B&B Hotels takes top prize in worldwide hospitality awards
The budget hotel chain was praised for offering accommodations that are "inviting, convenient, charming and affordable to all budgets." Launched in France in 1990, the B&B Hotels chain now includes 210 locations in France, 58 in Germany, 14 in Italy, two in Poland and in Portugal, and one each in Morocco and the Czech Republic.
Organized by MKG Group, a firm specializing in marketing for European hotels, the Worldwide Hospitality Awards have recognized the leading innovations and initiatives in the global hospitality sector each year since 2000.
This year, the ceremony also honored the Sofitel So Bangkok, which opened in 2012, for the "Best Room Innovation." The Bangkok hotel called upon four Thai interior designers to decorate its rooms based on four elements: water, earth, wood and metal. Guests can reserve the room with the elemental theme that best corresponds to their mood, or can answer a questionnaire on Facebook to find out which element is best suited to their personality. The hotel's "Tree of Life" emblem, which combines the four elements, was designed by French couturier Christian Lacroix.
Greece's Costa Navarino, comprising the Romanos and the Westin Resort, were distinguished for "Best Innovation in Public Spaces" due to the "Engaging Art" program. The two hotels, both part of the Starwood Group, introduce guests to the contemporary art world by inviting them to take part in free art workshops led by artists in residence. The program's first guest was the green conceptual artist Dimitrios Antonitsis, who resided at the hotel from May to October of this year.
Winners of the 2013 Worldwide Hospitality Awards:
- Ibis Hotels for the Best Communication Campaign
- Hôtel Le St Sulpice Montreal for the Best Marketing Campaign
- Sofitel So Bangkok for the Best Room Innovation
- Costa Navarino, Starwood Hotels, Greece for the Best Innovation in Public Spaces
- InterContinental Hotels Group for the Best Social Responsibility Initiative
- Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts for the Best Human Resources Initiative
Source: BBC NEWS