Shangri-La Rebranding Traders Hotels to Hotel Jen
Shangri-La’s Traders hotels will soon be converting into Hotel Jen properties. Traders hotels have had a loyal following for many years, but the updates come as Shangri-La hopes to entice the “New Jeneration” of travelers.
With a focus on technology, Hotel Jen properties will offer fast, free wifi to all guests and have charging stations available throughout the hotels. Restaurants will focus on local products, offer free coffee and breakfast items, and grab and go kiosks will also be available. Laundry and cleaning will be outsourced to help with cost savings, and instead of traditional uniforms staff will be more casually dressed.
The first phase will see Traders hotels in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Penang, Johor Bahru, Manila, Maldives, Beijing and Shenyang rebranded before March 2015.
Will Traders go away entirely?
No. After the rebranding there may be 2 or 3 Traders properties left.
Hotel Jen Orchardgateway in Singapore will be the first to transform, due to open in just a few days on September 15, 2014.
Looking at their opening offer room rates, the night of September 15 is just 149 SGD, about 120 USD.
Later in the year the prices go up a bit, to around 220 SGD.
According to the press release, “The Hotel Jen brand is inspired by the virtual persona Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places. Hotel Jen takes care of guests with efficiency and care, while also giving them informed access to the best a particular destination has to offer.”
I stayed at Traders Yangon, Myanmar, and was impressed. The property was renamed in May 2014 as the Sule Shangri-La, so it won’t be part of the rebranding.
Have you stayed at a Traders? What do you think about the rebranding?
Have been using Penang ( Malaysia ) Traders for six years and this re branding has ruined it. Jeans on the staff with bizarre US western themed sheriff badges, reducing a solid four star hotel to three. Cutesy stick figure art destroying the lobby decor of a heritage styled hotel, and tacky, nauseating and colour clashing platitudes plastered everywhere. Less amenities in the bath, no more razors, bath salts, glycerin soap or clips on hangars to hang skirts with. Guess women’s wants don’t matter to “ Jen.” Mini bar has evaporated to be replaced with a vending machine on the fourth floor. Even the Traders Club lounge room has lost appeal due to move to a florescent bulb lit, music-less, windowless room 14 floors away from the Club floor.
The restaurant has also been Jen-derfied, and now offers about 1/3 of the choice as before.
Bad move Shangri- La. Not just bad, but stupid, absurd and wasteful.
Staff told me Jen is one of the major shareholder’s daughter and this was done to appease her vanity.
The Traders Hotel in Hong Kong was called the Hotel Jen when I stayed there in 2008 – I believe at the time it was part of the Worldhotels network but Jen was not a chain brand, so it’s interesting that this hotel will now be called the Hotel Jen again, only this time there will be a whole chain of them.
I’ve also stayed at the Traders Hotel in Yangon and loved it. I’m actually surprised about the rebranding. I normally prefer to stay at a Traders hotel in SE Asia due to its excellent business services (it is, after all, called Traders!) 😉
With Jen, the first thought in my head is a female person since I have several friends named Jennifer. In fact, I believe Jennifer is the most common name in USA for newborns 1970-1984 (so they’d all be adults by now.) They do mention the new generation of travelers but why didn’t they spell it Hotel Gen? In addition, I’d think the new generation of travelers would still be staying at hostels or a notch below the usual Traders hotel at the present moment, though there are a few exceptions, of course!
I’m still conflicted with the rebranding. I’m not sure whether they’d still cater to the business traveler. I mean, it would be odd to tell a client, “Meet me at the Hotel Jen.” Perhaps my view will change in time but at the present time, it feels more professional to say I’ll meet them at the Traders Hotel or Mandarin Oriental or Peninsula or Shangri-La, etc.