Search

×

In case you missed it: The purple (hotel) haze of memory

Purple plans. What’s your earliest hotel memory? Mine, second only to a Holiday Inn with a clover-shaped swimming pool, is the Purple Hotel – a Hyatt-owned property and striking landmark in the Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood that we drove by frequently in our wood-paneled Country Squire station wagon. Its history was colorful, too, and its demolition in 2013 triggered a gold rush of sorts for the purple bricks on its façade. I have three; HOTELS Editor in Chief Jeff Weinstein has one, too – turns out he had his bar mitzvah there. According to the Chicago Tribune, plans are moving to put a mixed-use development on the property, with apartments, retail – and perhaps even a hotel. Better than the gaping, chain-linked expanse that’s there now, but for a couple of generations of locals, it won’t ever be the same.—Barbara Bohn

The Purple Hotel, shortly before it was demolished in 2013. Eric Allix Rogers | Flickr
The Purple Hotel, shortly before it was demolished in 2013. Eric Allix Rogers | Flickr

Cost of acquisition. Revenue strategy and benchmarking company Kalibri Labs just launched the final installment in a series that provides a guide to manage the costs of customer acquisition, as well as assess multiple sources of business to help a hotel find its optimal business mix. It calls attention to the impact of wholesale commissions, the benefits of a base of loyal recurring guests and the profit advantages that accrue by understanding the cost of acquisition in a hotel market. Always worth a read, here is a link to download the entire series.—Jeff Weinstein

If these walls could talk. The Beverly Hills Hotel has been the scene of sensation forever and a day. From Liz Taylor and Frank Sinatra holding court, a famed Eagles album cover photo shoot, boycotts, constant celebrity hijinks in the Polo Lounge, and now The Donald. How does hotel GM Ed Mady manage through all the drama? Now the hotel has received a subpoena to release the records of President Trump’s visits during a five-year period before he was president as they could become critical evidence in a serious legal threat brought by a woman accusing him of improper sexual advances. The New York case is being closely followed by constitutional lawyers because of the role it could play in determining whether state lawsuits may proceed against a sitting president. Cue the mystery music.—J.W.

Groomed for success. Aethos Consulting has released an interesting report on the importance and future of the chief commercial officer role. The CCO is generally responsible for aligning commercial strategy and the development of an organization, but in practice it entails a myriad of competencies and activities tied to marketing, sales, product development and customer service, which when properly integrated, drive business growth and market share. Aethos suggests as hospitality organizations pivot and hone their overall commercial strategy in this ever-changing and consumer-driven industry, the CCO must ensure that the organization likewise follows suit to build and sustain an organizational and culture that adapts to these market forces. It also predicts we will see increasingly more CCOs move into CEO or president roles because they play roles closer to consumers and have a unique set of core competencies.—J.W.

Once quirky, now humdrum. Travel Weekly’s Arnie Weissmann, who went to LE Miami last week, interviews Australia-based QT Hotels & Resorts’ general manager of operations, Rhys Jones, about the risk of “hipness creep” amid the category of hotels that QT plays in. “Seven years seems to be the far end of the life cycle for lifestyle concepts,” Weissmann writes.—B.B.

Comment