The Magazine for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Omaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality Hearts

The Magazine for the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Omaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality HeartsOmaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality Hearts

V212

AmericasThe

The Magazine for the Carlson Rezidor Hotel GroupThe Magazine for the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Omaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality HeartsOmaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality HeartsOmaha Center: The Best Place to Work ■ Revenue Experts on Call ■ New Business-Friendly Perks ■ Carlson Rezidor’s Hospitality Hearts


hotels designed to say yes!radissonblu.com

t u r n i n g t h eW o r l d B l u

RADISSON BLU. STYLISH. CONTEMPORARY. ICONIC. OVER 300 HOTELS AND RESORTS WORLDWIDE – OPEN AND UNDER DEVELOPMENT.

INCLUDING THE LAUDED NEW RADISSON BLU AQUA IN CHICAGO. OUR UNIQUE Yes I Can!SM SPIRIT OF SERVICE. SMILE.

IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU.

t h a n K yo uEX

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Contact Hotline | Send comments, photos and story ideas to [email protected].

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago this year for the magazine’s ever-popular “Hot List”!

As you turn the pages, we hope that you’ll be inspired to share some special memories of your own. Keep sending those stories and photos, and enjoy the rest of summer!

Molly Biwer Vice President, Communications and

Public Relations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

his summer certainly has been one to remember. In June, at the Pantages Theater in downtown Minneapolis, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Americas, honored recipients of the 2011 Order

of the Golden Rose Award for exceptional annual performance (see “Gilded Honors,” page 60), as well as our nominees for 2011 Carlson Fellows awards, the company’s highest accolade.

A few weeks after our ceremony, CarlsonSM named the global Carlson Fellows winners. Carlson Rezidor honorees included Puneet Chhatwal, executive vice president and chief development officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa; Christian Gartmann, area vice president, Nordics; and Ronnie Lobo, vice presi-dent, Operations, South Asia.

Gordon McKinnon was also a winner. He serves as executive vice president and chief branding officer for all of Carlson, but we like to claim him as our own for his extraordinary work to revitalize our brands here in the Americas.

Finally, our own Thorsten Kirschke, president, Americas, became a Carlson Fellow for his strong leadership over 17 years with the company.

But these are only a few examples among thou-sands of outstanding Carlson Rezidor employees. The service pins on their lapels represent their passion for excellence, and their stories fill this issue of Hotline The Americas.

Carlson Rezidor has so many passionate people that we had a hard time picking just one to feature in this issue’s employee profile—so we decided to feature three! Read more about them on page 16.

Beginning on page 26, our features on Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM and Park Inn by Radisson continue the theme of excel-lence with the stories of three amazing hotels.

And on page 48, be sure to learn how the Omaha office was recently named one of the best places to work in that city.

Finally, in a nod to our success on a global level, it is with great pride that we share the news that Condé Nast Traveller in the United Kingdom selected the

Stars of Summer

Editor’sLetter

Hotline The Americas | V212

T

HOTLINE THE AMERICAS 1

Photography by Joe Treleven

Carlson Rezidor’s people shine through a passion to excel. | By Molly Biwer

hotels designed to say yes!radissonblu.com

t u r n i n g t h eW o r l d B l u

RADISSON BLU. STYLISH. CONTEMPORARY. ICONIC. OVER 300 HOTELS AND RESORTS WORLDWIDE – OPEN AND UNDER DEVELOPMENT.

INCLUDING THE LAUDED NEW RADISSON BLU AQUA IN CHICAGO. OUR UNIQUE Yes I Can!SM SPIRIT OF SERVICE. SMILE.

IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU.

t h a n K yo u

EXT

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Publisher Thorsten Kirschke, President, Americas,

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Editor-in-ChiefMolly Biwer, Vice President,

Communications and Public Relations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Supporting Editors

Gordon McKinnon, Executive Vice President and Chief Branding Officer, Carlson

Deborah M. Bernstein, Director, Internal Communications, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Susan Ryan, Manager, Internal Communica-tions, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Contributors

Laura Archer, Mark Caskie, Jaimey Easler, Stephanie Jonas,

Matt Mullen, Mollie Muse, Jacqueline H. Ponzoni,

Kelly Thore, Carrie Ward, Christine Xoinis

Design | Custom Content | Production

pacecommunications.com

Suggestions and Advertising Please contact Molly Biwer, Vice President, Communications and Public Relations, and

Editor-in-Chief; Hotline The Americas, [email protected],

+1 (763) 212-2901

Hotline The Americas serves as the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s magazine for the

Americas. Hotline The Americas is distributed to Carlson Rezidor employees, Carlson’s board

of directors, hotel owners and developers, general managers, strategic partners, key

clients and other stakeholders.

Production and the EnvironmentHotline The Americas is printed with a matte UV (ultra-violet) coating. UV coatings do not

emit volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. They are compatible with standard

de-inking processes for recycling of paper.

© 2012 Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. All rights reserved.Hotline The Americas by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

701 Carlson Parkway, Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Copyright Notice | None of the information provided in this publication may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording or the use of any information storage

and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Disclaimer | The information contained in Hotline The Americas is not a franchise sales offering. Part of the

information presented in Hotline The Americas reflects data and information provided to the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group by hotels operating under Carlson Rezidor brands, which may be independently owned and operated. While

the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data

may change prior to this publication. Carlson Rezidor provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the

accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data. For the most up-to-date information on the Carlson Rezidor

Hotel Group, please visit www.carlsonrezidor.com.

Web | To view Hotline The Americas online, visit www.carlsonrezidorhotlinetheamericas.com.


The Americas

Radisson Blu Park Inn Park Plaza The May Fair

Illustration by RADIO

Hot l ine The Americas | V212

The SnapshotIn the Heart of London | As the world turns its eyes to the Olympic city, global visitors will be taking in the sights and staying at the many Carlson Rezidor

Hotel Group properties located in London and surrounding areas. The company’s portfolio in this international gateway is currently stronger than ever,

especially given recent property openings, brand enhancements and the conversion of 13 Edwardian Group Limited properties to Radisson Blu hotels. Travelers can enjoy the Carlson Rezidor guest experience near hot spots such

as Bloomsbury Street, Westminster Bridge and Covent Garden. ■


The Front DeskTable oF conTenTs | Hotl ine tHe americas | V212

16 22 26

It’s a Family Thing / By Kelly ThoreFor this Country Inn & Suites hotel, Be Our Guest means making every customer feel at home. . . . {26}

Radisson Roadtrip / By Judy Kenninger

Trainers hit the road for the Yes I Can!SM Tour, inspiring employees around the country with top-grade service instruction. . . . {34}

Living Color / By Maria LenhartThe Park Inn by Radisson pin program helps brighten and innovate guest service across the brand. . . . {38}

Business Builders / By Matt Mullen

A team of global revenue-generation specialists plans to boost company revenue by more than USD 400 million. . . . {44}

We Heart Omaha / By Jennifer Chappell SmithFrom the office camaraderie to its employee perks, it’s clear why this center is considered a “Best Place to Work.”. . . {48}

FeaTURes

4 Hotline tHe americas

06

The Front Desk

44

48

Executive Column . . . {06}Navigating the seas of the global economy

Best In Any Class . . . {12}

How the Club CarlsonSM loyalty program is leagues above the rest

Employee Profiles . . . {16}Three star employees, three inspiring examples

Awards For Agents . . . {22}

Adding value to boost travel consultant bookings

15 Minutes with Nancy Johnson . . . {24}An open forum with an industry guru

Top-Line Team . . . {54}Specialists who want to bring money into your hotel

Fighting For Childhood . . . {56}

Why employees should care about the World Childhood Foundation

Partner Profile . . . {58}Boris Ivesha takes Park Plaza to the next level

Hotline News Plus . . . {60}

Updates, news and awards from the frontlines

Vistas . . . {72}City connections at the Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport

On The Cover / Service pins represent Carlson Rezidor employees’ commitment to guests. / Photography by David Lawrence

DePaRTMenTs

Hotline tHe americas 5

38

58

ur ship continues to pick up speed! Although only a few months have passed since the last issue of Hotline The Americas, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group—along with the entire

industry—has generated some big news.I’d like to share some updates, including high-

lights of industry events, a perspective on the economic outlook and our role going forward, many special company awards and anniversaries, and a look at the times ahead.Freedom to TravelEveryone working in the travel and tourism sector can be proud of three key advancements the industry has made this year.

First, in January, President Obama signed an executive order to improve U.S. visa and foreign-visitor processing as well as travel promotion. This was after much work by key members of the administration, Congress and travel and hospitality companies to show how these policies could help create thousands of jobs and spur economic growth.

Next, in mid-May, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) held its first Americas regional summit in Mexico, where I had the privilege of being a keynote speaker. At the summit, industry leaders met with their government counterparts to look at issues similar to those addressed on the domestic

O

level. We discussed improving global visa proce-dures that would facilitate a freer flow of travel between countries—policies such as these could create more than five million additional jobs and an extra USD 206 billion in tourism exports in the G20 economies by 2015.

The WTTC summit led up to Mexico’s hosting of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, an annual meeting of leaders of 20 of the world’s major economies. Here, the industry hit a third major milestone when the global leaders included travel and tourism for the first time in their “G20 Leaders’ Declaration” of objectives arising from the summit. The declara-tion recognizes the role of travel and tourism in economic development and commits the G20 to develop travel facilitation initiatives in support of job creation, poverty reduction and economic growth.Our ImpactWhile those of us who enjoy working in hospitality already know about its advantages, many of us at CarlsonSM—including Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman, and Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer—have long been strong advocates for raising awareness about the industry’s benefits among governments and policy makers.

Quite a few of us have heard Marilyn describe the travel and tourism business as a force for good. As she often says, travel and tourism encourages people of different cultures to work together, builds communities and meets employment needs.

The G20 Leaders’ Declaration is proof that the world’s governments are starting to see the enor-mous potential of travel and tourism as well.

In 2011, the travel and tourism industry contributed USD 1.9 trillion to gross domestic product (GDP) in the Americas, or 8.6 percent of total GDP. This financial contribution made it larger than the automobile, mining and chemical industries. With 15 million employees in the Americas, travel and tourism is one of the region’s leading employers, and it continues to grow faster than many others.

As an offshoot of its economic importance, the industry needs to prepare for the increased number

“Regardless of how the economic climate may change, our destiny is in our own hands.” —Thorsten Kirschke, president, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

6 HoTLINE THE AMERICAS

We are on course to thrive in all conditions. | By Thorsten Kirschke

gRising Tides


Photography by Joe TrelevenExec Column

LEADING AMERICAS HOTELS

HoTLINE THE AMERICAS 49


Exec Column


mood was generally positive, although tempered by the current economic climate.

According to industry research firm STR, the U.S. hotel industry’s revenue grew 7.5 percent in 2011 to USD 137.5 billion. This was the highest growth rate since before the recession of 2008 and 2009. This year, average daily rate (ADR) continued to grow, driving up revenue per available room (RevPAR).

And although a Radisson®-sponsored survey showed that 48 percent of Americans declined to take at least half of their vacation time last year, leisure travel is up in 2012.

Carlson Rezidor is leveraging this rise in demand with its revenue-generation strategy, led by the company’s Global Revenue Council. Initiatives stem-ming from the strategy, such as the re-launch of Club CarlsonSM, have already led to incremental revenue growth of more than USD 132 million, and we’re expecting much more growth in the years to come. (See “Business Builders,” page 44.)

of course, perspectives vary, depending on where you stand. The luxury segment is performing quite well. Recovery to pre-recession levels in the midscale segment is taking longer.

of employees it will need to meet the rising numbers of guests. At the WTTC summit, Nancy Johnson, chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and executive vice president, Develop-ment, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, spoke on an industry workforce panel. She pointed out that we should promote the hotel industry for what it is—a place for great people to do great work. (See “15 Minutes With Nancy Johnson,” page 24.)

At Carlson Rezidor, we are all proud of Nancy and the way she has taken the reins in her AH&LA leadership role and her work to serve as an ambas-sador for the industry and our company.Cautious EnthusiasmThe long-term outlook looks favorable, but how are we doing in the nearer-term?

our hotels are in the midst of a busy period as travelers hit the road in increasing numbers. The Carlson Rezidor corporate team is no exception, having just returned from many of the season’s prominent hospitality conferences, where much talk surrounds the strength of the business recovery.

At the New York University International Hospi-tality Industry Investment Conference in June, the

The number of inbound travelers to the United States is increasing. Smoothing global visa procedures will ensure continued growth and present opportunities for the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its properties.

Welcome toThe U.S.A.

International Visitors to the United States

40M

60M

80M

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SOURCES: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, office of Travel & Tourism Industries

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FORECASTACTUAL

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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HoTLINE THE AMERICAS 9

Gold and SilverBrand Milestones

courtesy, a friendly smile, a personal greeting for a frequent customer.

You know you or your hotel is providing value to customers when your customers are compli-menting your attention to detail. Take, for example, Rachel Coleman, guest service representative at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Knoxville at Cedar Bluff, Tennessee, who was recently honored as the area’s tourism employee who best represents the warm spirit of hospitality. Rachel’s nomination cited numerous guest comments complimenting her for “treating us like royalty,” “providing excep-tional service” and “making us feel like family.” Serving Our GuestsTo help all of our hotels provide this type of extraor-dinary service, Carlson Rezidor worked this year to enhance our brands’ leading service programs.

At Radisson, multiple teams of Carlson Rezidor representatives just completed the 2012 Yes I Can! SM Tour, traveling a half-million miles to visit thousands of employees in North America. At each hotel, employees gathered to renew their commit-ment to the service philosophy and build on the Yes I Can! culture. The tour was inspired by last year’s Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM Be Our Guest tour, which was built on that brand’s service culture and was hugely successful.

These programs have reignited our passion to serve, to make our guests smile and to make a difference every day in their lives.

It’s important to note that exceptional service drives real financial results, too! In one recent example, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey confirms that guests are willing to pay a premium for best-in-class service. This shows that service has a direct correlation to your hotel’s bottom line.

Read more about our service programs in three brand-focused features beginning on page 26.Legacy of SuccessThese programs build on Carlson Rezidor’s long tradition of remarkable service. Earlier this summer, we celebrated our annual order of the Golden Rose Award ceremony, honoring seven individuals and

In addition, a few clouds remain as the U.S. economic recovery continues to be sluggish. Banks remain reluctant to lend money, including funds for hotel development. overall U.S. employment figures are growing more slowly than many experts previ-ously predicted. Supply costs continue to rise. In addition, uncertainty in Europe persists, and the U.S. recovery may slow, along with the global economy, should European distress spread to other markets.Worldwide ConnectionsPossible repercussions from Europe are an impor-tant reminder that our industry is tied together globally like never before.

