I spent some time last week covering the online 2021 Women & Hospitality Conference by TIEWN, and one of the biggest things I learned from these women in hospitality is how important storytelling is to hotels — and how it's weaved into everything, from design to breakfast to linens.
I love a good story, especially an unusual one. Read more about that in my blog from last month on secret spaces.
Some hoteliers do a great job telling the story of a hotel. That's not the case at every hotel though, even though I know every hotel has a story. Who says a Fairfield Inn can't have personality? There's got to be one out there with a ghost or something, so tell me about it.
Before I get into examples of hotels with cool stories, I'd like to highlight a coffee shop near me that does a great job of storytelling, because I love coffee and the Cleveland-Akron area and will insert local businesses in my blogs any chance I get.
Anyway, the shop is called Brewella's Coffee, Crepes & Collectibles, and the name is based on a fictional grandma named Brewella who has a beehive updo. The place is gaudy and vintage and reminds me of the old woman I want to be when I grow up. There's even a drawing of this Brewella character, and her face is on the wall, mugs and other merchandise. And on top of the delicious coffee and crepes the shop serves, they also sell vintage brooches and housewares, stickers and clothing from local companies. It's great. Go there next time you're in the Cleveland area.
My point in obsessing over this coffee shop is because it tells a story. It's totally fictional, but maybe my girl Brew is based on a real person? Cool people and historic stories like this exist in hotels, and it's important to use those elements to design your hotel, to influence food-and-beverage offerings and to help plan programming for guests.
The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville is a great example of a hotel that uses the history of the building to tell its story. The hotel served as a hotbed of activity during the ratification of the 19th Amendment because Tennessee was the last state needed to "vote pro-suffrage," managing director Dee Patel said.
"The Hermitage Hotel became the epicenter for several weeks while the two sides duked it out. So the hustle and the bustle within the walls of this hotel for eight weeks included collusion and bribery, and the fight and the grit that these women had to try to push this vote forward so they could have a seat at the table," she said.
During the anniversary, the hotel had tours, lobby exhibits and a cocktail menu honoring key suffrage leaders. This is a great example of hotel storytelling that translates to programming and revenue.
Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans is another hotel with a story to tell — a creepy yet cool story, which is right up my alley. The hotel was built in a 19th-century infant asylum, which is super weird. Things like the grand staircase were kept during the renovation as well as other features from the original building. The hotel's website also has a really weird vibe to match its history, filled with an eye, a nun and some flowers. It's great and definitely on my list of hotels to visit.
What's your hotel's story? Do you have a creepy hotel I should check out? Email me, find me on Twitter @HNN_Danielle or on LinkedIn.
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