Hilton Garden Inn And Homewood Suites Rockville

Volume 11
Spring 2010
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Rewards & Recognition
From Our Guests
2
3-4
Hotel News
5
Recent Renovations
6
Our Mission
To be the most respected hotel
development, ownership and
management company of leading brands in the industry by
providing our owners, investors,
lenders and franchisors with
solid returns on their investment.; by investing in our associates and providing them with
the highest quality work environment and leadership in the
industry; and by providing our
guests with superior products
and exceptional service.
Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites
Rockville-Gaithersburg now open!
Kelly and Anya greet guests
at the Hilton Garden Inn.
The Homewood Suites Lodge.
Page 2
Spring 2010
Achievements and Recognitions....
Congratulations to the Syosset Fairfield Inn team
for their outstanding first quarter GSS results:
Staff Service Overall = 97.5
 Warm and Hospitable = 97.5
 Skilled and Well Trained staff = 97.4
 Responsive to needs/requests = 100
(14th in the brand for the quarter!)
 Friendly Staff = 100
 Resolving Problems Overall = 100
 Problem Resolved on first contact = 100

The Baltimore Downtown Residence Inn
staff celebrates the announcement that their
sales team was voted “2009 Extended Stay
Sales Team of the Year” during Marriott’s Regional and Global Leadership teleconference.
Congratulations, Baltimore!
CONGRATULATIONS !!
The St John’s Courtyard by Marriott has been chosen as an 2010 Expedia
Insiders’ Select hotel! The annual award recognizes the very best hotels in
Expedia’s global marketplace, as judged by the experiences of Expedia customers. Winning hotels are identified as consistently delivering superior services, an exceptional guest experience, and notable value.
Congratulations to the entire St. John’s Courtyard team!!
QUIET ON THE SET....AND ACTION!!!
The New Rochelle Residence Inn Sales Team worked extremely hard to secure a huge piece of business. This group
helped the hotel beat budgeted occupancy for the month of
April, and gave the base business they needed to drive rate
and increase the hotels ESSOC by an amazing 10%!! After a
long negotiation process, the actors from the upcoming motion
picture The Oranges decided that the New Roc Residence Inn
was the best choice for their 47 night stay. The cast includes
Hugh Laurie (House), Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl), Adam
Brody (The OC), Oliver Platt (Frost/
Nixon), Catherine Keener (Where the
Wild Things Are), Allison Janney
(Juno) and Alia Shawkat (Deck the
Halls). The entire cast and crew were
a pleasure to host, interacting with
the hotel staff and always extremely
friendly. Pictured left, Hugh Laurie
with Jovita Diaz, hearthroom attendant. Look for a movie release date
in 2010!!
The HGI and HWS Rockville-Gaithersburg
opened their doors on April 23, 2010...and they
have been on a roll ever since! The sales team
did a great job during pre-opening, filling the
books with business. One major piece of business, NIST (National Institute of Standards and
Technology) has been using a nearby full service hotel for over a decade, but our sales team
was able to shift that business to our hotels.
The first NIST guests checked in on April 24,
just one day after opening, and NIST will bring
140 room nights per week for the next few
weeks. This client is also fully engaging the
HGI culinary team, by scheduling full receptions and plated, 3-course dinners for over 100
guests each dinner, each week! To top it all,
the Hilton Garden Inn achieved a 124% RevPar
Index the first week in the market—an unprecedented feat especially considering they
are competing against many full service and
purpose-built competitors in the Rockville area.
Guest comments have been overwhelmingly
positive, says GM Marco Fuentes. The operation is running so smoothly, most guests state
it’s hard to believe the hotels have been open
for less than 3 weeks!
Page 3
Spring 2010
From our Guests....
“Dear Patrick, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you and
your staff (Baltimore)...It was a
pleasure to stay at the Residence Inn during my treatment
at Johns Hopkins. You should be
proud of your employees for all
they did to make our stay as
pleasant as it was. Ryan Urgo
was especially kind and helpful to
Frances while I was in the hospital for several days...I would like
to praise Bill Green for all his
assistance. He truly was a gentleman and very professional.
The professional and extremely
friendly staff made it a pleasure
to stay at the Residence Inn during some difficult times. Again, I
would like to thank you for making our stay as enjoyable as possible. Sincerely, Henry G.”
“I stay at the Syosset Fairfield
Inn whenever I am in the area
for business, which is quite often.
