NEW YORK—Quick: What would you do if you lost your laptop while traveling? Would you search around frantically? Maybe start to panic? Well, imagine how guests might feel if it happened to them.
For tech-savvy travelers checking into the Eventi, a Kimpton Hotel here in Chelsea, they go straight to the business bar—no drinks are served, but guests are offered an array of gadgets to borrow during their stay.
“Today, a bar is more than just a place people gather for drinks. There are beauty bars, an Apple Genius Bar, among others. Business Bar just made sense to us—it’s simple and easily understood by our guests,” said Shannon Spillett, director, NYC marketing & development marketing, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “The Business Bar is not a physical location, but a curated list of gadgets held by our trained concierge team in Eventi’s lobby. Each member of our team has knowledge of the Business Bar items in order to assist guests with their tech needs.”
For the busy traveler, borrowing a device is a simple process—just call the front desk, and the concierge team can bring the devices up to the room or guests can pick them up in the lobby. Items offered include Apple products such as an iPad, iPad Mini and MacBook Pro; GoPro or digital camera; reading tablets such as a Kindle or Nook; and accessories to power these tools, including chargers and wires. All items are available 24 hours as a complimentary, on-loan amenity.
Anticipating the needs of travelers is Eventi’s raison d’etre. According to the hotel, it created the Business Bar to alleviate the stress of packing and traveling. “If guests forget to pack their MacBook charger or need to get on a Skype call for an important meeting, everything they need is conveniently available to rent complimentary in Eventi’s lobby,” said Spillett. “We listen to what our guests want and are constantly creating new services to make their stay with us more enjoyable.”
The property also provides wireless printing throughout the building, so guests-on-the-go can borrow one of the hotel’s computers or iPads to print boarding passes in the convenience of their own room.
So, what happens if guests accidentally take the iPad they borrowed to their next destination? The hotel guards against theft or loss by ensuring guests have a credit card on file before a device is loaned from the Business Bar. Cards are only charged if an item is lost or damaged. “Since the launch of this new service, a guest has never taken advantage of this service or damaged one of our products,” she said.
Eventi plans to stay on par with technology and update its offerings accordingly. “We are continuing to expand the amenities included in our Business Bar to keep up with the ever-changing tech trends. Recently, we added the Ultimate Ears UE MegaBoom and the Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480,” she said. “Guest response has been extremely positive in comments shared with the concierge team, as well as in the customer service satisfaction surveys. Travelers just can’t get enough.”
—Corris Little