New Rosewood Hotel Group brand high on superlatives

Rosewood Hotel Group has introduced a new brand called KHOS focused on the modern business traveler as described by Rosewood CEO Sonia Cheng.

"We have created KHOS to serve the needs of the new generation of business travelers, individuals who are constantly on the move and crave places to stay that understand, mirror and support their dynamic personas," Cheng said. "Hotels have not kept pace with the evolution of this group of travelers and KHOS reflects a new age in hospitality in which business travel is inseparable from lifestyle."

KHOS, derived from the Mongolian word meaning "pair," becomes Rosewood's fourth brand, complementing luxury Rosewood, New World Hotels and Resorts, deluxe hotels focused on business travelers, and the group's design-driven brand Pentahotels.

The idea of merging business and leisure through, or the portmanteau of 'bleisure,' has been a widely embraced and more recent concept in hospitality, which has forced hotels to rethink the guest experience.

According to Cheng, no one in the space is doing it well, yet. In a press release, Rosewood describes KHOS as "an innovative concept for business hotels with a distinct lifestyle orientation inspired by the energy, art, innovation, creativity, style and dynamism of modern-day Asia. KHOS aims to turn the traditional notion of a business hotel on its head—designed specifically for the modern business traveller, for whom the conventional boundaries of work and play no longer exist, and who is no longer willing to sacrifice style, inspiration, socializing and wellness for the predictable functionality of a traditional business hotel."

According to the release, KHOS will be a global brand and look to establish itself in capital cities and other urban and up-and-coming business and resort destinations. The first KHOS hotels are promised to be announced and opened in 2018.

The press release describing the new brand is high on superlatives but short on details, preferring flowery, quixotic notions of what a business hotel can be. Case in point: "The KHOS guest will be one who demands high functionality where they stay, but requires practicality delivered with style. Challenging the common interpretation of what a business hotel must be, KHOS will fulfill the needs of a more contemporary, vibrant and collaborative work era. It is envisioned as the go-to destination for teams to unite and leaders to socialize with public spaces that are vibrant and convivial. Within each of its communities, KHOS will also act as a gathering point for people to form bonds and gain mutual inspiration with like-minded influencers, those who are insatiably curious and gain their insight and motivation from a constantly stimulating global backdrop of cultures, art, design and cuisine."

These fanciful words could be used to describe most lifestyle-minded hotels of today, so it will be interesting to see how this brand differs from others already in the market.

More: "In keeping with the KHOS spirit, traditional hotel facilities and services will be re-conceived to create opportunities to spontaneously interact, relate and celebrate with fellow travelers. KHOS will also deliver an environment for repose and reflection -- time to unwind, meditate and create -- all essential components of a lifestyle in which work and leisure are intertwined in one continuum. Meeting facilities have been reimagined, and event spaces ingeniously designed for greater flexibility and sociability facilitating personal interaction along with business purpose.

"Taking inspiration from the wealth of culinary traditions from all across Asia, the brand will aim to create authentic, artisanal, communal dining options to intrigue and satisfy both social and gastronomic urges.  Innovative approaches to recreation and relaxation, of central importance to the KHOS guest lifestyle, will be applied in areas from spas and wellness facilities to business centers and executive lounges. Couples, friends and families in addition to business travelers will find a fertile environment to be inspired, grow closer and create shared and meaningful experiences."