On December 4th, 2019, we hosted the first event of our new event series Creative Talks which deep-dives into one topic pertaining to one of our key expertise areas: Design, Communications and Events.
Our inaugural Creative Talk revolved about the transformation of retail spaces from point of sales to storytelling platforms. We invited industry leaders and opinion makers to participate and share their insights and perspectives on the topic of the day.
Our guest speakers were Nick Arauz, CEO of Caswell-Massey – the oldest personal care product brand in America that more or less used George Washington for its first “influencer” campaign – and Tyler Balliet, CEO and Founder of Rosé Mansion – one of New York’s most popular pop-up experiences that combines wine tasting with relevant stories and instagrammable moments.
We are always on the look for new and exciting hotels as we often need to host guests for many of the events we are planning. Obviously, location plays an important role for logistics and accessibility. Equally as important is the design and style of the hotel since we believe that this sends as much of a message as a press release does.
We always come across a lot of extraordinary hotels during our research. However, based on the criteria above, we often have to exclude some particularly exciting options from consideration for our events. Here are four crazy hotels that we will probably never use for events, but that we would simply love to stay at.
Igloos at North Pole (Photo by Luxury Action)
Igloo Hotel, North Pole
In April 2020, a temporary hotel will open at the North Pole. The Igloo hotel will consist of only ten temporary heated glass igloos that will allow guests to sleep under the Northern Lights with 360 degree south-facing windows.
The hotel is open for the duration of one single month, in April, due to the fact that the North Pole is not safely accessible for the rest of the year. This kind of exclusivity obviously has its price: A trip to the Igloo Hotel will cost around $105,000.
The master bedroom at the Muraka (Photo by Yuji Yamazaki Architecture)
The Muraka, Maldives
This one is nothing for claustrophobic people: The Muraka is the underwater villa of the Conrad Maldives. The 600 tons underwater structure was designed with the help of aquarium technology specialists. At over 16 feet below sea level, it includes an emergency button and escape route to the surface.
The villa also has an overwater part with a private infinity pool, its own gym, butler service, and a private chef. If you have $50,000 to spare, you can spend a night there counting fish instead of sheep to fall asleep.
Giraffes grabbing a snack (Photo by The Safari Collection)
Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Giraffe Manor is not located in any extremely unusual spot but in a gorgeous 1930’s villa set in the middle of 140 acres of indigenous forest close to Nairobi, Kenya. What makes it special, though, are its non-human residents: A herd of Rothschild Giraffes visits the hotel every day during breakfast and tea time in hope of getting a snack.
A favorite amongst Instagram influencers, photos of these unusual encounters have been going viral since its opening. It might be an Instagram hype, but who doesn’t want to dine with a giraffe?
Bedroom at the Von Braun Station (Photo by The Gateway Foundation)
Von Braun Station, Space
This hotel is truly out of this world. Or it will be. Aimed to open for full operations by 2027, the Von Braun Station by the Gateway Foundation is one of many space hotel projects currently in the works.
The hotel is in the shape of a wheel which helps to artificially create gravity. The 24 modules can sleep 352 guests and will offer other cruise-ship like amenities such as restaurants, bars, musical concerts, movie screenings, and educational seminars.
The question is: Which time zone will these be scheduled in?
The apocalypse, robot people and brandscapes: Our Creative Director Scott Faucheux answers questions about the changing retail landscape and what he thinks the future of retail will look like.
Watch the highlight video below that includes impressions of our tour of the latest experiential stores in New York City and read the full interview here.
