Community conscious: the city-integrated hotel

The first wave of globalisation in the hospitality sector ushered in an age of consistency and familiarity; hotels intended to keep the external world out, to provide an oasis of calm after a long day, and, in doing so, created a somewhat generic, brand-driven experience - the same whether one was at a Marriott in Mumbai or Munich. But an increasingly mature market and adventurous guests are ushering in a new approach, an evolution from the cookie-cutter hotel experience, and a chance to really experience a place, even if it's just for a one-night business trip.

This, however, is easier said than done. The best way to create a culture of inclusivity and flexibility across a multiproperty portfolio, and determine who takes the lead, isn't immediately obvious. Can this approach even be mandated from the top of a company, or is it best to let individual properties take the initiative?

For years now, London and New York-based Firmdale has been taking the authenticity and charm of the neighbourhoods it finds itself located in and incorporating that into enigmatic designs and service delivery.

"We want to give all of our guests a unique experience," says Carrie Wicks, the company's operations director.

"You can walk between five of our hotels within five minutes, with the West End hotels, so we've got to give them more of an identity. They've got to have that feel that you know you're in a Firmdale hotel, but you are not a clone of the other one; it is not from the same blueprint of the one up the road."

For Firmdale, embedding the neighbourhood into the property isn't so much an exercise in diversifying its portfolio as it is the group's raison d'être, taking every location at face value. As a result, Wicks says, its properties enjoy something of a symbiotic relationship with the communities the company finds itself in.

"What we've done is buy into a lot of areas, and we've helped develop them," says Wicks. "We started years ago in Covent Garden. That's a fantastic area now but, when we arrived, it wasn't as it is today. I suppose we feel that, because we're established now, we can add value."

When the company first set up shop, the area was not the cultural hub it is now. The capital's centre was suffering from high crime rates and general urban decay - and the site itself had been derelict for about 30 years. For the hotel, it was about engaging the neighbourhood, making it more hospitality oriented, and encouraging the growth of new shops and restaurants without losing the unique identity of the area.

"Soho's a prime example," says Wicks. "We've built a whole community with the retail outlets we have here, and we have chosen partners to make sure that we can guarantee that we're helping the new businesses in the area."

A first step is creating spaces open to everyone. The Ham Yard property, for example, which opened in 2014, offers a fountain for the community to use, as well as benches and a park, with a walkway offering shortcuts to work.

"We look after the community in terms of the water fountain and all that kind of thing; it really has a huge impact on the local community and the local people," says Wicks. "By adding different things, such as bowling alleys, roof gardens, theatres and screening rooms, we open ourselves up to different markets and different people, and the local community will work with us and want that."

Integrating the property into its community can manifest itself in other ways, too. Take recruitment: it's increasingly competitive, especially in cities like London, so it's important that hotels can turn to a steady stream of graduates to employ and that employers stand out from the crowd. Firmdale combines this approach with its local focus, working with colleges in the area to train staff and developing apprenticeships for young chefs.

"We have to engage," says Wicks. "It's not salary-driven anymore, it's about the company and its ethos; it's about what it can deliver. Gone are the days when you just come in and do your shift; it's a community. People want to be developed."

A way to do this is by building partnerships. Firmdale in London works with local further education college Westminster Kingsway, offering tours of hotels, work experience and internships. On a broader scale, the company works with Oxford Brookes, Bournemouth University and The Edge Hotel School to bring in bright graduates from across the country.

Across the pond

Part of the ease with which Firmdale integrates itself with the local community lies in its identity as a company firmly rooted in the country's capital. So what happened when a resolutely London-based hotel chain decided to set up a new property in New York City and how did it implement its local approach abroad? With a property on Crosby Street in Lower Manhattan and a new one in mid-town coming next year, much of it was about redefining identity while retaining the company's core ethos.

"Americans come to London and stay at Firmdale because they want the English experience," says Wicks. "So we had to make sure that we're not trying to be too English over there - we listened to what the market was about.

"Quite frankly, the people who stay with us in London stay in the US too - I see them when I'm travelling on the plane - so our guests are really cross-pollinating between one and the other."

Despite the good fortune of local customers, it was essential that the New York properties were adapted to the local community and market rather than simply translating what was done in the UK. This wasn't easy, Wicks admits, but, through networking with local restaurateurs and hoteliers, and winning the confidence of the neighbourhood, they were able to quickly become part of the scenery.

"We've done an awful lot of work with the community over there, too," she says. "Making sure there was the confidence that we mean business; and we're kindly people."

It was important that the locals saw the hotel as an asset to their area as opposed to an eyesore or a noise source. Firmdale has to stay mindful when guests leave at night and be aware of licensing when putting on events.

"It's all about making it work for both of us because, in the end, we don't want to be that neighbour from hell, and they want something they feel they can use too," Wicks says.

This is essential. Locals have to be able to feel that the hotel is a fixture of the community, not an imposing entity closed off to everyone but the wealthy. As many of our major metropolitan areas come under pressure from market forces and gentrification, with locals priced out of areas they've lived in for years, it's important that hotels give something back, whether that's by hiring local talent or giving small business a leg up.

"People that don't embrace the local community are basically digging their own graves," says Wicks. "You are not going to get the support; if anything, you're going to get it the opposite, where people are boycotting you, and that's not good for business at all."

On top of the obvious social benefits of this, it also makes business sense for larger groups: guests can get the comfort and sense of place, and the feeling that they're having a unique experience, combined with the knowledge that they're still being looked after by one of the world's biggest and most accomplished hotel companies. It's a tempting combination for many guests, with all the benefits of giving something back to the communities while retaining the brand identity and company hierarchy.

It isn't easy, however, and authenticity can't simply be shoehorned into a property; it has to be nurtured and encouraged to grow through carefully building partnerships and genuine passion. Firmdale has been doing this for years. It's an approach that boutique hotels have pioneered, partially because their small scale gives them flexibility to experiment. Whether that can be translated into success for larger companies, of course, is another question.

"Ultimately, it's making sure that everybody's an individual, and that's what it's about," says Wicks. "When they're in the local community, whether they're someone who lives in the neighbourhood or someone who comes to work here, you don't ring-fence people."