THE MAGAZINE FOR HOTEL EXECUTIVES // MARCH/APRIL 2012 $4
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Volume 24, Number 2 // March/April 2012 Cont ents
Features
10 HOLE IN ONE Wales’ Celtic Manor Resort commands attention as a tourist draw and golf mecca By Toby Saltzman
12 IN STYLE Tapping into 10 design trends that give hotels flair By Jackie Sloat-Spencer
23 THE YEAR OF THE TABLET Why it’s important to integrate computer tablets into your hotel operation By Larry Mogelonsky
27 MASTERING MOBILITY A simple mobile website can improve hotel business 39 THE NEW AMENITIES By Larry Mogelonsky When it comes to catering to today’s guests, it’s all about 29 FURNISHING SUCCESS customization Does your hotel’s furniture sit well with today’s guests? By Adrian Bell By Lisa Van de Ven Departments 33 BRAND CHAMPIONS Staffing hotels with employees who care creates 2 EDITOR’S PAGE impeccable hospitality By Laura Pratt 3 CHECKING IN
37 ABOVE AND BEYOND 44 HOTELIER: Four examples of memorable service excellence Heather McCrory, By Larry Mogelonsky The Fairmont Royal York, Toronto
hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 1 EDITOR’S PAGE BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL n recent years the hotel industry has sol - diered through some of its most challengin g Idays. Occupancy rates have teetered on the brink of disaster, room rates have re maine d MITCH KOSTUCH | PRESIDENT & GROUP PUBLISHER sluggish and the travel industr y has been pum - [email protected] melled by a host of changes, which impact ROSANNA CAIRA | EDITOR & PUBLISHER the vibrancy of hotels. rcaira@ kostuchmedia.com Ironically, even during these economically DAVID HEATH | ART DIRECTOR challenging times — or perhaps because of dheath@ kostuchmedia.com
them — hotels have become increasingly BRIANNE BINELLI | ASSOCIATE EDITOR stylish, including the bottom-tier segment, bbinelli@ kostuchmedia.com ADRIAN BELL | ASSOCIATE EDITOR which is now discerningly more interesting abell@ kostuchmedia.com and lively. JACKIE SLOAT-SPENCER | ASSISTANT EDITOR jsloat-spencer@ kostuchmedia.com Once a place to leave the rigors of travel behind, today’s hotels DEREK RAE | PRODUCTION are more than rest spots. As one designer said in this month’s style MANAGER cover story ( see p. 12 ), hotels have become personable spaces that drae@ kostuchmedia.com
are less generic than days past. Today’s hotels are about style. Walk BRENDA JAMES | SENIOR into almost any lobby and there’s a discernible buzz that is palpa - ACCOUNT MANAGER bjames@ kostuchmedia.com ble. The communal area is fast becoming a space where guests and JIM KOSTUCH | DIRECTOR urbanites can congregate to share cocktails, nosh or lose them - jkostuch@ kostuchmedia.com selves in their mobile devices. Whether we’re talking about KATHRYN PETROVICH | MARKETING/EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR Toronto and Vancouver’s newest luxury properties that are punc - kpetrovich@ kostuchmedia.com tuated by timeless and refined elegance, relaxing resort properties NINA GLADSTONE | CONTROLLER or even budget hotels in small towns and cities, style knows no ngladstone@ kostuchmedia.com ELSIE REDEKOPP | ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE boundaries. eredekopp@ kostuchmedia.com Whether the trend to bold and beautiful spaces is driven by a renewed interest in elegance or simply a form of escapism stem - ADVISORY BOARD: ming from the persistent economic anxiety, today’s consumers David McMillan , Tracy Sherren , PACRIM want to surround themselves with style and flair. Paint colours HOSPITALITY SERVICES, Charles Suddaby , CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD LTD., Bill Stone , have taken on a new importance; fabrics are more textured and CBRE, Joe Collura , HOTELEVISION CANADA unique, and furniture is eclectic yet elegant. Increasingly, hotels LTD., W. Lyle Hall, HALL HOSPITALITY are becomin g extensions of our homes, marked by flat-screen ADVISORS, INC. , David Larone , PKF, Henry Wu , televisions, iPad docking stations and even herb gardens. They METROPOLITAN HOTELS, Stephen Renard , RENARD INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY, evoke a restful and soothing residential feel with wonderful Stephen Foster , STARWOOD HOTELS, scents permeating. Michael Haywood, Anne Larcade , SEQUEL Hotels have always been a focal point of the community they HOTELS & RESORTS serve, but today they’re also becoming social hubs, hot destina - HOTELIER is published eight times a year by Kostuch tions for out-of-town guests and city dwellers alike. While hotel Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont ., dining had recently fallen out of favour, due to its stodgy and often M3B 3P6, (416) 447-0888, Fax (416) 447-5333. All rights formal atmosphere, hotel restos are now relaxed, über cool and reserved. Subscription rates: Canada: $25 per year, single issue presided over by culinary masters. Hotels are now more than just a $4, U.S.A.: $30 one year; all other countries $40 per year. Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement collection of rooms; they house bars that rock, offering handcraft - #40063470. Member of: Canadian Circulations Audit ed cocktails, dining rooms that dazzle with culinary delights and Board, the American Business Media and the Canadian world-class spas that soothe and rejuvenate — and they do it with Business Press. We acknowledge the financial support style, providing hotel goers with a host of reasons to leave home. of the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Printed in Canada on recycled stock. ROSANNA CAIRA Editor and Publisher [email protected]
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2 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com CheckingTHE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS FOR HOTEL EXECUTIVES FROM CANADA AND AR InOUND THE WORLD
ROOM KEY DEBUTS Could this new hotel search engine steal business from OTAs? BY JACKIE SLOAT-SPENCER
oomkey.com is unlocking a new idea in online from leaving the site by offering other available hotels travel. Launched as a beta test this January, the prices, even competitive prices in the area. And, a partner - R online search engine provides a one-stop solution ship with TripAdvisor means there will be hotel reviews on to search, compare and book a room directly through a the site, too. hotel website. Earning guest loyalty points is also a big seller for the Developed by John F. Davis III, formerly CEO of B irch - consumer. “Nobody does that but the brand.com. We are Street Systems, the company has partnered with major the only third-party site where you can actually earn your hotel groups, including Choice Hotels In - points,” Davis says. ternational, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt H o- FAST FACT Larry Mogelonsky, founder of LMA Com - tels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Website inefficiencies can munications Inc., a Toronto-based agency, Group, Marriott International, Wyndham be costly, and problems with isn’t so sure the website will be a success. “It’s Hotel group and Best Western Interna - great conceptually, and I do believe the goals pricing, site functionality and tional. And, that’s only the beginning. of Room Key are correct, the objective is cor - The concept was conceived in 2010 product description are some rect, but the execution is unattainable given after Davis discovered online travel agen - of the top reasons for lost the massive lead by the OTAs and their high- cies (OTAs) were displaying false infor - dollar advertising spend,” says Mogelonsky. He travel purchases online, mation and accepting commission rates as explains the site targets consumers who read high as 30 per cent. according to QuBit, a London, travel magazines and pick a destination based Now, with Room Key, guests can con - England-based web on its rating. It appeals to a low percentage of nect directly to the hotel site instead of technology and research firm, the population, says the LMA founder, the booking through the OTA, giving hote - other 99 per cent who use OTA sites want to liers the advantage. “[The hotels] would which analyzed data from book a flight, hotel and car rental at the same rather have guests book directly through 8,000 travellers. “In a market place. Mogelonsky believes marketing is an - their own systems, so they know who’s where travel buyers are other concern for the start-up, as OTAs have a coming and what their guest history is,” 10-year advantage on Room Key and a hefty becoming more price explains Davis. “We put the guest directly marketing budget. in the hotel reservation system.” constrained and picky in their Either way, Room Key execs are keen to sign Consumer confidence is also a major choice of supplier, travel up more hotels. Davis says the goal is to build selling point. Research shows that by the retailers simply can’t afford awareness and grow with more hotels, includ - time a guest reaches a brand.com site, 90 ing independent properties and boutiques. per cent of the time they leave to search to be losing sales to basic “Today, we’ve got about 30,000 hotels on the deals elsewhere, searching up to 15 differ - mistakes,” said Graham site, and I want 50,000 to 60,000 by the sum - ent sites before booking their hotel. Room Cooker, CEO of QuBit. mer. Then I think it will peak at about 80,000 Key was designed to discourage consumers worldwide,” he says. N hoteliermagazine.com MARCH /APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 3 DOORS OPEN
The Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto opened its doors in late January, leading the pack as the first of a group of luxury hotel-condominium projects to launch in Toronto this year. The Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences is set to open this July, while Shangri-La Toronto will open later this year. Trump’s namesake claims the title of the tallest residential building in Canada, looming 65 stories over the city, and created by Zeidler Partnership Archi - tects. Its interior, designed by II By IV Design, is inspired by a cham - pagne-and-caviar colour palette, with black lacquered doors opening to 261 spacious guestrooms ranging from 500 to 4,000 square feet. Upon arrival, guests will notice the three-dimensional crystal cherry- blossom branch mounted behind the reception desk. Notable must- sees include the Quartz Crystal Spa, offering guests luxury spa ser - vices and a saltwater infinity lap pool atop the 31st and 32nd floors of the hotel as well as Stock restaurant, helmed by exec utive chef Todd Clarmo with a drink list created by Master Sommelier John Szabo. Stock offers a seasonal steak- and seafood-based menu with a cosmopolitan twist. A floor-to-ceiling wine wall featuring more than 1,000 bottles will impress wine aficionados. Suits Lobby Bar on the property’s ground floor specializes in after-work cocktails. “Toronto is CORRECTION: The February 2012 edition of Hotelier magazine incorrectly listed Accor Canada as master franchisor an extraordinary destination for both business and leisure, and only of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands. The master franchisor of recently has the city begun to address the strong demand for top-end Motel 6 and Studio 6 in Canada is, in fact, Realstar Hospitality Corp. We apologize for the mistake. hospitality,” says Mickael Damelincourt, the hotel’s GM.
