A few days after law enforcement
officials in London thwarted a plot to blow up several commercial
aircraft using liquid explosives, U.S. authorities immediately put
tighter airport security measures in place. These included
prohibiting passengers from carrying any liquid and gel products on
airplanes.
Overnight, items that
were once considered innocuous, such as bottled water, were no
longer permitted.
After that, Aine
McKee spent some time with her trusty calculator and began
crunching numbers. When the numbers added up right, she determined
it was possible.
McKee, who is
regional director of sales and marketing for the Jurys Washington
Hotel in downtown Washington, had already noticed that since the
new security measures were put in place, guests checking in were a
bit more frazzled than usual.
Many had to dump
personal care products and other items before they could fly. By
the time they reached the Jurys, many were a sight to
behold.
They were tired and
weary, McKee said. They would drop their bags and then run off to
[a drugstore] to get their necessities. So we thought we should
take the pain out of it for them.
After working up the
numbers to make sure it was cost-effective, McKee, in an example of
adversity spurring invention, created the Liquid Infusion
Package.
The $299 room rate
includes hand lotion, shampoo and conditioner, hair gel,
toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving cream, a razor, deodorant, eye
drops, disinfecting hand gel and a hydrating facial mask, which
guests receive at check-in.
Also included: a
choice of sparkling or spring water presented in an ice bucket
delivered to the room.
The following
morning, guests also receive a continental breakfast complete with
a fruit smoothie.
McKees counterparts
at other properties across the U.S. apparently spent time crunching
numbers, too, because many hotels took steps to help guests who had
to relinquish their personal care products at the
airport.
Omni Hotels is
providing an array of complimentary personal care items above and
beyond those typically found in the hotel room.
Among the items
available to guests are facial skin care products, womens
cosmetics, hair care products, contact lens solution and
toothpaste.
Taking care of our
guests is fundamental, Mike Deitemeyer, president of Omni Hotels,
said in a statement. We know our guests will be inconvenienced by
the security changes, and we want to do whatever it takes to make
their travel experiences less stressful.
Omni said it would
also provide guests with a list of nearby pharmacies, with
telephone numbers and hours of operation, to refill prescriptions
or over-the-counter medications.
The Wyndham Hotels
chain, the James Hotel in Chicago, the Sofitel Miami, the Hotel
Gansevoort in New York as well as all of the Apple Core Hotels
properties (Red Roof Inn Manhattan, Comfort Inn Midtown, Super 8
Hotel Times Square, La Quinta Inn Manhattan and Ramada Inn
Eastside) are just some of the other properties that have similar
programs in place.
Im sure there must be
dozens and dozens of drug stores and pharmacies that have become
big fans of the hotel industry.
On one hand, all of
this may not seem like such a big deal.
After all, hotels are
in the business of providing services to guests.
Regardless of the
airport screening rules, any hotel worth its pillow-top would
likely do whatever it could to help a guest who needs personal care
items.
But McKee said
something more is going on here. From hurricanes to tougher airport
security, McKee explained, Hotels get hit with so many things that
are out of our control.
And so do
travelers.
We need to do
everything we can so that the traveler doesnt get so frustrated
that they wont travel, he said.
If hotels dont, McKee
said that everyone from airlines to hotels to drug stores would
suffer.
You dont have to
crunch numbers to know how much that would cost.