Peta Tomlinson discovers that hotels are fast becoming a must have asset for Asia-Pacific airports.
Airport hotels are a mighty clever concept. Whether arriving early to kick off a special holiday, breaking up a long-haul route or for unplanned overnighting, there's a lot to love about the idea of a comfy bed within, or near, the airport's grounds.
You might think they wouldn't have to try too hard: that customers of airport hotels are there for a reason, and often only for a short time. So aren't they a captive audience?
On the contrary, says Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, which operates 69 airport properties worldwide.
"While this may have been true many years ago, the airport hotels of today have evolved into much more than convenient layovers for business travellers. Today this segment is competitive and travellers are more discerning."
Competition within the airport hotel category can be fierce, notes Horton, as major airports around the world often have upwards of five hotels within walking distance from any terminal.
"These hotels need to be compelling enough in design, amenities, dining and service to appeal to busy travellers and keep them coming back. It is no longer good enough to simply be conveniently located, clean and safe," says Horton.
"Business travellers have an even increased desire to unwind after a day of meetings or to enjoy a memorable meal in a dining space with a sophisticated atmosphere. They want a well-rounded hotel experience."
Australia-based Peter Hook, a spokesman for Accor, agrees airport hotels need to be much more than just transit hotels. "In cities such as Sydney, whole industries have developed around the airport precinct and so airport hotels service as much the local industry as they do transiting passengers," he comments.
"Our new Novotel Brisbane Airport, for instance, is part of a major re-development of the Brisbane Airport area and is also at the gateway to both the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, making it very convenient for conferences and events."
Hook estimates that up to 50% of business at the brand's Brisbane and Sydney airport hotels, and increasingly in Melbourne, is not specifically related to people flying. The slipstream of opportunity around the airport precinct is compelling for chains like Accor, which has three hotels under development at Indira Gandhi-Delhi Airport, and a Novotel and Formule 1 under development at Auckland Airport.
"They are the key ones, and we will continue to look closely at all other airport hotel opportunities," says Hook. "Besides offering good business opportunities, they act as powerful brand promotional tools to a very targeted and proven market of travellers."
It's a two-way street, according to IHG Group, operator of seven airport hotels across Asia-Pacific under the brands InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza - including the award-winning Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore, boasting direct access to Terminal 3.
Paul Logan, IHG's vice president for development, says having a high-quality, internationally-branded hotel close to or a part of an airport can help to boost its reputation in offering world-class accessibility and services.
The want or need to stay near one's mode of transportation seems ingrained in travellers' psyche. In the late 19 th century, the growth of the trans-Continental rail network saw new hotels springing up at virtually every major terminus in Europe. By the early 1920s, as Americans began hitting the roads in their new Model T Fords, Los Angeles architect Arthur Heineman, seeing an opportunity to give them a place to rest for the night, built the first motel (short for motor hotel).
For the record, it was called the Milestone Motel and it opened in San Luis Obispo, California, on December 12, 1925.
Across the Atlantic, 1928 saw the opening of the first hotel built specifically to serve an airport. The Aerodrome Hotel was part of a redevelopment at Croydon, forerunner to London Heathrow, attracting many famous guests.
Back in the US, Hilton Hotels & Resorts founder, Conrad Hilton, claims to have pioneered the airport hotel concept with the 1959 opening of the San Francisco Airport Hilton, a hotel built on airport property and leased from the city of San Francisco.
His perception that even short staying guests would expect amenities and services paid off. From records in the Hilton archive, the experiment was a financial success.
Today, they want even more, according to Dave Horton, citing "a dynamic shift in business travel" evident in recent years. He explained that business travellers are not necessarily visiting a destination merely to work, but are now extending their trips and inviting a family member to join them.
"The growing trend is being termed 'blended travel', and nods to how the lines between business and leisure travel are becoming increasingly blurred. In many markets, airport hotels must have ample meeting facilities and event space to accommodate both business travel and local consumer needs," explains Horton.
"Of course, airport hotels cater to guests who often are travelling further distances than other guests. Travel today can be difficult for people and our goal is to create a place for guests to recharge and rejuvenate, which makes everything from room design to property amenities and services all the more important. As a result, our airport hotels are upgrading, enhancing and investing - not cutting back."
So what do airport hotel guests want? The Hilton genre of elegant design concepts, fine dining, state-of-the-art fitness centres and high-end amenities is exemplified by the newest addition to the brand's luxury stable, Beijing Capital International Airport.
Opened in July 2010 as the first luxury airport hotel in China, it is one minute by shuttle bus from the terminal building, 16 minutes by rail link to the city centre, and within 45 minutes of Beijing's major tourist attractions.
In addition to ballrooms and function rooms, the hotel has five restaurants, several private dining rooms, wine and cigar bars.
Langham Hotels International was also aiming high when its first airport hotel, Langham Place Beijing Capital Airport, opened in August. Langham's hip urban concept of DJs in the lobby, loft-style apartments featuring over-sized bathtubs and walk-in rain showers, and high-tech 'gadgets galore' was designed to revolutionise the way we see airport hotels, muses general manager Mark Francis.
"We are not just creating a convenient stopover hotel but one of the most fun places to be in the capital of the world's largest nation. We aim to make staying at the airport in Beijing an exciting thing to do," says Francis.
IHG sees strong opportunity for its mid-scale Holiday Inn brand and the limited service Holiday Inn Express brand as airport hotel developments, as well as the upscale Crowne Plaza brand if linked to airports in key cities or regional hubs.
"The mid-scale and limited service brands work well as airport hotels given their price points and 'no-frills' approach," says Logan. "For IHG, we are looking at growing the Holiday Inn Express in city areas, close to major travel routes and at airports. As a hotel that offers both quality and value to our guests, backed by IHG's reservation systems and loyalty programme (Priority Club Rewards), Holiday Inn Express is a compelling development option for airport hotels."
Even without the five-star spend, airport hotels need to be far more sophisticated in their offerings, agrees Accor's Hook. "Increasingly, our Novotel hotels are destinations in their own right. For instance, the Novotel at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport has a choice of restaurants, retail, large swimming pool, gym, health spa and extensive conference facilities.
"People use it quite often to break their journey between Australia and Europe and will often spend a few nights because it really helps them adjust their body clock and prepare for either their onward journey or a return to work."
Accor offers a range of price points under the mid-range Novotel and budget Ibis and Formule 1 brands, in properties across Australia, New Zealand (opening 2011), Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taipei and India.
Says Peter Hook: "Novotel is very suited to airport hotels because while it is 4-star and offers mid-market rates, its suites and executive floors can cater for upscale guests. This is the rationale for Novotel being selected for the new hotel at Auckland Airport. Our 3-star Ibis and 2-star Ibis hotels are more popular with regional travellers and people from suburban areas just wanting to ensure they are close to the airport to catch early or late flights."
But what if you do just want to put your head down and crash awhile? Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia met this need when it launched the first 'limited service' Tune Hotel in 2007, beside the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur. For a base rate of less than $40 per night, you get a comfy bed and shower - everything else, such as a towel, shampoo, television, hairdryer and air conditioning, is an optional add-on extra.
Accor's budget Formule 1 brand, also serving the cost conscious with its strict, no-frills approach to hotels located near airports around the world, has gone a step further by introducing cocoon-style rooms for passengers who just want to crawl in and sleep.
They're not actually smaller, just cosier than the utilitarian model, evidence of how even the budget chains are moving upwards.
