TFE Hotels Wins Global Innovation Award
TFE Hotels’ innovative MM:NT Berlin Lab has been recognised on the global stage, with the team winning a Skift Hotel Innovation IDEA Award. The Skift IDEA Awards, announced late last week, are one of the travel industry’s most coveted award for excellence in design, creativity, and innovation and celebrate the brands and businesses that are redefining the future of travel.
Skift Judges said MM:NT showcased TFE’s forward-thinking approach to redefining hotel stays. In announcing the award, they said: “This innovative, digital-first ‘lab’ enables the continuous testing/reconfiguration of the hospitality experience, including design, amenities, and sustainable materials, with real-time-feedback from guests.”
Adina Europe CEO, Asli Kutlucan, and Senior Director of Development EU, Matthias Niemeyer (5 and 7th from the right) pick up the Skift IDEA Award for Industry Innovation in
New York late last week. Download images here.
The six-room MM:NT Berlin lab micro hotel launched in April this year with guests invited to help redefine a new hospitality experience. By gathering this real time feedback, the MM:NT team can continually refine the hotel’s offering – from layouts and fit outs to amenities and services. And, as a beta brand, the testing cycle doesn’t stop, with the lab evolving on a regular basis.
MM:NT also blends smart technology with sustainable design ingenuity, pushing the boundaries needed to assist TFE in bringing new brands and products to market quicker than a traditional hotel build.
TFE’s Senior Director of Development Europe, Matthias Niemeyer, said that through extensive research and analysis, the team had identified the need for a new approach to the traditional hotel, rethinking room layouts and guest experiences. From a sustainability point of view, in addition to trialling new construction materials, furnishings and amenities, the team also wanted to explore the advantages of utilising underused office and retail spaces in city centres to satisfy the expectations of the mindset of a new kind of digital first, down-to-earth traveller.
“This led us to develop MM:NT Berlin Lab - at its core, a micro hotel that operates in ongoing beta mode, gathering feedback from guests to test hypotheses on room sizes, designs, and experiences.”
To bring the MM:NT Berlin Lab to life, TFE Hotels partnered with Häfele, Germany’s leading supplier of architectural hardware systems, furniture fittings, electronic access control and LED lighting, to combine their core respective strengths in technology and hospitality to set new standards in space-efficiency.
The lab launched in Berlin earlier this year, with discussions underway to introduce the concept into Australia and New Zealand.
TFE Hotels’ Chief Executive Officer, Antony Ritch, said the win was a wonderful recognition for the team and for partners, Häfele.
“We also appreciate the incredible and generous input and feedback we have been receiving from our guests as we seek to trial new ideas and continually elevate our products and experiences.”
MM:NT’s first test guests were crowd sourced by social media and stayed in June 2024, with paying guests inhouse a month later. Since then, the MM:NT team have reconfigured the lab and are now well in Phase two of testing, with paying guests and test guests who have chosen to return. For more information visit https://mmnt-intime.com/.
WHO ARE TFE HOTELS?
TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia's International Hotel Group - headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore, and Switzerland. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands - A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels, with more in the development pipeline.