4 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com panasonic.ca LCD Hospitality HDTVs that let you focus on what’s really important - YOUR GUESTS. panasonic.ca
42" 37" TH-42LRU30 32" TH-37LRU30 TH-32LRU30
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THERE’S MILESTONES STRENGTH
The annual Carlson Rezidor IN NUMBERS. Hotel Group Global Busi - ness Conference 2012 Rooms: 544,000 kicked off in Nassau, Ba - hamas last month attracting Properties: 6,700 owners, managers and execs from Radisson, Country Ye a rs : 65 PLAYING Inns and Suites, Park Inn, and Park Plaza hotels. This Countries: 30+ IT SAFE year the executive group up - dated attendees on the com - Potential: Unlimited pany’s latest achievements Hotel employees in New York since the implementation of City will soon be equipped with panic buttons as part of a new city its Ambition 2015 strategy, contract that includes beefed up released in 2010. Goals in - security and pay increases. The clude the rejuvenation and panic buttons distributed to growth of its core Radisson housekeepers, room-service brand, Club CarlsonSM loy - waiters and attendants who stock mini-bars, are security devices alty program as well as plans worn on an employee’s body. When the device is activated a distress call is sent out. “It’s unfortunate, but there are instances when guests behave inappropriately,” says John Turchiano, spokesman for the New York Hotel Trades Council, representing more than 30,000 hotel workers in the area. “This would be a really good way to cut down on that and give our members strong protection.” The to grow the company’s inter - contract also includes hefty salary national portfolio to 1,300 increases that will raise the pay of hotels. “Two years after a typical housekeeper from launching our Ambition US$46,337 to US$59,823. 2015 strategy, our team is well on its way toward |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| achieving our key objec - FAST FACT tives,” said Hubert Joly, Hogtown set a record president and CEO of Carl - 905.206.7316 last year in hotel room son, who noted the global choicehotelsfranchise.ca sales, selling 9.1-million portfolio now sits at 1,319 hotels and is ranked among rooms, an increase of the top 10 largest hotel 2.8 per cent from 2010 groups worldwide. Other numbers, ranking the accomplishments include city third in North successfully expanding the Radisson Blu brand and America behind bringing Club Carlson’s loy - New York City and alty program to eight million CHOICE HOTELS CANADATM Nashville. members at the end of 2011. Source: Internal data as of 9/30/10. Data reflects open and underdevelopment properties worldwide. ©2012 Choice Hotels Canada Inc. All rights reserved. hoteliermagazine.com BHG COMMERCIAL DESIGN CENTER
CANADA GETS GREENER
SPECIALIZING IN HOTEL FURNISHINGS A new eco-conscious contender has entered the scene, as Fine Quality Element by Westin, an eco-friendly hotel product, plans to open Case-goods Collections its first hotel in Vaughan, Ont., next year. The Element Vaughan & Custom Design Southwest, managed by Atlific Hotels, is a 152-room hotel, which promotes a healthy and balanced stay by offering complimentary Custom Upholstery, wellness programs, healthy food options and a nature-inspired Electronics, Appliances environment. Taking its cue from the urban cityscape, guestrooms & More feature custom-designed closets and workspaces, eco-friendly Financing & Flexible paints, water-efficient fixtures and a waste-reduction program using Payment Options guestroom recycling bins. “Providers of a forward-thinking, eco- friendly hotel product, the Element brand will soon be an innovative One Stop leader in the Canadian hotel market,” says Philippe Gadbois, senior Sourcing & Support vice-president of Sales and Marketing, Atlific Hotels. Distribution across Canada, InBrief US & Internationally The Americas Lodging In - ties. TripAdvisor is under vestment Summit kicked fire for claiming its reviews off in January at the JW are genuine, as the Adver - Marriott and Nokia The - tising Standards Agency atre in L.A., Calif., bring - (ASA ) — a British adver - ing together 2,400 top tising watchdog —found industry leaders… Prime the phrases “reviews you Minister Stephen Harper can trust” and “real reviews BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT recently facilitated the from real travellers” were opening of a Canadian misleading since the re - NOW TO TOUR OUR tourism office in Beijing viewers’ authenticity can’t New Hospitality to encourage more Chinese be proven… Shangri-La Showroom & Commercial tourism in Canada and Vancouver has been named Design Centre in Toronto support economic growth… Traveller’s Choice for the Loews Hotels & Resorts is top luxury hotel on tripad - Please call Michelle Nicholls taking an aggressive ap - visor.ca. Montreal’s Hotel Director of Hospitality proach in growing its hotel Le St-James , Vancouver’s portfolio, investing $500M Fairmont Pacific Rim and to buy and acquire proper - Toronto’s Hazel ton Hotel 416.635.4834 [email protected] hoteliermagazine.com were other top picks… 2011… Roger Soane is the Suites… Victoria, B.C.- Sheraton Gateway H otel new GM of Whistler, B.C.’s based Oak Bay Beach at Toronto Pearson Inter - Nita Lake Lodge resort. Hotel , slated to open in the national Airport recently With more than 35 years spring, has hired Michelle celebrated its 20th anniver - of experience, Soane has Le Sage as hotel manager. sary, showcasing its $3-mil - previously worked as GM She brings 24 years of expe - lion renovation…The Har - of Fairmont Chateau rience in management roles bour Towers Hotel and Whistler …Robert Riesen at Quality Resort Bayside , Suites in Victoria, B.C., was has been promoted to exec - and Victoria, B.C.-based Eric Watson the site of a norovirus out - utive vice-president of Chateau Victoria Hotel & break, affecting more than Northland Properties Cor - Suites . Sarah Henderson 150 guests of a Canadian poration ’s hotel division, is now rooms division man - University Press conference overseeing The Sutton ager. Henderson previously at the hotel. Officials have Place and Sandman hotel worked at the original now given the hotel a clean brands. John Sandor is now Oak Bay Beach Hotel … bill of health… Courtyard vice-president of The Sut - Cape Breton, N.S.-based by Marriott is expanding in ton Place and Sandman Keltic Lodge Resort & Calgary, with news that it Signature Hotels . Other Spa has named Matthew is adding a 171-room appointments include Blair Mackenzie GM of the Michellle Le Sage Courtyard and a 157-room Kennedy as vice-president resort, replacing Jim Frise Residence Inn , offering fully for Sandman Hotels, Inns who is retiring after decades equipped kitchens, and Suites , Donna Briggs in the hotel industry… a fitness centre and compli - as vice-president of Sales, Mark Sparrow , director mentary breakfast buffet… Scott Johnson as regional of Western Canada for N.B.-based Algonquin director for Sandman Sig - CBRE hotel has relocated Resort may soon be con - nature Hotels, and Bill to Vancouver to help the verted into a Marriott Collins and Daniel Ilias as company expand nationally. Autograph Collection hotel regional directors for Sand - with renovations to be man Hotels, Inns and completed by 2013. People Highest performance combined with Eric Watson is Superior ËÄÉËÈÆ·ÉÉ»º»¹ÅÄÅÿ¹¸»Ä»ŰÊÉƔ Lodging Corp .’s new vice- president in charge of exe - Innovative. Responsible. Dependable. cuting Superior Lodging’s The new Miele Octoplus washer + dryer system aggressive growth plans. ÅŮ»ÈÉ·¾ÅÉÊżÉÆ»¹¿Ű¹Ï»Ê»·ÉÏÊÅËÉ»ÆÈŽȷÃÉ Formerly VP of Corporate and provides large laundry and still saves valuable Development and Real ÉÆ·¹»Ɣ Estate for Bellstar Hotels Ask your Miele representative how our equipment can provide a professional solution to the laundry and Resorts , and CEO and ¹¾·Â»Ľ»É¿ÄÏÅËȾÅÊ»ÂÅÈÈ»ÉÅÈÊƔ founder of Ultimate German Engineering. German Quality. Resorts and Hotels , Watson Made in Germany. is a recognized authority on Western Canadian resort mieleprofessional.ca real-estate and asset man - agement… Wendy Ferrill , managing director of Worldwide Sales, and Tammy Lucas , managing director for Marketing Pro - grams for Best Western International were named to the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International ’s Top 25 Manufacturer direct Sales + Service available: 1-888-325-3957 Extraordinary Minds in ·Ä¹ÅËÌ»ÈƷ·Â½·ÈÏƷºÃÅÄÊÅÄƷÅĺÅÄƷÅÈÅÄÊÅƷ¿Ä½ÉÊÅÄƷÊÊ·Í·ƷÅÄÊÈ»·Â Sales and Marketing list for
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FOREIGN EXCHANGE
HOLE IN ONE Wales’ Celtic Manor Resort commands attention as a tourist draw and golf mecca BY TOBY SALTZMAN
hile on a business trip to original hospital, the Celtic Manor help establish Mitel’s Eu - Hotel grew from 17 to 70 bedrooms in DRIVING FORCE: ropean headquarters, 15 years. Matthew intended to build a W Celtic Manor Resort Canadian entrepreneur Terry landmark resort with a golf course that offers top-notch golfing Matthews was driving on the M4 would attract the coveted Ryder Cup and accommodation near Newport, Wales, feeling frustrat - and include conference space so it ed by the absence of quality hotels in could be “a world-class destination for the area. Through his windshield, he both business and leisure.” spotted a ‘For Sale’ sign on a derelict Today, the elegantly appointed country mansion, and it dawned on Celtic Manor Resort Hotel, boasts him the country estate was once the two hotels with 400 rooms in total. world’s toughest holes, including Lydia Beynon Maternity Hospital As one of Europe’s largest leisure and those at Royal Troon in Scotland, where he was born. Matthews pulled convention resorts, it has a 12,000- Pebble Beach in California and, of off the road and pointed the car to - square-foot exhibition hall and ball - course, Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten. wards the property where he met a room suitable for 1,500 dele gates; Off the green, guests can browse bou - P H
groundskeeper that let him look three championship golf courses; two tiques selling souvenirs styled from O T around. Before long, the entrepreneur full-service spas and several dining Clogau gold, which is mined in the O G R
