Adapting through technology

One of the UK’s top five-star hotels, The Grand, York offers a memorable visit for all. With a variety of services from the welcoming concierge, award-winning cookery school, food and beverage outlets, a spa and eight meeting and event spaces, you are guaranteed to experience true Yorkshire hospitality and elegance in all formats.
Situated midway between Edinburgh and London, The Grand is in the heart of one of the UKs most beautiful and historic cities. With attractions such as JORVIK Viking Centre, 13th century-built York Minster, and the iconic medieval City Walls which can be viewed from hotel’s event suites, the hotel truly provides an iconic backdrop for meetings and events.

The Grand has a total of seven meeting rooms, which can be expanded to eight when utilising The Cookery School meeting space. With Wi-Fi, plasma screen TVs, air-conditioning, and Nespresso coffee machines, the meeting rooms are the ideal comforting space to host your team.
A variety of conference packages are available to guests in order to provide a bespoke experience, such as the Day Delegate, Residential, Hybrid and Cookery School packages. Our recent offer, Meetings to Remember, is live this winter in which delegates can choose between three offers: Pick and Mix, team-building Cookery School activities, and preferential accommodation rates.

Over the past 18 months, guest communication, innovation, technology, agility and understanding have all been a necessity for The Grand and therefore the team have pivoted their focusses to ensure that the guest experience is equally as five-star whether attending meetings and events in-person or digitally. The hotel understands the importance of bringing people together, whether it is to share company updates, celebrate success, or to plan for the year ahead so it was therefore necessary to adapt in the uncertain times. Hybrid and Virtual Events were introduced in 2020 to support delegates regardless of their situation. Working together with a professional AV team, The Grand can offer a seamless experience that will be memorable for all your guests, whether it be from the comfort of their own home or attending the live event itself.

State-of-the-art equipment brings together physical and virtual audiences into one live collaborative experience, a single remote-controlled camera will capture your presenters and feed into the broadcast system so that remote delegates can experience the very same event as those in the room. Full technical support is provided by an experienced on-site technician who will remain on-site for the duration of your event, allowing you to connect with delegates around the globe, in a safe and cost-effective manner.

For those who can still travel, hybrid meetings are a perfect alternative to fully remote events. The Grand will take care of the technology; all you need to do is focus on the content. The safety of your delegates is the number one priority, so however you choose to host your event with at York’s most loved hotel, rest assured that you will be in safe hands. With hygiene amenity packs, you can feel secure and relaxed when visiting The Grand.

Inspiring innovation

It was key for The Cookery School to adapt to the coronavirus restrictions.

The Cookery School offers a host of online classes allowing you to sharpen up your culinary skills in the comfort of your own home with top tips and guidance from our head chef tutor. With a full camera crew capturing all angles of Chef Andrew’s expertise, the team can replicate the hands-on experience with the guests cooking at home.

The ideal team-building activity, The Cookery School classes offer private events for businesses. The fabulous adjoining meeting space in The Cookery School which can hold up to 50 delegates. This is an impressive space which boasts a large screen for presentations, coffee machines, a dining area and water stations. This allows the Head Chef Tutor to reach out and support corporate clients for any team building activities whilst providing space to debrief and host a meeting too. Alongside this, there is outdoor dining area which again provides a unique offering for guests.

The Grand have recently implemented a pre-stay email through Oaky, an upsell tool, which allows guests to upgrade their bedroom booking or add-on multiple experiences during their stay. Where previously guests would have to call the hotel to make such actions, the system allows for multiple choices to be selected and added to the reservation through a portal. This gives guests ultimate flexibility and encourages them to book experiences in advance so not to miss out on unforgettable opportunities.

The latest innovative update from The Grand, York is the introduction of an artificial intelligence chatbot on the website. From the first visit on the homepage, guests have the choice to interact with the bot and ask questions about the hotel. The tool allows guests to book and upgrade reservations online as well as find local attractions and things to do in the city. This is helpful for both the guest and Team Grand; guests can quickly find solutions to their questions or make a booking, and Team Grand have more flexibility to enhance the hotel’s communication even more.
Whether you’re looking for an onsite meeting, a hybrid event or a fully virtual meeting, The Grand provides the perfect backdrop with its merging of history and innovation in a timeless manner. With 207 bedrooms, it is also vital to maintain the finest technology in-room to ensure all guests have a comforting, smooth experience. Each bedroom boasts a smart TV and the ability to check-out whilst in the room.

The Grand has certainly maintained its ‘Palace of Business’ history whilst adapting to modern technology. As York’s finest hotel, The Grand always goes the extra mile for guests which makes it the perfect destination for celebrations, meetings, and events.