In 1930, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City sent a guy up from the kitchen with a plate of food so the guest could eat in his room... and room service was born.
Hotels have introduced all kinds of changes since, including those little bottles of shampoo (Four Seasons) and the mini-bar (The Hilton).
One recent development: the corporate-owned boutique hotel – elegant, yet charming, but with the advantage of being part of a huge company. Nobody does that better than Kimpton, the largest operator of boutique hotels in America.
Mike Depatie is the CEO of Kimpton Hotels, and he’s been in the hotel business a longtime. He essentially invented Residence Inn. He is now in charge of 7,600 Kimpton employees. His company is rated as one of the best places to work in the United States.
Depati was joined by Quentin Hardy of The New York Times and Michal Lev-Ram of Fortune for a roundtable discussion on the changing hotel industry.
