New lobby concept designed for guest comfort and ease
The Accor group’s leading midscale hotel brand Mercure has commenced the roll out of its new interactive lobby concept in Australia, launching its first new-look reception space at the Mercure Brisbane.
The Mercure in Brisbane is the first in Australia to implement the new concept, originally piloted at the Mercure Tower Bridge in London in April 2013.
Coming just a few months after Mercure Brisbane’s multimillion dollar room refurbishment, the latest reveal for the hotel is striking with modernistic pops of pink and sophisticated new furniture and finishes for a fresh sense of arrival at the popular riverside hotel. A key feature for the new space is a free-form host pod in place of a traditional front desk that allows for a more seamless interplay between associates and guests.
Mercure Brisbane general manager Mark Wilkinson explained the decision to refurbish. “Brisbane is true city of the future and this is echoed in our new design. In 2013 Mercure Brisbane underwent a full room refurbishment with a modern new feel for the hotel, so in 2014 we felt it was time to take the opportunity to also update the lobby to continue the hotel’s modernistic design approach from our arrival experience, right through to actual hotel stay in room.
“Mercure Brisbane is in fact one of the busiest and most popular hotels in the Mercure Australia network and, given Brisbane’s ‘coming of age’ in recent years, it’s appropriate that we also stay one of the most current CBD hotels to stay in step with the city’s progression.”
He said feedback to the lobby design has been overwhelming, with guests and staff alike enjoying the interactive approach facilitated by the new environment.
“This new lobby concept allows Mercure’s spirit of openness to come to life – there are no barriers between the guest and staff, and the feel is accessibility, comfort and a truly relaxed approach. This is exactly what the Mercure experience is all about, and the design of the lobby allows us to live this.
“Also in terms of practicality, guests don’t feel they have to herd into a traditional line to receive service. Mercure’s Lobby Hosts and technology are available at every turn, not just behind a desk. Plus there is now free coffee available for guests in our lobby – who doesn’t love that in the morning or after a hard day at the office?
“We look at the lobby like a global space where you can check in, enjoy a free coffee, read or catch up online and even meet with friends and colleagues in a casual and comfortable space,” said Mr Wilkinson. “It’s a much more modern and appealing area for everyone. We’ve had positive feedback already from guests enjoying the more natural, side by side approach of conversing with our team members, without the barrier of a traditional bench in between.”
Instead of using bulky desktop computers to check guests in, Mercure Brisbane staff now navigates the lobby space that also includes more casual lounge areas to encourage interaction with tablets.
The lobby lounge area now also boasts a Nespresso coffee machine for guests to self serve coffee as they wish, a new reading area with magazine’s brochures and ipads, refreshed mac corner with three computers for guests plus a refreshed concierge desk equipped with storage, direct lift access and convenient wide corridor for immediate entrance to the hotel’s conference rooms.
Reflecting the brand’s values of commitment, curiosity, authenticity, and offering an uncompromising quality guarantee, the Mercure lobby concept was inspired as part of the brand’s overall repositioning, coinciding with Mercure’s 40th anniversary last year, touching on everything from design to development.
Australia saw the success of this lobby design and positive feedback, so Accor is now rolling out a similar lobby concept to better suit corporate and leisure travellers at Mercures here in Australia.
Mr Wilkinson added, “We are in the heart of the CBD and across from the Brisbane River and entertainment precinct of Southbank – so we are very central, and great choice for tourists and corporate travellers visiting the city. We also wanted the hotel to be looking its best to welcome the record number of international guests set to arrive and experience Brisbane in 2014, thanks to our great events calendar (including the G20 Summit in November).”
