TFE Hotels' MM:NT Micro Hotel Lab Wins Global Innovation Award
NEW YORK: TFE Hotels’ innovative MM:NT Berlin Lab has been recognised on the global stage, with the team winning a Skift Hotel Innovation IDEA Award. The Skift IDEA Awards, announced late last week, are one of the travel industry’s most coveted award for excellence in design, creativity, and innovation and celebrate the brands and businesses that are redefining the future of travel.
Skift Judges said MM:NT showcased TFE’s forward-thinking approach to redefining hotel stays. In announcing the award, they said: “This innovative, digital-first ‘lab’ enables the continuous testing/reconfiguration of the hospitality experience, including design, amenities, and sustainable materials, with real-time-feedback from guests.”
The six-room MM:NT Berlin lab micro hotel launched in April this year with guests invited to help redefine a new hospitality experience. By gathering this real time feedback, the MM:NT team can continually refine the hotel’s offering – from layouts and fit outs to amenities and services. And, as a beta brand, the testing cycle doesn’t stop, with the lab evolving on a regular basis.
MM:NT also blends smart technology with sustainable design ingenuity, pushing the boundaries needed to assist TFE in bringing new brands and products to market quicker than a traditional hotel build.
TFE’s Senior Director of Development Europe, Matthias Niemeyer, said that through extensive research and analysis, the team had identified the need for a new approach to the traditional hotel, rethinking room layouts and guest experiences. From a sustainability point of view, in addition to trialling new construction materials, furnishings and amenities, the team also wanted to explore the advantages of utilising underused office and retail spaces in city centres to satisfy the expectations of the mindset of a new kind of digital first, down-to-earth traveller.
“This led us to develop MM:NT Berlin Lab - at its core, a micro hotel that operates in ongoing beta mode, gathering feedback from guests to test hypotheses on room sizes, designs, and experiences.”
To bring the MM:NT Berlin Lab to life, TFE Hotels partnered with Häfele, Germany’s leading supplier of architectural hardware systems, furniture fittings, electronic access control and LED lighting, to combine their core respective strengths in technology and hospitality to set new standards in space-efficiency.
The lab launched in Berlin earlier this year, with discussions underway to introduce the concept into Australia and New Zealand.
TFE Hotels’ Chief Executive Officer, Antony Ritch, said the win was a wonderful recognition for the team and for partners, Häfele.
“We also appreciate the incredible and generous input and feedback we have been receiving from our guests as we seek to trial new ideas and continually elevate our products and experiences.”
MM:NT’s first test guests were crowd sourced by social media and stayed in June 2024, with paying guests inhouse a month later. Since then, the MM:NT team have reconfigured the lab and are now well in Phase two of testing, with paying guests and test guests who have chosen to return. For more information visit https://mmnt-intime.com/.
Ends.
Image caption: MM:NT Berlin Lab’s innovative approach is turning heads with the team collecting a global Skift IDEA Award this month. Pictured L-R Antony Ritch (TFE Hotels CEO), Asli Kutlucan (Adina EU CEO) and Allan Vidor (TOGA Managing Director and Chairman of TFE Hotels). Download images here.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark - TFE Hotels (Director of Communications) / +61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
Jessica Wood – TFE Hotels (PR Executive) / +61 437 242 034 / [email protected].
THE SKIFT IDEA AWARDS 2024
Skift IDEA awards are the travel industry’s most coveted award for excellence in design, creativity, and innovation. They celebrates the brands and businesses that are redefining the future of travel. Discover the final results and meet the 2024 winners here.
WHO ARE TFE HOTELS?
TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia’s International Hotel Group - headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore, and Switzerland. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands - A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels, with more in the development pipeline.
TFE Hotels acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands we conduct business upon and pays our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We respect the Country itself, including its trees, animals, spirits, waters, skies, stars, and special sites. https://www.tfehotels.com/
MORE ABOUT MM:NT BERLIN LAB
MM:NT Berlin Lab is TFE’s innovation test lab and is a standalone product that will always be in beta mode, located in Mitte. For the first two months of its life, it will be a 100% test platform where guests will stay for free in return for carrying out a set of tasks to help them gather insights on the design, the brand, the room sizes, and overall experience. After the initial two months, it will be a commercial property, but always with the mindset of being in Beta and always learning.
MM:NT Berlin Lab is agile. It's digital, small, imperfect, and always evolving. It operates by its own rules, which might diverge from your Adina expectations. Yet, it's through taking risks that they innovate the future of hospitality. https://mmnt-intime.com/