Creating memorable guest experiences and offering the most innovative tech are top of mind for hoteliers today. Noble House Hotels & Resorts—the boutique hotel brand with 23 luxury hotels, resorts and experiences across North America—has found a way to seamlessly combine the two.
Through a partnership with tech company Way participating hotels can offer an easy-to-use platform to connect guests with local and authentic experiences during their stay.
“Over the last 35-plus years, our hand-selected portfolio of experience-driven hotels and resorts has continued to deliver the unexpected,” said Scott Colee, chief marketing officer, Noble House Hotels & Resorts. “Each property is meticulously designed to reflect its own distinctive culture and is passionately committed to creating memorable experiences.”
The partnership allows Noble House to offer a bookable experience menu, which is available directly on hotel websites, that showcases local artisans, entrepreneurs and other businesses that are available to host curated experiences.
“When we first discovered Way, we realized this partnership could be extremely beneficial for our hotels and resorts,” Colee said. “It would allow them to define their own local noteworthy brand experiences while also aiding the overarching Noble House Hotels & Resorts experience-driven hospitality mission. We are thankful for the partnership and are thrilled to work with a company that truly aligns with our overall ethos.”
Way provides a software that offers hotels a solution to create, manage and scale experiential programming, Colee explained, allowing them to partner with these local artisans and business to host events.
“The seamless integration and partnership means that guests have a one-stop shop for booking their locally authentic experiences and adventures,” he said. “Our guests will have the ease and comfort of booking a unique experience in the local area without ever having to leave our property website. There are plenty of opportunities for employees as well. If a member of your team is interested in hosting a bespoke experience, you can certainly reach out to invite them to host an event. It is the perfect opportunity to engage your staff at the property level.”
Examples of these experiences range from cocktail and mocktail classes with a host to walks with local photographers to explore the area and hidden town gems. Guests can also tailor experiences to their interests including wellness, culture, culinary and live music. And, guests even have the option to select their preferred “vibe” like “chill,” “Instagram-worthy” and “family friendly.”
“These local experiences are crucial for us at Noble House Hotels & Resorts because we pride ourselves on unlocking the most authentic experiences in the most compelling destinations throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” Colee said. “This experiential programming platform allows for our uniquely designed hotels to not only inspire exploration, but to help curate unforgettable adventures that our guests will remember for years to come.”
Each hotel is responsible for identifying local partners and hosts, Colee explained, which are essentially local businesses that host regular community events like parks, non-profits, wineries, theaters, etc.
“We also host a handful of our own property experiences that feel on-brand and showcase the unique features of our hotels and resorts,” he added. “Whether it is a private executive chef dinner or wine tasting with an on-site sommelier, these events are the perfect opportunity to create memorable experiences for our guests.”
This booking platform is currently available at The Edgewater, Kona Kai Resort & Spa, River Terrace Inn, Hotel Terra, Teton Mountain Lodge and Jekyll Island Club. Colee said that they will be followed by L’Auberge Del Mar, San Diego Mission Bay Resort and Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, who have also signed on and are in the process of building out experiences and finding hosts now.
“Intimate, local experiences have always been a core part of travel, but with large-scale events and activations recovering slower, post-pandemic, hotels and resorts have an even greater opportunity to capitalize on this secular movement,” Colee said. “Travelers realize how important authentic connections are, and host-led, locally rooted experiences curated by the Noble House brand present a special opportunity to immerse oneself into local cultures and communities in a trusted and seamless manner.”
Colee said the past few years have highlighted the importance of travel and connection and, also, living life to the fullest.
“Our hope is to infuse their stay with a dash of joie de vivre and provide an adventure unlike anything before, all while supplying consistent high service and comfort standards across the network,” he noted. “These immersive active experiences will truly bring out the best of each destination and enhance a guest’s overall stay.”
So far, Colee said, the feedback on the offerings has been very positive and recognized as an opportunity to help garner exposure for partners.
“Our yoga studio partners at The Edgewater, for example, have seen a steady flow of additional bookings both from our guests and locals who find the experience on our calendar as a result of our direct marketing to showcase events and experiences among our local databases,” he said. “The other properties are just getting started so we will have to report back on the bookings and impact our partners begin to see.”
Guests can visit any of the participating Noble House properties’ websites to find these local experiences and events—whether on-property or in the community and hosted by the hotel staff or local partners—and read about their host and experience. Guests can also book and pay directly into any available experience or event, without the hotel having to pay a middleman.
“Ultimately, the foundation and core values of Way makes them the ideal partner,” Colee explained. “They’ve developed a platform that is intended to make a hotelier’s life easier while improving the overall guest experience. In addition to providing powerful tools for managing the guest experience, Way’s fully customizable and bookable experience platform, which is integrated into each hotel’s website, ensures that creating memorable experiences always remains the main objective.”
