Forget The MINTS

Beverly Hills Observers within the lifestyle and luxury hotel sectors are anxiously awaiting next year’s debut of SLS Hotels, the brand being launched by nightclub mogul Sam Nazarian’s SBE Entertainment Group.

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 8/1/2007

WORLDWIDE Turndown services are turning up their

marketing power with customizable programs and pampering packages

that sweeten both the guest’s experience and the hotel’s bottom

line.

Guests at North American Hyatt hotels and resorts can transition

from work to relaxation with a rest-inducing yoga lesson in the

privacy of their guestroom. Global Hyatt Corp. contracted with Denver-based

YogaAway™ to create “A Good Night from YogaAway.” Turndown cards

explain how to access the free On-Command yoga video comprising

an 11-minute series of asanas and meditation designed to promote

deep relaxation and a better night’s sleep.

Like the “old wave” chocolates on the pillow, this four-pose series

is just a taste of the full YogaAway program offered in instructor-led

classes in many Hyatt properties, sold at retail on DVDs and available

as pay-per-view content in Hyatt’s North American hotels and resorts.

“Offering the same set of yoga practices in both private and public

settings addresses our guests’ desire to choose their exercise venue

and time commitment,” says Gordon Tareta, Hyatt’s assistant vice

president of spa operations, Chicago. It also helps to stimulate

incremental sales. “Within the health and fi tness category, YogaAway

has the highest capture of any pay-per-view offering.”

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts encourages hotels to

localize turndown services, according to Andrea Torrance, Fairmont’s

vice president, rooms. At California’s Fairmont Newport Beach, Pastry

Chef Peter Wimmler sweetens up guests’ nights with a new orange-inspired

treat each evening—from macaroons and biscotti to madelines and

preserves. As part of “Romantic Escape Packages,” priced from US$169

on weekends to more than US$200 on weekdays, Fairmont Chicago invites

guests to end their days with a sensual “Kama Sutra” turndown that

includes Oil of Love, Pleasure Balm, mint tree and wild clove bathing

gels, Honey Dust and a feather tickler. “To control costs, we created

a standard layout for turndown that the hotels can easily adapt

and customize,” Torrance adds.

Kimpton Hotels

& Restaurants augments complete turndown at its 4-Diamond

properties with amenities tailored to the hotel’s “story:” a different

“element” each night with a card explaining its signifi cance at

the FireSky Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona (bubbles for air;

fi reballs for fi re; organic chocolate for earth and bottled water

for water); designer chocolate and one perfect orchid at the design-driven

Nine Zero, Boston; a small picture from a local artist and a bedtime

thought from the arts-oriented Palomar, Washington, D.C; and soothing

eye cream at New York’s 70 Park Avenue.

“We find turndown

is most appreciated at leisure destinations and on weekends,” says

Mike DeFrino, Kimpton’s senior vice president of hotel operations.

“We cannot track satisfaction levels directly to turndown, but we

still feel it is an important element in the luxury experience.”

Play Up The Value Add
The Oriental Singapore

has transformed turndown into a value-add luxury for VIP guests.

Along with the expected culinary treats and drinks or Champagne,

highspend guests are indulged with a Lulur bath. Given to princesses

prior to their marriage to soften their skin, this fl oral bath

dating from the 17th century invites guests to escape into a tub

sprinkled with orchids, scented with fl owers and lighted with candles.

“You have to be creative to capture the hearts and loyalty of guests,”

General Manager Rajesh Jhingon says. “Our guests love the Lulur

baths, but that’s not all we do. We also offer bathrobes and slippers

as part of a special amenities package customized for children.”

Marriott International’s properties in

the Caribbean and Mexico tempt guests with a “Tanatalizing Turndown”

menu of offers that range from a drawn bath with fl ower petals

to a plate of Mexican chocolates and other local delicacies.

“We find that people traveling for a special event, such as

a honeymoon, tend to buy the experiential packages,” says Michelle

Bozoki, director of marketing for Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean

and Mexico Resorts. Generally, she says, take-up is more about the

experience than the price point. “We gave the hotels a range of

what we wanted the value to be. Costs differ from property to property,

location to location,” Bozoki adds. “Our goal was to help our general

managers bring local fl avors into unique turndown packages and

yield manage the results.”

No Turndown?

Turndown has its challenges. A major one is the labor intensiveness.

Kimpton assigns each room attendant 55 rooms per four-hour shift

to deliver turndown to all guestrooms from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Conrad

Hotels & Resorts schedules two daily housekeeping services in its

luxury hotels. Is it worthwhile?

“Guests expect it. Turndown

is part of a luxury hotel experience,” says Antoon Hollants Van

Loocke, director of brand standards for Conrad. What is not necessary,

Hollants says, is the rush toward one-upmanship. “Why offer fl owery

services the guest may not even want? It is better to provide what

guests tell us they do want— mineral water instead of chocolates,

for example. Keep it simple, but keep service at the highest level,”

Hollants Van Loocke says.

Below the 5-star category, the turndown decision is not so clear

cut. Vienna International Hotels’ andel’s hotel,

Prague, provides daily turndown only in its club rooms. Management

amps up the impact by using customer profi les to make sure turndown

is culturally correct— especially important for Japanese guests

who prefer separate beds and appreciate having slippers provided.

In properties that do not offer turndown, Kimpton splits the difference

by training day shift housekeepers to make beds in a turned down

fashion. “Eliminating big, oversized bed covers seems to have reduced

the need for turndown (below the 4-star level). We use a decorative

throw and triple sheeting, so the guest only has to remove the decorative

pillow shams to make the bed ready,” DeFrino says.

Joie

de Vivre Hospitality hotels leaves the debate up to the

turndown preferences of each hotel’s target market.

“Turndown

is back,” says Jim Gerney, general manager of Joie de Vivre’s San

Francisco’s Miyako Hotel. “The service is mandatory in any strong

3- or 4-star hotel. Lack of this service is perceived as a weak,

cost-cutting endeavor.” Greg Maudlin, general manager of San Jose’s

Hotel Montgomery, fought to keep it. “There are budget battles.

Turndown is costly,” Maudlin says. “Think about the labor, the mints,

guestroom supplies and so on. Nonetheless, every week a few guests

question turndown. We tell guests at check-in that we offer the

service and that they can opt out if they like.” At the Mill Valley

Inn, Mill Valley, California, a different paradigm prevails. “Due

to staffi ng issues, we don’t do turndown unless it’s requested,”

says General Manager Gary Sterman