St. Regis Opens Seamlessly In Center City
<B> St. Regis Opens Seamlessly In Center City</B>
By Frank Rosci
One of the great names in the hotel industry--St. Regis--recently has raised the level of business travel options in Philadelphia to more luxurious heights. The 290-room hotel, the latest addition to the 57 elite properties that comprise the St. Regis luxury collection, sits in the heart of Center City's business district.
With enhanced service a trademark of its name, the new St. Regis Philadelphia, housed in the former Ritz-Carlton--which opened in 1990 and will be reincarnated in 2000 in a vacant bank building on Broad Street several blocks away--business travelers can expect to find a full range of custom services and deluxe amenities. Rack rates range from $175 for a superior room to $480 for a suite, however, negotiated rates are available for business travelers and groups.
"Business travelers, who account for 75 percent of the hotel's guests, are a vital group for us," said Jonathan Caplan, director of sales and marketing. "We expect their number to certainly remain constant and even increase a bit as we formulate a new marketing plan for the hotel," he added. "High-level board meetings also comprise a major part of our business."
An aspect of the St. Regis hotel's new marketing plan will be an emphasis on diversifying the direction of meeting business, with more of a national focus.
When the Ritz vacated the building, the hotel was left in superb, practically immaculate condition, Caplan said, so changes and improvements to date have been minor and largely cosmetic, such as painting and carpeting.
"A seamless transition to the St. Regis standard has taken place while our guests were sleeping," according to a spokesperson for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. "All of the enhancements to this property were carefully designed to further improve one of Philadelphia's most luxurious hotels."
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has invested some $5 million in the property. Dual phone lines and cordless phones have been installed in all guest rooms, as well as new 27-inch color televisions, and all suites and special Astor Floor rooms have been equipped with fax machines. Other changes were mainly in soft furnishings, which included replacing carpets in public areas and installing new bedding in all rooms.
The 15-story hotel's top two floors, known as the Astor Floors, often are preferred by corporate VIPs, Caplan said. The Astor Floor rooms--named in honor of Col. John Jacob Astor, who founded the St. Regis in New York in 1904--reflect a particularly high level of comfort and service, including St. Regis' hallmark maitre d'etage butler service. Through a guest profile system, these butlers are made aware beforehand of each guest's preferences, such as smoking versus non-smoking rooms and choice of newspaper, while attending to special requests throughout the guest's stay. St. Regis butlers are fluent in English and one other language.
Aside from the Astor Floor rooms, each St. Regis room offers complimentary daily newspaper and overnight shoeshine, and twice-daily maid service. Special guest services include 24-hour room service, auto rental, babysitting, and a fitness and exercise center.
A full-service business center with IBM and Macintosh workstations, laser and color printers, copy and fax services, administrative support and office equipment rentals also is available.
Conference facilities feature 10 private meeting and dining rooms, designed to accommodate business and social functions ranging in size from eight to 800 attendees. The hotel's 7,500-sq.-ft. ballroom is divisible into three separate rooms. There is a 3,000-sq.-ft. pre-function area, one 1,200-sq.-ft. meeting room, divisible into two separate rooms, and three board rooms, each measuring about 600 square feet. The Georgian Room, one of the hotel's dining options, also is available for private functions for up to 200 guests.
"In all, the hotel offers 13,000 square feet of meeting space," Caplan said.