realized he had stumbled upon the venues. Family oriented attractions at Snowdonia mountains in Wales — A P H
perfect location for a hotel. the resort include an outdoor climb - the same gold used in the wedding Y
B Y
Matthew’s goal was to create a resort ing apparatus that tests fitness buffs ring Prince William gave Kate Mid - T O
to serve the Welsh community and and the new Kingdom of Legends dleton, The Duchess of Cambridge. B Y
S
impact the country’s tourism trade. Adventure Golf. The nine-hole mini- Celtic Manor has been voted the A L T
Founded in 1982, using the site’s course is fashioned after some of the UK’s Top Conference Hotel for the Z M A N
10 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com past five years, Europe’s Leading Golf tents over those four days.” Beyond Celtic Manor’s success inspired him Resort and the UK’s 2011 Sport pinpointing Wales on a global map to build the 276-room Brookstreet Venue of the Year. It’s also been of prime golf destinations, and lur - Hotel — complemented with 18 named Europe’s Best Hotel and Best ing golfers from all parts to play holes called The Marshes — in Ot - Spa destination. championship fairways, the Ryder Cu p tawa, a city he affectionately calls his Asked what he attributes the fame enticed companies to book other hometown. Yet the high-tech, Manor’s success to, Matthews notes conventions (whether they were golf - Wales-educated entrepreneur says the location and grand scale of the ers or not). he’ll remain true to his Mitel roots. resort, which is reportedly the most According to Matthews, golf “Electronics is my main business, and expensive hotel ever built by an indi - tourism represented £7 million to the I’m not going into the resort business vidual in Britain. “That makes The Welsh economy when the Ryder Cup in a big way.” Celtic Manor unique in the market - was awarded to Wales in 2001. In So, how much leisure time does the place. There’s nowhere like it,” says 2010, it accounted for £42 million. He businessman afford himself on his the founder of the £160-million project. credits the six-fold increase to “a great world-famous golf course? As an ex - Few would disagree about the team” working under his son, Dylan ecutive of Mitel, and chairman and hotel’s appeal. In fact, in a Celtic Matthews, Celtic Manor’s CEO. CEO of March Networks Corp., a Manor record, the 2011 occupancy Success aside, the Newbridge, leading developer of interactive rate was 78 per cent with rooms start - Wales native doesn’t have ambitions broadband IP applications, Matthews ing at £139 per night. to build other hotels. “I’m proud of rarely has time to play golf. His hole- Matthews credits the 2010 Ryder being Welsh, and I’m pleased the re - in-one has come in a different form Cup for Celtic Manor’s transformation sort contributes £18-million sterling a — his contribution to British tourism from the UK’s Best Convention Hotel year to the local community in salaries has been royally recognized. In 1994, into its current standing as a global paid to local staff and contracts with he was appointed an officer of the brand. “Overnight, we were put in suppliers in the area. At heart, Order of the British Empire, and, a front of a billion eyeballs and that had though, I’m a businessman and The few years later, he was knighted Sir a huge impact,” says Matthews. “A lot Celt ic Manor is a successful business.” Terence Matthews by Her Majesty of business was done in the hospitality That said, Matthews humbly notes Queen Elizabeth. N
hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 11 SIGNATURE REPORT
WELCOME HOME (from left to right): The Calla chair at Alt Hotel Quartier DIX30 Montreal; Moda Hotel Vancouver; the lobby of
Always innovating and constantly changing, this year’s design trends motivate the newest and hottest hotel styles popping up in the Canadian marketplace. Hotelier magazine surveyed the country’s leading In design teams to come up with our list of 10 trends influencing hotel design (in no particular order). The distinguished panel includes Mavis Truscott, hospitality design lead at Calgary-based Sizeland Evans Style Interior Design; George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, partners at Yabu Pushelberg, Tapping into 10 design trends that give hotels flair Toronto; Robynne Moncur, principal de - BY JACKIE SLOAT-SPENCER signer at Moncur Design in Toronto and Julie Campbell, principal, SSDG Interiors Inc., Vancouver.
12 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at Toronto’s International Airport; The Hotel at River Rock in Richmond, B.C.
Living, Breathing Lobbies: Gone are the days comes fully equipped with Internet connectivity where of lifeless lobbies, stagnant vestibule areas guests can check email and print their boarding passes. ignored by guests headed to their rooms. Hote - Additionally, The Hotel at River Rock in Richmond, T O
liers now believe these areas are perfect for B.C., features a living lobby that is four-storeys high. P 1 R I showcasing the style and mood of a hotel. As such, Guests can chill out in the open-air space while enjoy - G H T
they’re equipping lobbies with innovative kiosks and ing the soothing sound of a waterfall and indoor pond. P H cre ative check-in areas, and, in the process, creating a O T O
fun, social atmosphere with pizzazz. The common Spa-Like Bathrooms: Designing a bathroom G R A
spaces now serve as an oasis where guests can sit and space with spa-like elements is a great way P H Y
relax. A central café lounge with multimedia stations to ensure guests have a relaxing stay. A slow B Y
are the norm. “Lobbies abound with opportunity — 2down and chill-out design invites guests to S S D
give your guests the opportunity to use them for casual spend luxurious hours ensconced in their suites. Old G
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meetings, socializing and as a gathering space,” says showers are out, body jet and rain showers are in, T E R I
Julie Campbell of Vancouver-based SSDG Interiors with oversized bathtubs oozing luxury. And, these O R
Inc. For example, the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at days, top-of-the-line textiles are the norm with terry- I N C
Pearson International Airport recently underwent a cloth robes, towels sporting high-thread counts and .
A
$3-million renovation with an upgraded lobby that luxurious beauty items available in the bathroom. At N D
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comes alive. The hotel’s Link@Sheraton lounge the W Montreal hotel, a Starwood property, M A
¼ P E T E R hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 13 REST ASSURED (clockwise from top left): The St. Regis Mexico City blurs the boundary between guestroom and bathroom; The Moda Hotel Vancouver’s bath - room has the luxury guests crave; The Gold Lounge at the Fairmont Banff Springs offers a social hub
designers carefully crafted a stylish environment by placing of the hotel. The Bar rie, Ont.-based Horseshoe Resort uses a large, free-standing tub in the middle of the suite sur - natural colours such as amber and wood textures to create an rounded by glass shower doors. Spa-like bathroom amenities outdoor feeling while retaining its contemporary feel. This complete the look. The St. Regis San Francisco also offers trend comes as “Slow travel and staycations continue to gain an oversized tub with marble vanity complete with two momentum,” says Julie Campbell of SSDG Interiors Inc. glass sinks, a ceiling-mounted rainfall showerhead and detachable handheld shower. Lifestyle Coach: With today’s fast-paced environ - ment, it’s important guests keep up with their B O
The Comforts of Home: It’s no secret today’s guests daily routines even when on the road. Borrow - T T O
want to be reminded of home so designers are 4ing a residential look and feel, hotels aim to M
L
using warm, rich colours to offer comfort in replicate a guest’s home life by including flat-screen TVs, E F T
each suite. Soft orange hues promote relaxation, upgraded exercise areas and a bevy of tech toys. Hotels P
3 H O
while modern greys create an understated cool elegance. now also feature scent branding, with the interior scents T O G
“Spiced pumpkin, tangerine and amber” are popular vari - of guestrooms and lobbies carefully chosen to represent R A
ations of the orange palette, explains Robynne Moncur of the hotel and remind guests of home. Shangri-La Hotels P H Y
Toronto’s Moncur Design. At Hôtel Sofitel Montreal and Resorts uses a ginger and bergamot-scent in its rooms. B Y
F
Golden Mile, guestrooms incorporate wood accents on Providing a tech-friendly environment is a must. These A I R
the bed, topped with soft orange sheets. Designers also in - days iPod docking stations and top-of-the-line speaker M O
corporated natural c olours to give guests a sense of the out - systems are included in guestrooms. “IPod docking N T
H
doors. The Fairmont Banff Springs’ Gold Wing delivers a stations with integrated speakers bring an element of O T E
warm gold palette w ithout being overbearing. Accents of home,” since guests can play their own music, explains L S
&
warm autumnal fabrics, a thistle motif and indigenous tyn - Mavis Truscott o f Calgary’s Sizeland Evans Interior R E
dall stone are added to reflect the heritage and geography Design. In addition to the most up-to-date fitness studios, S O R T S
14 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com Hotel Guests Expect the Best
Wall Mounted Easy to Clean & Auto-Off Fully Featured Hairdryers Coffee Machines Irons & Iron Centers
Easy to Use Adjustable Spray Adjustable Clock Radios Showerheads Mirrors
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Corey Seale, National Account Manager [email protected] Visit www.sunbeamhospitality.com, or call 905-593-6222 for more information. ©2012 Sunbeam Products, Inc. doing business as Jarden Consumer Solutions. All rights reserved. Pilates and Yoga classes have been added to appeal to the fitness-savvy traveller. Toronto’s Hazelton Hotel offers a mosaic-tiled lap pool and a team of personal trainers for those who want to stay fit while on the road.