And as long as Vanessa and
Trish are there, I will keep coming back. The staff is extremely
friendly, professional and courteous. This hotel is excellent.” Joseph P.
“Dear Theresa (room attendant), Thank you very much for
everything!
We always looked
forward to coming “home”
(Montreal Airport RI) because
of your nice hospitality and smile!
You made our stay a memorable
one. Thanks, again, Heidi and
Melanie.”
“The staff (Stamford CY) could
not have been more friendly and
helpful. Our only disappointment
was we didn’t get a ride in the
hotel Mini Cooper! Rooms were
spacious and spotless...the hotel
rooms were quiet...shuttle trips
were always pleasant with the
driver offering good info about the
city, which is very impressive.
You can find less expensive hotels
and even more expensive hotels
but you will not find a hotel where
you are made to feel your presence is important and deserves
attentive service. We loved the
Courtyard and highly recommend
it to anyone who wants to enjoy
New York City without paying NYC
prices.”
“Dear Mr. Miner, All the personnel
at your hotel (Baltimore RI)
were exceptionally kind, helpful,
friendly, and efficient, but we
were particularly impressed with
your AGM, Bill Green. He spent
a great deal of time helping me
with my computer wifi...he helped
get me to the convention center,
and with our transportation arrangements for the airport. We
plan to be back in Baltimore next
winter with several friends. We
will definitely stay at your hotel.
It not only met our expectations,
but exceeded them.
Sincerely,
Helen and Fred S.”
“My wife and I got “stuck” in
Washington DC during the blizzard and had to extend our stay.
I would like you to be aware of
the excellent service the hotel
(HGI) extended to us to make
our stay as comfortable as possible. Many of the staff have been
residing in the hotel and making
personal sacrifices of their own so
that they could so unselfishly tend
to the needs of the guests, which
made our stay enjoyable.
My
compliments to management,
the kitchen, dining and housekeeping
staffs.
Everyone
pitched in during a difficult situa“I traveled to Washington DC with
tion.
Please extend my coma large group representing the
ments to the hotel. Teri D.”
Little League Champions for a
visit
to
meet
President
Obama...We were stranded by the
blizzard, and as a native Californian I was completely out of my
elements. Traveling with youngsters who are snowed in for multiple days tests even the most patient among us. This is where the
stellar staff at the Hilton Garden
Inn Washington DC rose to the
occasion: Ketter called and found
a Western Union that could meet
my dire need for cash...Gennaro
never failed to ensure a wonderful
dining experience in the restaurant....Dora did a great job with
housekeeping...Shanga
and
Eddie always greeted me by
name and asked what they could
do to make our stay better. Michael
Vaka
and
George
Hummel were engaging, friendly
and responsive, and truly represented the Hilton brand to the
highest degree.
I am keenly
aware that there were many more
staffers that I did not meet who
worked to ensure I had fresh linens, delicious food and a freshly
shoveled sidewalk outside.
I
want to recognize everyone for
the extraordinary performance in
this record-breaking blizzard.
Thank you for having a staff who
worked so tirelessly to keep us
safe and comfortable...You have
created a customer for life in this
experience. Sincerely, Christine
M.”
“...You cannot control the
weather, but you and your
staff can control the atmosphere and the quality of life
within the walls of your hotel.
Throughout my stay thus far,
you and your entire staff have
done an absolutely remarkable job. Thank you, one and
all.” One of many guest comments that summarizes the sentiments of those staying at our hotel during the Blizzards of 2010.
Page 4
Spring 2010
From our Guests....
“Dear Chef Susil, I want to thank
you for going above and beyond
to make the experience here
(Montreal Airport CY) an extraordinary one! You fed us well
and brought special surprises that
we indeed appreciate beyond belief. You greeted each and every
one of us with a warm hearted
genuine smile every time you saw
us, and it brightened up our day
no matter how stressed we were
with our studies. Thank you for
making our stay at the Marriott a
remarkable and memorable experience...Thank you once again,
Carina B. (Air Canada Trainee).”
