Extended Stay Cafe - Synergy Hospitality: Philadelphia Hotel

Café
Volume 43
2011 NOVEMBER
Extended Stay
SALES TIP OF THE MONTH
FROM DON
Share the
Excitement of
Our Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day
Parade Float!
Have You Said
“Thank You” Today?
In 2010, Homewood Suites was
the first hotel partner EVER
to have a float in the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As we move into the
Thanksgiving season, be sure
to leverage our second year of
parade participation on your
sales calls and celebrate it with
team members, guests and
current contacts. This level of
televised brand exposure is a
fantastic selling tool!
I recently read a blog about the value of a sincere thank-you. This
news isn’t new—we all love to be thanked for the efforts we make
in both our personal and professional relationships. But in the
hustle and bustle of life—especially the holiday season—gratitude can be lost or simply
added to a long to-do list. ’Tis the season of gratitude, and I would like to challenge you
to look for opportunities to say “thank you” to the following people:
• Team members. Thank you for your participation in iamsales. Thank you for the
work you do to offer our guests a comfortable and friendly stay experience.
• In-house guests. Thank you for staying with us. We know you have options, and we
appreciate your business.
• Current clients. Thank you for trusting us with your business. It is our privilege
to serve your travelers.
• Referrals. Thank you for telling your friends and colleagues about Homewood Suites.
• Family. Thank you for supporting me in my management/sales position. Thank you
for supporting our team members as they meet the needs of guests.
Don’t delay. Gratitude isn’t just a polite expression; it is future-focused. The “thanks” you
say today builds relationships and has the power to lead to future business opportunities.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Don Willingham
Senior Director, Homewood Suites Brand Sales
“A ppreciation can make a day, even change a life.
Your willingness to put it into words
is all that is necessary.”
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——Margaret Cousins, writer and editor
MVP Spotlight:
Nicole Ream
I’ll Take My
Coffee with
One Cream,
Two Sugars
and a Lead
Who knew that a mid-morning need
for a coffee fix could lead to a quick
$1,400 in revenue? When DOS Melissa
Sloan got in line for coffee at her
Atlanta I-85–Lawrenceville/Duluth,
GA, hotel, she did what she always
does—strike up a conversation with
the person in front of her. In no time,
this iamsales pro knew how the guest
felt about the hotel, where he worked
and why he was in town.
Determine the need. The guest was in
town to attend a meeting at Ericsson
TV and mentioned that he would be
hosting another meeting the following
month. Typically, this guest holds his
meetings at the local office.
Present the value of Homewood.
Melissa told the guest about other
meetings her hotel had hosted for
Ericsson and, later that week, took
both this guest and his colleague
on a site tour that included the
meeting rooms.
Make the sale. The guest was sold.
He booked his five-day meeting at the
Homewood Suites Lawrenceville for a
total of $1,403.87 in revenue plus food
and beverage. In addition, a few of the
meeting participants booked at this
property for a total of six nights each.
Eight-year veteran of hotels sales Nicole
Ream (MVP Class of 2010) has been DOS at the
Homewood Suites Philadelphia–Valley Forge, PA, for the
past three years. This mom of two loves the relational
and creative aspects of her job.
Back to the basics. Nicole counts the recession, which
began in 2008, as the most difficult sales challenge she
has ever faced in her career. The following learned lessons
about selling creatively and proactively proved to be
profitable for her hotel during that arduous time:
• Weigh your corporate accounts, and consider keeping them flat in exchange for
having preferred status.
• Use two-bedroom suites to capture group business—falling within their budget
while maintaining rate.
• Develop an “emotional selling approach.”
• Convert “frequent travelers” into “extended stay” travelers, and gather leads
through relationship selling.
At a time when companies were laying off employees, budgets were being cut and the
future of the economy was unknown, Valley Forge entered 2010 with rate increases
among corporate and group segments on average of 4%. Determined to achieve rate
recovery in 2011, Homewood-Valley Forge has grown 3% in Occupancy, 4% in ADR and
7% in RevPAS year-to-date.