Restaurants that Sizzle: Hotel restaurants are more than just a place to stop and grab a bite. The culi - nary havens are the perfect outlets to showcase 5 innovative design, making the restaurant itself a destination. Stock restaurant, sitting atop the 31st floor of the n ew Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto, impresses with an art-deco vibe and contemporary look. Its crystal-studded wall appliques, antique mirror ceiling panels, soft bronze metal work and blend of colours from a cham - pagne-and-caviar palette, make the resto a key destination. Other hotel restaurants, such as Toca by Tom Brodi at the Ritz-Carlton, attract visual interest by showcasing elements such as a glass cheese cave. Centrally located in the main dining room, it displays more than 200 international cheeses. Other highlights EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS include the restaurant’s walk-through pastry (from top to bottom): Stock corridor, a glazed-brick interior and its open- Restaurant at Toronto’s concept kitchen — perfect for watching the Trump International Hotel and chefs in action. Tower and Toca by Tom Brodi at the Ritz-Carlton, beef up the Wall Candy: Showcasing local art appeal of hotel dining; The Moda can impart a personal touch and Hotel Vancouver and Montreal help define a hotel brand while Alt Hotel Quartier DIX30 6 promoting local talent. Large- appeal to guests’ creativity with displays of art scale artwork can be sourced from local photographers and is ideal for adding a signature flair to each room. A gallery of artwork can be used as a pathway to lead guests to their suites, imparting a sense of arrival. The Aloft Montreal Airport hotel features a rotating display of artwork by local designers. Last year, Vancouver’s Moda Hotel underwent a massive artistic transformation of its exterior, reflecting its energy and style through the use of street-art. A display, called “Unintended Calcula - tions,” was created by a team of local artists, including Scott Sueme. “Colour, art and fabrics transform spaces to engage the senses and deliver the mood and hotel story,” adds Mavis Truscott of Calgary’s Sizeland Evans Interior Design.
Unconventional Layouts: Rethinking guestroom configurations, hoteliers are looking for new ways to break from the basic bed-desk-bathroom lay - 7 out. Floating desks are now de rigueur, giving the room a more residential feeling. And, with more guests working from personal devices, some hotels are also elimi - nating desks. Instead, coffee tables are bigger and higher, so guests can eat and work at the same time, reports Yabu Pushelberg. Once a guestroom fixture, credenzas are now history, replaced by mounted flat-screen TVs. And carpets are being replaced by materials such as hardwood,
16 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com “ ...the best way to stay connected to new ideas and products, and to be involved with the most creative minds... “ Kay Lang,Lan President and CEO, Kay Lang + Associates
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Presented by In association with Produced by Nielsen Expositions, a part of the Nielsen Company herringbone and even bamboo floors. Matching furniture has given way to mix-and-match pieces, which add an eclectic flair to the room. Uphol - stered furniture brings an air of sophistication, and surprising textures are created with rich velvets, silks and chintz covered with interesting patterns and providing bold contrast. Montreal’s Alt Quartier DIX30 makes a bold statement by incor - porating interesting blends of red and pink into a dark colour palette and showcasing a Calla chair, an ergonomic accessory that transforms into a chaise lounge.
Indoor Meets Outdoor: Hoteliers are ven - turing outside the norm to create visual extensions of the outdoors inside its 8doors. Water is being incorporated into OUT OF THE BOX: traditional design, bringing a sense of outdoor spa-like (above) Montreal’s Alt Hotel Quartier DIX30 quality to the hotel. Wood flooring in bathrooms is an ex - shows the trend toward cellent way to create an “outdoorsy” space inside, while eclectic furniture; (right) stone floors featuring area rugs for warmth, create a rustic, Design is kept alive on resort-like feeling. Wood panelling adorns the walls with the patio at Aloft marble and slate to infuse modern and elegant twists. Montreal Airport Designers are also bringing the outdoors in by using water features, large plants and birch accessories, s ays Robynne Moncur of Toronto’s Moncur Design. The Aloft Montreal Airport goes the extra mile in its outdoor patio design
Simmons® Beautyrest®. AQUATIC, FITNESS Preferred by 16 of the & SPA GROUP INC. From design/consultation world’s top 20 through to construction and aftermarket service hotel companies. and supplies, PPL has been providing Ontario and Caribbean hotel owners, architects and operators one-stop shopping for all their pool, hot tub, sauna, steam and fitness needs since 1970. Recent Projects Include: Four Seasons Toronto Hazelton Hotel Toronto Hilton Toronto The bed that’s helped millions of hotel guests sleep comfortably since 1925. Hotel Le Germain Toronto
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with a bold colour scheme of bright green and brown, switches so guests can create complete with various types of lounging blocks substituted their own customized experience. for chairs. The Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa offers a wood-burning fireplace in many of its suites, or guests can Green Thinking: step outside to discover the communal fireplace with sit - It may not be ting rocks or comfy loungers. easy to go green 10 but hoteliers are LIGHT UP: The natural Plu gged In: Guests have come to expect a technol - light at The Element by getting creative in using exist - ogy-friendly guestroom with clever lighting design Westin negates the need ing elements and making them and the newest innovations in lobbies. Hotels are for extra illumination en ergy efficient and eco- 9looking for ways to streamline t he check-in experi - friendly. The Quartier DIX30 ence while appealing to customers’ cravin g for technology. in Montreal capitalizes on natural light with its oversized The Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel windows, creating a low-energy environment. Electronic offers guests an independent check-in area with self-serve water faucets are installed in bathrooms, saving energy kiosks. There, guests can print boarding passes while check - and money without compromising style. The Element ing in. And, the Hyatt Andaz brand has replaced the Vaughan Southwest, slated to open in Vaughan, Ont., in check-in desk with PC tablets allowing guests to sign in 2013, promotes an eco-conscious stay fused with urban at their leisure. Once inside the design. And, in an effort to eliminate room, the lighting sets the mood. wasteful bottles, bath amenities will be High- intensity lighting is the available in a dispenser format. Gue - norm, framing bathroom mirrors strooms will include recycling bins for or emitting a softer glow and a paper, plastic and glass, as well as car - funkier feel from under a lamp CHECK IN: peting made from recycled materials. shade. Ambient lighting is now Digital information Extra high ceilings, a 16-foot wall of expected and guests want to con - stations are popular in window s, low seating and an open lay - trol more, leading hotels to install hotels such as the out in the lobby will allow natural light lighting with touch-pad dimmer Courtyard by Marriott to carry throughout the space. N
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TECHNOLOGY
THE YEAR OF THE TABLET Why it’s important to integrate computer tablets into your hotel operation
BY LARRY MOGELONSKY
iPad
ou know a lot about them. tions flawlessly and has about it and left You might even have one. happily moved one more a positive impression. They’re popular for busines s reader away from paper- Used as a replacement and leisure and satisfy the bound books. for what’s traditionally trendy factor consumers Travelling regularly for been printed — menus, seek, but are they right for short business and leisure table-top displays and spe - your property? When it trips, the iPad is a good cial-offer coupons — the comes to tablets the answer compromise between the tablet has incredible versa - is yes. The real question for 17-inch laptop computer tility that outweighs the as - most hoteliers is whether and three-inch smartphone sociated startup costs. The or not this new technology display. And the tablet’s most prevalent application Y is feasible. screen, much larger than a for the lodging and hospi - First-hand experience mobile phone, makes swap - tality industry is the afore - with the iPad has made me ping the lighter tablet for mentioned food and bever - a believer. Initially just a a dead-weight powerbook age integration. It’s novelty during our second nature. I take it a fun way to liven up an courtship, the tablet is now everywhere. F or example, atmosphere and heighten my main point of access for during my travels, some - menu presentation. email, web surfing and read - thing fascinating happened. Tablets can personalize ing. It handles the func - Sitting in a restaurant for any restaurant menu and lunch, the waiter ap - allow it to be updated with proached me with a shiny specials. Imagine the possi - iPad that displayed the bilities — a smart operator FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE WITH THE menu beautifully. While se - could install features that IPAD HAS MADE ME A BELIEVER. lecting an entrée and a provide recommendations INITIALLY JUST A NOVELTY DURING favourite dessert, my new based on past order history friend suggested download - or offer wine pairings that OUR COURTSHIP, THE TABLET IS NOW ing the restaurant’s menu to tempt the palate. Picture “MY MAIN POINT OF ACCESS my device for future refer - several tablets propped up ence. Impressive. The place at the lobby bar where had a tech-savvy sensibility customers effortlessly flip hoteliermagazine.com ” MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 23 alerted to problems onsite and provide quick status updates, ensuring opera - tions run smoothly. Of course, a healthy