“Mr. Segan, I spent a week at
your wonderful hotel (Singer Island MHR). Upon leaving, I left
a wallet (that had no identification
in it) with $900.00 in it in one of
your room safes. It was a week
and a half later when I realized it
as I had been busy traveling on
business. When I did call the hotel I was connected with Ken Bianco (security), who with great
courtesy, questioned me appropriately and then deemed I was in
fact the owner of the wallet. He
told me that Raymonde (room
attendant) found the wallet and
turned it over to Security for safe
keeping. Mr. Bianco immediately
put me at ease and put a plan in
place to get me my wallet and
money. Everything that he committed to do he did! I had my
wallet the next day. I truly appreciate how professional he was
and what a great team player he
was as he quickly reminded me
that "he was only doing his job
and that it was the whole Marriott
team that enabled the safety of
my wallet." I cannot thank Mr.
Bianco enough or the whole Marriott Team for turning what could
have been a horrible issue for me
into a happy ending. Best regards, Amy A.”
“The Baltimore Marriott Residence Inn on Light Street is a
first rate example of why we are
faithful fans of Marriott Hotels.
Staying at your hotel for two
weeks, we were particularly
grateful to Bill
Green
and
Tabitha for their many helpful
acts...The excellent service and
kindness displayed could not have
been warmer or more effective.
Arthur B.”
“Mr. Towle, I have been staying
at your Burlington Hilton Garden Inn for the past 3 weeks...I
wish to acknowledge your staff for
their outstanding customer service. Amanda and Jill have
helped me with billing requests
and transportation issues. Every
morning I am greeted by Ben
and Jose; they are efficient, very
funny and an absolute pleasure—
they know nearly every customer
by name and remember your coffee preferences as well as where
you live. Finally, Joe, Matt and
Mike have been patient in driving
me to/from work, to the mall, etc.
I travel 90% of the time and have
stayed at hotels around the world.
Your employees are among the
best! Regards, Kristen B.”
to the store to purchase some for
us.
Never seen service like
that!!!! Loved our stay. During a
stressful time, we relaxed and
had fun. Anthony A.”
“Markos,
Eddie
and
Mike
(front desk, HGI in DC) are always on top of everything that
needs attention. I was also very
amazed by the knowledgeable
and speedy engineering staff you
have. Dennis, who works evenings, is very courteous and follows up very promptly to the engineering issues I experienced
such as blown light bulbs or fridge
not working.
I have been in
many hotels where I place an engineering order and it doesn’t get
fulfilled in 24 hrs or at all. Thank
you for having such great
staff. Sincerely, Roopal P.”
“Jackie
at the front desk
(Syosset FFI) is excellent. She
seemed genuinely concerned that
my stay was great....James in
the breakfast area is most helpful
and attentive to his guests.” M/M
Shapiro.
“We live in Stamford and stayed
four nights (Stamford CY) following the recent storm and
power outage. We were changing
our plans daily and the staff was
extremely accommodating.
We
especially appreciated the valet
staff, who helped us with our
cars daily! ...When our laundry
detergent was gone, the staff ran
The above letter was written by a
guest’s son, who was ‘breaking in his
new ball glove’ while on vacation at
our Singer Island Marriott resort.
The ball glove, tucked in-between the
mattresses in the guestroom, was
found by Steve and Ken, security
guards at the hotel.
Page 5
Spring 2010
Hotels News....
Members of the Burlington Hilton Garden Inn team
volunteered their time and efforts again this year at
the 2010 Boston Marathon. Kara, Andrew, Andrea
and Jose (pictured below) were stationed at the water
table providing fluids for the Elite Athletes running in
the marathon...this year’s winner, Robert Cheruiyot,
even stopped by Andrea’s table for a quick gulp!
Managers at our Stamford Courtyard met personality
Jerry Springer last month. The talk show host currently
tapes his show in Stamford...the Courtyard does not
host any Springer guests (thankfully!), however the
Stamford Courtyard is the preferred hotel for the NBC
executive team when they are in town.
Pictured
above are Sarah, Sean, Todd, Jerry Springer, Kat
and Gabe.
Associates at our Marriott Singer Island celebrate
their recent successes during their “April Pep Rally”.
The Radio City Rockettes found the Washington DC Hilton Garden Inn to be a warm haven during the 2009
Christmas blizzard in DC.
Beata
Cieplik,
RDSM
Canada (left), proudly
wears her Urgo shirt while
gathering
leaves
and
thinking
of
innovative
ways of selling the Canadian Urgo portfolio! Even
on the weekends she is
supporting her Urgo family!
Page 6
Spring 2010
Recent Renovations....
OLD MONTREAL
SPRINGHILL
SUITES
NEW ROCHELLE
RESIDENCE INN
RONKONKOMA
COURTYARD
SYOSSET FAIRFIELD INN