Speaking at the second annual transform: design differently at The St. Regis Deer Valley, in Park City, UT, Alex Mirza, head of hospitality ventures for Caesars Entertainment, shed some light on the forthcoming lifestyle brand product from Caesar's, which, he said, will be a breakaway from the "homogenization of the lifestyle hotel segment," adding that "small innovation can make a big difference."
Caesars up to now has been know for its over-the-top resort casinos, such as Caesars Palace and Harrah's. Now, under Mirza's guidance, the company is looking to expand into the lifestyle sector. It's already done so to some degree with the announcement of a planned Nobu Hotel within Caesars Palace. Now, Mirza says Caesar's will take the existing Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon in Las Vegas and Claridge Atlantic City in Bally's and convert them into the new lifestyle brand, which has yet to be named, but will have a name "derivative of the Caesars brand." Bill's should be converted by 2013, Mirza said, adding that other hotels would follow, internationally, perhaps, as well.
Mirza suggested that the lifestyle hotel segment, which is only still in its infancy, has already become tired and same. "There is nothing that different between them all," Mirza said, pointing to design above all. "The differentiation," he said, "has to be about service," which will be a large part of the new brand. "Total service," as Mirza called it, "the promise we make to customers, and to each other, to exceed expectations and outperform competitors in customer care."
Customization will play a large role as well. It's still early, but guests may have the option to customize their rooms exactly as they want to (from bed types to location in the hotel) and F&B will allow for such services as experiential in-room room service (think salad being prepared right in front of your eyes).
"It's about configuring your own experience," he said. "We want to know a person similar to how Amazon or iTunes does."
Transform: design differently 2011 is produced by Questex Media and is designed specifically for top-level hospitality professionals including designers, hotel owners, developers, purchasers and architects.