Skift Travel News Blog

Hotel Indigo has launched a new program wherein residents in the US and UK who share a zip code, or postcode, with select Hotel Indigo’s are now able to “borrow” everyday essentials at no cost. 

The ‘Borrowed by Hotel Indigo’ program has been designed to ‘reignite the popular habit of lending to a neighbor,’ according to a release.

So starting this month, locals will be invited to borrow what a survey from the brand has revealed as the most commonly borrowed items, including coffee, tea, sugar and olive oil.

The initiative has taken inspiration from the brand’s latest marketing campaign, which has been created to position the brand as the ‘World’s Neighborhood Hotel’.

“When our hotels join a neighborhood, we become a part of the fabric of the community. We put it at the heart of everything, and we welcome the neighborhood and its people into our spaces – it’s how we create an authentically local experience for our guests. Everyone knows the adage of ‘borrowing a cup of sugar’ from your neighbor – with this program, we want to embody this idea of being a good neighbor and strengthen social connections with those inside and outside of our hotels,” said Carol Hoeller, vice president global brand management for Hotel Indigo.

ibis Styles has launched #OpenpARTy, a live event series designed to celebrate the talented artists, cultural scenes and creativity within its hotel communities.

The first #OpenpARTy, will take place at ibis Styles Copenhagen Orestad on 28 September 2023, and will see local artists and performers come together to celebrate Copenhagen’s renowned arts community, with the city having recently been designated as World Capital of Architecture for 2023 by the Director-General of UNESCO. 

The event will also be livestreamed on the ibis Styles Metaverse spatial gallery. 

The #OpenpARTy concept forms part of the brand’s wider #OpenToCreativity program, which sees an ongoing collaboration with arts and design communities to showcase the creative work of neighborhood artists. 

“The #OpenpARTy concept is one of the many distinctive ibis Styles experiences that guests will not find elsewhere. By engaging the public to co-create with local artists at our hotels, we are showing our support for artistic experimentation, authenticity, and self-expression, while inviting guests to truly become part of the art,” said Marie-Agnès Froment, ibis Styles brand director, Accor. 

“Across our ibis Styles network, our #OpenToCreativity program is pushing culture forwards, celebrating creativity, and unlocking access to a like minded global community. For guests, our hotels open the door to local creative culture; for our talented neighbors, we provide space to meet, collaborate and showcase their artistic talents.” 

According to a release from the brand, more #OpenpARTy events will follow at ibis Styles destinations across Europe.

Ethiopian Airlines has partnered with Boeing and ThinkYoung to launch a new school aimed at encouraging underprivileged African youth to pursue higher education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The STEM School, which will be hosted at the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation University will offer a six-week curriculum with over 300 hours of classes and training.

The program is set to welcome 24 students – 50% of which will be female – from various regions of Ethiopia, with the initiative also set to offer a teacher training program in order to equip educators with the necessary tools to teach advanced STEM concepts. 

During the program, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of STEM, coding, and programming, while also learning essential soft skills like teamwork and problem-solving. Students will also be given the opportunity to shadow Ethiopian Airlines staff and receive mentoring throughout the program.

“We are delighted in our collaboration with Boeing and ThinkYoung to launch the STEM School initiative, which helps Ethiopian youths to succeed in education and in their future careers, primarily in aviation fields, and to become the next generation of innovators. We believe in going at a compatible pace with the speed of technology and being prepared for future demands. This cooperation and initiative will develop young people to meet the future needs of the fast-growing Ethiopian aviation industry,” said Mesfin Tasew, group chief executive officer at Ethiopian Airlines. 

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Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy Airport is set to undergo a $125 million commercial redevelopment program with a focus on bringing the local community into the airport, thanks to a new partnership between American Airlines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports.

Following the completion of the $400 million expansion of the terminal, which saw American Airlines and British Airways move in at the end of last year, the new commercial redevelopment aims to enhance the retail offering within the terminal. 

According to American, the redevelopment will focus on bringing locally owned and diverse businesses to the airport in order to boost economic opportunities for the local community. This includes the introduction of a small business accelerator program for locally based businesses to take up space in the terminal. 

The new project will be built around a ‘Great Hall’, and will host more than 60 new shopping and restaurant facilities, alongside a performance space and enhanced duty-free shopping. 

The redevelopment will also see a new partnership launch with The Green Restaurant Association, with the aim of ensuring all new tenants become Certified Green Restaurants. 

“We look forward to working with our project partners, the Port Authority and the local community to deliver a transformative dining and shopping experience that represents the dynamic New York region,” said Amanda Zhang, vice president of airport affairs and facilities at American Airlines.

You can find out more about the development on the official website here.

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Danish architecture firm Dorte Mandrup has been announced as the winner of an international competition to design the Nunavut Intuit Heritage Centre in Nunavut, Canada.

The center, which is due to be completed in 2027, both blends into the tundra landscape and also offers functional protection from its arctic environment. It aims to provide a place for individuals to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Inuit culture and traditions through objects and interactive experiences.

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Having worked with Architect of Record Guy Architects, LEES+Associates, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli, EXP, Pageau Morel, Altus Group, as well as indigenous consultants Kirt Ejesiak and Alexander Flaherty, Dorte Mandrup has developed a design that draws ‘inspiration from the patterns formed in snowdrifts by the prevailing wind, kalutoqaniq, which has long served as a natural wayfinding system for Inuit.’

The building will nestle seamlessly into the rocky hillside overlooking Iqaluit, with the roof set to be covered in rock and turf, blurring the lines between the building and the surrounding terrain.

Alongside the exhibition spaces, the center will also feature a café, workshop area, hostel, and offices, all linked to outdoor spaces that will provide opportunities for engaging in traditional practices, including carving, kayak building and tool making. 

“The Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre is an extraordinary project that we are very proud and humbled to have been selected to be part of. Working within this context requires both extreme sensitivity and consideration of landscape and its cultural significance. The community has been working tirelessly for a long time to establish a place for Inuit to collect precious heritage and share unique, specialized knowledge that remains imperative for future generations and is in severe risk of vanishing. We are looking very much forward to listen, learn, and be the link between thought and form,” says Founder and Creative Director, Dorte Mandrup.

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.