How Stone Brewing is taking craft beer to the next level
Is your interest piqued when we say “beer growler room service”? How about “complimentary beer at check-in”?
Stone Brewing is onto something. They’re evolving the customer experience through an interesting and intricate creation that grabs the curiosity of the traveler: a 100,000 square foot, 99-room craft beer hotel right outside of San Diego, California.
With a plan to open in early 2018, the facilities of this hotel will include an 8,000 square foot ballroom, a pool deck, a 10,000 square foot rooftop garden, and nearly an acre of outdoor event space. Guests receive complimentary Stone beer when they check in, and room service is available in the form of growler delivery. Even the driveway is inlaid with a design that depicts beer flowing from a tap all the way down to the street.
People who are interested in an industry want to know it not just inside and out, but behind-the-scenes too. We see it with Agritourism, for example, which is successful because it shows visitors the unique details – how products are made, where the ingredients are sourced, what the day-to-day looks like. People are curious, and we crave full experiences that we can talk about and share.
Such is the case with the craft beer industry. Those on board don’t just want to drink good beer. They want to know about each point in the process. They might even want to make it themselves. A craft beer hotel allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in the booming craft beer experience.
I have to call it what it is – a good idea. Stone Hotel is leveraging the exponential growth of craft beer and increasing it at the same time by connecting it with the hotel industry. They’re differentiating themselves to the point of being incomparable to competitors in either industry.
Will it be successful? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m rooting for it. Looks like we’ll have to check back in in 2018 (but first we may “check in” to Stone Hotel)!