dose of training would be required; have faith, in no time you’ll master straightfor - ward touch-and-go applications. Arming your staff with tablets is only half the solu - tion; the beautiful, sleek devices will also need con - nectivity. Think about widening the Wi-Fi cover - PC Tablet age for your property to in - clude rooms, restaurants through the list of elixirs cheaper and sturdier tablets and back-end areas. That while they sip their first are now on the market for may be an obvious solution beverage. under $400. The more elu - where you require your staff Another area of the sive cost is the price of a to use tablets on-the-go, hotel that lends itself to custom app. It’s best to look but there’s added benefit the newfangled Etch-a- into a standardized app that for your guests, too. Many Sketch is the guestrooms. leaves space for additional hotel brands don’t use an In-room tablets could be - functionality once you’ve ethernet port, so Wi-Fi ac - come the universal solution received feedback. Given cessibility is a must. And, for TV channel hopping, the novelty, guests will likely to be deemed a true ‘tablet- while doubling as alarm respond to a short question - friendly’ zone, Internet clocks and room-service naire. For staff applications, connection should be pro - hubs. It sounds crazy, but managers should be in - vided at no cost. with new apps for the iPad volved from the onset to The fourth major use for and Android- based tablets ensure proper implementa - tablets is for the planning arriving daily, and more tion with extensive feed - committee. Instead of rely - programmers fluent in both back monitoring. ing on sheets of paper for languages emerging almost The third major area in the weekly briefings, a as quickly, it’s not hard to which to incorporate robust file reader can cut envision these ideas in the tablets is housekeeping, the mounds of reports that near future. maintenance and other stack up, affording man - However bold as this back-end operations. agers a quick access point might seem, installing sev - These departments can to check in — whether at eral tablets in the rooms, benefit from the device’s a remote location or offsite . lobby and hotel lounges is mobility. Using the tablet With feasible uses for even bolder. The cost of as a clipboard makes sense. front-end staff, housekeep - buying a tablet for every Housekeepers can jot down ing, maintenance workers room is significant, but the notes on room deficiencies; and managers, integrating technology is getting even reporting vandalism tablets is the first step to and documenting theft can staying on top of technolo - be easy on a tablet. gy trends. Last year tablets With the Internet so ac - went mainstream; 2012 is IN-ROOM TABLETS COULD cessible, tablets are handy expected to echo the trend BECOME THE UNIVERSAL SOLUTION communication devices, able with increased customer FOR TV CHANNEL HOPPING, WHILE to relay urgent messages or sales forecast worldwide. DOUBLING AS ALARM CLOCKS AND other critical guest-service Make this the year you stay ROOM-SERVICE HUBS needs. For instance, in the in touch with guests by engineering department, outfitting your property “ maintenance workers can be with tablets. N 24 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER ” hoteliermagazine.com
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TECHNOLOGY
MASTERING MOBILITY A simple mobile website can improve hotel business
BY LARRY MOGELONSKY
he few remaining the customer expects hotels dent or small-chain property. Designing a mobile site consumers who to follow suit with their A more appropriate option is the inexpensive option haven’t bought own iterations. might be to build a mobile recommended for hotels that Tinto the smartphone craze Hotels need to explore website designed for a don’t have large budgets. probably can’t fathom the the best options to support smartphone screen. However, a mobile site does convenience they’re miss - mobile devices. It comes Mobile w ebsites are cre - have its disadvantages. Hav - ing. These days, with more down to choosing between ated differently than tradi - ing an app has cachet; it’s hand-held computing a full-scale native app or a tional websites as designers considered cool. And, apps power than we had on a mobile version of an exist - alter interface elements, can super-serve niche mar - desktop PC a few years ago, ing website. When decid - layouts and navigability so kets such as spa goers or it makes sense that millions ing, consider how much the site works on cellular golfers, for example. Native of mobile devices continue content will have to be up - devices. Apart from creat - apps also load faster than to sell annually. loaded. It can be a daunt - ing a separate mobile web - mobile websites. Lastly, apps Last year, several clients ing and complicated site for each of the small- allow information to be orga - approached me to find out process, but if you make the screen sizes, it’s wise to nized simply and effectively. if the investment in a mo - product simple — in both adhere to the principles of However, unlike the re - bile version of their website design and methodology — “responsive” web design to sponsive design of HTML5 was worth the effort. Flash- it will be easier. reduce costs and confusion. web-based mobile sites, a forward to today, and it’s no The responsive architec - separate app has to be longer a question, it’s a ne - Mobile Website Trumps Web ture used when building a coded for individual phone cessity, allowing operators App • Although a tradition - websit e allows layout ele - operating systems, which to keep up with the rising al, computer-based website ments to flex and adapt to can vary. For most operators, tide of technological ad - opens on a smartphone, it various mobile devices ac - the costs are high, with the vances. In the world of can be difficult to navigate cessing the site. The inher - exception of large chains, travel, apps are already since the average index fin - ent flexibility can be quite which can use economies of leading the way and they’re ger doesn’t have the preci - convenient when trying to scale to launch and maintain a big deal with airlines, sion of a mouse. In addition, simultaneously push an - apps across multiple plat - magazines, car rental com - designing a full-scale app nouncements or updates to forms. So, it’s important to panies and cruise lines. can be a lengthy process, a traditional website as well consider the primary reason With thousands of apps, especially for an indepen - as mobile platforms. someone downloads your hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 27 The Sealy Difference app. Reservations and world. Rather than trying ‘what’s new’ updates entice to make your mobile web - guests to download an app, site as robust as your PC yet neither task is common version, consider the es - on a per-property basis. sential parts needed to And, since recurring use is market your hotel. You what makes an app valu - need to include a booking able, it may be best to stick engine, but you may want to a mobile site. to exclude many of the A content-managed graphics and logos that mobile site with core slow down a tiny device. functionality can be built It’s a balance between for much less than a con - functionality and tonality, ventional website and but it’s crucial to ensure since a micro site would your mobile website is as synchronize with a regular simple as possible and nul - site, additional mainte - lifies the “cognitive-drift” nance fees should be min - phenomenon. imal to non-existent. The When it comes to dol - mobile site may be the lars and cents, simplicity faster app to implement, may work to your advan - so the choice is simple. tage. Design a mobile web - site instead of a native Simplicity of Design and app, then involve the mar - Layout • Consider how fast keting team so you know your app loads. Remem- what to include in the mo - e Sealy Posturepedic® is designed to eliminate pressure points ber, guests will likely learn bile version without im - that cause tossing and turning, creating a better sleep experience for about your hotel by using peding load times. These your guests. Designed in conjunction with orthopedic surgeons and a mobile device, instead of steps will likely save you reviewed by the Orthopedic Advisory Board, the Sealy Posturepedic a computer since they’re development fees. features components that provide push-back support and pressure often on the move and Since mobile devices relief, the two components of orthopedically correct design. short on time. Any layout are here to stay, the smart or stylistic feature that hotel operator will attract hinders performance will potential reservations limit the number of visi - with a new mobile app, 1 POSTURETECH™ INNERSPRING tors reaching your website. while increasing the Intelligently senses your individual movement and weight, The principle behind this hotel’s bottom line. Don’t is called ‘electronic cogni - lose new business by leav - then responds by increasing conforming support to the needs tive drift.’ If a web page or ing your site poorly for - of your back and body. application takes too long matted for smartphones. 2 STAYTRUE™ COMFORT to load — even just a few As with all rising tech - seconds — users lose inter - nologies, adapting sooner, Our special comfort layers o er advanced pressure relieving est. For example, imagine rather than later, is the materials to minimize tossing and turning, for luxurious you’re at lunch with co- better option. N comfort that lasts. workers and, while leav - ing, one of them tells you Larry Mo - 3 UNICASED™ EDGE SUPPORT to check out the hotel gelonsky is Provides a stable feel from edge-to-edge and allows you to they recently visited. You president and sleep comfortably and undisturbed across the entire surface of pull out your smartphone founder of the mattress. and plug in the address. LMA Com - The website loads slowly munications and your friend’s recom - Inc. (lma.ca ), a full-ser - mendation falls flat. vice communications A mobile web site has to agency focused on the be in sync with today’s hospitality industry. You rapidly moving and in - can reach him at credibly time-sensitive [email protected].
