In 1999, pretty much everyone was fretting about Y2K – the computer bug that was threatening to knock out operating systems and cause havoc the second that the clock ticked over to January 1, 2000.
Hotels were worried about that, too. But they were also worried about a much bigger and more potentially damaging threat: What if they ran out of Champagne on New Year’s Eve?
HOTELS’ May 1999 story outlined that concern, and others – including, of course, ensuring that Y2K problems were exterminated early. Most hoteliers were testing their computer systems and putting precautions in place: The executive staff of the Hilton Walt Disney World in Orlando was spending the night of December 31 at the hotel, and gas generators and stoves were being rented. They even planned to shut down the elevators between 11:40 pm and 12:30 am to ensure no one got trapped.
Others were taking practical precautions, mostly focused on taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to staffing. The Millennium Broadway in New York’s Times Square was hiring more staff – and keeping an eye on what competitors were paying to make sure no one walked on the big night.
Some hotels were taking the opposite approach. A survey by the British Hospitality Association showed that 25% of its members were planning on shutting down completely over the holiday, citing staffing and entertainment costs.
Champagne shortages were already being cited, so many hotels were pairing up with vendors to guarantee availability. The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta joined with Taittinger; The Savoy in London went with Dom Perignon; Le Méridien in New Orleans chose Moët & Chandon.
The Millennium Broadway ordered seven times its usual New Year’s Eve shipment of Champagne – 2,400 bottles. That’s one way to avoid a disaster.