In rapidly developing economies—those of China, India and Brazil—economic growth continues, but at a slower pace than previous years. Still, those markets present ripe, long-term opportunities for Carlson Rezidor. The growing middle classes in many of these countries will be traveling more to the Americas and globally for both business and leisure.

In addition, our brands have a chance to expand to more countries than ever before. Carlson Rezidor is capitalizing on these opportunities with major development agreements, including a recently announced strategic partnership with Bestech Hospitalities to develop 49 Park Inn by Radisson hotels in India over the next 12 years. (See “Living Color,” page 38.)Steady ProgressRegardless of how the economic climate may change, our destiny is in our own hands. To succeed, we need to stay on course to achieve our goals.

We can look to our strong history of providing our guests with exceptional value for their money. This type of value is defined less by price and more by providing the type of products and services that exceed our guests’ expectations.

In our business, genuine guest service is the most essential component of providing this kind of value. More than anything else, our guests will be moved by the little things we do that add up to a positive experience—an unexpected extra

Curt Carlson acquired total ownership of the Radisson Hotel in Minneapolis, marking the official entrance of Carlson Companies into the hotel business.

1962

The first Country Inn & Suites By CarlsonSM hotel opened in Burnsville, Minnesota; the brand has grown to more than 480 hotels in 25 years.

1987

FORECAST


Exec Column


As the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group reaches the midpoint of executing Ambition 2015, I want to thank everyone again for their continued dedication to the strategy’s goals. In the next issue of Hotline The Americas, we’ll present a detailed progress update with a “mid-term report card” and metrics.

our evolving history and global growth reminds me strongly of those simple but powerful words of Curt Carlson, which I first heard in 1998: “Whenever you dream, dream with your all, and never, ever give up!” In the years ahead, I will look to these words as inspiration while we add our own lines to our compa-ny’s story, and I hope that you can do the same.

In closing, I call your attention to the recent J.D. Power and Associates 2012 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. The report certainly highlights the importance of consistent and exem-plary guest service delivery to drive loyalty and profits. These factors are so critical that we have dedicated this entire issue of Hotline to it.

Colleagues and partners, please work with your teams to ensure a great experience for every one of our guests. This is truly how we create more value. I am counting on you to continue our success! ■

eight project teams with nominations for their exceptional achievements in 2011. For more about the winners, see “An Elite Bunch” on page 61.

We have another reason to commemorate our history with some special anniversaries this year. In 1987, the first Country Inn & Suites hotel opened in Burnsville, Minnesota, making this year the 25th anniversary of a brand that has grown to more than 480 hotels. We’re also celebrating the 50th anniver-sary of Radisson—and Carlson’s official entry into the hotel business. In 1962, company founder Curt Carlson acquired the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Since then, Carlson Rezidor’s portfolio has grown to include more than 1,300 hotels.Moving AheadWe continue to build on this heritage with momentum that will carry us to the year 2015 and beyond.

Everyone can look forward to many new mile-stones, like the recent opening of our contemporary restaurant concept, RBG, in the Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport. We’re also excited about the early 2013 opening of our second flagship hotel in the United States, the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. I can’t wait to see it!

Statistics indicate a recovering hospitality sector, but the industry has yet to rebound to pre-recession levels. The long-term outlook is favorable, but a faltering U.S. or global economy could slow the hotel business.

An IndustryOn the Mend

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Hot l ine the americas | V212

Club CarlsonSM success accelerates in year two. I By Deborah m. Bernstein

Best In Any Class

is the company’s primary loyalty-building tool.

to get the latest on club carlson, Hotline The Amer-icas spoke with Mary Kay Caschetta, vice president, loyalty, americas, carlson

rezidor Hotel Group, for more on the successes and challenges that the industry’s newest loyalty program has faced since its introduction last year.HOTLINE | Club Carlson launched March 31, 2011. Is Carlson Rezidor on track to meet its loyalty goals?CASCHETTA | Yes! We have accomplished so much with club carlson in the last 18 months. We currently have 8.9 million members, and we are one of the fastest-growing hotel loyalty programs, thanks to the efforts of our hotels and our teams in reservations, member services, marketing and communications. the program’s global membership and enrollments both soared 26 percent year-over-year, and hotel revenue generated by members jumped 22 percent.

a key goal of ours is to build membership, and with the hard work of our associates and many successful promotions, we have done just that. member enrollment is up, and it’s on track to exceed our target goal of 9.2 million in 2012. We’re thrilled with the progress. HOTLINE | For hotel operators, what are some of the advantages of a guest loyalty program? CASCHETTA | studies show that customer loyalty programs add value by encouraging repeat busi-ness. our program members stay longer, spend more and are three times more likely to return than nonmembers—translating to more than double the revenue contribution of a nonmember. in fact, a recent third-party research study validates that loyalty program members drive incremental revenue value, translating into millions of dollars to our hotels. HOTLINE | What’s most important to members?CASCHETTA | recognition and room upgrades. club carlson members like being recognized by name, and they love getting services that make them feel special. For example, in a recent focus group we conducted, one member who frequently stays with us said she

ompanies don’t earn loyalty in just one day, says Jeffrey Gitomer, an author and customer loyalty expert. they earn it day-by-day.

in the hotel business, building brand allegiance is about relationships—winning the hearts of guests by doing the little things that create memorable stays and make frequent customers feel important. For the carlson rezidor Hotel Group, the club carlson guest rewards program

C

Photography by Joe trelevenClub Carlson

Mary Kay Caschetta, vice president, Loyalty, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Groupcaschetta leads the team that’s driving one of the industry’s fastest-growing guest rewards programs.


likes hotels to acknowledge her membership status because it shows her business is appreciated. she noted that she was especially impressed one evening when a manager saw her and ran outside to find her an open parking space when the lot was nearly full.

our elite members also said they appreciate getting a bigger room so they can spread out their work when traveling on business. These members tell us they don’t want to ask for an upgrade; they’d just like to have it offered. if you give an elite member an upgrade, be sure to let them know it’s because they are a valued member. in the focus groups, one of our concierge elite members told us she’s generally given the keys and goes to the room without knowing if she was upgraded or not. informing our guests about their special room helps them see the value in being a club carlson member, and it encourages them to return to our properties again and again.HOTLINE | How are the brands working with Club Carlson to drive revenue?CASCHETTA | Hotel and Web enrollments were at an all-time high in may, and we’ve had great success with our recent “stay one, Get one” co-branded promotions: the radisson® Big night Giveaway, country inns & suites By carlsonsm so Go!, the Park inn By radisson 1+1 and the Park Plaza® Ultimate night Giveaway.

through these promotions, we not only added tens of thousands of new club carlson members, along with their long-term revenue potential, but we also acquired them at a very low cost. in addition, the campaigns drove immediate revenue to the hotels, producing very high volume booking days. in fact, for the radisson promotion alone, every dollar invested returned more than three dollars in revenue to our hotels. our other brands showed good returns, too. the club carlson program provided the foundation for these campaigns, funding the free night award. the campaigns also helped build brand awareness.HOTLINE | You’ve had a number of other recent promotions to build enrollment in Club Carlson. How have they been received?CASCHETTA | our first-quarter “triple Points” offer was cited on the popular online forum FlyerTalk as a

Bringing Guests BackAs Club CarlsonSM continues to win new members, recognizing their status and providing exceptional service are the keys to keeping them, says Mary Kay Caschetta, vice president, loyalty, americas, carlson rezidor Hotel Group. “it’s a simple formula. our guests want to feel appreciated, valued and special, and we strive to keep them informed of all of the great benefits of the program.”

With features such as award nights starting at 9,000 points and no blackout dates on standard rooms, club carlson provides the industry-leading earning and redemption opportunities that encourage guests to enroll and then return often.

employees can help by reminding members of the program’s value. For example, caschetta stresses the importance of delivering benefits. “Don’t wait for an elite member to ask for an upgrade,” she says. “and when you give one, let the guest know it’s because they are a highly valued Club Carlson member.”

MEMBER BeneFitsBenefits Red Silver Gold Concierge

complimentary room Upgrade

Point Bonus 25% 50% 75%

elite roll-over nights

early check-in/late checkout

elite customer service line

in-room Welcome Gift

room availability Guarantee 72 hours 48 hours

Free continental Breakfast (restaurant only)

Global concierge service

Free internet access (radisson hotels worldwide, carlson rezidor hotels in north america)

Points: room revenue

Points: Food & Beverage

Hotel redemption offers (standard, points and cash)

Partner redemption offers(airlines, prepaid cards)

online Booking Point Bonus 1,000points

2,000points

2,000points

3,000points


Club Carlson

Hotline the americas | V212

HOTLINE | How can hotel staff support the growth and success of the program?CASCHETTA | Hotel staff need to bring the genuine hospitality service philosophy to life, whether it’s adding color to lifesm, Yes I Can! sm or Be Our Guest. We need to recognize club carlson members at check-in and thank them for their business. remember, the average program member spends more than twice the amount that a nonmember spends, so the club carlson program drives more revenue to your hotel.

We have a few important tips for staff members to leverage this important tool for increasing revenue:• enroll new club carlson members. Help us

achieve the 1.3 million new member goal for this year and reach 10 million members in 2013.

• Deliver the promised program elements to our valued members. For example, provide elite members with a room upgrade whenever possible, and provide early check-in and late checkout on request, if your availability allows. Provide Gold and concierge elite members a welcome gift once they have checked in. at full-service hotels, each concierge elite member should be given complimentary continental breakfast in the restaurant each day.

• recognize our valuable club carlson program members at check-in and thank them for their business. When members feel appreciated, they are more likely to stay at a carlson rezidor hotel during their next trip.

• leverage special club carlson programs, such as club carlson for Business and club carlson for Planners, to expand your revenue base.

HOTLINE | Do members understand the Club Carlson program and all of its benefits?CASCHETTA | While members know they earn points for hotel stays, they don’t always know how many points they earn for their stays or the value of those points. in fact, members aren’t always aware of the full range of the benefits they receive. in a recent focus group, some people couldn’t remember how many points they needed to redeem an average stay.

“Best Bet” among hotel promotions. our promotions also won acclaim over competitors with top awards from InsideFlyer magazine in July 2012. Based on our recent successes, our strategy is to partner closely with our hotel brands to create strong, global campaigns, such as the country inns & suites “stay one, Get one” night promotion, and we’ll continue to provide other compelling offers to members.HOTLINE | We’ve seen a mention of a recent survey that showed Club Carlson was vulnerable to losing members. Can you tell us about that?CASCHETTA | in a survey of travelers conducted by a consultant, carlson rezidor was ranked as one of the most vulnerable of nine hotel chains when it came to membership retention. the survey does reinforce the value of loyalty programs and delivering on our club carlson benefits, but it also showed some areas for growth and improvement.

the study surveyed guest frustrations, if guests shared those frustrations with others and their frustrations’ impact and uniqueness. it measured satisfaction levels with guest service, perceived competence of staff, inaccurate point credits, whether hotels honored advertised promotions, ease in redeeming points and point expiration. other areas of frustration included billing errors, paying extra for internet and the physical condition of hotels.

the survey indicated many hotel companies need to address these areas. While only 6 percent of those surveyed were club carlson members, we at carlson rezidor see opportunities for improvement.HOTLINE | What are some of those growth opportunities, and what can hotels do?CASCHETTA | our hotels have been doing a great job of enrolling guests in club carlson, but that’s just one part of the equation. they need to keep the brand promise alive by consistently recognizing members, providing exemplary guest service and delivering in-hotel program benefits. that’s what puts us ahead of the competition. We need to continue the great momentum we’ve built. there is always room for improvement with any program, especially one as new as club carlson, but we’re excited about the trajectory of the program and the value it provides.

Bringing club carlson’s

membership totals to nearly 9 million, carlson rezidor Hotel Group employees have been enrolling guests in the loyalty program at a blistering pace. at the same time, hotel revenue generated by members in the last year has soared.

Loyalty GrowthA Year of Success

8.9MILLION MEMBERS

22PERCENT REVENUE gAIN


Club CarlsonAction Items

recently, we’ve seen some significant successes at the hotels. according to medallia, member satisfaction with club carlson in-hotel benefit delivery is improving. so far this year, the percentage of members who felt recognized at our hotels in the americas increased by several points for each of our brands, as compared with last year. the percent of elite members receiving a room upgrade also increased by an average of several points for each of our brands.HOTLINE | Are there training or educational tools?CASCHETTA | Yes, we elevated training to a new level in 2012. We have a training program on carlson learning network (cln) and club carlson material is also available on connect. earlier this year, we introduced Club Carlson University as part of the club carlson for employees program. to date, four training classes have been held for hotel front desk employees, with several more scheduled for 2012. to support our hotels and make in-hotel benefit delivery easier, the club carlson team created and rolled out new training tools earlier this year. they include flash cards and quick reference guides.HOTLINE | What’s on the horizon for Club Carlson?CASCHETTA | We are always looking for ways to enhance the program and offer additional benefits. our members were happy to hear that we added new partnerships in 2012 with PayPal, Vinesse Wine club and car rental partners, giving members more ways to earn and spend Gold Points®.

to gain even more member loyalty, in December we will be launching a new club carlson credit card in the United states. the card will allow members to earn Gold Points for everyday spending and accel-erate their earning toward free nights. We are excited about this customer-friendly product, which will be very competitive in the industry.

We have many benefits for our club carlson members at every tier. We continue to work with hotels, member services, reservations and our partners to deliver these benefits to ensure we are delighting and meeting the needs of our guests and members. there will be much more coming down the road for our members so our mantra continues to be “Enroll, recognize and reward!” ■

some didn’t know they could convert their points to airline miles. it’s important for us to spread the word about club carlson’s benefits, especially since many travelers belong to multiple loyalty programs.

