Brisbane today welcomed the first Hotel Jen brand in Australia with the unveiling of Hotel Jen Brisbane in the ‘Sunshine State’.
Inspired by the virtual persona Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places, the former Traders Hotel Brisbane has been transformed into Hotel Jen, set to cater to a new ‘Jeneration’ of independently-minded businesses and leisure travellers.
The Hotel Jen concept offers travellers greater flexibility to blend the boundaries between business and leisure, supported by an authentic, ‘informed and friendly’ service style that allows guests to discover the best of Brisbane’s outgoing culture and relaxed Aussie attitude in one of Australia’s hippest cities, without undue fuss.
The Hotel Jen experience is reflective of the changing demands of today’s customers, both the new, more independently-minded, ‘millennial’ mindset and the ever increasingly social and mobile enabled ‘young-at-heart’ traditional customer.
Mr. Greg Dogan, president and CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, said: “The opening of Hotel Jen in Brisbane, our first brand entry in the Australia market, is a significant milestone in our ongoing plans to launch Hotel Jens across the region.
“As one of Australia’s premier cities, Brisbane represents the next step in our overall strategy to launch the Hotel Jen brand in nine key gateway cities across Asia Pacific by March 2015.
“The Hotel Jen Brisbane team are embracing the changing demands of today’s independently minded travellers. Our rebranding approach is about changing things from the inside out. We are refocusing our service to the rapidly changing needs of today’s connected, ‘millennial-minded’, traveller.”
Claire Huang, general manager of Hotel Jen Brisbane said: “Our established and loyal team have spent the past few months embracing the Jen values: fun, friendly and fuss free.
“We are encouraging them to engage with our guests, not only to deliver enthusiastic service within the hotel itself, but to enable guests to indulge in their sense of adventure by providing insights into the places and spaces, green leafy parks, urban precincts, the streets and laneways of the city, through the expertise of locals that call Brisbane home.”
The physical and cultural transformations at the 191 guestroom Hotel Jen Brisbane are part of a carefully planned two-phase approach, which will be completed by Q1 2015.
Hotel Jen Phase One
In the initial opening phase one stage, guests enter the hotel via a ‘graffiti’ mural entrance, commissioned and designed by local Brisbane artists, before enjoying a free welcome drink at reception. Easy, fuss-free efficiency is supported by cutting-edge technology throughout the premises, with fast, free WiFi everywhere, always; mobile charging devices to keep your devices on the go and a smart phone app that enables guests to check-in before they arrive, and order services including food, beverages and even spa treatments.
Home comforts include laundry wash and fold service at one price for unlimited items in the laundry bag; a PressReader app with free access to 2,500 publications, replacing the traditional morning paper; and free coffee and snack-box-to-go options after breakfast.
For added convenience, the hotel features a vending machine with beverage and snack items priced at convenience store levels. Outside the building a Hotel Jen ‘Coffee Cube’ – a repurposed shipping container – will shake up the Roma Street commuter and business trade by serving organic coffee and ‘OnTheGo’ food selections.
The hotel also boasts a 6th floor terrace organic ‘SkyGarden’, growing over 20 vegetables and herbs, which the kitchen uses on a daily basis, and is the home to two bee-hives producing a ‘multi-floral’ honey as a result of the biodiversity in the Roma Street Parklands located just nearby. The honey is spun on-site and used for cooking and guests’ enjoyment.
The ‘Lantern Tree’, Brisbane’s newest attraction will be located next door to the hotel. The initiative by Hotel Jen Brisbane will see an 80 year old fig tree adorned with 198 red lanterns that glow at night. The Lantern Tree will be officially switched-on at 6pm on Thursday 30th October 2014.
Hotel Jen Phase Two
The second phase of Hotel Jen projects will be unveiled in January 2015 and include:
- The Hotel Jen Brisbane Celebrity Cooking School – featuring ‘My Kitchen Rules’ runners-up Chloe Chloe James and Kelly Ramsay, ourHotel Jen brand ambassadors who will host a regular cooking school each month from Friday 30th January 2015.
- NEST Restaurant: An AUD$2million dollar restaurant, lounge and bar serving modern Asian cuisine, blended with local flavour, will open at the end of January 2015.
- Hotel Jen Spa: An on-demand spa service will be available from January 2015.
Hotel Jen Brisbane is located on Roma Street, in the heart of the central business district of Brisbane and adjacent to the Brisbane Transit Centre, the city’s central transportation hub. Brisbane Airport is just 15 kilometres away and accessible directly from the hotel. Both the domestic and international airport terminals are serviced by the on-site ‘Air Train’ which with the Roma Street train station adjacent to the hotel, makes travel to and from the hotel a seamless service.
In the continuing regional Hotel Jen roll-out, Traders hotels in Penang, Manila, Maldives, Johor Bahru, Beijing and Shenyang will be rebranded from November 2014 to March 2015, bringing an intuitive service and relaxed, friendly style to the existing collection of mid-range hotels.
Hotel Jen development projects are under consideration in key gateway cities in Asia Pacific, with plans to expand globally in the future.
