Peninsula Hotels shares knowledge at exclusive panel discussion

Posted in News on 13 October, 2015

Hamish Kilburn reviews Peninsula Hotels exclusive panel discussion held in one of London’s most famous cinemas…

London’s Regent Street Cinema was the perfect backdrop to host Peninsula Hotel’s panel discussion on the 12 October 2016. A select verity of journalists were invited to learn more about the small-in-size luxury hotel brand and hear future plans on how Peninsula Hotels is planning to expand.

The panel consisted of:

• Robert Cheng, Vice President of Marketing
• Nicolas Beliard, GM The Peninsula Paris
• Maria Razumich-Zec, GM The Peninsula Chicago
• Peter C. Borer, Director and Chief Operating Officer The Peninsula Hotels.

The discussion commenced with the theme of branding. Maria Pajares (Mason Rose), who led the discussion, asked the panel why they thought Peninsula was different to other hotel groups in the luxury sector. The panel individually explained how the hotels under the Peninsula umbrella become a fabric in the cities they are located in. “Peninsula is a timeless and classic brand that adds innovative ideas while honouring the past.” Peter C. Borer explained, “I believe that any good hotel starts in the back.” By this, Borer was referring to the hotel’s facilities and functionality as the most important factor when beginning with a new design to a hotel.

Another topic that sparked debate was technology. Pajares asked the group about their relationship with technology in the hotels they work in. Consumers’ methods to communicate their needs and demands are changing. As technology evolves, so should a hotel. Maria Razumich-Zec was proud to talk about the recent on-going renovation at The Peninsula Chicago, more specifically its sophisticated technology it will offer its guests. The audience were told that the technology used in all Peninsula Hotels is used to aid the guests in a subtle manner and to keep the hotel looking and feeling timeless while being aware of the time guests are staying in.

Robert Cheng explained further how the hotel group communicates the idea of creating memories with moving image. The audience were shown a number of promotional material that captured the true essence of staying at any one of the ten The Peninsula Hotels worldwide.

After its grand launch in August 2014, GM of The Peninsula Paris, Nicolas Beliard, offered his opinion on how each Peninsula Hotel immerses itself into the city’s history. For some hotel groups, Paris could be seen as a threatening market place, considering its rife competition. However Beliard believes that a different approach is in order. “Competition is welcome. When I go away I do not need to promote the hotel necessarily. I want to promote Paris.”

Future hotels in the pipeline to join the Peninsula Hotels portfolio include Istanbul, Yangon, and London. SPACE magazine exclusively asked whether the growing region of Dubai is of interest to the hotel group, to which Borer responded with, “We have been approached many times, but at the moment Dubai will have to wait a little longer.”