We’ve been reviewing our current and planned initiatives to ensure they are focused on communi- cating our program benefits to members and improving the consistency of our in-hotel benefit delivery and the overall member experience.HOTLINE | There are a few new additions to the Club Carlson program. Can you tell us more?CASCHETTA | i’ll start with our employee program. staff members continue to embrace Club Carlson for Employees, where several thousand front desk employees participate in their own club carlson community. this program rewards employees in the americas for enrolling guests and completing quizzes, and it provides opportunities to share tips.

in 2012, hotels started receiving enhanced metrics and communications about their club carlson results through email. a monthly summary outlines in-hotel benefit delivery. there’s also an expanded medallia tool providing detail on delivery of member benefits, the club carlson ranker.

another new program, Club Carlson for Busi-ness, has grown rapidly this year. We’ve expanded the program to 41 countries, and it’s taken off with a phenomenal increase of more than 300 percent revenue growth over 2011. it’s quite a success story.

in addition, we continue to see growth in our Club Carlson for Planners program, and we’ll be focusing on this area in the fourth quarter of 2012 and in 2013.HOTLINE | Have the hotels been successful in delivering on the Club Carlson promise?CASCHETTA | We appreciate the frontline support of club carlson that exists today. it is driving revenue, but there is always an opportunity for more involvement. our members tell us that delivery of program benefits is important to them. We know from medallia and other sources that there is still an opportunity to more consistently recognize our valued members and deliver promised in-hotel program benefits.

Educate Yourself. make everyone aware of the club carlson materials available on connect. Go to your brand in “carlson rezidor Hotel Group–americas” and look for “club carlson” under the “marketing” link.

Grow the Club. enroll new club carlson members to further strengthen the program.

Offer VIP Service. recognize program members at check-in and thank them for their business. Deliver the promised in-hotel program benefits to our valuable members.

Leverage Your Assets. Use club carlson for Business and club carlson for Planners to further expand your revenue base.

Salute Their Work. acknowledge employees for the important work they do to enroll members and deliver on the brands’ service concepts and club carlson benefits.

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ith his broad, easy smile and “can-do” attitude, this guest service supervisor has been delighting guests at Philadelphia’s historic Radisson Plaza–Warwick Hotel for more than a decade. In fact, his attitude and work ethic are so exemplary, Wideman has liter-ally become the face of the Radisson® Yes I Can!SM service philosophy—appearing in Carlson Rezidor training materials that help other employees learn the program.

“My boss told me the crew would be coming to our property to interview employees for the training video,” Wideman says. “I thought they would ask one or two questions, but during my interview, the camera man said ‘This is good, keep going.’ I wound up talking to him for an hour and a half.”

The recognition is no surprise to front office manager Germaine Matthews, who attributes it to Wideman’s easy disposition. “If there is ever a problem, he handles it with grace,” Matthews says.

For Wideman, the “Yes I Can! ” mentality grants freedom to indulge guests in top-notch customer service. “One thing I like about the Radisson brand is the emphasis it places on the guest,” he says. “Once I knew that I was empowered to do whatever it takes to satisfy guests, that became my goal.”

Sometimes “whatever it takes” is simply being a good listener. “When guests have a problem, they just want to be heard and to know that someone cares,” Wideman says. “The first step is to apologize for their inconvenience, and then continue to make the situation right, whatever that entails.”

Making it right for Wideman’s guests occasionally extends beyond hotel issues. From driving out of his way to pick up tickets for an art opening to helping disabled guests get dressed, Wideman is constantly working to wow customers. Once, Wideman even drove out of his way to buy a guest makeup. “Our guest wanted a specific brand that was sold only at a store across town,” Matthews says. “Kileeo picked it up after work and had someone bring it to the hotel,” she says. “He does these kinds of things every day.”

And people notice. “In 2010, Kileeo was voted the guest service agent of the year for the entire city of Philadelphia,” Matthews says. “This is a huge honor. He was also recently selected to be part of a filming for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation.”

In addition to being recognized by those outside of the hotel, Matthews says his colleagues notice Wideman’s team spirit and creative work ethic, as well. “He challenges his coworkers to be better at every chance they have,” she says. “Kileeo elevates everybody and keeps the morale going. If you work with him, you can’t help but be in a good mood.” ■

This guest-first employee sets an example worth following. | By Robin Sutton Anders

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Kileeo Wideman’s smile is his secret weapon when it comes to addressing guest concerns.

HOTlIne THe AMeRICAS 17Carlson Hotels | HoTlIne THe AMeRICAS 35

HOTlIne THe AMeRICAS 19

echnically, Seth Twitchell’s official job description is front desk agent at the Radisson Hotel Salt lake City Downtown—but in his year at the property, he’s also worked as a shuttle driver, a member of the sales staff and the unofficial translator for Spanish-speaking guests.

“Seth was cross-trained to be able to work in multiple positions and is reliable and performs well in all of them,” says James Courtney, the property’s general manager. “He truly shines at

the front desk. He listens to our guests, anticipates needs and solves problems without being asked.”Hired in April 2011, this job was Twitchell’s first taste of the hospitality industry—and even he was

surprised at what a natural fit it was. “This position started as a way to help pay for tuition,” says Twitchell, who splits his time between the hotel and a nearby college as a full-time psychology student. “I’ve real-ized I enjoy it, and I work well with people. I’m even considering switching my major to hospitality.”

Twitchell recognizes the connection between hospitality and psychology: As front desk agent, he is often the sounding board for customer comments. As a psychology major, Twitchell is adept at viewing situations from others’ points of view. “A lot of times, this position can be stressful since we field guest complaints,” he says. “The most rewarding part of my job, however, is when an upset guest comes to me, and, after working together, I can tell that I’ve been able to help them have a better experience.”

Twitchell also makes a point to remember guests’ preferences. “There’s a particular guest who stays with us all the time, and I know it’s important to him that I ask how he’s doing before he even reaches the desk,” he says. This particular guest also likes to have cookies in his room when he arrives and prefers to stay in a room on the building’s south side. “When he checks in, I let him know I’m checking on his cookies and am working to change his room if he isn’t where he prefers to be,” Twitchell says. “It’s the attention to the little things that lets people know I care about them as a person, not just as a guest.”

Courtney says that these qualities help Twitchell untangle complications at the desk. “Seth is a very empathetic individual,” he says. “He’s particularly good at actually listening to our hotel’s guests and, based on what he hears, making appropriate suggestions or anticipating something they might enjoy.”

Whether he’s dealing with a satisfied guest or one who’s coming to him with a problem, Twitchell always keeps his most professional face forward. “Seth recognizes that we’re in a service industry and speaks in a very polite manner,” says Courtney. “He’s very good at always saying ‘Yes, sir; no, sir,’ and instead of saying ‘you’re welcome,’ he’ll say, ‘my pleasure.’ That goes over exceedingly well with guests.” ■

Having a background in psychology comes in handy for this employee.

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Seth Twitchell | Salt Lake City

Seth Twitchell makes a point to remember guests’ preferences every time they visit.

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here’s something unforgettable about Pierre Curd. In fact, the guest service representative at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington at Mall of America in Minnesota has been mentioned by name more than 250 times on various Medallia surveys returned from guests.

“It’s truly remarkable,” says Heidi olson, general manager at the property. “Guests often don’t complete the Medallia surveys for a week or two after they have stayed with us, so for

Pierre to make such an impact on guests for them to remember not only him but also his name weeks later is phenomenal.” For these guest recognitions, Carlson Rezidor recently honored Curd with a Be Our Guest gold pin, the highest pin level of the Country Inns & Suites service program.

Curd was also the first employee ever to earn 1 million Gold Points® through enrolling guests in the Club CarlsonSM loyalty program. “He made it his personal goal to get 1 million points by talking to each guest that he checked in. He is passionate about the program and wanted to make sure each guest was told about the Club Carlson program and its incredible perks,” says Olson.

“When they told me I reached a million Gold Points, I was so proud,” Curd says. “It wasn’t easy. You have a lot of guests that come in through the door. But I would just tell them about the program and what they’d be getting. I let them know it would be wise not to miss out on it.”

But Curd goes beyond just talking to guests to get the enrollment. He actually takes the time to connect with them. One evening, Curd was working the overnight shift when a customer checked in around 9 p.m. “It was his last night in the United States before he had to catch a return flight to Switzerland early the next morning,” Curd says. “Before he left, he really wanted to buy a pair of shoes from a store in the mall, but wasn’t sure if he would make it in time.” Curd reassured the guest that 30 minutes would be plenty of time to purchase a pair of shoes before the mall closed at 9:30.

later that evening, the guest returned with his shoes. “He was so happy that he wanted to try them on to show me,” Curd says. “But unfortunately, the shoes he bought were too small.” Since there wasn’t enough time to return them, Curd offered to exchange the shoes and mail them to Switzerland.

“The guest received the shoes eight days later and called the hotel the day the package came to thank me. I told him, ‘Well, that’s what friends are for. Just consider me your long-distance friend.’”

Gestures like that show you have a caring heart, Curd adds, and that will be recognized by all guests. “That’s what sets your service apart from the competition,” he says. ■

This top loyalty enroller knows all about connecting with guests.

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Pierre Curd | Bloomington, MN

Pierre Curd goes out of his way to befriend every guest who walks through his hotel’s doors.

HOTlIne THe AMeRICAS 21


“The Look To Book program has made Carlson Rezidor a leader in this area for two decades.” —Fred Deschamps, vice president, Global revenue optimization, americas, carlson rezidor Hotel Group

Look To BookSM drives travel consultant business. | By Judy Kenninger

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their brand loyalty. “the look to Book program has made carlson rezidor a leader in this area for nearly two decades,” Deschamps says. “We continue to enhance the program, but even our original tech- nology is still ahead of our competitors.”

new features for 2012 include an educational website where travel agents can learn more about carlson rezidor brands. since the site’s april launch, more than 4,800 agents globally have completed the site’s courses and earned status as carlson rezidor certified travel agents along with a bonus 5,000 look to Book points.

the program gives participating agents a chance to earn additional points during special promotions. “agents may also receive communications from us regarding these special offers, new hotel openings, renovations or other information on our hotels,” Deschamps says. “it keeps us on their radar.”Program in Practicecarlson rezidor hotels can learn how to maximize revenues through the program’s reference manual on connect, which covers resources such as the “top look to Book members” report.

“the report shows me who our top agents are,” says Lyn Kaczmarek, director of sales at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Chanhassen, Minnesota. “When i have a new agent booking our property, i call to thank them. it’s a great way to build rapport.”

Vickie L. Anderson, director of sales for sand Hospitality, which operates the country inn & suites in chanhassen along with 19 other hotels, offers bonus points to boost occupancy during slow periods. “With the report, i can determine exactly how much a promotion cost me in points versus the increase in revenue i achieved,” she says. “this is a great program when you use the tools.”

although travel agents often have contractual obligations to work with certain hotels, the look to Book program makes carlson rezidor properties a go-to choice when agents have an option.

that’s how it works for Dyer, and she often points her clients toward Carlson Rezidor hotels. Using the points is easy. “i like to save them up for a special treat, like a shopping spree,” Dyer says. ■

hen Stacey Dyer, a travel agent for Carlson Wagonlit Travel based in Phoenix, Arizona, reserves rooms at a carlson rezidor Hotel Group property for a client, getting her just reward is

nearly automatic. “in the GDs [Global Distribution system], a box comes up reminding me to enter my look to Book reward number,” she explains. “i used to forget to do it so that pop-up window is fabulous.”

look to Book is carlson rezidor’s travel agent reward program where agents can earn valuable points when they book carlson rezidor branded hotels via the GDs or branded hotel websites. travel agents can then redeem points for options like free hotel nights, airline miles and gift cards.

the program’s ease of use is one reason look to Book, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary this fall, remains successful. “in the first quarter of 2012, bookings were up 10 percent compared with the same period in 2011,” says Fred Deschamps, vice president, Global revenue optimization, americas, carlson rezidor Hotel Group.Key Customerstravel agents and the GDs channel produce some of the highest rates of any booking channel, making it important to attract and retain travel agent business. The patented program is well-known as the industry standard for recognizing travel agents for

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Job growthLeadershipMentoringGlobal travelCareersDiscover AmericaWomen in LodgingAH&LAFostering Top industryCollaboration


Role modelsEngagementFresh talent

National priorityBrand USA

Promoting our workUnder-30 Gateway

Our economyTourism growth

Professional Success

nancY JOHNSON15 MINUTES WitH

PHotoGraPHY BY Joe TRELEVEN


FOUR QUESTIONS For tHe cHair oF tHe aH&la anD eXecUtiVe Vice PresiDent, DeVeloPment, americas, CARLSON REZIDOR HOTEL GROUP // interview by robin Sutton Anders

HOTLINE I What is your role in the American Hospitality and Lodging Association (AH&LA)?JOHNSON I i have been involved in aH&la for most of my career. this year, i have the honor of serving as chair of the Board, so i lead the organization and work toward fostering greater connections within the hotel industry for the future.

one of the reasons i gained attention within aH&la was my work in developing the Women in lodging council (Wil). i wanted to create an organization that would bring the identity of women executives to light so that young industry professionals and students could see them as role models. We’ve had so many people who wanted to get involved that we created 22 state council chapters. Wil now has close to 2,000 members.HOTLINE I During your term, what programs would you like to see for young professionals?JOHNSON I Part of my goal is to showcase the hotel industry as a great place for a great career. it is one of the only industries where you can come in as a line employee and work your way up the ladder to manage-ment or become a hotel owner. and Wil set up an internet site called Wil connect that allows our members to reach out to women executives and ask questions. We also started a council within aH&la targeted to under-30 hoteliers called the Under-30 Gateway chapter to keep young people engaged in what’s happening in the industry.

i’ve had the opportunity to speak at many hospitality schools and partner state meetings. It’s invigorating to see the fresh talent in our industry. i’m often asked how i got to where i am today. Young people coming into the industry want to know if there are certain steps they can follow to get there, too. it’s critical to have mentors who show you that you can do the same thing. it is important to remember you don’t reach the top on your own; if you help someone up the ladder along the way, you will make a great leader.

HOTLINE I The AH&LA is involved on Capitol Hill through the Discover America Partnership. What is the Partnership?JOHNSON I the Discover america Partnership is a coalition of organizations—such as aH&la, the U.s. travel association, the U.s. chamber of commerce, the national retail association and many of the major hotel brands, including carlson rezidor. these groups have a vested interest in promoting the United States to international travelers. the partnership lobbies congress to make sure capitol Hill’s attention stays laser-focused on the travel and tourism industry.HOTLINE I Why is this so important?JOHNSON I the travel industry supports jobs for one in nine americans. a study released last year by mcKinsey Global institute projects the leisure and hospitality sector could add between 2.1 million and 3.3 million new jobs in this decade.

it was great to see President obama recently identify travel and tourism as a national priority. this year, the administration released the first “national travel and tourism strategy” report. the admin-istration’s action recognizes travel and tourism as making a critical contribution to job growth and our economy. the strategy commits our govern-ment to addressing numerous issues that can improve travel to and within the United states.

in addition, the U.s. government passed the corporation for travel Promotion Bill in 2010. this created a corporation funded by international travelers entering the United states from visa-waiver coun-tries. Private companies match these funds, and we now have an advertising entity to promote the entire country, called Brand Usa. You can see some of Brand Usa’s work at www.youtube.com/discoveramerica.

i am so proud that carlson rezidor, aH&la and the travel and tourism industry collaborated to make this dream a reality. ■


IT’S ATHE COUNTRY INN & SUITES, PINEVILLE TEAM MAKES GUESTS FEEL LIKE THEY’RE COMING HOME.

