Who said never mix work and play? We say, do it as often as you can.

What do millennial business travelers actually look for? We found, guests are ready to play.

At Golden Tulip, we played with every hotel code we could find, to start a conversation.

Drastic but uncompromising. Unconventional but seriously fun.

Inviting guests to play with words, with appearances, with humor, and even with other guests. Everything has a twist, putting a fresh spin on life, work and travel.

It’s not just a business hotel.

It’s playtime, anytime.

Dressed in words, humour and wit, we designed more than 30 playful applications.

Every single traditional hotel item, ritual and moment – from a simple sewing kit, door hangers and stationery to drink coasters and restaurant menus – we turned into occasions to play.

Posting a letter? Send a tulip origami instead.

Need a snack? Play a game of tic-tac-toe.

What’s the purpose of bath foam? To feel like a kid again.

These funny conversation starters remind every guest at each moment of their stay business can still be cool, work should always be fun.

Results quickly came into play following the successful launch in the pilot hotel in Marseille, France. The new brand identity was later rolled out at the Golden Tulip flagship hotel in Shanghai in 2017 and will be deployed within Golden Tulip’s 180+ hotels worldwide by 2020.

Guests who have experienced Golden Tulip’s Playtime. Anytime. hotels have come to realize that fun business is good business. As such, the perception of the value of a one-night stay has increased by 17% on average.

Fluffy pillows, talking alarm clocks, sophisticated furniture and humourless interactions, no longer cut it for business hotels the way they did three decades ago. Work travel can be both a blessing and a curse. Today’s business travelers are frustrated; they never get to live interesting experiences.

Golden Tulip was willing to differentiate itself and appeal to millennials: the experience-seekers who almost invented the idea of mixing business and leisure.

So, we dared to twist business into a simple, playful game.