Absorbs and disperses pressure while www.sealy-contract.com hoteliermagazine.com providing push-back support. 1-800-268-4414 DECOR & DESIGN
FURNISHING SUCCESS Does your hotel’s furniture sit well with today’s guests? BY LISA VAN DE VEN
yle Phillips has seen a lot of the largest components of any hotel’s hotel furniture. As a sales di - interior design, so making the right Krector with a Toronto-based selection drives loyalty among people software company, he’s on the road — like Phillips. and in the air — a lot, averaging ap - “Guests always walk into a hotel proximately 100,000 km a year. In be - with an expectation,” says Bonnie tween sales calls and conferences, h e Strome, executive assistant manager stays at mid-range hotels, choosing of Rooms at the Park Hyatt Toronto. locations based on photos of the “When they see there’s a crisp, up - property’s decor and furniture instead dated look, it doesn’t matter if it’s of remaining loyal to a particular their design style or not. As long as brand. He doesn’t stop there, either. they see there’s a design to it, and it’s He’ll assess a hotel’s furniture and de - crisp and fresh, it speaks to them.” sign after he’s arrived, letting both The Park Hyatt Toronto replaces its factors play into his decision to return. furniture every five to six years — es - “It’s an indicator of the overa ll quality pecially the pieces with upholstery that or comfort level,” says the sales director. show wear and tear. And, recently , the For Phillips, it’s less about looking hotel’s public areas were outfitted with for the specific trends or brand new furnishings, as part of a $1-million NEW LOOK LOBBIES: names he likes at home and more remodel. Currently, the guestrooms are (Clockwise from top) Crowne Plaza Charleston about noticing furniture and decor being redesigned as well; a typical gue - Lobby; Hotel Indigo that looks worn and dated. He won’t stroom renovation at the hotel, Strome Atlanta, Midtown; and even tell the front desk he’s unhappy says, costs $35,000 to $40,000 per Park Hyatt, Toronto, — he just won’t go back. room with furniture replacement being public area Decor plays a big part in the guest’s one component of that price. first impression. Furniture is one of It’s an investment that’s paying off. hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 29 Having furniture that’s new and de - sign-savvy is vital. “People are well- travelled. They may stay at another hotel in another city that’s brand new [and compare],” Strome says. “And everyone’s very familiar with home design, because it’s available through TV, online, magazines — everyone knows what a luxury home looks like, Hotel designers are also moving what a luxury hotel looks like, and away from matching furniture sets, they have that expectation.” says interior designer Glenn Pushel - Does that mean hotel guests expect berg, whose firm — Yabu Pushelberg the same design trends they enjoy at — created the interiors at The Hazel - home or see in the media? The short ton Hotel in Toronto. “You mix furni - answer is yes, according to Dennis Mc - ture rather than having sets,” he says, Carty, vice-president of Design and adding the trend lends itself to a more Construction with InterContinental CRISP AND FRESH: personal space that’s less generic . Hotels Group (IHG ). Furniture design Top, The Hub at Holiday Trends aren’t only apparent inside, is important at IHG and following Inn, Duluthe, Georgia; either. According to Strome, bringing trends is part of that. “Hospitality is bottom, Deluxe Room the inside out to create a continuous driven by the residential market and InterContinental, Boston design is also popular. At the Park the fashion industry,” McCarty says. Hyatt Toronto, an outdoor terrace on “In our industry, one has to stay edu - the 18th floor is open to the elements; cated about the global trends driving the space is equipped with heaters 12 the way we think and live.” Right months of the year. “So the furniture now, the biggest trend continues to be has to be weather-resistant,” adds contemporary-sleek design, with a Strome. Pillows and blankets that can continued concern for sustain ability. be taken indoors when not in use keep
the space comfortable and cosy. trends, Strome says. The furniture has Canadian-based Realstar Hospitality, What isn’t as important in hotel to last until the next redesign, so it which owns the master franchise rights spaces, McCarty says, are brand should be more classic than fad-in - to Days Inn and the Motel 6 brand names. Guests aren’t looking for the spired. For instance, grey has been pop - across Canada, agrees. He’s currently designer labels they have at home. ular for the last year and a half; Strome rolling out a new guestroom design, in - Even the textiles are chosen with dif - feels safe following the grey colour cluding a new furniture package, in ferent priorities in mind: durability is trend because it’s neutral. If she were to Motel 6 hotels across the country. While just as important as design. “The hos - choose the Pantone 2012 colour of the Prince wants the new furniture to be de - pitality industry has a defined market, year — a bright orange called Tanger - sign-savvy, he also needs it to stay fresh and the products are commercial ine Tango — her design might not and contemporary for seven to 10 years quality, not residential grade,” he says. have the same staying power. before the next redesign. “We’re looking There’s another trick to following Irwin Prince, president and COO of at a colour palette that isn’t going to date itself. So we’re not taking an ex - treme colour palette of primary colours, but at the same time we’re not going to floral patterns — things that become more of a fad than a trend,” Prince says. “We can alter the tone of the room with a paint colour, so the colour of the furni - ture, the colour of the case goods will last. If we modify the paint colour, it will freshen up the look.” And, there’s one final furniture consideration: sourcing. Price is im - portant at Motel 6 and furniture costs for the new redesign are estimated at $4,000 (with freight and taxes) per standard guestroom. Prince and his team look to vendors that can provide furniture at the best overall cost, con - sidering quality, the service and war - ranty coverage. Typically for Motel 6, that means most of the material comes from the U.S. or Canada. “We’ve got some great manufacturers that do a terrific job of providing everything we need in a timely man - ner,” says the COO. Prince himself doesn’t source over - seas often, but some hotel operators find it a more economical option. “I don’t recommend buying everything in China, but there are specific com - modities that can be purchased [there],” says Yanick Tremblay, presi - dent of YK Purchasing Group, a Que - bec-based procurement company. He buys lamps in China, for example, but prefers to work with local compa - nies for soft seating and mattresses. It may not be something that a guest such as veteran traveller Phillips notices, but for Prince it’s part of making a lasting first impression. “We’re in a very competitive market,” he says. “When a guest walks into a room, they have an expectation.” N
32 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com OPERATIONS
BRAND CHAMPIONS Staffing hotels with employees who care creates impeccable hospitality BY LAURA PRATT
ecently, Tim Terceira, general selves,” he explains, “but these exam - manager of The Ritz-Carlton, ples reinforce it, and attention to ser - RToronto, was in the lobby of vice at this level is essential.” his downtown property when he no - High-level service is increasingly ticed a guest loaded down with bags important as hoteliers acknowledge heading into the drizzly weather. Ter - the valuable role customer service has ceira asked the man if he could assist to play in differentiating their brand with transportation. Setting the bags in an increasingly crowded hotel down, the guest explained he was landscape. Luxury properties are con - headed to the TD Centre and would stantly improving relevance from a appreciate directions. Terceira did design perspective, and there’s little better, offering the guest an umbrella doubt some brands accomplish this and a ride in the hotel’s Cadillac Es - better than others. However, there’s calade. “All of this put a big smile on much homogeneity across this spec - his face because it wasn’t something trum of comparison, many agree, and he was expecting,” says the GM, who winners regularly trade the lead posi - went inside and encouraged his man - tion. Throughout it all, service prevails ager on duty to share the story with as the key discriminator. “Those who his team. “It’s not that they wouldn’t do it the best,” says Terceira succinctly, have done the same thing them - “will do the best.” hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 33 In Terceira’s mind, guests of the The pects its team to treat others. Ritz-Carlton, Toronto — or at least The same consideration extends to those fiercely loyal to the hotel — training, an exercise Trump manage - seek out the brand while making travel A BED IS A BED ment believes should be undertaken plans. The concept of engagement is a with attention to engaged participa - powerful force in the Ritz-Carlton’s IS A BED, BUT tion. It’s why traditional lectures have brand-management efforts. It’s a force “ been replaced with workbooks, role- THE BIG UMBRELLA so strong it shapes a standard of service playing and several interactive tools. and builds customer loyalty. OVER THE “They didn’t get a 300-page manual WHOLE THING dropped in their laps,” says Dhanani, PERSONNEL PREOCCUPATION S who explains that his company looks Ritz-Carlton staffers understand the IS … DO WE for passion, drive and enthusiasm expectation from the moment of first CARE ENOUGH among the 20,000 applications they contact. In addition to a rigorous set received in 201 1 — 19,950 more than of practices — including gold stan - TO DO THE they needed. dards of the day, quotes of the day, an VERY BEST? The discovery method of learning is employee promise and the concept of nothing new to the instructors at the six-diamond service — the company École Hôtelière de Lausanne, a world- also initiated the employee motto renowned hotel college — the oldest “ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies hotel school in the world — located and gentlemen.” Additionally, the in Switzerland. Empirical research un - Ritz has a very prescriptive selection dertaken by EHL, says Anouck Weiss, process that includes online assess - ” director of Communications, suggests ments and multiple in-person meet - one of the tricks to great service is the ings. It’s not unusual for a prospective development of a “service climate.” Ritz-Carlton employee to be inter - Several elements contribute to its cre - viewed four times prior to being se - ation, Weiss explains, including so - lected. The goal is to match the po - phisticated HR systems that allow for tential hire’s DNA with the the recognition of exceptional service Ritz-Carlton brand. performance and strong leadership Once hired, Ritz-Carlton employ - for us to put them in a uniform than that “shows the way.” ees attend a two-day orientation and it is for us to inculcate a naturally At Starwood, leadership has been embark on a certification process friendly attitude,” says Reid. assigned a position in the form of ser - under the auspices of department- vice culture trainers. Charged with head “learning coaches.” Additionally , DO UNTO OTHERS modelling brand behaviour to subor - every associate, each weekday, in It’s the same story at the new Trump dinates, the individuals — no less every Ritz-Carlton property around International Hotel and Tower than one at each property — are es - the world, studies a particular service- Toronto, where immersing employees sentially brand champions. They’re oriented subject through short educa - in an attentive atmosphere is key. responsible for promoting the quali - tion sessions. The theme, ‘service ex - “It’s about creating an unsurpassed ties hundreds of hours of consumer cellence’ runs throughout the facil- and respectful environment for our interviews, meetings with general itator-delivered sessions. Personnel associates. We start by wowing our managers and executive surveys re - are quizzed on their comprehension team so they can then wow our vealed as making Starwood “distinc - during the weekend. guests,” explains Amit Dhanani, a tively competitive.” Similarly, the Four Seasons, like training manager. Mastering this feat didn’t happen many businesses today, hires candi - Specifically, it means management overnight. “It’s been an eight-year dates for attitude rather than skill. treats employees with respect and journey in terms of understanding “It’s like a good meal,” says Craig professionalism from the get-go, who we are as a brand and what we Reid, Four Seasons’ president of speaking to potential employees with can do to support that from a service Hotel Operations for the Americas. “luxurious language” and taking the perspective,” says Trevor Bracher, di - “You’ve got to start with the right in - time to learn personal stories. Right rector of Service Culture for Star - gredients.” As such, would-be staffers off the bat, potential hires are im - wood’s North America division. “A undergo a four-part hiring process. pressed, says Dhanani. Through the bed is a bed is a bed, but the big um - They’re interviewed by various levels entire recruitment process, whether brella over the whole thing is … do of management and in the balance or not a candidate gets the job, we care enough to do the very best?,” it’s about an individual’s personality Trump staff treat them with respect. he asks rhetorically. “If you show me and affinity with the hotel. “It’s easier It shows how Trump management ex - that you do care, I’ll come back.”
34 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com © 2012 All Rights Reserved. Global Design Center 12.0051 Shown in Momentum, Ace Pesto (AC79) and Ace Hot (AC70). seating solutions for the hospitality industry e-mail hospitality visit us on the web at www.globaltotaloffice.com and www.officestogocanada.com greenguard @ globaltotaloffice.com tel 416-650-6500 x.4747 fax 416-739-6319 ® certified level 2 certified roma ™ Starwood guest-experience scores company, compared to the industry EUROPE VS. NORTH AMERICA have consistently improved over the average of 73 per cent. As is the case across most of Europe, last six years, as have associate scores. At the Ritz-Carlton, Terceira calls École Hôtelière de Lausanne endorses “Those two components show we’re the cost of preparing good employees an appreciation for über-fine service on the right track.” “significant,” but he won’t staff the that’s generally regarded to be more hotel with employees who aren’t pre - evolved than in North America. ENUMERATING EFFORTS pared to embody the service culture. Weiss, the school’s director of Com - Quantifications are important, con - “One could put dollars against activi - munications, clarifies the differing sidering the investment of money and ties, but then there’s revenues that approaches: “The service culture in time this kind of undertaking de - aren’t lost because you have repeat North America is strongly centered mands. An exact cost is difficult to guests,” he explains. The Four Sea - around efficiency of service: reli - calculate, concedes Tamara Jovene, sons’ Reid agrees. “We don’t see these able, on time, pragmatic, almost im - director of Brand Service Delivery for things as expenses; we see them as in - personal. Of course we share the IHG Americas’ HR team. At her vestments,” he says. same ambition of excellence, but we company, a full-time hourly employee It’s a sentiment echoed by most also promote the fact that the Swiss receives an average of 85 hours of hoteliers, who prefer to measure suc - sense of hospitality is based on a sub - training per year, 75 per cent devoted cess less by the numbers and more by tle balance of rigour and style geared to skill building and 25 per cent to guest feedback. “If our guests are happy, towards the pleasure of our guest.” personal development. The organiza - they’re going to come back and say Deeply rooted in the history of noble tion, enterprise-wide, spends $10 mil - good things about us,” says Pete Kan - hôtellerie that was born in the 19th lion annually on learning and perfor - galee, director of Human Resources at century on the shores of Lake Geneva mance. IHG has been measuring Trump International Tower and Hotel, when palaces flourished, the “Swiss employee engagement since 2003, Toronto. “The guest experience is the sense of hospitality” is founded in the and recently recorded its highest big thing. Whatever it takes for our “savoir-faire and savoir-être around scores (up 17 per cent from 2007). staff members to provide a memorable the mastery of operational skills, More than that, 94 per cent of staffers guest experience, we want them to be meticulous attention to detail and say they’re proud to work for the in a position to do so.” diplomatic poise.” N 0 09363 9 3 6 3
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36 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com SERVICE ABOVE AND BEYOND Four examples of memorable service excellence BY LARRY MOGELONSKY
Lanesborough Hotel, London, UK: Visiting this world-class property with my wife, we experienced a touch of superlative service while dashing out to the theatre one evening. Coming to the front door of the property, the doorman greeted us with Britain’s most popular accessory: an umbrella. It was the kind of hot, humid, wet night you’d expect in the southern U.S., not London. My wife wasn’t dressed for the weather; her shoes being of the rather delicate (and expensive) kind that don’t like water. Somehow the doorman noticed and knowing the wet roads wouldn’t be kind to my wife’s fine footwear, called for the hotel’s chauffeur. The driver not only drove us to the theatre but waited for us at a pre-designated location when the play ended.
Hotel Im Palais Schwarzenberg, Vienna, Austria: Several years ago I had the pleasure of spending several nights at the magnificent Hotel Im Palais Schwarzenberg property. The hotel is now closed, but, at the time, the level of service was high. Proof of such service came when I was checking out. I absent-mindedly departed for the airport without my credit card. The sinking feeling of losing my Visa dissipated when my cell rang. “Mr. Mogelonsky?” the bellman enquired, “I believe you left your card behind.” We arranged to meet at a convenient halfway point, saving me travel time and a much larger headache. St. Regis, Rome, Italy: A birthday party that almost didn’t happen punctuated our stay at the mag - Como Shambala Estate, Bali, Indonesia: Asian hospitality nificent St. Regis in the Eternal and service increasingly sets the world standard. On a re - City. My harried brain had cent visit to Como Shambala Estate, we arrived late, tired forgotten my wife’s birthday. and disoriented after a long and delayed flight. The hotel When reminded by my son the team not only picked us up at the airport, but, in a stroke day before, I called the of simple genius, helped soothe our stress by providing us concierge in a panic and with refreshing lemongrass-scented towels in the car. arranged for a surprise in our Upon arriving at the hotel, the excel - suite while we were out for lent s ervice continued with the offer dinner. I had no idea what the I L L
of ginge r tea while we chatted with a concierge and his team were U S T
manager as our bags were taken to planning. To our amazement, R A T I
our room. After being escorted to our we returned to a room decorated O N S
suite, we found a treat that easily put with streamers, hundreds of B Y
a simple fruit bowl to shame. Know - balloons, a cake with a personal S A N
ing we were tired and jet-lagged, a inscription and champagne. D Y
meal of local fruits, vegetables, hors The last-minute save arranged N I C
d’oeuvres, fruit juices, mineral water by the concierge was above and H O L
and herbal tea was served. The soft beyond what either of us S / T Balinese music playing in the back - expected. It was a lifesaver H R E E
ground was the perfect complement that, to this day, my wife thinks I N A
to the experience. I planned. Hopefully she doesn’t B O X
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NATURALS EQUIPMENT THE NEW AMENITIES When it comes to catering to today’s guests, it’s all about customization BY ADRIAN BELL
n today’s über competitive hotel industry the adage ‘home away from home’ rings truer than ever before. INot surprisingly, in an effort to appeal to guests, the number of comforts and amenities available is longer than the list of TV channels, entertainment choices and hotel services accessible through your smartphone. Working within this new reality, today’s hoteliers are vying for at - tention and earning patronage from a demanding public who crave the latest creature comforts and luxury perks. These days, on the amenities front, it’s all about personal - izing the guest’s hotel experience. Andrea Torrance, VP of Rooms, at Toronto-based Fair - mont Hotels and Resorts, recently found out what guests really want. After researching amenities preferences on four continents, she learned guests like “a good product in the bottle. It’s got to be excellent quality, almost without compromise,” she says. “The guest is looking for things LATEST PERKS: they’ve heard about in the media.” They want it to be pe - Top hotel amenities troleum-free with no parabens; it can’t be tested on ani - range from free mals or contain sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), in - Adidas sports garb forms Torrance. and exclusive The amenity industry has certainly changed. Tradition - personal products al items — soap, hand cream or shampoo — are now stan - to top-line BMW dard offerings. However, numerous programs, gadgets and bicycles even hands-on pampering services prove the scope of amenities widens over time. “We’re venturing into amenities, which are customized to the individual needs,” explains Andreas Augustin of the Vienna, Austria-based, FamousHotels.org, a journalist, author and expert on hotel history around the world. Creating an unforgettable guest experience is big busi - ness with hoteliers now offering everything from compli - mentary Adidas running gear at select Fairmont properties to babysitting services, helicopter rides, butler services, BMW bicycles and even a chauffeured classic saloon car. Whether providing creams or copters, amenity suppliers have to be mindful of planet Earth. “[They] need to look fantastic and sexy and smell beautiful. They need to fit beautifully into the decor,” says Michael Matulick, CEO of Australia’s Concept Amenities, which has supplied amenities for 25 years. In terms of the future. “It’s very much about delivering an environmental solution. Hotels are trying to tap into a new sense, not just the five tradi - tional senses,” Matulick says. The Australian company’s innovation has produced many firsts, including nourishing shampoo, sachet wrap hoteliermagazine.com MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER 39 soaps and Australian-made pleat-wrapped soaps. Tapping into the new reality, Concept Amenities went green by introducing environmentally