26 HOTLINE THE AMERICAS

By Kelly Thore | Photography by Daymon Gardner


By Kelly Thore | Photography by Daymon Gardner

Left to right: Alfred Dorsey, breakfast host; Janice Wilson, laundry attendant; Daniel Matthews, breakfast host; Cammie Gadison, front desk associate; Cynthia Johnson, housekeeping inspector

THING

AAny customer who steps into the cozy, intimate lobby at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Pineville, Louisiana, instantly feels as though they’ve walked right into a second home—greeted by warm faces more befitting family members than employees. The sentiment echoes through this hotel and reverberates within every interaction. If you ask the staff, they’ll say that’s just how they do things down in Pineville. But more than that, their actions embody every-thing the Be Our Guest service program strives for—exceeding guest expectations while operationalizing the brand promise—and their efforts are paying off. Among the brand’s hotels, the property has consistently scored in the top 2 percent in Guest Satisfaction Index, and it has one of the highest number of Be Our Guest employee recognitions per occupied room.

“The Be Our Guest service training program defines the culture we want at all of our hotels when it comes to guest service,” says Scott Meyer, vice president, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “The Country Inn & Suites in Pineville is a great example of this program as they consistently achieve some of the highest guest satisfaction scores in the brand. This commitment to service is also reflected in the number of Be Our Guest recognition pins that are displayed proudly by the staff.”

The Be Our Guest service program is in place to ensure that guests receive caring, consistent and comfortable experiences at all Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM properties. The pin recognition program kicks in when guests provide positive comments about specific employees. The more comments

employees receive, the further they move up in the program. There are currently four levels employees can attain, aside from the green participation pin level: 10 recog-nitions earn an employee the red pin, 20 earn a black pin, 100 earn a silver pin and 250-plus earn a gold pin.

Pin levels at the Pineville property run the gamut from green to black—plus one silver pin, which belongs to Alfred Dorsey, the much-acclaimed breakfast server profiled in the first issue of Hotline The Americas. But Be Our Guest is more than pins and levels.

“To me, Be Our Guest means making everyone who walks through that door feel at home,” says Diane D’Amico, general manager. “If they want to prop their feet on the coffee table and relax, we’d like them to feel comfortable enough to do that. And thanks to our friendly staff, they often do.”Get CreativeTechnically, Matt Migues’ job title is mainte-nance supervisor, meaning he is responsible for the general maintenance at the property, as well as parts of the hotel’s adjoining convention center. But if you ask him, his duties don’t end there.

Despite working in a typically behind-the-scenes position at the hotel, Migues is sure to get face time with guests every day, whether that means assisting them with their bags or greeting them at the door. No, it’s not part of his job—but it’s part of the Be Our Guest service mentality he works to maintain daily.

“The most important part of our service philosophy here is the unrelenting kindness we give,” says Migues. “We don’t go out of our way for guests because we have to. We do


Matt Migues, maintenance supervisor, goes above and beyond what his job description entails to make guests happy.


As executive housekeeper, Sharon Howard equips her team with all of the tools they need to keep the property spotless, including a strive-for-perfection attitude.

it because we want to, and we’re proud of where we work.”

Migues has even been known to pilot the property’s on-site shuttle, carting out-of-towners to local stores and restaurants.

“The shuttle doesn’t have a set route,” he adds. “We may pick up and drop off guests at the airport, take them to a local restaurant or bring them by a convenience store to pick up any items they may need. We don’t turn anyone down.”

Part of making guests feel special means looking for ways to help them in the moment, he adds. “For example, our pool doesn’t open until 8 a.m. The other weekend, I was out cleaning it around 7 a.m., and I saw a few guests poke their heads in to see what I was doing,” Migues says. “I could tell they wanted to get in, so I opened it early and worked around them.”

Gestures like that are Migues’ way of extending the hospitality from the front desk out into his own terrain, so that the quality of service is consistent throughout the property. “It’s all about showing them that kindness, as if they were a guest in your home,” he says. “We have a great crew here and we all work to maintain that. It’s not just at check-in and checkout.”Clean HouseIf you walk into this hotel and are impressed at how spotless the place is, from the polished furnishings to the just-like-new

walls and floors, you have a team of dedi-cated housekeeping staffers to thank.

Keeping a hotel clean takes a very special team—or in this case, a 20-plus person staff dedicated to shampooing carpets, laun-dering linens, scrubbing bathroom counter-tops and arranging duvets just so on a daily basis. But they do more than just ensure the hotel stays pristine.

Much of their job can seem thankless. It’s much more likely for a front desk clerk, for example, to receive a comment from a guest than for a housekeeping staff member, who works largely while the guest is out of the room. Still, this crew goes out of their way to make their presence known.

For example, when a family came to stay after losing their home to a fire a few months ago, this staff sprinted into action. Janice Wilson, who works as a part of the laundry staff ensuring clean towels and linens are ready each day, visited the fami-ly’s room herself to make it feel more cozy.

“I went in and picked up the kids’ toys and placed them on the couch and the bed to make it feel like they were still at home, which they were because our prop-erty was their only home at the time,” Wilson says. “We all chipped in and got them a few toys ourselves. The family really appreciated everything we did for them.”

The housekeeping staff is so important, in fact, that D’Amico attributes most of the property’s repeat business to the team’s hard work. “If those rooms weren’t clean, guests wouldn’t come back or send friends,” she says. “That, and the staff treats guests as members of their family, which adds some-thing to that service.”

Sometimes, Be Our Guest also means going out of your way for customers when they’re particularly in need, too. “We donate rooms to the American Cancer Society and recently had a patient as a guest who also had a broken leg, making it hard for her to get around,” D’Amico says. “The housekeeping staff arranged her room so that she could move around with ease.”


The number of positive comments an employee receives determines the pin level he or she earns as part of the program:

Pin LevelsBy the Numbers

Pin-SanityTina McCormick, coordinator, Brand Program Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, and overseer of the Be Our Guest pin program, sends out 30 to 50 new pins per week to employees who have moved up in the ranks.

“We’re seeing employees move up in the program quicker than we thought,” McCormick says.

The program works like this: When general managers submit positive guest comments to the program about an employee, those comments are filed in a database that tallies them. When employees reach new levels, McCormick sends them a new pin.

“Employees are really excited about their pin levels,” McCormick says. “It means a lot to be able to share their stories and to be honored for their efforts.”

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There’s no job too big for this team—a mentality set by Sharon Howard, executive housekeeper and red pin recipient. “Our goal is to keep the guests happy,” Howard says. “If I see a spill on my carpet, I’ll get a rag and clean the floor. If one of my staffers sees a maintenance issue, he or she handles it.”

And on top of that, Howard encourages her staff to strive for perfection each time. “Guests are always telling us it’s so clean around here. That’s because we don’t leave until everything is done,” Howard says. “I tell my staff to do the best they can, and that I’m coming behind them to help.”

But that’s what family does—step in to lend a hand. It shows in the hotel’s Quality Performance Review cleanliness scores, which are among the highest in the brand.

“Everyone here watches out for each other,” adds Monica McCant, housekeeper. “We work as a team, and that’s how we are able to pass inspections the way we do.” Lasting ImpressionsAs the first and last person guests see during their stay at the hotel, Cammie Gadison, front desk associate, can’t have an “off” day. Her secret to leaving guests with a positive impression? Greeting them with a smile.

“A smile is universal. It lets guests know that you see them, even if you’re currently with another guest,” she says. “That sets you up to have friendly rapport as you get to know them during their stay.”

And if a guest isn’t feeling particularly sociable, Gadison keeps trying to make that connection until she breaks through.

“It’s ‘Good morning’ to everyone no matter how many times you see them and even if they don’t respond the first time,” Gadison says. “Not everyone is talkative and sometimes they need that push.”

Judging from her Black Be Our Guest service pin, which means more than 20 guests have mentioned her by name in their post-stay comments, Gadison seems to have a knack for making guests feel welcome. “I find out what every guest is here for. I can let them know streets with less traffic, the places to

visit and anything else that will enhance their stay,” Gadison says.

Creasy Tyler, the assistant general manager who is known by hotel staff as the “master of the front desk,” adds that the key to leaving a lasting impression on guests is to be proactive in solving problems.

“We help our desk associates acknowl-edge whatever the situation is, own that situation and find a way to make the guest happy,” Tyler says. “Our hotel could just be another stop on a trip. The only thing that sets us apart are our customer service skills, which starts when they walk in the door.” A Team EffortPerhaps key to this property’s high guest and employee satisfaction is the “all-for-one” attitude that the staff upholds.

“We all make this hotel what it is, and that’s what makes people want to come back,” Gadison says. “I’m who they see when they walk in, Sharon and her team are the ones they see when they go to their rooms, Alfred is who they see at breakfast and Matt is who they see for a mainte-nance issue. And we help out by jumping in when needed because we’re there for each other.”

In short? It’s a family thing. “It truly is everyone working together

that makes this hotel what it is,” Gadison says. “That’s why we’re able to deliver overall exceptional service.” ■


Real ResultsWhen employed at a property, the Be Our Guest service program delivers measurable outcomes.

“From what I’ve seen in the field, the hotels that are engaged with the service program are the ones that have the highest Guest Satisfaction Index scores,” says Barry O’Neill, district director, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Getting more involved in the program is the #1 thing I would recommend to any hotel.”

And that direction is best when it comes from the top down, O’Neill adds. “The program allows general managers to bring the entire hotel together in an open dialogue. It’s an integral part of leading, improving service and impressing the guest.”

The Gold Be Our Guest service pin level is the highest level an employee can reach within the program, and only a handful of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group employees have earned that pin. Hotline The Americas asked two Gold-level employees for their best guest service tips.

“The secret is to treat all guests as if they are staying in your own home. You want to make them feel comfortable and always welcome.” —Diane Athoe, front desk supervisor, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Niagara Falls, Ontario

“When I’m booking new guests, I’ll put a note on the reservation that says, ‘New account, treat them well, keep it fast and simple.’ It’s about finding what guests need and making it easy for them.” —Susan Roberts, sales specialist, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Cool Springs, Franklin, Tennessee

Guest SatisfactionGoing for Gold


Cammie Gadison, front desk clerk, ensures guests come back by addressing them by name and always greeting them with a warm smile.

Cammie Gadison, front desk associate, makes a point to learn why every guest is visiting to see if she can help make their trip more convenient.


Carlson Hotels brings modern elegance to Chicago’s dining scene.

RADISSON ROADTRIPRADISSON ROADTRIPtHe BranD Goes CROSS-COUNTRY on tHe YES I CAN! TOUR anD insPires emPloYees EVERYWHERE. By Judy Kenninger | Illustration by Dieter Braun

s if the more than 100 employees at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana, didn’t already know it was a special day, the music and decora- tions greeting them as they streamed into the hotel’s ballroom left no room for doubt. Once inside, a huge display of yellow cupcakes spelled out the reason: Yes I Can! SM.

The afternoon employee rally, which followed a morning session for managers, was an early stop on the 2012 Yes I Can! Tour—a half-million-mile, three-month odyssey that took five teams of Radisson® corporate experts to all 120 Radisson hotels in North America to celebrate the brand’s iconic guest service philosophy.

“By the end of July, we had already visited 97 hotels, reached out to more than 5,000 colleagues, flew approximately 225,000 miles and said, ‘Yes, I can!’ more than 27,000 times,” estimates Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson, and executive vice president, Owned and Managed Hotels, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Of course, Yes I Can! isn’t a new concept for Radisson employees; a pin carrying the now two-decade-old brand promise is part of every uniform. What made this day different was that it reminded employees that they’re part of the larger Yes I Can! community around the world.

The Yes I Can! program is an integral part of Radisson’s Ambition 2015 growth strategy, explains Rosenberg. “By the end of the year, 50 percent of our properties will


RADISSON ROADTRIP


have completed renovations,” he says. “This is outstanding, but our service is just as important. Providing memorable experi-ences will continue to drive guest loyalty.”On the RoadEach tour team consisted of a district director, a specially trained Yes I Can! Ambassador and a Carlson Rezidor execu-tive: either Rosenberg; Steve Outwater, vice president, People Development, Americas; David McMillan, area vice president, Canada; Jody Vinci, director, Global Customer Care; or Raj Rana, vice president, Franchise Oper-ations, Radisson, Americas.

Carlson Rezidor predicts the tour will help properties meet rising brand stan-dards while improving profits. “We want to renew the spirit of Yes I Can! and continue to build the Yes I Can! commu-nity,” says Outwater, who organized the tour. “We also want our hotels to see the correlation between taking care of customers and improved financial results.”

During the three-hour morning manage-ment session at the Merrillville hotel, which is located south of Chicago, Rosenberg proved that correlation. “When looking at

Radisson hotels in the top 20 percent on the Guest Satisfaction Index (GSI), those hotels also average 102.4 on the Revenue Generation Index (RGI),” he says. “For hotels in the bottom 20 percent for GSI, their average RGI is 86.8. If you’re looking at a 220-room property, that’s close to a USD 1 million difference in revenue each year. We see the same correlation with the service performance index and RGI, as well as problem incidence and RGI.”

At the manager’s meeting, Nick Duff, district director, Radisson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, revealed the Merrillville hotel’s specific metrics and compared them to those of properties in the top 20 percent for each metric and the overall brand standards. For example, the maximum complaints per 1,000 rooms is 0.91 to be eligible for the Radisson Presi-dent’s Awards, but the Merrillville property easily tops that with a 0.48 average.

At each stop on the Yes I Can! Tour, the executive team worked with hotel managers on an individual action plan specific to each hotel. The plans showed what areas offered the biggest opportunities for improvements and increased profits.

At the Merrillville session, for example, managers from all departments discussed their hotel’s strengths and challenges. Among the strengths were the hotel’s inten-sive screening process for new employees, which has resulted in an enthusiastic staff, and the use of Medallia surveys to track results for each department.

