GLOBAL UPDATE : MARKETING
MORE BUSINESS SHOW BUSINESS
Boston ’ s The Liberty integrates locals with
WITH unique events to drive revenue .
Models pose at a Fashionably Late event at The Liberty .
By Nathan Greenhalgh , associate editor
The Liberty is unique — not only because the 300-room Boston hotel is housed in a former jail dating from the 1800s , but also because of General Manager Rachel Moniz , who has launched a series of non-traditional on-property events that have been hits with both guests and locals .
HOTELS spoke with Moniz about how she organizes the events such as Fashionably Late ( a fashion show featuring local designers ), Friday Night Showcase ( a music event featuring local up-and-coming artists ) and Yappier Hour ( doggie happy hour ) and what the payoff is for the hotel .
HOTELS : How have your past positions in hospitality influenced how you ’ re running things at The Liberty ?
Rachel Moniz : I really started to connect with the business when I started working for lifestyle hotels . That ’ s when I started to understand that you could have an influence within the community because if you have great food and beverage and a great space , it will draw the community to come and mingle with hotel guests and really create something special .
H : How do you conceptualize and find collaborators for your hotel events ? Do you work with outside marketing agencies ?
RM : We never have worked with outside marketing agencies ; we have always done it all ourselves .
When I moved to Boston to work at The Liberty , I wanted to get to know the city again . I would go out to artistic and community events , talked to people and tried to understand the market in a different way . I realized there was this amazing underbelly of innovation in fashion , and I really wanted to create a space for local designers that could not afford to otherwise show their work .
I started to meet with local designers , originally with Sam Mendoza and Michael De Paulo , who design eveningwear . De Paulo really educated me on the Boston fashion market .
We started to work on the event series Fashionably Late , and I partnered with various designers to create a fashion show every single week .
H : What is the typical attendance at these events ?
RM : We probably get between 300
16 HOTELS September 2012 www . hotelsmag . com