Luxury Hotels, Club Floors Enhance Biz Services

At a time when enhanced productivity among travelers is at a premium, luxury hotels in the class of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, as well as club rooms in other hotel chains, are seeking to fine-tune concierge and business center services introduced or reinvented in the past two years.

Cyber cafes, in-room Internet access, better business centers, upgraded room amenities and comprehensive concierge service are some of the offerings that have become popular as hotel companies try to keep pace with their guests' accelerated schedules. These amenities can transform a hotel from a way station into a useful extension of the office, ensuring that the traveler never misses a beat. They are designed to put business travelers in the mood to handle paperwork or prepare for meetings, sales presentations or the next work day--even as they rest mind and body.

"In the age of technology, we feel that the business traveler or group should be able to communicate with their offices or clients efficiently and effectively," said Ilan Juster, general manager of the Crowne Plaza Miami-Biscayne Bay. The hotel's business center, created in partnership with Bloomberg Communications, is equipped with cutting-edge computers, fax machines, typing stations and office supplies so that the traveler can function as well on the road as in the office.

In Melbourne, Australia, Forte Hotels' five-star Le Meridien is in the midst of a renovation to create a business and conference center with banquet space. A well-equipped business center offering secretarial and audiovisual services will be able to cater to seminars, board meetings, lectures and workshops for up to 180 people.

Jane Weigel, national sales director of business travel sales for the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, said she has seen an increase in requests for business services. "While we only have the request for a personal shopper to replace personal items a dozen times a year, requests for copying services, faxes and other business services are quite frequent in recent years," she said. The hotel has its own business center as well as an arrangement with a nearby Kinko's.

But some hotels believe business centers, while useful, aren't enough. Among blue-chip properties, there has been a seismic shift toward providing club rooms with their own business amenities (<I>BTN</I>, June 24, 1996).

The Hyatt business rooms, for instance, include waived access on local, 800 and credit card phone calls, and a fax machine in every room, in addition to the usual personal amenities.

Hotel Meridien in Boston's financial district recently unveiled its new Business Traveler rooms, designed with two extra-long-cord telephone lines and modem hookups, fax machine, large desk with expandable work surface and halogen lighting, a selection of newspapers, in-room coffeemakers, valet stand, complimentary shoe shine and 3 p.m. checkout.

In the case of one hotel, a pilot property in the Westin chain, the technology is expanding beyond the boundaries of Internet access to include room-environment controls that regulate lighting, draperies, temperature, television and stereo. Guests can even order the bathtub to fill up automatically by dialing a code into the telephone.

The property, the Century Plaza Hotel and Tower in Los Angeles, opened its "Cyber Suite" in June. Among its technology components are a motion-detector security system, Micron multimedia computer with Internet access and CD-ROM drive, Panasonic 35-inch flat-screen TV and a Bang & Olufsen six-disc CD player.

Jim Petrus, managing director of the 1,072-room property, said the Cyber Suite completely redefines how the hotel accommodates business travelers. "We think that the computerized controls and equipment featured at this property will become the de facto standard for hotels in the future," he said. "It will allow them to produce a state-of-the-art office environment." Features such as keyless entry systems and voice-activated environment controls also are major steps in providing greater access for physically impaired guests, he said.

Although data on business services indicates that some travelers have been slow to take full advantage of in-room Internet access (BTN, Nov. 11, 1996), hotels are nonetheless forging ahead. The recently renovated Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in North Carolina has placed direct Internet access in every guest room, suite and meeting room.

The Washington Duke Inn, situated on Duke University's Campus about 15 minutes from technology enclave Research Triangle Park--"is the first hotel in the country to offer this access in all the rooms," said Kevin Kelley, director of sales and marketing. Since January, each room has had a connection to the Internet.

For a nominal fee, guests have unlimited access to pre-established Internet accounts during their stay, for easier last-minute business research. Guests can access their existing accounts or directly attach to their home servers without a modem. This means guests can scan e-mail while simultaneously dialing voicemail. The system will reduce costs associated with logging on to the Internet and also will enhance bandwidth, Kelley said.

In addition to improving business services, many hotels are upgrading their concierge services as well. The postmodern concierge is an expert in meeting planning, client relations and logistics, and hotel companies are taking giant strides to make certain they conform to a rigorous standard of excellence.

Weigel of the Ritz-Carlton in Boston said that guests increasingly are taking advantage of cultural events in the city and thus requiring a full-service, fully informed concierge more often. "I would say that guests work with more intensity when they work, but are also entertaining themselves and clients more," she said.

Delta Hotels and Resorts, which introduced the Delta Privilege System for frequent guests in 1989, recently upped the ante on its professional concierge services as well, giving each frequent guest access to a concierge even when they are not staying at the hotel (BTN, Dec. 16, 1996).

Scott Allison, vice president of marketing for Delta Hotels, said that the concierge program, launched in September, has been very successful. The Delta Privilege Concierge service has fullfilled hundreds of requests, from arranging access to a laptop computer to going shopping for items a guest has lost or forgotten.

The Regency Club, a business section featured in more than 50 Hyatt hotels, boasts concierges that will arrange for secretarial services, transportation, babysitters, a cocktail party or any specialized need. The Club lounge also offers a small, semiprivate place for a business meeting, with complimentary continental breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres, honor bar, evening cordial and special bathroom amenities.

At the Four Seasons Regent properties in Asia--in locales that include Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong--a personal shopping service helps guests by providing insight into how and where to shop, as well as actually doing the shopping if the guest is too busy. The service also provides personalized shopping itineraries, trustworthy guides, advice on bargain shopping and local purchasing customs, and aid in shipping.