“Our entire property has an intense focus on GSI,” says Joe Frasca, vice presi-dent and general manager of the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza. “Every department meets each day to discuss survey results, recognize deserving employees and find ways to prevent problems from occurring.”

With the importance of Medallia, Frasca says, many of the property’s department heads even have the Medallia app on their smart phones so they’re always aware of the latest performance metrics in real-time. P

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Clockwise from bottom left: Yes I Can! crest; chandler Gill and courtney Gill, servers, radisson Hotel at star Plaza; Jeanna Drummond, Julie Kmak and aisha thomas, banquet servers; Javier rosenberg, chief operating officer, radisson, and executive vice president, owned and managed Hotels, americas, with martin Hughes, hotel food and beverage supervisor

According to Outwater, the tour’s management sessions typically identified staff commitment to 100% Guest Satisfac-tion as a hotel’s greatest strength and, with all the renovations the brand has under-taken in recent years, dealing with construction as the biggest challenge. Brand AmbassadorsAt the tour’s afternoon celebrations, which were open to all hotel employees, Yes I Can! Ambassadors brought extra enthu-siasm and energy.

Earlier this year, Carlson Rezidor named 12 directors and managers from various Carlson Rezidor corporate departments as Ambassadors. One Ambassador appeared as part of the team at each stop.

At the Merrillville rally, Susan Cecere, Yes I Can! Ambassador and director, Revenue Optimization Operations, Radisson, Amer-icas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, led a discussion on how the hotel could build on its Yes I Can! culture.

“It’s really not just about the ability to complete a task,” Cecere says. “It’s more about taking ownership.”

Cecere also announced a new Yes I Can! award that the company will soon be awarding to hotels that qualify. Criteria include being in the top 25 percent of GSI scores on quality performance reviews and a 100 percent Yes I Can! score.

Finally, Cecere led a training activity where groups of employees created their own crest depicting the values of their Yes I Can! community. It was the first of what will be monthly training activities based on materials that Carlson Rezidor sent to each hotel this summer. The cheers and laughter that rang out in Merrillville during the session showed employees’ enthusiasm.

Training activities like these are just one of the new Yes I Can! enhancements added in 2012. Other additions include online trainer certifications and the Yes I Can! blog, radissonyesican.tumblr.com, where employees can find more photos and stories from the Yes I Can! community.

Spirit of Service“It’s great to stand in front of hundreds of people and see everyone nodding in agreement when we talk about having a ‘hospitality heart,’” says Outwater, who helped conduct Yes I Can! Tour events at about 40 hotels this summer.

The tour rallies reinforced this ongoing commitment to guest satisfaction. As Rachel Rutkowski of the Merrillville hotel’s banquets staff says, “I can touch every guest with the Yes I Can! spirit.” Courtney Gill, a server, adds, “We’ll do whatever it takes to make our guests happy.” Martin Hughes, a food and beverage supervisor at the hotel, who won the Yes I Can! award at the employee rally, may sum it up best when he says, “All of us make sure that we take care of every single guest.”

Outwater believes that’s a spirit all Carlson Rezidor employees share. “No matter what brand people are a part of, true hospitality comes straight from the heart,” he says. “Each brand has its own messages and guidelines for delivering service, but you can’t go wrong if it feels good in your heart to serve others.” ■


38 Hotline tHe AMeRiCAS

COLORliVinG

WRitten BY MARIA LENHART | PHotoGRAPHY BY JUSTIN CLEMMONS

With its pin recognition program and unique take on training, the Park Inn by Radisson service philosophy

brightens the days of guests and employees alike.


Hotline tHe AMeRiCAS 33

COLOR

Pin Pride Clockwise from top left: Park inn by Radisson DFW Airport South

colleagues Miracle Morales, head housekeeper; Ross Gonzalez, maintenance and banquets

manager; Jennifer Kurosky, front office manager; and Beatrice

Gallegos, director of sales

Top-Tier Service Brenda Graham, a server at

the Park inn by Radisson DFW Airport South, memorizes the

breakfast preferences of regular guests. She’s one of the brand’s first employees to earn a yellow-level Adding Color to lifeSM pin

for positive customer comments.

riendly. Vibrant. Fun. Uncomplicated. These are the four values that define Adding Color to LifeSM, the unique employee training program of Park Inn by Radisson.

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has designed these values to do more than ensure guests have an enjoyable stay. The program aims to make employees’ experi-ences enjoyable, too.

Does this approach to training really work? Just ask Brenda Graham, a breakfast server at the Park Inn by Radisson DFW Airport South, Texas, near the Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport. “People here are genuinely excited about serving the guests,” Graham says. “Everyone has embraced Adding Color to Life. The enthusiasm makes me want to get up and go to work in the morning.”

For Graham, who worked as a restaurant waitress for nearly 30 years before joining the hotel staff, there have been new chal-lenges that come with working at a bustling airport location. Guests, many of them airline employees or stranded travelers, are often tired and stressed when they check into the hotel. Exemplary service goes a long way to improve their mood.

For the hotel’s strong repeat clientele, Graham takes pleasure in knowing their likes and dislikes, such as who prefers fried eggs to scrambled, or tea to coffee.

“No matter how busy I am, I have to talk to my people,” she says. “We get a lot of pilots who stay here every week. I always ask them about their trip.”A Hotel-Wide SuccessSally Naidu, general manager of the hotel, says Graham is a shining example of how Adding Color to Life’s values can be put into practice for guests. What’s equally important, Naidu adds, is that Graham treats her fellow employees the same way. These two factors are crucial to the program’s success.

Since the entire staff underwent the service program’s training two years ago, Naidu says employees are better equipped

to solve any problems that might arise.All of the hotel’s 65 employees have

implemented the program in different ways, she adds. “For instance, the house-keepers know to acknowledge guests in the hallways. This is important since they’re likely to encounter guests more often than anyone.”

Also crucial to its success has been giving employees assessment on their progress, particularly on how guests have responded to their individual acts of kindness and inge-nuity. “Sharing feedback from guests is important and something we always do,”

F


A Growing Global FamilyGuests from overseas often need no introduction to Park Inn by Radisson, one of the hotel industry’s fastest-growing brands.

“often, people who work at Park inn by Radisson hotels in the Americas discover they are part of a global presence that is much bigger than they thought,” says Sharon Wendland, vice president, Franchise operations, Park inn by Radisson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “they are an employee at a hotel with many more locations than the 14 in the Americas.”

the brand is currently present in 33 countries, with 127 hotels in operation and 65 in the pipeline. “Most europeans are already familiar with the brand; a guest from Amsterdam or Berlin knows all about Park inn,” says Wendland. “For franchisees who have hotels in locations frequented by european travelers, there’s huge value in knowing that the brand is a familiar sight for those guests.”

not only are international guests aware of Park inn, they are checking into the hotels with high expectations, she adds. Global marketing research firm J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Park Inn by Radisson as one of the top 10 hotel brands in europe, Wendland says. “this brand has a high level of service operation designed to be consistent on a global basis.”

Naidu says. “If an employee is mentioned positively in Medallia, we’ll also offer a small monetary reward.”

The DFW Airport South’s performance numbers prove these methods pay off.

“This hotel had an exceptional year based on their guest satisfaction index (GSI) and service performance index (SPI), which is how the guests rate the service they have received,” says Sharon Wendland, vice presi-dent, Operations, Park Inn by Radisson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel’s 2011 GSI was 8.65 and its SPI

was 8.88, which helped earn the property the brand’s first Adding Color To Life Service Award that year. “The entire staff has really taken Adding Color to Life to heart,” adds Wendland.The Next LevelNow employees can show off their hard work and progress in following the Adding Color to Life service training philosophy on the outside, too, with a new pin recognition program that the brand launched in 2011.

Each employee receives a red Adding Color to Life pin after completing the service program training soon after they join the brand. Employees then receive different colored pins as they receive posi-tive comments from guests. Graham is one of the first employees to advance to the second level of the four-tier program.

“Recognizing employee achievement is key to the Adding Color to Life service program’s effectiveness, and the pin program takes this a step further,” says Coni Wolk, a district director for Carlson Rezidor and a certified trainer in the Adding Color to Life program.

“Employees should be recognized for their contribution to the hotel’s overall success,” she adds. “The pins will play a part in this. People need to know that they are making a difference.”A Culture of ServiceAccording to Steve Outwater, vice president, People Development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the service program’s reflection of the brand’s core values gives employees a deeper understanding of what makes the brand stand out.

“This program is Carlson Rezidor’s vehicle for describing what the Park Inn by Radisson culture is all about,” he says. “For our guests, it creates an experience that is different from our competitors.”

Equally important, the Adding Color to Life program helps employees realize that they can—and should—experience a sense of fun while they are working, Outwater says. “If employees are engaged at work, it shows in a great guest experience.” ■


Color the World OverWith expansion plans that include a recent agreement to develop 49 Park Inn by Radisson properties in north and central india, the brand’s global presence is poised to grow even stronger in the years ahead.

A new agreement between the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and Bestech Hospitalities will take the Park inn by Radisson brand deep into india’s dynamic midscale hotel market. the two companies are investing USD 42 million to develop the first two hotels, the Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon Sector 88, near new Delhi; and the Park Inn by Radisson Chandigarh, Mohali.

Bestech, one of india’s leading real estate companies, will have exclusive development rights for Park inn by Radisson in central and north india, with the goal of developing 49 hotels by 2024. Carlson Rezidor will manage the hotels through a company in which Bestech is a partner.

Carlson Rezidor will launch the new Park inn by Radisson properties in india with the brand’s new NextGen concept, a midscale, full-service product designed for the global GenY guests who increasingly comprise india’s emerging middle class. With its affordability and contemporary, iconic design features, the brand is also well-suited for a new generation of international travelers.

Across the Board Sally naidu, general manager of the Park inn by Radisson DFW Airport South, says the entire

staff has embraced the Adding Color to lifeSM service philos-ophy. the results: a happier hotel team and extraordinary

guest satisfaction index scores.

By Matt Mullen | Illustration by Montse Bernal

44 HotlIne tHe amerIcas

uu

HotlIne tHe amerIcas 45

the Global Revenue Council takes a world-class approach to capturing more revenue for Carlson Rezidor’s hotels.

From introducing new tools to strengthening revenue-producing programs, a team of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group executives is using its global clout to bring the company’s hotels more than USD 400 million by 2015.

Last year, Carlson Rezidor established the Global Revenue Council (GRC) to streamline the company’s commercial activities and achieve the goals of its Ambition 2015 growth strategy. The company has tasked the council with globally aligning corporate resources and developing and sharing best practices within the five pillars of the company’s revenue-generation strategy: the brand websites, the Club CarlsonSM loyalty program, revenue-optimization programs, sales activities and revenue from travel intermediaries.

“This global approach is already paying off with an acceleration of revenue growth,” says Thorsten Kirschke, GRC chair and president, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We’ve invested USD 35 million in these initiatives, but we’ve earned USD 132 million in incremental revenue. Between January 2011 and April 2012,

46 HotlIne tHe amerIcas

Carlson Rezidor’s average revenue per hotel grew faster than the competition’s, and we’re far from reaching the project’s potential.”

Kirschke notes that revenues from the loyalty, sales and intermediaries pillars are ahead of planned targets while revenue optimization and brand Web, despite some very strong progress, need more work.

“We’ll continue to build on areas where we have seen strong improvements and push even harder in those areas where we aren’t yet as successful,” Kirschke says. “Our success is a credit to all of the people on the council as well as those who have supported our work behind the scenes, including those in IT, Human Resources, Finance and others.”

To get the latest on the council’s activi-ties, Hotline The Americas sat down with GRC members Fred Deschamps, vice president, Global Revenue Generation, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; Olivier Jacquin, GRC co-chair and senior vice president, Global Sales, Marketing, CRM and Distribution, The Rezidor Hotel Group; and Lucinda Semark, executive vice president, Revenue Generation, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.HOTLINE | Why the need for a GRC? JACQUIN | During the global economic downturn of 2009 and 2010, both Carlson Hotels and The Rezidor Hotel Group focused on cost-cutting initiatives and effec-tively lowered the costs of doing business.

As our portfolio continued to grow, however, we knew we could only cut so many costs and remain efficient. We found it essential to increase our attention on building the top line and driving revenues.

DESCHAMPS | A significant portion of our growth opportunity lies in the global arena, where our worldwide portfolio affords us unique potential. We must make sure that, as a company, we align ourselves behind our strategy’s priorities and are completely coordinated in our work to achieve them. As a council, we also track our company’s progress against the priorities.HOTLINE | How does the GRC function?DESCHAMPS | With last year’s strategic partnership between Carlson Hotels and Rezidor, we created the Global Hotel Steering Committee to increase collabo-ration across theaters. Underneath the steering committee, we have various work councils that deal with Carlson Rezidor’s four global focus areas, which include branding, communication, sourcing and revenue generation. In this last area, the GRC team consists of revenue-generation leaders from the company’s three operating theaters.SEMARK | Within the GRC, we also have work groups to address specific issues discussed at GRC meetings. For example, we now have a team investigating the impact of Web investment to drive more revenue through this channel. HOTLINE | What does your current work involve?DESCHAMPS | Overall, we want to generate USD 414 million in additional revenue and a revenue generation index (RGI) increase of more than 9 points by 2015 through concrete, system-wide initiatives. These include:

• Driving more bookings to the company’s brand websites

• Pushing the rapid global growth of Club Carlson

• Deploying unique revenue optimiza-tion programs for our hotels, such as Stay Night Automated Pricing (SNAP)

• A reinforced global sales team• Leveraging partnership projects

with travel intermediaries, including Carlson Wagonlit Travel

JACQUIN | For Rezidor, our Route 2015 strategy shares similar revenue goals with the group’s overall Ambition 2015 strategy.

Previous page, from left: Lucinda Semark, executive vice presi-dent, revenue Generation, asia Pacific, carlson rezidor Hotel Group; Peter Turner-Smith, director, revenue optimization, asia Pacific, carlson rezidor; Olivier Jacquin, Grc co-chair and senior vice president, Global sales, marketing, crm and Distri-bution, the rezidor Hotel Group; John F. Kennedy, vice presi-dent, marketing and crm, rezidor; Robert van den Born, senior director, sales, rezidor; Fiona Godfrey, vice president, sales, asia Pacific, carlson rezidor; Fred Deschamps, vice president, Global revenue Generation, americas, carlson rezidor; Richard Biggs, vice president, Distribution and e-commerce, rezidor; Thorsten Kirschke, Grc chair and president, americas, carlson rezidor

Revenue Results By the Numbers

Last year, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

formed the Global Revenue Council (GRC) to drive the company’s

Ambition 2015 financial targets. The strategy is

already paying off:

USD 414 MillionIncremental revenue that carlson rezidor

will generate by 2015

9 Point Increase company-wide revenue generation index growth

predicted by the Grc

300 Specialists Global employees adding to the top lines of carlson

rezidor and its hotels


In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Rezidor plans to increase RGI by 8 points and generate USD 150 million of the 2015 revenue target of USD 414 million.

