“We stuck our neck out and turned part of our hotel into a separate product. Until this March, Hilton Tel Aviv had 599 rooms and suites. Now it is a total of 560 keys, namely the 393-room main hotel with, above it on the 13th through 17th floors, the 167-room The Vista at Hilton Tel Aviv,” says Stig-John Ceulemans, director of business development, Hilton Hotels Israel.
The idea of creating marsupial hotels is not new – Las Vegas has been doing it for years, with, for instance, Mandalay Bay hosting Four Seasons Las Vegas and Nobu Hotel. But Hilton Tel Aviv, which opened in 1965 after years of determination on the part of Jerusalem’s then-mayor, Teddy Kollek, had a strong case for this action.
“We saw no immediate chance of having either a Conrad or a Waldorf Astoria here in Tel Aviv, and there is growing competition from up-market boutique hotels, so the US$2 million investment in upgrading our top floors made sense. There was already an executive lounge on the 12th floor, and this remains, but we wanted something more. Now, a Vista seaview room brings in an average rate US$170 higher than a deluxe seaview room in Hilton Tel Aviv,” Ceulemans explained.
The Vista at Hilton guests have full run of the main hotel, but they have a dedicated check-in and conciergerie at the 17th floor Vista Lounge. This has three walls that are entirely glass, offering superb views over the Mediterranean and, on either side, Tel Aviv’s renowned beaches, and views south to Jaffa. The Lounge has copious breakfasts and afternoon teas, and a modern-Californian cuisine dinner, with extensive beverage offerings.
Ceulemans would not disclose occupancy at The Vista but said “I do see growth in luxury demand and I am pleased.” He is one of the hotel’s four division managers – the others are finance, HR and operations – and his 40-strong team is responsible for conferences and meetings, marketing, reservations and sales. “Yield management is one of the most exciting elements. We forecast 365 days ahead but look every day at changes. In my last location, Vienna, we were pretty reliant on conferences and conventions, known far out, but Tel Aviv can have sudden peaks and troughs.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the fact that the hotel is kosher and observes Shabat, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, is not a big challenge. Kosher food has improved beyond all recognition in recent years. During Shabat, the hotel has to pay for taxis for staff as there is no public transport. That could inconvenience some guests, who also have to put up with one elevator switched to Shabat – automatic – mode, no made-to-order eggs, and stewed, rather than fresh-brewed, coffee for 24 hours.
Around 40% of all guests are members of Hilton Honors. “We obviously value these loyal followers and they seem to like the discount that comes with the ‘stop clicking around’ campaign,” he stated, adding that his back-of-house tools are the same for corporate or leisure.
A Belgian citizen, Ceulemans joined Hilton Antwerp when he graduated from Hotelschool Ter Duinen, Koksijde, in 2004, and he has been with Hilton ever since – he relocated to Israel July 2016. “I did have a spell in F&B along the way but it is commerce that really excites me. My philosophy is always the same, to analyse what we have done before, and see how we can do even better.”