Here's a fun idea: transform one room in a luxury hotel into an immersive experience where guests can write notes for future guests, sign letter boards and snap Instagram-worthy photos taken in front of a glow-in-the-dark wall-sized painted mural with a Polaroid camera provided by the hotel.
The hotel in this case is the 266-room Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa that opened in 2016 overlooking Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.
The resort is just one of two dozen properties that are participating in Kimpton Hotels & Resorts' brandwide initiative, #StayHumanProject, designed for guests to connect on a personal level with other guests who have stayed in the same room or who will do so in the future.
The concept originated last fall at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood, Calif. After the initial social experiment was deemed a success, the promotion was created in March and launched in Room 808 at the Kimpton Seafire in May.
The room number was chosen because the number 8 is similar to the infinity symbol, used to represent different concepts and ideas.
"Room 808 has created a less conventional but more authentic travel experience, which has encouraged guests to disconnect from their screens and instead connect with the destination, along with fellow guests and Seafire team members," said Steven Andre, general manager.
"We're excited to be able to provide these immersive experiences for them," he said.
Of course, when the project's name is a hashtag, there's still plenty to be done with one's cellphone screen. Photo ops abound in every corner of the spacious room, from the
#StayHumanProject pink neon sign on one of the walls to white letter
boards, flanked by a "creativity basket" full of gel pens, stamp pens
and glitter tape so guests can decorate their artwork and photos and
leave well-wishes for future guests.
Room 808 features a Spotify
playlist of Caribbean soca music, customized sea salt scrub from the spa
and eight gold coins, each one good for one cocktail at the resort.
"As sharing is the theme in this space, we encourage guests to share the coins with other guests at the property," Andre said.
Resort guests cannot visit room 808 unless they book the room, priced at $999 per night, double. So far there have been four stays in room 808 with an average of five nights per stay, according to Andre.
The project will run through July.