Specifically, the GRC is currently working on two refreshed global MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions business) concepts for Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson. We’re also enhancing revenue generation from an organizational standpoint, making sure we have the resources and people in the positions we need to achieve our objectives. Currently, we have more than 300 specialists working in this area.HOTLINE | What are some of the GRC’s recent successes or challenges? DESCHAMPS | There have been a few small obstacles along the way. Our brand Web conversion figures are slightly lower than we expected to this point, although brand Web revenue is still growing rapidly.

As for successes, it’s almost too many to list. We have significantly grown our cross-continent revenue production by aligning sales efforts and approaching clients with global agreements. We have given hotels worldwide access to our advanced rate optimization functionality that already yielded significant results in North America. We’ve also launched a new global Preferred Corporate Rate program. JACQUIN | We’ve also deployed Club Carlson for Business where small- and medium-sized corporations can earn Club Carlson points. Another development in this area is Club Carlson for Meeting Planners.

In addition, during the recent Arabian Travel Market conference in Dubai, we also finalized an important agreement with Destinations of the World (DOTW), a leading global travel industry wholesaler. This new partnership will see our hotels sold through DOTW’s worldwide network of more than 450,000 points of sale.

We’ve also implemented new sales tools, such as Salesforce.com and Meeting Broker,

to help our sales teams manage leads and requests for proposal.SEMARK | In Asia Pacific, we have already implemented some best practices from the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including the revenue-optimization software, SNAP. In addition, we recently re-launched Club Carlson in Asia Pacific to drive global enrollment.HOTLINE | How does the GRC help build revenue at individual hotels? DESCHAMPS | Our hotels are now part of a truly global portfolio with access to our efforts to grow demand for our properties worldwide. We’re giving our hotels access to new, world-class revenue-generation tools and best practices, which significantly improves their competitiveness.

JACQUIN | It’s the idea that “Together, we deliver more.” For example, global agree-ments with travel intermediaries give us more bargaining power and greater econo-mies of scale. HOTLINE | What are the council’s short-term goals?DESCHAMPS | At the global level, we are continuing to implement our Ambition 2015 strategy priorities. The big pieces of that include completing the overhaul of the brand websites, rolling out additional rate optimiza-tion functionality, reaping the benefits of our co-branded credit card and building our share in the MICE sales segment. We will also increase the share of advertising spend that goes toward global positioning of our brands. HOTLINE | Any final thoughts?JACQUIN | The strengthened partnership between CarlsonSM and Rezidor, and our work together on revenue generation, has already benefited both companies and our hotels. It’s very exciting to see the successes we’ve shared in just a short time. ■


“We’ve invested USD 35 million in these initiatives, but we’ve earned USD 132 million in incremental revenue.” —Thorsten Kirschke, president, americas, carlson rezidor Hotel Group


OMAHAWECarlson Rezidor’s Omaha Team Shares the Love in the the City’s Best Place to Work.

From left: tammy Hoover, sales representative; audrey murante, senior director, Global e-Business; Kevin Bradley, recruiter; lynda crouch, resource planning and operations analyst; maurice Bailey, customer care specialist; Jon Hendrickson, hotel specialist; and Guadalupe Fisher, hotel specialist

Hotline tHe americas 49 Hotline tHe americas 33

By Jennifer Chappell Smith | Photography by Bryce Bridges

OMAHACarlson Rezidor’s Omaha Team Shares the Love in the the City’s Best Place to Work.

By Jennifer Chappell Smith | Photography by Bryce BridgesBy Jennifer Chappell Smith | Photography by Bryce Bridges


ithin an otherwise nondescript office in the western suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska, nearly 400 Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group employees already knew they worked at one

of the most desirable places in the city. Now the rest of the world knows it, too.

Carlson Rezidor’s Omaha reservation and distribution center was named this year as one of the metro area’s top five in The Best Places to Work™ contest, which many Omaha employees attribute to the privilege of working with colleagues considered as friends.

“I rely on my coworkers as much as my own family,” says Lynda Crouch, a 23-year employee at the Omaha center. “Many of us have shared the joys of starting families, births and weddings.”

That kind of camaraderie defines this workplace. “You spend as much time with the people at work as you do with your own family. So to me, it’s important you get along with and appreciate the people you work with,” says Jon Hendrickson, who works

From left: robert Griffin, rFP sales specialist; a group of the omaha reservation and distri-bution center’s bike-to-work enthusiasts; michelle nedved, global content management specialist; stacy Braun, account manager, redirected call Pro-gram; and shannon running, manager, sales operations

on the hospitality support select-service team. “Here, I wouldn’t think twice about asking, ‘Hey, can you help me with this or that?’”

The majority of the 200 employees here work as sales representatives, taking guest reservations on behalf of hotels. Smaller teams include an email and social media response team, a customer concerns group and a large part of Carlson Rezidor’s IT support staff. Revenue specialists work with hotels to generate income, while hotel specialists help implement new projects.

While working with employees across all areas, Lynette Schumacher, manager, Human Resources, Training and Facilities, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, says she’s also noticed a special employee bond during her three years with the company. “We all have a commitment to one another here,” Schumacher says. “We’re very invested in our colleagues.”

Longtime employee and 2011 Golden Rose Award recipient Tammy Hoover says it best: “We have each other’s backs here.” No doubt such rapport contributed to the

W


company’s standing in The Best Places to Work contest, in which companies are ranked based on results of a confidential employee engagement survey. Survey Says …The Best Places to Work contest is an annual event conducted by consulting firm Quantum Workplace in more than 40 U.S. cities. Last year, almost 6,000 companies participated, and in the Omaha metro area, Carlson Rezidor made the top five in the large company category.

In an area full of call centers competing for employees, from PayPal to others in the hospitality and financial services industries, the honor should help Carlson Rezidor attract top talent. According to Quantum Workplace, ‘Best Places’ honorees receive seven times more resumes per job opening compared with the average firm.

“We were so excited, because it validated that we’re doing the right things,” says Schumacher. The Omaha campus joined Kiewit, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, C&A Industries Inc., and Immanuel

Communities and Immanuel Pathways in the top-ranked group.

To celebrate, the office held a party one Friday afternoon, inviting Carlson Rezidor executives to fly in from company headquarters in Minneapolis to visit the Omaha campus. Thorsten Kirschke, president, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, congratulated Omaha employees, leading them in a toast during the celebration.

“We are so proud of the team in Omaha for their commitment and dedication to each other and the community,” says Kirschke. “This is certainly an accomplish- ment, and it reflects what we have always known: Carlson Rezidor’s Omaha employees are some of the best in the business.”Behind the ScenesSo what contributed to the Omaha Center’s top five finish? Schumacher points in part to a forward-thinking working environment that includes test programs to keep phone-bound employees physically active. Experimental treadmills allow employees to walk while talking to customers. At other stations,

“We all have a commitment to one another here. We’re very invested in our colleagues.” —Lynette Schumacher, manager, Human resources, training and Facilities, americas, carlson rezidor Hotel Group


From left: Barb Valerien, operations analyst; linda sadofsky, business financial specialist, and Kevin Bradley, recruiter, enjoy the center’s community garden; andrea clavijo, associate project manager, walks several miles per day at a treadmill work- station; Jon Hendrickson, hotel specialist

hydraulic lifts raise laptops so employees can stand while they work.

But beyond those perks, it’s the employee spirit that lifted the office’s survey score to among the nation’s elite. Here’s a look at the top five distinguishing characteristics of the Omaha group.1) PASSION. In Schumacher’s interactions with employees, she sees one consistent trait: passion about what they do and about the hotels they serve. “They really care,” she says. “I think it’s because so many have been here through the company’s growth, watching the properties be successful.”

With visits from property representatives, menu tastings and other training sessions, the Omaha employees feel a sense of pride and ownership over Carlson Rezidor hotels. “When our reps take calls, they say, ‘We’re able to offer …’” Schumacher says. “They have conviction about the product.”2) COMMUNITY. Beyond ensuring that guests enjoy their vacations and business trips, Omaha employees help fellow citizens, too. Every year, employees lace up their walking shoes

for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. They work an on-site community garden and give the harvest to the local food bank. When employees heard of a struggling homeless shelter, they had a fleece blanket-making party and donated 40 blankets to the cause.

All such activities foster the employee connection to the community, as they give to and enjoy their vibrant city.3) INTEGRITY. Before Hendrickson was hired, he noticed the Carlson Credo on Carlson Rezidor’s website, which instructs, in part,“Whatever you do, do with Integrity.” After a year on the job, Hendrickson believes Carlson Rezidor employees follow the Credo closely. “It’s a great synopsis of how the company is run. ... You see it in the relationship between managers and employees—the level of concern they have for the employees translates to how employees feel about each other and about the customer.”4) FLEXIBILITY. Understanding employee circumstances leads to a flexible work approach, and it means the world to the workers at the Omaha campus.


“Everybody has a job to do, but there’s a strong emphasis on treating people with respect. It’s just part of the culture here.” —Jon Hendrickson, Hospitality support select-service team


When Crouch moved to North Carolina for her husband’s military assignment, she thought she’d seen the last of the Omaha office, where she’d worked for one year. But then her husband’s unit got shipped to the Middle East before the start of the Gulf War, and she wanted to move back to Nebraska with her children to be near family. It took one phone call to Carlson Rezidor’s human resources department to get re-hired.

As she told the crowd at the ‘Best Places’ celebration, she’ll never forget one night in January 1991 when her supervisor broke the news to her that the Gulf War had begun. “She wanted me to go home to be with my kids and family,” says Crouch, who now works as resource planning and operations analyst for the Americas.

Hoover, another working mom who spoke at the celebration, echoed Crouch’s sentiments about flexible work schedules and understanding bosses. Now a specialist in Global Content Management, she recounted how easy the company made it for her to transition from a day schedule to a night

schedule to avoid having her four children in daycare. Through the years, she’s worked full-time and part-time as she and her husband raised their family, and she’s had co-workers cover for her when her kids needed her during emergencies. She credits management with fostering a sense of caring and a willingness to help working parents. “They understand how important it was to balance work and home life,” she says. 5) RELATIONSHIPS. When employees talk about why the Omaha campus is such a great place to work, lots of traits come up. But the conversation always comes back to the connections employees feel with each other.

Fostering close relationships has a democratizing effect, too. For instance, when executives accepted the ‘Best Places’ award at Omaha’s Century Link Center, they took a busload of employees with them, not just a senior team.

“There’s no feeling of pretense here,” Hendrickson says. “Everybody has a job to do, but there’s a strong emphasis on treating people with respect. It’s just part of the culture here.” ■

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hen you’re looking to capture market share, consider signing up for Revenue Optimization Performance Enhancement Services (ROPES)—a powerful

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group opt-in program.Launched in 2007, the ROPES team has worked

with hundreds of properties to develop and imple-ment strategies that drive more dollars to the top line. The effectiveness of the program is reflected in performance: Over the past two years, ROPES has generated a 1.5 to 1.8 point improvement in revenue generation index (RGI) for participating hotels, when compared with non-ROPES hotels. The Personal Touch“Essentially, ROPES enables hotels to use our team of specialized advisors as on-demand revenue

managers,” says Jeff Wermager, director, Revenue Optimization, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

As a part of the program, hotels get access to a revenue optimization specialist (ROS), who counsels management on tactics and strategies tied to pricing, channel management and online presence. Each specialist has extensive experience with Carlson Rezidor and has demonstrated their expertise by completing the HSMAI certified revenue manage-ment executive (CRME) program.

A property’s specialist will monitor pricing and performance, ensuring that a hotel targets the right segments and emerging opportunities. The ROS team also helps implement revenue action plans, freeing up hotel employees to concentrate on guest service, says Wermager. In addition, ROPES hotels

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receive a weekly one-on-one meeting and trend reports that provide detailed analysis of key metrics.

ROPES team members customize recommenda-tions based on a hotel’s brand and particular situation, says Ryan Andersen, director, Revenue Optimization, Full Service, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Our specialists really get to know the hotels they work with. Each ROS works with just a few hotels, which gives our team the time to nail down what’s working and not working in each case.” Custom ConsultationWith ROPES, hotels can choose the level of service they want, from annual and quarterly plans to limited, one-time engagements.

Jeff Briner, general manager at Radisson Hotel Huntsville Airport in Alabama, reports years of success. “My ROPES specialist knows how to

increase revenues, find new revenue streams and build relationships with revenue-producing partners.”

After working with ROPES for three months during a recent renovation, the hotel saw a 132 percent increase in room nights and a 63.8 percent revenue increase on Internet channels, Briner adds.

ROPES has also played an important role in the growth of Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, St. Paul East in Woodbury, Minnesota, says Kirk Schultz, vice president of The Madison Hospitality Group. “The program has helped us reposition rate strategies daily and kept us proactive to the market.”

ROPES can make already successful hotels even stronger, adds Andersen. “With ROPES, hotels make sure they aren’t leaving business on the table.”

For more information, interested hotels should contact their district director. ■

Photography by Joe Treleven

These pages: Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Revenue Optimization Performance Enhance-ment Services Team: (From left) Revenue optimization specialists Julie Watson, Ron Devries and Barb Reinhold; Jeff Wermager, director, Revenue Optimi-zation, Midscale Brands; Ryan Andersen, director, Revenue Optimization, Full Service; Revenue optimization specialists Mary Kay Keating, Hector Villarreal, nancy McCarty and Rebecca Frost

very child deserves a childhood, but these days, not every child gets one. That’s what drives World Childhood Foundation to contribute to programs that protect margin-alized children each year—and employees at Carlson, a co-founder of the organization,

are in a unique position to help. “Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group operates in so many

countries, making it possible for us to make an impact globally,” says Brenda Schultz, director, Responsible Business, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “It’s important to take care of our local communities, but we all belong to a global community as well, and our work with Childhood is an example of that.”Joining ForcesWorld Childhood Foundation was founded in 1999 when Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden invited Carlson to help form a group to combat child exploita-tion across the globe. Now, more than a decade later, Childhood supports more than 115 projects in 16 countries including Brazil, China, Sweden and the United States. These programs target children who are victims of abuse, children in foster care, children living on the street and other groups of disadvantaged youth.

