Desires Keys In On Culture, Guest Preferences & Partnerships

By Derek Gale, Senior Associate Editor -- Hotels, 12/1/2007

“There’s a great focus on culture in our company,” says Desires Hotels President Raul Leal. “We believe that you grow a company through culture.” He cites Marriott International’s success as a key example of that, and believes the philosophy can be applied acutely within a smaller boutique hotel company like Desires.

To keep focused on culture, the company’s cultural beliefs were compiled into something it calls REDBOOK, which is available for viewing on the company’s Web site. It includes statements such as, “Did you know that you are the heart and soul of our company?” as well as a list of components of company culture and a list of “yeas” and “nays.”

Also, in a unique manifestation of company culture, team members—from general managers to front line staff—wear dog tags to symbolize their commitment to their jobs. The dog tags read: “I am what I do,” and “I know what I must do.”

Says Leal, “We wanted to do something different. We did not want nametags—they are overused in our business and don’t stand for anything. We wanted our associates to be personable, to shake hands and tell guests their names willingly.”

Employees receive the dog tags after they have gone through 90 days of cultural training and have shown that they have embraced the beliefs of the company. They are not required to wear them, but nearly all of them choose to do so. “We think people must take on the personality of boutique hotels—unique, surprising and different,” Leal says.

In case the company’s dedicated employees weren’t enough, the Desires customer relationship management (CRM) solution, called Your Desires, is designed to customize each guest’s stay and enhance guests’ desire to return to Desires properties.

It encompasses the normal aspects of other hotel companies’ guest recognition, loyalty and concierge programs (such as online profiles, custom welcome amenities, enhanced service, special offers and exclusive privileges), but without any points or miles. In addition, a dedicated “Manager of Desires” and a team of agents at each property work to ensure that guests’ special requests are met, both prior to and during the stay.

To further attract guests to its properties, Desires seeks specific branding alliances at the property level. “That helps give each hotel its own identity,” Leal says. “I think alliances are important, but what’s most important is positioning the hotel as a unique asset.” Such alliances may come in the form of branded bathroom amenities or partnerships with successful restaurateurs like Jeffrey Chodorow (his Social restaurant is located at the Sagamore Hotel in Miami).

Current and future Desires Hotels properties and their locations:
The Betsy Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
Cassa Hotel & Residences, New York, New York (in development)
Circa 39 Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
The Glenn Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia
Hotel Astor, Miami Beach, Florida
Hotel Mela, New York, New York
Hotel St. Augustine, Miami Beach, Florida
The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (in development)
The Lift Hotel, Long Island, New York (in development)
The Sagamore Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
San Juan Water & Beach Club Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Strand Ocean Drive Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
The Wave Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida