Hyatt, Omni And Renaissance Make Up Upscale Big Three

<B>Hyatt, Omni And Renaissance Make Up Upscale Big Three</B>

By Bruce Serlen

This year, the top three in an especially crowded segment of the survey--the upscale category--are Hyatt Hotels, Omni Hotels and Renaissance Hotels, Resorts & Suites, with Hyatt retaining the number one spot from last year. These and other upscale chains are the mainstream performers, the owners and operators of large, full service convention hotels and centrally located hotels that dot the downtown landscape in cities across the United States. Travel buyers know them for their reliability, if not always their distinctive brilliance. Yet, Hyatt, in particular, earned strong ratings for its in-room and business amenities, its business centers and the overall relation between price and value.

"The upscale category is getting more and more competitive, so for a chain like ours it means we must continue to provide the very best relationship between price and value," said Scott Miller, president of Hyatt Hotels. "It's our highest priority. We're always aware that travel buyers have choices as to where they place their travelers. Accordingly, the chain that best meets--or surpasses--their expectations gets the business."

Miller, who became Hyatt's president on Jan. 1 after serving as executive vice president of Hyatt Development Corp., added that 117 of the 120 hotels flying the Hyatt flag are managed by the company, "so we're well positioned to provide a consistently high level of service across the system."

<B>Omni Presence Rises</B>

The unexpected success story among the top three in the category this year, however, is Omni. The chain moved up from near the bottom of the pack in 1999 to the number two position this year.

"We've just completed a substantial $500 million capital improvement program at our properties, so our strong showing in this year's survey may well be a reflection of that investment," said Peter J. Strebel, vice president of marketing.

Among the properties in the Omni portfolio at which the enhancements were particularly significant, Strebel cited the Parker House in Boston and the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. "As a chain, we feel we have 'the goods' and want the corporate travel community to know that Omni is ready to move up the ladder in terms of the prestige and level of service we provide," he said.

Ironically, Omni hasn't set its sights on the upper upscale tier right above, but on the deluxe category at the top of the pyramid. Moving forward, this goal will drive Omni in the new projects it undertakes. Right now, these include properties in gateway cities like San Francisco and the expanding Chicago submarket of Rosemont with its easy access to O'Hare Airport. Both should come on line in the next two years.

"At many chains, there will be one or two stars in the system that are really exceptional and get the bulk of the attention," Strebel said. "Others in the chain, meanwhile, may not be up to this level, so the traveler comes away disappointed. Here we want every property to be a star."

At Renaissance Hotels, Resorts & Suites, the chain is looking to create what brand vice president Sid Yu calls a 'savvy' service culture. "We find the brand is already fairly well known among corporate travel buyers, but we want to enhance it further," Yu said. "This will mean providing the business traveler with 'special memories,' partially through the design and style of the hotels and partially through our expertise in an area like food and beverage. Take the hotel restaurants, for example. We want them to be destination restaurants wherever possible.