As a family organization, protecting children’s rights has always been top of mind for Carlson. Carlson Rezidor hotel employees and guests continue devoting more to the cause—donating millions of dollars in the

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last six years to benefit the organization’s projects.“Our partnership with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel

Group ... is vital to the success of all Childhood’s initia-tives to help vulnerable parents and get children at risk off the streets,” says Charlotte Brandin, executive director, World Childhood Foundation. “Carlson Rezidor is an invaluable partner, helping Childhood’s efforts with needy families and children. ... Together, we can make a difference to the lives of children in need.”Getting InvolvedCarlson Rezidor hotels have taken ownership of the partnership, says Schultz. For example, last year the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa raised nearly USD 40,000 for Childhood through such things as their annual golf tournament, while the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Bloomington at Mall of America in Minnesota raised more than USD 13,000 through a variety of fundraisers, such as selling bottled water to guests. “We’ve even made it possible for Club Carl-sonSM members to turn their loyalty points into dollars that are donated to Childhood directly,” Schultz adds.

In addition to individual hotel efforts, Carlson Rezidor is also planning a company-wide fundraiser called Walk the World for Childhood, where it will encourage hotels to organize walking events on September 29 and 30. “The idea is that the combined steps will equal the circumference of the world,” Schultz says, adding that proceeds will go to Childhood.

This isn’t the first company-wide fundraiser Carlson Rezidor has held for Childhood. Last year, one key Responsible Business Action Month initiative was a mobile campaign that let employees and guests text in donations—after which two employees from each of the two top-generating hotels were rewarded with a trip to New York City to visit the Childhood USA headquar-ters and some projects the organization supports.

This year, Walk the World for Childhood will also fall during Responsible Business Action Month—and Schultz encourages hotels to not only participate in the walk, but also to get involved in any other way they can.

“We’re encouraging hotels to do something, be it raising money for Childhood and other charities or cleaning up a park,” Schultz says. “We can do more together and make a greater impact worldwide.” ■

“It’s important to take care of our local communities, but we all belong to a global community as well, and our work with Childhood is an example of that.” —Brenda Schultz, director, Responsible Business, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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CarlsonSM improves the lives of youth everywhere. | By Kelly Thore

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Giving BackgIllustration by Jesse Lenz

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ith more than 40 years of experience in the hospitality field, Boris Ivesha, president and chief executive officer, PPHE Hotel Group, knows about boosting brand power.

His industry savvy has helped steer the Amsterdam-based PPHE Hotel Group to success with the upscale Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts brand. For more than a decade, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and PPHE Hotel Group have worked together to grow

the Park Plaza brand portfolio to 22 properties throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Ivesha began his hospitality career in the early 1960s, working as general manager for the 5-star Royal

Horseguards Hotel in London. In the years that followed, he served as general manager for a number of other properties before becoming president of the company that’s now known as PPHE Hotel Group in 1991. Ivesha introduced the Park Plaza brand to the company in 1994, and in 2002, PPHE Hotel Group officially inked a partnership agreement with CarlsonSM, giving PPHE the rights to develop and operate more Park Plaza branded hotels in Europe and the Middle East. Currently, PPHE Hotel Group has eight hotels at various stages of development, and the company is actively looking to grow.

In addition to its Park Plaza properties, PPHE Hotel Group also operates hotels under the art’otel® and Arenaturist brands, with a total of 38 contemporary and lifestyle hotels throughout Europe.

Since partnering with Carlson Rezidor, the group can now offer guests global benefits, such as the Club CarlsonSM loyalty program, that are typically only available through larger hotel companies. But perhaps the most important perk is the world-class service each guest receives at PPHE Hotel Group properties.

“Product is crucial to a hotel’s success, but without outstanding service, we are nothing,” Ivesha says. “That’s why we’re heavily investing in learning and development this year.” The company recently launched learning and development initiatives focused on providing inspirational service. “Guests will remember a great meal or room, but what they’ll tell others about is the service they received,” says Ivesha.

Another major company objective is to boost its food and beverage buzz factor. “More than 25 percent of our 2011 revenue came from the food and beverage and the meetings and events areas, so we recognize the potential we have here,” Ivesha says. To facilitate that development, the group recently brought on a company-wide executive chef to oversee new concepts and openings.

“We are entering a new era for PPHE Hotel Group,” Ivesha says. “We want to create destination-led restaurants and bars that get people talking.” ■

Growth and expansion are front and center for PPHE Hotel Group. | By Robert Henke

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The agenda for Boris Ivesha and the PPHE Hotel Group this year: learning initiatives and new food and beverage offerings.

Boris Ivesha | Amsterdam

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what’s happening in the world of carlson rezidor hotels | by kelly thore

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each year, the Order of the Golden Rose ceremony honors Carlson Rezidor employees

and colleagues who have uniquely contributed to the company’s success that year. in June, attendees gathered in the Pantages theater in Minneapolis to salute the 2011 inductees

in style. the evening was filled with music and celebration—and even saw the debut of a new company award. (See next page.) ■

gilded honorsCarlson Rezidor honors this year’s big players.


Fact | the idea for a “tK oK” award originated during the Global Business Conference in the Bahamas this February.

his year, seven individuals and eight project teams were honored with Order of the Golden Rose nominations, one of the company’s most prestigious honors. of that bunch, three individuals and three teams took home the iconic porcelain rose.

individual inductees included Pete Boese, general manager, Park Plaza Bloomington, who helped maximize revenue oppor-tunities; Judy Asher, hotel specialist, Hospitality Support Services Center, who provided excellent service to franchisees; and Dean Baugh, a sales representative in omaha, who brought in USD 3.3 million in revenue. team winners included the Country Inns &

Suites Be Our Guest Diningware Program Team, the company E-Commerce Team and the Stay-Night Automated Pricing Team.other employees and teams who had the honor of being nominated included Ryan Andersen, director of Revenue optimization, Full

Service; Heidi Aylward, supervisor of Global Content Management; Paulette Hawkins, director of Global Reservations Services; the Country inns & Suites Be our Guest Service training implementation team; the Global Preferred Corporate Rate Program (PCR) team; the Minneap-olis Campus Digital Screen team; the Partner Marketing team; and the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago Media Familiarization trips team.

in addition to the traditional Golden Rose inductions, executives awarded a new company honor—the “tK oK” award—to Melissa Anderson, senior specialist, Meetings and events, for her fun spirit of daring to be different while demonstrating the CarlsonSM C-factor. ■

Meet the newest inductees into the Order of the Golden Rose.

tan elite Bunch


Guest FeedbackPraise from Customers■ “i’m not sure where you found all of the customer service pro-fessionals who work at and represent the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Hanover, Virginia, but i have to say, every single per-son i’ve had contact with from the property has been extremely friendly and helpful and seems to take the extra effort to remem-

ber my name and why i’m staying at the hotel.

Recently, i was staying with a group there, and our meeting was at 7 a.m., which means we couldn’t take advantage of the breakfast, which nor-mally isn’t ready until 7 a.m. However, the hotel staff was aware of our meeting, and worked extra hard to have the breakfast prepared at 6 a.m. so we could all benefit.

they technically didn’t have to do this, but they did and per-formed a level of cus-tomer service i have never seen with any other hotel, ever! As a customer, this level of care and service is something you never forget and honestly makes me never want to stay anywhere else.” Roger Hamner ■

Star Spotlight: More Hotel HonorsHigh Enroller Sandi Sample, front desk employee at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Roanoke, Virginia, has enrolled more than 460 new members in the Club Carlson loyalty program in 2012 alone.

not only that, due to her high enrollment rates, she has earned thousands of points for hotel stays, has been awarded gift cards and has even earned free vacations for herself and her family.

“She delivers exceptional customer service and is a model example for an excep-tional hotel associate,” says Kimberly Ram-hoff, district director, Country inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas. ■

Field DayStaff at the Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel Leon took to the prop-erty’s gardens on April 23, where it held a Children’s Day celebra-tion for the area’s

youth. the program included a visit from local zoo animals to help educate the children about endan-gered species, recre-ational activities and other events.

the program took five months to arrange, and it was paid for through various fund-raisers held throughout the year. ■

Industry Influencerin April, Leanne Shaw-Brotherston, the general manager of the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Calgary Airport, in Alberta, Canada, began serving on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Hotel & lodging Association. She is representing the South Zone of the province. the association repre-

sents the interests of more than 850 hotels, motels and campgrounds.

Shaw-Brotherston’s industry peers nomi-nated and elected her for a two-year term.Shaw-Brotherston says she hopes to contribute the most in the organization’s purchasing and human resource develop-ment programs. “our economy is heating up, so developing the area’s top talent is important for us.”

After serving on the board of the Calgary

the honor roll

Fact | More than 170 children participated in Children’s Day at the Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel leon in April.

Carlson Rezidor hotels and staff earn kudos.

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Left: A view outside of the Country inn & Suites By Carlson Hanover, Virginia. Top: local youth enjoy Chil-dren’s Day at the Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel leon in Mexico.


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Hotel Association for six years, Shaw-Brotherson says she’s excited to be involved at a wider level. “We are a family-owned and operated, select-service hotel, so i think i can bring that perspective to the table. it will be great to be involved in the decision-making and help our industry.” ■ Engineering ExcellenceJose Linharas of the Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto –Harbourfront

Top: A room at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Right: employees at the Radisson Hotel Admiral toronto–Har-bourfront participate in a local bike ride for charity.

was dubbed the engineering Ambassador of the Year by the Greater toronto Hotel Association as part of the organization’s new Spirit Awards. the award system, debuting this year, is intended to recognize outstanding achievers within the hospitality industry. ■

Nosh for Charitythis spring, the Rad-isson Hotel Harrisburg in Pennsylvania hosted the 19th annual “Soup and a Bowl” fund-raiser, during which it invites locals to come to the property and eat lunch in a soup kitch-en setting. Around 600 guests came to the fundraiser this year, and all proceeds were donated to the Central PA Food Bank. ■

TLC for Chicagothis April, employ-ees at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Naperville, illinois, participated in the first-ever HUG Chicago project, which was spon-sored by the Chicago Cubs and organized by Hospitality Cares Chicago, a not-for-profit division of Choose Chicago.

As a kickoff for national tourism Week, the event brought more than 400 hospitality profes-sionals together for a day of volunteering, cleaning and beau-tifying various areas accessed by visitors. ■ For the KidsMembers of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Brand Sales Team donated an afternoon in June of this year to volunteer at the Chanhassen

branch of Feed My Starving Children, where they spent their time packing meals for children in need. ■

Survey Says ... the Los Angeles Times recently reported on a survey conducted by los Angeles-based Kelton Research on behalf of Radisson Hotels & Resorts.

the survey set out to shed light on work and vacation habits in adults, and found that 48 percent of adults missed out on using at least half of their vacation time in 2011. the survey also revealed that 63 percent bring family along on business trips to maximize their time spent on the road. ■

Team Cyclingthis spring, colleagues from the Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto –Harbourfront did

their part to raise awareness for heart and stroke risks and warnings by jump-ing onto a 30-seat bicycle and complet-ing a 20-minute ride around downtown toronto. the innova-tive activity raised funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

“our team had an amazing time,” said Cindy Miller, guest services agent at the hotel. “So far, we have managed to raise CDn 1,850, but still have until August to raise as much as possible. We’ve made big strides toward charitable events, and it was a great morale booster to all involved!”

the “Big Bike Ride” was part of the hotel’s Responsible Business program set in place to benefit and fund research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. ■

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Fact | the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan Regina hosted Her Majesty Queen elizabeth for a stay in 2005.

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Since the trip, the hotel has been featured in stories in HudsonMod and on Prevention’s web-site, and was given a complimentary adver-tisement in Prestige magazine. it is also scheduled for pending coverage in a profile story on About.com, a profile piece in Lodging Hospitality magazine and more.

the trip also gener-ated buzz on social media outlets such as Twitter. one user posted a tweet saying, “What an amazing retreat! Can’t wait to return. the beach, the cuisine, the staff. And le Spa? Amazing.” others posted pictures, with comments such as, “on assignment in St. Martin this week, checking out the Radisson Blu. Pretty swell sunset right now.”

to date, the famil-iarization campaign has generated more than a million media impressions, with a projected total of more than five million. ■

Guests who stay at the Radisson Blu Resort Marina & Spa, St. Martin can expect to enjoy great food, ex-ceptional spa services and all the tropical hospitality the island has to offer. those are just a few things media outlets and stakehold-ers learned this May during a weekend-long press familiarization trip at the property.

the goal of hosting the getaway at the resort was to increase awareness of the recently renovated Radisson Blu property and its offerings, and the trip accomplished exactly that.

Among the attendees at the outreach event were representatives from publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Prevention magazine, Lodging Hospitality magazine and Gotham magazine, as well as others from websites such as About.com.

The entire staff at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan Regina bustled for nearly a month as they prepared to host a few special guests from across the pond. Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall, Lady Camilla, were in Regina, Canada, this May for a day as part of a tour celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th anniversary, and they chose the Radisson® hotel to stay the night. Staff at the hotel spent three weeks leading up to the visit readying the property and its 1,500-square-foot Royal Suite. “We had many on-site visits from staff of the Royal Family, as well as some from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to make sure we had everything we needed,” says Marla Preston, general manager. The hotel’s executive chef, Milton Rebello, and his culinary team worked closely with the Prince’s butler to prepare meals for their Royal Highnesses during their stay. The trip meant great exposure for the hotel, which has a history hosting members of the Royal Family, and coin-cidentally was celebrating its 85th anniversary that day as well. “When the family left, our employees lined the stairs so we were able to say goodbye. The Prince even congrat-ulated us on our anniversary,” Preston says. “It was more than just a visit. The whole city was involved, and it was a team-building experience for my staff.” ■

red carpet treatment

Above: Marla Preston, general manager of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan Regina, shakes hands with Prince Charles. Right: two attendees enjoy the press familiarization trip at the Radisson Blu Resort, Marina and Spa, St. Martin.

This Radisson property officially passes royal inspection.

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hef Robert Irvine, star of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible, travels for a living and is paid to have a critical eye when it comes to service and quality. on his popular

show, the reality star helps struggling restaurants succeed with two-day makeovers and a lot of tough love.