Focus for the future. With increasing supply (both transient and extended stay) in
the market, Nicole and her team are proactively identifying selling strategies to not
only drive rate, but also occupancy, in order to successfully grow RevPAS in 2012.
Her focus remains on building the extended stay base to increase rate among shortterm business during compressed periods. She continues to lean on the strategies
that have already proved profitable while looking for new ways of “creative packaging.”
Nicole relies on “out of the box” strategies to gain commitments from new business,
maintain loyalty from current accounts and build her hotel’s reputation in the
marketplace. Her goal is to be so good that travelers will want to pay the higher rate,
realizing the value they receive is a return on their investment.
As Nicole reminds us, “Our mantra remains the same….we sell experiences,
not hotel rooms.”
A Homerun for Homewood
Team members at the Homewood Suites Bethlehem–Airport, PA, don’t just
invest in their community, they encourage others to do the same. In partnership
with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Minor League Baseball), this Homewood Suites
presents local advocates with a Community Star award.
Award. Recently, Lewis the Duck, AGM Elisa Nelson and DOS Rebecca SzaboSilfies had the honor of presenting this award to 15-year-old Logan Houptley,
cofounder of an organization called Mikayla’s Voice. Created for a classmate,
this organization promotes acceptance, understanding and friendship.
Awareness. In addition to promoting great causes, the Homewood Suites
Bethlehem–Airport’s involvement with the Community Star award has given
them some great exposure. They
present this award on the baseball
field in front of hundreds of fans.
Lewis on a jumbotron—does it get
any better than this?
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IronPigs mascots “Ferrous” and “FeFe” join
AGM Elisa Nelson, Lewis the Duck, Logan
Houptley, Rose Allshouse, Mikayla Resh and
DOS Rebecca Szabo-Silfies.
in the Lead
Brings in Revenue!
Our fall sales mission focused on uncovering business within
the government, retail and consulting segments—industries that
show strong signs of continuing project and extended stay travel.
From Oct. 3 to 14, 277 team members uncovered 1,381 leads worth
more than $7.7 million!
This mission was our most successful in five years, and it was
a record breaker for a fall mission. Congratulations to our Top
Booked Revenue winners!
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1.Matt Beard | Birmingham/Inverness | Booked $1,042,222
2.Simone Dayse | Charlotte/Ayrsley | Booked $400,203
3.Mindy Davis | Dallas Market Center | Booked $357,564
#
BPS Team
Shelly Dudley
41
26
63.41
30
139
$1,875,575.90
Bill Melton
47
20
42.55
22
102
$198,833.00
Connie Hetts
44
35
79.55
43
252
$699,217.16
Jeanne Yantes
45
41
91.11
50
218
$1,400,938.71
Jim Wogsland
45
39
86.67
41
165
$257,456.85
Karen Rosenstrom 44
33
75.00
42
287
$1,760,986.00
Brandon Cortese
45
45 100.00
49
216
Total
311 239
$2,283,892.71
76.85 277 1379 $8,476,900.33
Mark your 2012 calendars for April 2–13 and Sept. 17–28, the dates
of our next in the Lead sales missions. We’re taking sales to new
heights next year!
Specifics Sell!
Sales expert, speaker and trainer Jill Harrington advises,
“General features and benefits are meaningless and go
unnoticed. Your competition is saying the same. Specifics sell!”
How can you sell with specifics? Use the Competitive Analysis
Chart on your sales calls (OnQ Insider > Homewood Suites >
Quick Links > Competitive Analysis Chart).
2012 Homewood
Suites Leadership
Meeting
FEBRUARY 7–10, 2012 | NEW ORLEANS, LA
Please visit our meeting POG to book in the room block at the
Hilton New Orleans Riverside. February is Mardi Gras season
(A.K.A. mass influx of people to NOLA), so you’ll want to reserve
your room without delay.
$uite $ales $uccess
Webinar
Don’t delay—sign up now for one of our last two $uite $ales
$uccess webinars!
• The Road to Recovery—How to Fix a Flat
Nov. 18
Led by Ed Iannarella
• Succeeding in 2012 Begins Now: Tricks for Penetrating the Marketplace
Dec. 16
Visit OnQ Insider > Homewood Suites > Quick Links to register today!
