Hotel Triton in SFO is a nice melding of story and design...taking the green concept just a little further.
Thanks to ideasinfood for the pointer.
ELO
Why did a band like ELO become so popular and with such velocity when rock ‘n roll had already been around for so many years?
Because they weren’t playing rock ‘n roll as we knew it…they started something new. The Electric Light Orchestra added strings and a true “orchestra” experience for their performances. They had a new story and very unique design by way of both sound and stage presence. This experience had never been heard or seen before. They were the only ones doing it…and were quite good at it based on record sales. That’s what made them so hugely popular, so quickly.
Eventually, the “newness” and resulting success faded as other interesting acts came along, i.e., Queen, David Bowie, etc. They could no longer attract new fans with the same experience…it wasn’t remarkable anymore. And, there were too many other choices.
Occasionally, we need to change in order to keep ourselves interesting and attractive. It’s not good enough to rely on past successes, no matter how good they were. Being remarkable means coming up with something new as often as it is necessary. And, these days, with such short customer attention spans, that’s a much more frequent occurrence.
I’m sure you can think of other remarkable artists who had a great run. Some changed along the way to keep attracting new fans. Others had a short, but very successful go of it. Here’s a short list that comes to mind:
Jerry Garcia (the one who inspired us to be The One and Only)
Queen
Pink Floyd
Ray Charles
Harry Connick, Jr.
Dire Straits
David Bowie
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Elvis
The Kinks
Etc, etc.
Black Glove Marketing
Marketing is like a puzzle. All of the pieces need to fit neatly together in order for the image to make sense. It doesn’t work if pieces are missing or if you have some that don’t fit anywhere.
I’ve mentioned some important marketing elements before (design, story and care). Any one of these on its own is not enough to carry you...at least not anymore. Take coffee for instance. You could have the greatest blend in the world (yes, hand picked by Juan Valdez). But, put it in a crappy looking cup, and it just doesn’t taste good. Worse yet, deliver it without passion and in a place that’s cold and uninviting and you might as well sell instant.
Here’s a company that seems to get it, Black Glove Coffee. They use design and story to make their product meaningful to people who enjoy more than flavor when they sip their coffee. They make the coffee experience personal with descriptions like, “hand-made”, “small batch”, “New York” and “gourmet”. Of course, they aren’t the only ones making good coffee. But, that’s clearly not what they’re selling. They sell creativity, enrichment, relaxation and joy. The website supports this experience very well. It’s functional, efficient, aesthetically appealing and smooth.
So far, the pieces fit perfectly. I’ve ordered some coffee. We’ll see if it all comes together…I’ll let you know.
Thanks to Aki and Alex for the referral.
Rashid is Better
Picked this up from Hotel Chatter...
There's no question Mr. Karim Rashid is doing well playing on the Design Edge. Check out his latest work, The Semiramis in Athens. It's a little too Austin Powers for my personal taste. But, if you can handle the colors, it's truly borderline remarkable. You can learn more about Mr. Rashid's design philosophy here.
While he may put some people off, I like his passion and enthusiasm to be better than everyone else. Plus, he backs up his talk with a pretty neat product.
Checking-In vs. Reception
If you’re a hotel developer, please listen-up.
How does the typical hotel front desk make you feel?
Apart, Separated, Distant, Impatient, Blocked. Add computers, and you get in deeper. Overlooked, Like a Number, etc.
Get the picture? Front Desks have a negative impact on your guests, and they simply aren’t necessary. So, STOP building them…and, find a better way to engage with and care for your customer.
If you insist on having one, it should look like this….
