Doubletree Global Head John Grenleaf sat down with Bloomberg to talk about the company's continued expansion strategy, meeting the demands of the digital consumer, and the impact of Airbnb on hotels.
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Greenleaf says that Doubletree's business is "very strong," with a total of 60 new hotels opening around the world in the near future. Australia, Canada, Turkey and China are all on the radar for the chain, which is now in 32 countries globally.
City center hotels are a primary growth area, says Greenleaf, driven by business travelers seeking personalized service at every level. We "focus on the little things that mean everything," he says, "where we focus on what you as an individual traveler need and want."
The Cookie Cares campaign is a multi-city marketing campaign aimed at introducing the brand to consumers, sharing the fact that the hotel chain gives out over 60,000 cookies each year.
In regards to Airbnb, Greenleaf says that it is a "very different business" than the hotel business, and doesn't seem threatened given that the chain has "core standards" that ensure consistent services within different environments. He concludes by highlighting the core differentiation: "We haven't seen any effect of that on our business. The research we've done shows it as a different kind of traveler typically for a different trip purpose."
Greenleaf also speaks to changing up the brand's food and beverage to take advantage of the new "social lobby" style popularized by the Ace Hotel, and to more generally address global social shifts culturally.
More coverage of Doubletree here.
NB: Hotel image courtesy Shutterstock.