lagniappe
One of the State Theatre rooms at QT Sydney
FULL of character
The 200-room lifestyle hotel QT Sydney has opened after a 17-month restoration of the historic property . The hotel melds the Gowings Bros department store and State Theater .
Retaining original timber floors , the rooms in the Gowings building are bright and airy with eccentric touches and embellishments , while the adjacent State Theatre rooms boast exclusively designed carpets and rugs that offer a lush feel , brought together with kooky-cool lamps and room accessories .
In keeping with the building ’ s heritage , staffers wear character costumes . The property includes a wine bar , cocktail lounge and bar and grill as well as a spa . QT Sydney is affiliated with the Berlin-based Design Hotels consortium . The QT Hotels and Resorts brand is owned by the hotel ’ s developer , Amalgamated Holdings Ltd ., Sydney .
HOT
TYPE
“ We don ’ t take a one-size-fits-all approach , and we don ’ t make assumptions about what they want . The days of sending wine and cheese is over — business travelers aren ’ t going to drink the wine alone in their room , and they can ’ t take it on the airplane with carry-on luggage .” – Niki Leondakis , president and COO , Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants , speaking about rewards offered to loyalty program members
Sufferingservice
Despite all the bragging hotels do stating otherwise , a recent Maritz Research study found only one-third of hospitality employees feel providing excellent service to customers is their company ’ s top priority . While hospitality employees ranked their companies higher than did the general population , in some cases they ranked lower than those in the financial services industry .
THE STUDY FOUND :
• Only 15 % of hospitality employees say their company ’ s policies and procedures make it easy to satisfy customers .
• 17 % say policies , systems and procedures at their company support the delivery of outstanding customer service .
• 21 % say they have authority to promptly handle customer requests .
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• Only 10 % say their employers provide recognition for behaviors that positively impact guests .
Maritz recommended hospitality companies provide clear guidelines for customer service , communicate to customer-facing staff about how to create positive customer experiences as well as foster a strong team feeling among staff .
MOM squad
On January 1 , Hilton Worldwide ’ s namesake brand will launch Hilton Mom Voyage , a family travel blog website featuring 15 U . S . moms sharing real travel content based on their own Hilton vacation experiences . The interactive program also considers dads who love traveling with their families .
Hilton Mom Voyage panelists will share their family travel experiences for 18 months on the dedicated website , which will also encourage other moms and dads to seek travel advice by asking questions of the panel and sharing their own experiences . In addition to other perks , the 15 panelists were sent on a five-night , all-expenses-paid family vacation to a Hilton Hotels & Resorts property that suits the family ’ s travel style . Hilton says it hopes the website will help promote Hilton Hotels & Resorts ’ leisure resort properties by creating an online community and offering additional content about the properties .
80 HOTELS November 2012 www . hotelsmag . com