Seeing and Being Seen
The team at the Homewood Suites @ The Waterfront, KS, knows how to celebrate an anniversary! In the week after their five-years-open
event, Lewis accompanied this team on visits to a radio station, News Radio 1330 KNSS, the ABC affiliate, KAKE, and an Early Head Start
class at a local YMCA. Way to start your next five years with a bang, @ The Waterfront—brand awareness sells!
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What They’re Saying …
Our goal is to offer guests a stay experience that is so wonderful that they don’t just talk about it—they exclaim! Congratulations to the
team members at our Reading, PA, and Santa Fe–North, NM, properties who received the following enthusiastic “thank-you” letters.
Dear Homewood Suites
in Reading, PA,
Dear Homewood Suites
Santa Fe–North, NM,
I must tell you that your property exceeded my expectations and
the staff was absolutely tremendous. From check-in to check-out
everything was perfect. The common areas and our room were
spotless. Ten minutes after my arrival, I received a call from the
front desk making sure everything in my room was perfect and
that I was satisfied with my room.
First of all, we cannot thank you enough for all of your efforts
to accommodate us during our recent stay. We appreciated ALL
of your efforts. Our room was clean, comfortable and everyone
treated us like royalty! I can honestly say that we wouldn’t change
a thing regarding our stay. The kitchen in our suite was well
equipped, the maids were awesome and the front desk staff was
so helpful. I must mention the Sunday kitchen/buffet staff,
that food was hot, fresh and tasty! The hamburger dinner on our
first night was fantastic, hot and welcoming! We enjoyed a glass
of Red Wine and again felt like we were at our “Home Away
From Home”; this is indeed special!
I must tell you, as a business traveler that stays in many different
properties all across the country, I was very impressed by the level
of service my wife and I received from your team. Ritz Carlton
service quality!!! Please pass on my thanks to the members of your
team in Reading. It is my new place to stay when I visit my daughter
at Kutztown University.
By the way, on my check out day I noticed an elderly couple
that was checking out as well. They were hugging and crying
with members of your team. Come to find out that they had a
house that caught fire and had been staying with your folks since
January. The couple knew everyone by name and your staff knew
them by name. I was really touched by the connection your team
made with them. Very nice!
FYI: We had been Marriott customers by circumstance,
yet no more!
I will gladly surrender those 9000 points in exchange for your help
and kindness. I am signing up for a Hilton Honors card tonight.
I look forward to our future encounters. WAY TO GO HILTON!
Respectful yours,
Helen & Thomas
Thanks again for the great experience. See you in September for
Parents’ Weekend!
Rick
ON OUR “WALL OF FAME”?
The Homewood Suites Buffalo-Airport, NY
At the Buffalo Bills home opener on Sunday, Sept. 18, former
defensive end Phil Hansen was honored for his 11 years of solid
and productive work on this NFL team. His name was added
to the Wall of Fame located in Ralph Wilson Stadium. While in
Buffalo for this unveiling, Hansen, along with his family and
friends, made their home at Homewood Suites Buffalo–Airport.
He spent four nights at the hotel and expressed to GM Jennifer
Redmond and DOS Jodi Benson how impressed he was with the
staff, service and overall accommodations.
After the game, Hansen celebrated this honor at Homewood with
nearly 40 people, including family, friends and some of his former
teammates. Hansen later sent this note to the hotel:
Dear Homewood Suites Buffalo–Airport, NY,
Ann Drysdale, Melanie Erb, Bethany Malchow, Bryan Kozak,
Phil Hansen, Janice Miller, Lashay Fugate, Fatumo Luhizo,
Christopher Bonasera, Alex Ariemma, Talma Brown, Sophia
Akono, Michelle Gill and Jennifer Redmond.
Phil
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© 2011 Hilton Worldwide
I just wanted to pass along my thanks on our four-day stay
while taking in my “Wall of Fame” weekend with the Buffalo
Bills. What a tremendous staff and great facility! Special
thanks for letting us use the breakfast area and courtyard
for my post-game party. It was a great weekend for me and
my family, but you helped make it even more memorable.