Hotel Jen

Opening doors to the millennial market

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Traders Hotel Manila (THM) will henceforth be known as Hotel Jen Manila (HJM). It joins five other properties around the region to be consolidated into its new identity. It is the latest Jen property to be launched after openings in Hong Kong, Penang, Brisbane, and two in Singapore.

“The brand was already in existence before. It’s the brand name of one of our Hong Kong properties. But it is only now that it got widely used. And very timely, may I add.

“We’ve managed to raise the brand’s name on the search engine from #14 to the top spot. When we did profiling for the name Jen, we saw her as the perfect hotelier and host. She’s young, vibrant, and wants to explore the city. Jen is not black or white. Neither is she young nor old. But she always wants to see new things. That’s why in the hotel blog, you see her going to destinations like Intramuros and riding the jeepney; advertising not just the hotel but what’s eccentric!” declared Golden Whitehead, Hotel Jen’s director for special projects based in Hong Kong, during an exclusive interview after the launching ceremonies.

Teeming with jovial locals and exciting new developments, Manila is nothing short of vibrant. Thus, life moments at HJM should never be all work and no play, especially for busy jet-setters. Ten minutes from the hotel is the tenth largest shopping mall in the world, the SM Mall of Asia, while Malate, the entertainment district of Manila is only a short walk away.

“The hotel’s new brand is simple, easily identifiable, and treated more like a person. As such, Jen’s qualities include her sense of adventure aside from being the perfect hostess who welcomes her guests and does not want them to be intimidated by grandeur. She’s fuss-free and less formal. Jen is more direct to her guests, like an old friend does, and treats every one like a familiar face. Hotel Jen’s sense of service and style is therefore much better,” shared general manger Gordon Aeria.   

HJM is all about comfort and simple pleasures, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take safety seriously. The hotel’s Shangri-La brand of management wants to make sure that guests feel safe and sound. That’s why they’ve got the best people on the job – checking, testing, patrolling and stocking up the essentials – to make sure things are in order and that every guest has everything they need to keep each one comfortable and secure. “The millennial market can be an individual or a group traveling on business or leisure. And they constantly get connected to the rest of the world through our free Wi-Fi connection. So, rest assured, with us, you’re on safe hands!” continued Aeria.

HJM is located on Roxas Boulevard, smack right in the very center of Manila’s famed sunset strip. The hotel is adjacent to the country’s premier conference and exhibition facilities like the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), World Trade Center, and the SMX Convention Center. As previously stated, the SM Mall of Asia is close by and Malate, the entertainment district of Manila, is within walking distance. The international and domestic airports are 20 minutes away and Makati’s business district is half an hour’s ride, or shorter, depending on the traffic flow.

“You’d think that finding a brand name would be easy. Well, guess again. Pick out a name and somebody has used it already. You dig up some more and somebody owns it or the rights to using it. After four years and $15-million earmarked for name development, you’d be amazed that we found ourselves with a trademark troll. So we went to search engine optimization, did research and found out we owned a Jen trade name in Hong Kong. So the next thing we did was to go about the tedious process of registering the name in all the territories where Traders Hotels were in operation.

“December is not really a good time to do re-branding because everybody is agog about the Christmas season. The Hotel Jen promise is to make our guests’ lives easy and never to compromise on quality. An example of our continuing innovation is the 1-pound sized laundry bag. We will wash all the contents you can squeeze into it for only P900! And for those in a hurry in the mornings, we have a take-away box for breakfast as well as a cup for coffee because all these have been paid for. Our Press Reader, on the other hand, downloads over three thousand titles from all over the world. We are constantly upgrading our facilities and some soft touch points like our new Web site where we shift our focus on social media,” concluded Whitehead at the end of our colloquy.

Hotel Jen scheduled openings in the first quarter of 2015 are in the Maldives, Putri Harbor (Johor Bahru), Shenyang, Beijing and in the Middle East. Other pipeline projects will be unveiled thereafter in Korea, Japan, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand. For more information, simply visit the company Web site, www.hoteljen.com/manila.