We spoke to Alexander Wolf, Global Director Food and Beverage at the Lore Group, to find out more about their various hotels and why music plays such a critical role in their overall customer experience. We delved deeper into their music challenges across their portfolio which led them to choosing Ambie as their music solution.
The Lore Group is an international hospitality group that designs, transforms, manages and operates hotels in notable cities across the UK, Europe and USA. Ambie currently works together with six hotels within this group. We provide personalised music to 27 different areas within these hotels, with 85+ bespoke playlists, which totals around 10,000+ unique tracks.
- London: Sea Containers and One Hundred Shoreditch
- Amsterdam: Pulitzer and Kimpton DeWitt
- Washington: Lyle and Riggs
Why is music so important and what challenges have the Lore Group faced?
“Music is pivotal to create energy and vibrancy to all of our public spaces”, explained Wolf. “It creates moments of interest and points of differentiation that keep our guests engaged no matter which part of the hotel they’re in.” Music is a central factor which is given careful consideration when the hotel group focuses on designing the overall experience that they are providing for their customers, staff members and anyone else who visits the hotels.
Curated background music has a plethora of benefits which should not be ignored. Wolf believes that the fundamental elements of getting your music right and ensuring it is refreshed include to build and maintain brand identity, enhances the customer / guest / staff experience, to attract and retain customers and increase loyalty, and ultimately create the perfect ambiance.
Music closely compliments the individuality when it comes to its unique hotels and creates a sticking point and memory when customers think about back to the hotels. First impressions certainly do last when visiting a hospitality space where you’re going to be spending some time, so if the music is off-brand with repetitive playlists, it can turn guests away; however when it is done right, it has the potential to enhance customer loyalty and retention, which may result in increased revenue, word of mouth and new customer referrals.
One of the biggest challenges which the Lore Group faced just before Ambie came onboard was finding the right music company to help create innovative playlists which were refreshed regularly, as well as spoke the language of the mother brand and each individual hotel. As an interim solution after they were not satisfied with previous suppliers, they would often utilise DJs or create the playlists themselves in-house. However, as the portfolio of hotels grew, this became an unsustainable option in terms of resources, time and budget.
So, why choose Ambie?
We asked Alexander Wolf why the group decided to choose Ambie as their music solution. “We went through an extensive vetting process that included three DJs and an alternative music platform. They each interpreted briefs for us and after review, it was clear that Ambie had outperformed the competition.”
According to the Lore Group Team and Hotel Managers, the top benefits of working with Ambie is their ability to create diverse playlists that address the needs of each of the hotels’ spaces with curators who will devote the time and attention necessary to getting it right. In addition, the amount of attention and responsiveness from all teams at Ambie – from Account Manager to Curation, Support and beyond – comes a close second, where we have always felt prioritsed, he continues. The staff in the hotels love the variety of music and the ease of the product, which creates an uplifting mood to work in, which enhances their morale and productivity.
I’ve really found that our relationship with Ambie is an incredible one. The dedication of the Curation team for working with us to create playlists that capture the mood or intention of the spaces and the versatility they have displayed, has been exceptional. The team are responsive on both the technical and curation platforms too!
Alexander Wolf, Global Director Food and Beverage, Lore Group
The Lore Group team have found Ambie’s dashboard incredibly helpful. This Dashboard gives complete control over the management of their Ambie players, along with the individual music schedules assigned to them, across all of the locations. The team has been able to control and feedback on the music playing in each site, as well as have a convenient way of previewing each individual playlist.
Music Sample
Below is a sample of one of the playlists from One Hundred Shoreditch, called Mellow Mornings:
How has COVID-19 impacted your business, and how has music played a role?
Like many other hospitality venues, the Lore Group had to pivot their business model frequently based on guests safety concerns, different market regulations and various waves of variants during COVID-19 and the different lockdowns. It has made the way in which all teams, from Senior Management right to the Receptionists, operate incredibly nimbly and creatively.
Wolf believes that when the spaces have not been allowed to be at full capacity, each playlist has been even more pivotal in creating the ambiance that a full room might. It put even more pressure on the music to perform to create a vibe.
During COVID-19, we spoke with Jacqueline Kneebone, Head of Front of House and Wellness at the Sea Containers hotel in London as part of our Restart Series.
Testimonials
The team here at Ambie thrives on all things music. Seeing our curated playlists in action and the engagement of customers and staff has been mind-blowing. Working with the Lore Group is inspiring, as the portfolio extends globally each with their own tone of voice and brand identity.
“It’s hard to find a platform that cares equally about form as well as function. Our business is built on striving to continually to do better. Ambie has demonstrated their ability to be our partner on this journey, and has been an incredible collaborator on making playlists that we feel proud of. They consistently deliver excellent customer service and care.
Alexander Wolf, Global Director Food and Beverage, Lore Group
