Dina AbransonThe Vital Business Hotel in Tel Aviv presents a new model of business meetings that is specially adapted to the restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic
When you enter the meeting room at the Vital Hotel, you suddenly become more optimistic and life seems more promising. An atmosphere of business luxury, a pleasant sound of silence, and fine espresso greet us. Through the window, we see the Diamond Exchange towers and the sea, both of which tell us that we have come to the right place.
The challenges brought by the Coronavirus have reached the business world, as well. Work meetings continue to take place all the time, but companies and organizations need a customized business space.
The coworking spaces, which were a symbol of innovation, now seem insufficiently safe, and the Zoom meetings also fail to captivate customers into closing deals. Luckily, the Vital Hotel fulfills this need and has created an innovative conference room adapted to the current period.
Talking business - Vital Hotel
The Vital Hotel is located at the very heart of Tel Aviv. It is a boutique and elegant business hotel that has been specially adapted for business people from Israel and abroad who are looking for a functional space and a high return on investment.
A short meeting that we held in the Vital’s well-equipped conference room, as well as the Tel Aviv view from the 13th floor, made me fall in love with the place and want to hold all future business meetings there. The rule in business is that, if you want to raise a million dollars, you need to look like a million dollars, and it seems that, here, this is easily achieved.
Personally, as someone who conducts business meetings almost every day, the question of hospitality quality made me wonder why I continue to meet prospective customers inside the narrow space of the office, at the computer desk, or inside a crowded restaurant, when it is possible to do so in a private space with elegant chic?
In a personal interview, sitting on an elegant armchair, I ask Natali Horowitz, the hotel’s CEO and founder, to tell me about the decision to establish a business hotel at the center of Tel Aviv instead of a classic tourist hotel near the seashore.
A businessman who flies all over the world is not always looking for another big crowded hotel with large groups of people on their way to the dining room or rejoicing in the pool, says Horowitz. People who visit here are looking for a spacious clean quiet intimate room. The small details are also important to them, such as a high-class gym by international standards or a conference room and luxurious lounge where guests may relax between meetings and work on their laptop computers or read an economic newspaper without interruption. It is also important for the guests to have on-site parking and a variety of restaurants in one building. Everything needs to be very efficient and focused, with no delays and no unnecessary distractions.
What kind of guests use the conference room?
The truth is that there are a variety of types, says Horowitz, including business people looking for a location for discreet meetings, holding board meetings, or negotiating with their colleagues from abroad; companies looking for a place that allows for brainstorming outside of the everyday office atmosphere; and workshops, employee trainings, product launches, and press conferences. Many pharmaceutical companies that introduced new drugs or innovative medical equipment chose to do so at the Vital, because of the elegant and dignified atmosphere offered.
What is so special about the conference room?
Beyond the design, atmosphere and landscape, says Horowitz, the room is equipped with technological innovations. On the one hand, the space manages to provide intimacy and, on the other hand, it is large enough so that it can also contain refreshments, hot drinks, spaces for small talk and, basically, everything needed for several hours of staying together. Meals may also be offered in the conference room: from kosher hospitality trays to special chef meals.
Horowitz says that she noticed that there has been an increasing number of video conferences of companies with partners abroad: Israelis gather at the hotel and conduct the discussion with their foreign colleagues in front of a huge screen, in real time, and live.
Is Vital Hotal located at the heart of Tel Aviv significant?
Certainly, says Horowitz. The location is an essential consideration. Turning right, you reach Kikar Hamedina and, turning left, you reach the Opera and the Tel Aviv Museum. The fact that there is adjacent parking in a place that can accommodate many guests, a few driving minutes from the Ayalon Highway, is also very important to business people.
How does the Coronavirus affect business meetings?
Today, no one wants to go places where there is high traffic of people, says Horowitz. The whole trend of coworking spaces has become less popular. Small offices are no longer enthusiastic about meetings, because there is a feeling that too many people pass through the kitchenettes and hallways, thereby making it difficult to keep social distancing.
At the Vital, there is one main room and, when an event ends, the room is cleaned and disinfected, in accordance with the requirements of the Israeli Ministry of Health. The kitchenette is located inside the conference room and is not public. People leaving the meeting do not mix with strangers. In addition, the desk in the conference has 18 seats, and it is still possible to maintain two meters between adjacent participants. There are windows that can be opened to the view, which is important for the soul.
Horowitz concludes that she is afraid that the Coronavirus may remain for a long time. Fortunately, the Vital follows the guidelines and, at the same time, still provides a positive business experience.
Horowitz invites anyone who wants safe and pleasant business meetings to book a place at the Vital Hotel, come, and enjoy what the hotel’s conference room has to offer.