But he had only positive things to say after he and his crew made a five-night stay at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Burlington, north Carolina, to film an episode involving a nearby restaurant.

“We got to spend a good amount of time with Chef irvine and his crew for Restaurant: Impossible, and they all had great comments for us—like that our hotel is well-maintained and that the staff is very accommodating,” says Michael Garner, general manager. “We knew they would have long days ahead of them, so we wanted to make them feel comfortable, and let them know that if they needed anything, we were here to help.”

And the staff did just that. Garner and his staff made sure that each crew member received a gift bag, which included things like water bottles, healthy snacks and bottles of wine from local merchants. He even worked out a deal with his personal gym in the area to provide fitness passes for the crew so they could work out at the 24-hour facility as they had free time during their stay.

“As a general manager, you always hope to have nationally known guests come through your property because you want to know how your hotel stacks up,” Garner says. “their review was a huge compliment—and the production team said we projected such a great image for Country inns & Suites that they would keep our brand in mind as they travel for future shows.” ■

satisfaction: possibleThis Country Inn & Suites property successfully impressed one of television’s most demanding hospitality critics.

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Right: Chef Robert irvine, star of Food network’s Restaurant: Impossible


Fact | the 2012 Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Business School includes nine different skill-building courses.

theBUsiness school

Top: Staff and attendees take a break at the Business School session held in Aruba this June. Left: Attendees at the Chicago Business School session, held in March, take a course geared toward boosting sales.

Carlson Rezidor employees sharpen skills.

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from Radisson Blu edwardian hotels in england who became certified Yes I Can! SM service trainers—this was the largest school session to date.

“the students loved having the opportu-nity to come to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel to see what all the commotion was about,” says Steve Outwater, vice president,

People Development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “it also gave them a chance to see best practices on service standards that they could take back to incorporate at their own hotels.”

later in June, the Business School headed to the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa for the second

session of the year. Students attended from 14 different countries, making it the first inter-national session in the history of the school.

“Because of the school’s international student base, some of those certifica-tion courses were conducted in Spanish, too,” outwater adds.

there are two more sessions on the

2012 Business School calendar—one from September 23–28 at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown in Utah, and the last from December 9–14 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“these Business School sessions are great learning oppor-tunities for employees and can really benefit Carlson Rezidor proper-ties,” outwater says. “this year, we’ve stepped our training offerings up more than ever, and we hope our employees take advantage of these opportunities and sign up.” ■

Back In SessionCarlson Rezidor Hotel Group trainers hit the road for this year’s educational sessions. the 2012 Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Business School kicked off in March, making its first stop at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago. With more than 120 participants—including three representatives


Fact | the Canadian Culinary Federation, Canada’s largest federally chartered professional chefs’ organization, was founded in 1963.

Earlier this year, the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Watertown, South Dakota, took home the George S. Mickelson Great Service Award. This annual honor is awarded to industry leaders demonstrating superior customer service and for the ability to leave guests with memorable experiences of their time in the area.

The award is presented each year by the governor of South Dakota, currently Dennis Daugaard, and the state’s Department of Tourism. It aims to recognize notable players in the area’s tourism industry and is a very prestigious award for an establishment in the state to earn.

Of the 2012 nominees, the 72-room Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Watertown was the only hotel to be presented with the service award and was chosen above hundreds of other area properties. Jeri Warne, general manager of the hotel, accepted the honor on the hotel’s behalf at the 2012 Governor’s Conference on Tourism held January 19 in the state’s capital, Pierre, South Dakota. ■

Best in stateOne hotel earns a governor’s highest hospitality honors.

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Above: A view of the lobby at the Country inn & Suites By Carlson Watertown, South Dakota, which recently earned an award for its supe-rior customer service. Right: executive Chef trevor Robertson of the Radisson Hotel Saskatoon, earns the Bronze Medal Dish award in a prestigious culinary plate competition.

buffalo mozzarella as well as an asparagus mousse with rosemary cream sauce.

“We are so proud of Chef Robertson,” says Patty Schweighardt, general manager, Radisson Hotel Saska-toon, Saskatchewan. “this is only one of his many impressive culi-nary accomplishments.

“His talent and passion has literally made our hotel the talk of the town,” she adds. “trevor has been invited back to the competition this year, and he has his sights set on the Gold Medal Dish award.”

Robertson will be looking to add the gold plate to his already impressive resume, which includes board membership at the Saskatoon branch of the Canadian Culinary Federation as well as his recent certification as Chef de Cuisine by the Canadian Culinary institute, one of the highest professional certifications that chefs can receive in Canada. ■

Executive Chef Trevor Robertson, at the Radisson Hotel Saska-toon, Saskatchewan, Canada, continues to rack up honors as one of the province’s hot-test culinary creators.

last november, Robertson was given an impressive Bronze Medal Dish award at the Saskatchewan Gold Medal Plates, a prestigious regional competition that pits a dozen of the province’s best chefs against each other for the chance to compete nationally at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Judges praised Robertson’s “decon-structed osso bucco,” accompanied by an arancino ball of italian rice filled with spicy italian sausage and

topchef


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Fact | Since the lead Star program began two years ago, more than USD 40,000 has been paid out in employee incentives.

Above: Annette Richens, sales coordinator at the Radisson Hotel Saskatoon, works hard to book rooms. employees looking for more information on lead Star can go to www.carlsonrezidorleadstar.com.

s sales coordinator for the Radisson Hotel Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada, it’s Annette Richens’ job to bring in new busi-ness to the hotel. But since becoming involved in lead Star, a program that lets Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group employees earn money from sales leads they generate for other properties, Richens has been boosting business at other locations, too.

Most notably, she filled 228 rooms over four days at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley, Arizona, by referring a Canadian baseball team there. “My son was going to Arizona for a baseball competition, and someone asked if i could find the

team rooms,” Richens says. “i reached out to the property and was able to work out a deal and got the referral through lead Star.”the team’s stay brought in more than USD 22,000 for the hotel, and Richens herself was paid more than USD 1,000 as a reward.

Richens continues pointing her clients to other company properties for travel outside of Saskatchewan, earning incentives as she goes. “i do a lot of booking for sports teams, so I always ask if they’re going anywhere else and mention we have locations all over,” she

says. “if they’re interested, i have the appropriate hotel contact them. it saves them from calling themselves, and it’s easy—just one step.” ■

One employee leveraged the Lead Star program to cash in big.

agclosing the deal


Fact | the Society of Government travel Professionals’ board of directors includes 13 hospitality professionals.

What will you be doing September 8 and 9? As part of Responsible Business Action Month, the Carlson Rezi-dor Hotel Group will be supporting an Americas-wide clean-up on those days and is calling on all hotels to participate.

“We’re encouraging our employees to get out in their communities and participate in local environmental cleanup events,” says Brenda Schultz, director, Responsible Business, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The initiative is part of a global event called World Cleanup 2012, dur-ing which participating organizations hope to clean the entire world between March and September of this year.

Of course, hotels should also look for opportunities to tidy their communities year-round. For example, the Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown participated in a Spring Cleaning Park Day this April to improve local parks and trails, and staff at the Radisson Hotel La Crosse spent a day in May cleaning up the Mississippi River.

“The idea is for hotels to pitch in locally while being a part of a much larger global event,” Schultz adds. ■

a day for the worldEmployees get ready to roll up their sleeves.

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Above: employees at the Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown help clean up in their community. Right: linda Colovos, government director, Global Sales, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, continues her duties with the Society of Government travel Professionals.

has served numerous times as co-chair of SGtP conferences and sponsored events and is very familiar with the organization.

Recently, she pre-sented private indus-try “Best Business Practices” for the lodging sector before the General Services Administration and was a guest speaker at a combined San Francisco/Sacramento joint conference addressing the future of government travel.

Currently, she serves as Co-Chair of FedRooms and is a member of the travel Committee for the national Defense transportation Association (nDtA).

Colovos will continue in her role as a spokesperson for new members, hosting new member orientation at confer-ences and sharing ideas to welcome new and prospective government travel attendees to SGtP conferences. ■

Linda Colovos, govern-ment director, Global Sales, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has been re-elected to the board of directors of the Society of Government Travel Professionals (SGTP), a national organization dedicated to facilitating collaboration between government travel managers and travel industry suppliers.

this election means that Colovos, who is based in the omaha distribution center, will be serving a three-year term with the SGtP while continuing as a mem-ber of the Supplier Council.

An avid supporter of SGtP and its mission to support and bring innovative solutions for govern-ment travel, Colovos

travelgUrU


Fact | Chicago is the first city in the United States outside of Washington, D.C., to host a nAto Summit.

taken to repairing him-self, were only function-ing at about 30 percent. As such, he offered to speak to his distributors about donating a new pair for Richardson. “We told him that in ex-change for fitting Renny with new hearing aids, we would give him free lodging and take care of his food and beverage expenses on his return trip,” Smith adds.

Weeks later, Soal brought back two top-of-the-line hearing aid sets for Richardson. But his generosity didn’t stop there. He was so encouraged by the hospitality the island of Aruba showed him that he brought back 12 sets of hearing aids from his suppliers, offering the extras to others in the area.

“We reached out to the hospitality com-munity on the island,” says Smith. “He was able to fit several people with new equipment, some of whom were hearing for the first time. It shows how a little generosity can make a big difference.” ■

Corey Soal, a hearing healthcare practitio-ner, had planned to spend his vacation at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa lounging on the beach. But after meeting Renny Richardson—a beach and pool attendant who always made sure each guest had fresh towels and a lounge chair—that plan changed.

“Mr. Soal approached me at our manager’s cocktail party and said that he noticed that Renny’s current hear-ing aids were in poor condition,” says Rob Smith, who was the general manager of the property before a recent move to the Radisson Plaza Hotel, Minneapo-lis. “He explained that he was in the hearing aid business and was interested in helping.”

Soal soon discovered that Richardson’s hear-ing aids, which he had

lendan ear

When the 2012 NATO Summit came to Chicago in May, the Windy City was abuzz, including staff at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago. The property had the honor of hosting delegations from France and Bosnia, as well as high-level government meet-ings throughout the Summit. The event required weeks of prepa-ration and security detail from staff, U.S officials and local police.

“We held several meetings prior to the event with Secret Service representatives and members of both delegations,” says Chris Gernentz, director, Safety and Security, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Our job was to ensure service was great and that everything went as planned.”

That meant working overtime for some staffers, several of whom ended up staying onsite at the prop-erty for four straight days during the visit.

Hotel staff had to be ready and available at all times, and the whole hotel had to be monitored closely. In the end, the delegations said the hotel and its staff were very flexible and that the team did well with last-minute demands. Hosting such a prestigious group was a great honor for the team, especially since the property isn’t even a year old. ■

global hostsThe flagship Radisson Blu accommodates some high-profile visitors.

Above: Pierre-louis Giacotto, general manager, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, alongside nina Biser, personal assistant to the Consul General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Marina Braica, group sales manager at the hotel. Right: Cory Soal, hearing specialist, fits a woman for new hearing aids donated by his suppliers. Ph

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right at homeAfter spending nearly 365 days at one hotel, this guest was practically family.

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Right: Amber Strang, Gold level Club CarlsonSM member

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2Fact | C

uritiba is the capital city of Paran, one of B

razil’s southernmost states.

“The staff would leave treats in my room to come back to, like chocolate-covered strawberries with a handwritten note. Those gestures make you feel special.”—Amber Strang, frequent guest and Club Carlson SM Gold member

o say that the Radisson Hotel Curitiba in Brazil is like a second home to Amber Strang, senior vice president of a commercial real estate company, is an understatement. After logging weeks of hotel stays there while

on a work assignment between 2009 and 2011, she has literally spent almost a year of her life at the property.

But despite not knowing anyone in the city—or the country’s native language—she always felt comfortable thanks to the friendly, attentive employees at the hotel.

“the hotel employees went out of their way to make me feel absolutely welcome every day, paying close attention to my schedule and preferences without my uttering a word,” Strang says.

For example, the bellman learned her daily routes and immediately arranged to have a car take Strang to work every day. Within weeks, staff knew that Strang doesn’t like too much salt on her food and likes to go for a run almost every evening. “one employee even made me a map of the best streets to run on,” she adds.

And at the end of a long workday, she was always met with a warm homecoming. “the staff would leave treats in my room to come back to, like chocolate-covered strawberries with a handwritten note,” Strang says. “those gestures make you feel special.”

now a Gold level Club CarlsonSM member, Strang has visited the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Knoxville at Cedar Bluff, tennessee, and a few other company properties. And her rewards are adding up. “i want to treat my entire family to a vacation at the Radisson Blu Resort, Marina and Spa, St. Martin,” Strang says.

now, whether she’s traveling for business or pleasure, Strang seeks out Carlson Rezidor properties, where she knows she’ll receive ViP treatment. “Carlson Rezidor makes it easy to be loyal,” she says. ■

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irst-Class Luxury | Whether a guest at the Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport, Richmond, British Columbia, is staying for one night or seven, he or she can expect top-notch service and amenities. Located right by the Vancouver International Airport, the property is a favorite among business travelers, but it also has plenty to offer vaca-

tioners, such as a heated whirlpool and swimming pool, shuttle service, a fitness center and various sightseeing tour packages. Guests can hop on a local train line just steps away from the property’s front door for a short ride downtown, where they can enjoy world-class dining as well as attractions such as the 1,000-acre Stanley Park, the Granville Island shopping district and the Vancouver Aquarium, which is the largest in Canada. ■

FPhotography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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HoTLIne THe AmeRICAS 73

Go ahead. Show your true colors. That’s what makes Park Inn by Radisson a fresh, personal and different place to work. Our friendly and energetic team of over 8,000 Park Inn employees live the brand spirit at our hotelsworldwide. Thanks to you, Park Inn delivers a fun, effortless stay for guests every day and a service style that passes with flying colors.

Mastering the

essentials

...adding color

to lifeSM

parkinn.com

A FASTER WAY TO A FREE NIGHT STAY AT OVER 1,000 CARLSON REZIDOR HOTELS WORLDWIDE

Copyright 2012 Carlson Hotels, Inc. Terms and Conditions apply.

Loyalty Applauded. Awarded. Rewarded.clubcarlson.com

Club Carlson� was launched in 2011 and is now one of the fastest growing hotel loyalty programs on the globe. Members enjoy access to a collection of superior benefi ts, services and privileges. Plus, a fast and easy way to earn and redeem points for a free night stay at any of our 1,000+ hotels worldwide.

Thanks to Club Carlson – and your amazing e� orts, our members are three times more likely to return.

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