responsible products (ERP). “What’s interesting is the aspect of [being] in Guest Room Amenities, sync with additional senses, where guests are using our products and feeling like they’re contributing to solving Bed & Bath Linens, the problems we’ve got on the planet,” says Matulick. Fairmont’s Torrance echoes Matulick’s sentiments. Room Appliances and more! “Guests want to feel they’re giving back to the environ - ment, so they want biodegradable formulas,” she says. “We went to great lengths to find bottles and in particu - lar caps that can degenerate on the way to the landfill.” If you think the answer to reducing plastic in landfills is wall-mounted lotion dispensers, think again. Fairmont research proved otherwise. “I expected at certain loca - tions guests would feel it was appropriate to proceed with E ’ GUID dispensers. But we we’re building a LEED-certified hotel ER S 2 UY 1 B 0 pplies 2 ng Su keepi ial & House in Pittsburgh,” she continues, “and the research was un - ies z Janitor pliances om Accessor ronics z Ap ng z Bathro ings z Elect ties z Beddi e & Furnish Supplies z Ameni ies Furnitur aintenance akfast Suppl Supplies M believably the opposite. Do not even think about it.” she rage & Bre ccessories & s z Signage Beve est Room A nce Supplie inens z Gu t & Confere d & Bath L z Banque Be z Uniforms ccessories says adamantly. Torrance discovered guests like bottled Bathroom A amenities because it allows them to take a memory home. Around the world, sustainability is becoming increas - ingly important. “Sustainability is part of our culture and being Swiss; respect for nature is highly regarded,” says Marion Schumacher, vice-president, Public Relations and Communications, at Zurich based Mövenpick Ho - tels and Resorts. “In Europe, we’ve rolled out several amenities, including an organic line and paraben- and preservative-free products. It’s something we’re proud of,” says Schumacher. Conscious some amenities are DAY LINE 4 HOURS A harmful to the planet, Mövenpick now provides “bio- SHOP ON R ORDER 2 VIEW YOU degradable pens comprised of 90-per-cent cellulose.” ONLINE AIL tors.com EM northdistribu E rs.com true And plastic key cards have been replaced with wooden PHON rthdistributo FAX info@trueno 800.663.7913 519.332.3305 ones produced from a sustainable forest in Scandinavia. Elizabeth Hueston, director, Sales and Marketing, Sysco Guest Supply Canada, also supports greening. “Sustainable sourcing is constantly under review,” she Request a copy of our says. “We only use recyclable material in our packaging and natural ingredients in our formulations. Personal- care amenity bottles are treated with a blend of non- toxic organic compound to enhance biodegradability.” FREE Sysco’s textiles are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Certified, a process introduced in the early 1990s to ensure the gen - 20th Anniversary eral public isn’t exposed to unhealthy textiles. One of the most interesting twists on the environmental front comes from the Four Seasons Nevis, West Indies. Buyer’s Guide! Hotel guests can contribute to conservation efforts by adopting a sea turtle. Once the reptile’s been tagged the fos - ter parents follow its migration on the Internet. Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotels and Resorts is now PHONE pampering guests with perfume. Nineteen of its proper - 800.663.7913 ties now have a ‘fragrance concierge.’ Travelling with your own scents is a challenge with today’s regulations, EMAIL so the chain now has a selection of perfume for guests to [email protected] use. “We feature fragrances our guests appreciate. The program is complimentary,” explains Heather Crosby, ONLINE chef concierge, Rosewood Hotels. www.truenorthdistributors.com hoteliermagazine.com
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© 2011 P&G in r esponse to “consumer demand for more interactive and intuitive offerings. ” GUESTS LIKE “A GOOD PRODUCT The app unites guest entertainment, hotel services and IN THE BOTTLE. IT’S GOT TO BE local area information. Available in more than half a mil - lion rooms in the U.S. and Canada, Derek White, presi - EXCELLENT QUALITY, ALMOST dent, LodgeNet says, “guests can now control their in- “ WITHOUT COMPROMISE room TV using their iPhone, iPad or Android.” Hoteliers enjoy its benefits, too, permitting them to communicate marketing messages to guests. “Accessing more than 200- million travelling consumers and the opportunity to im - pact their bottom line,” says White. High-tech gadgetry aside, a return to basic comforts also reaps positive results. Mövenpick Hotels’ yellow rub - Hotels once turned away patrons with children” and pets ber ducky in every guest bathroom is a winner. “Guests but not today. The Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland just love it,” laughs Schumacher. “People write to tell us sees a walk and a tummy rub as good business. “The they really enjoyed the gesture of the little rubber ducky doggy-dreams package helps us as it brings in business, and in the bathroom.” it benefits our guests, because dog lovers now have a place In the future , look for increased personal customization to stay,” says Johanne Falconer, the hotel’s GM. “The cost of the guest’s needs. “A smart room is the future of ameni - is based on best available rate. For a standard double it ties,” says Augustin on his mobile from Vienna. “Your would be £130 plus a £30 cleaning charge to completely amenities might become lights or music or your personal clean the room for the next guest.” desire for a painting that reminds you of home.” He pre - Another treat that can’t be bottled, is interactivity. De - dicts that the personalized items on a smartphone will be vice -docking stations, mobile phone chargers and computer able to be sent to a smart room. A room perhaps, with tablets have quickly become standard at hotels. LodgeNet, Jeeves standing at the ready with a succulent steak dinner a Sioux Falls, N.D.-based company has further personal - for the dog, the keys to a Bentley and a portal to watch a ized the guest experience. Its Mobile App was created turtle’s long and winding migration. N
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Heather McCrory The Fairmont Royal York, Toronto BY ROSANNA CAIRA
y her own admission, Hea- ther McCrory’s trajectory Bto the top was atypical. The regional vice-president, Central Canada, and GM of Tor onto’s iconic Fairmont Royal York spent 15 years in sales and marke ting, then almost eight years at head office as vice-president, Sales and Distribution before mak - ing a change. After completing her MBA at Queen’s University, she returned to colleagues are the most generous group of people; operations in her current role. “I didn’t know what they truly engage in active volunteerism.” I was getting into,” she quips, “but I have thor - While the hotel lays claim to an unrivalled loca - oughly enjoyed every minute of it.” tion, success boils down to engaging service. “Our Boasting 1,365 rooms, the Royal York is one of colleagues engage with the guest on a personal the country’s largest and storied hotels, attracting level; they know the guests’ name and, in some dignitaries, politicians and celebrities since its cases, they even know their childrens’ names. opening in 1929. Running it is a mammoth under - That’s what differentiates us from the competi - taking that requires McCrory’s painstaking attentio n tion,” says McCrory. to detail and precision. “It’s a unique and mag nifi - Leading such a large enterprise requires “the cent hotel — we have an outstanding professional right people in the various roles to maximize every group of colleagues, a history that is unparalleled in aspect of the business — for guests, colleagues, the city, plus the size and complexity [of the proper - owners and the brand.” Not surprisingly, she has to ty] makes it a very exciting hotel every single day.” be focused. “I’m straightforward and goal-driven. The dynamic and respected hotelier leads a team But, my Type-A personality is balanced by my un - of 1,200, including 800 full- and 400 part-time em - wavering belief in people and their significant ca - ployees. She’s also responsible for the Fairmont Pal - pacity to learn, grow and continually deliver. Hire liser in Calgary, the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton , the best people to do the job and then get out of
the Fairmont Winnipeg and The Sheraton Eau their way and let them do it.” P H Claire in Calgary. While it’s a taxing job, she finds time to be ac - O T O
Since landing at the hotel four years ago McCrory tive on various boards, including TIAC, Tourism G R A
has built a strong, engaging service culture. “It Toronto, the GTHA and the Canadian Breast P H Y
starts with colleague engagement and evolves into Cancer Foundation — Ontario Region. B Y
empowering our colleagues to do whatever they As for stress, it’s a state of mind for McCrory. “To J O H
need to do to satisfy the guest. It requires a culture manage it you have to compartmentalize — prioritize N
P
of trust, and we’re really beginning to see traction each issue, project, scenario — handle it, park it A C K
in this area.” She’s especially proud of her staff’s and move on to the next issue. Focus on what you M A
commitment to community involvement. “Our can control and let the rest of it go.” N N
44 MARCH/APRIL 2012 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com UNFORTUNATELY THE CONCIERGE HAS A LOT LESS TO DO THESE DAYS
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