, guests will be able to opt in or out of amenities, such as early/late check-in (which will run $20), access to the pool or gym, and even breakfast. This approach has been successful for the airline industry, which brought in an extra $109.5 billion worldwide in 2019 by charging for on-board meals, checked baggage, and more. Once the new model is implemented, MCR, which is the fourth-largest hotel owner in the country, plans to lower room rate in order to entice a wider range of travelers.
Airbnb to house thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan
On Tuesday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced that the vacation rental company will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees around the world free of charge, according to CNBC. The refugees will be put up in properties listed on Airbnb’s platform. Chesky pledged to connect any Airbnb hosts willing to host a refugee family with the right people at the company to make that happen, and on Thursday the initiative was expanded even further. Now, Airbnb will work with anyone who is willing to help, not only current hosts. “The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time,” said Chesky. “We feel a responsibility to step up.”
Adjaye Associates helps enhance Ghana’s healthcare system
Rendering courtesy of Adjaye Associates
As part of Ghana’s Agenda 111 program, international architecture studio Adjaye Associates is designing 101 hospitals across the West African country. According to Dezeen, each of the medical facilities will house an emergency department and surgery, as well as pediatric, maternity, isolation, and surgical wards. Agenda 111 recently secured $100 million through the Ghana Investment Infrastructure Fund to realize the extensive project. “Guided by the ambition to define a next-generation hospital experience, the design concept merges 21st-century technology with a contextual and holistic approach crucial to the delivery of state-of-the-art healthcare,” says the firm.
Bjarke Ingels rethinks urban living
Bjarke Ingels, founder of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG); photo by Heriberto Ibarra/Flickr
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has teamed up with Roni Bahar, former director of development at WeWork, and Nicholas Chim, former head of Sidewalk’s Model Lab, to launch Nabr. The Silicon Valley-based “design living” company aims to reimagine the future of urban living by producing scalable, consumer-first housing, reports the Architect’s Newspaper. “By reimagining the way we build our homes and the way we build our cities we can make healthy living the standard not just for the individual residents, but also for the communities and eventually for the entire planet,” Ingels said in a video announcement.
It’s a wrap for HD Expo + Conference 2021
The “Creative Fuel: Hybrid Spaces and the Hospitality Effect” panel, held at HD Park; photo by PWP Studio
After cancelling the show in 2020 and postponing from May to August this year, HD Expo + Conference took place this week at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. From expert panels on the current and future state of the industry and a show floor brimming with new products, to inspirational sessions designed to spark creativity and featured talks with tennis champion and V Starr founder Venus Williams and 21c Hotels founder Steve Wilson, the show was a testament to the power of bringing the industry together once again. Check out recaps from both day one and day two, plus the winners of the IIDA/HD Product Design Competition and this year’s HD Expo Best Booth winners. And mark your calendars, as HD Expo + Conference returns to its regular schedule next year: April 26-28, 2022.
More from HD:
4 New Must-See Destinations in Las Vegas
Sustainable, Locally Sourced Materials Flourish at Casa Hormiga
Light and Shadow Interplay at Xi’an Taibai Wushanju Art Hotel
