isitors arriving at the Westfields
Marriott near Washington at about 4 p.m. will be greeted by
something veteran guests of the property, which caters to business
travelers and meetings groups, haven't seen in years: afternoon
tea. This is the real deal, complete with sweet delicacies, finger
sandwiches and a pianist playing in the background.
With biz market off, hotels eye leisure
guests
What's remarkable about the tea is not the price ($12.95) but
the setting: a suburban Marriott known among business travelers and
meetings planners for its state of the art conference center and
18-hole golf course, conveniently located just seven miles south of
Dulles Airport.
Tea? Here? Amid the briefcases and cell phones and golf
bags?
Actually, tea time used to be a custom at the hotel years ago,
and new general manager Stu Damon decided to bring it back as part
of an overall marketing effort designed to attract what has quickly
become one of the hottest markets in the hotel industry: the local
folk.
The local market
Specifically, Damon has his eye on Washington area residents who
live within an hour's drive of the property.
Why fly four or five hours to a faraway resort, he asks, "when
you can come here? We are a 45-minute drive from Washington."
It is a message the hotel, which also boasts a spa, is
trumpeting in its marketing and advertising efforts.
Hotels in general have seen a fall-off in business meetings,
Damon explained, adding that "our occupancy has dipped a bit."
Also, he said, "a lot of people aren't getting into airplanes
anymore. We are going after a market that's growing now, the drive,
leisure-oriented market. We are just now putting advertising
support behind it."
But that's not all.
The hotel has decided to go after the wedding market as
well.
"We do about 200 weddings a year at this location," Damon said.
"It is a huge block that we had never gone after" until now.
While it is not unusual for a business hotel to pursue leisure
clients, especially in the summer, this summer is different. The
entire industry is coping with a prolonged slump in business
travel, coupled with a rebounding leisure market.
"With demand falling off for upscale chains or products in the
top 25 markets, those hotels have had to augment or go after
different types of business -- and that would be the leisure
traveler," said Brad Garner, research analyst for Smith Travel
Research.
Packages
Most business hotels are using the tried-and-true carrot to lure
leisure vacationers: packages.
For instance, Choice Hotels has stepped up marketing for its
"Gas Food Lodging" campaign this summer.
"We definitely recognize that there is a shift, and we want to
get those leisure travelers to stay with us, as well as business
travelers who have downsized, have limited budgets and are staying
in economy and mid-scale properties," said a spokeswoman for
Choice.
In anticipation of a soft business travel market, Loews Hotels,
which already had won awards from Child magazine and TV's
Nickelodeon cable channel for its long-running Loews Loves Kids
packages, decided this year to put renewed emphasis on families,
particularly those traveling with teenagers.
"Loews has always looked at the family market as an important
one," said a spokeswoman for the chain.
"But we realized that we needed to take a harder look at the
teen market, under the premise that if your teen isn't happy on a
trip, then no one is."
Loews teamed up with Seventeen magazine, conducting an online
survey at the publication's Web site to find out what teenagers
wanted when they traveled. Some 8,000 teens responded to the
survey, which was conducted in December and January.
So what did teens want? The No. 1 answer probably would come as
no surprise to most parents of teenagers. "They wanted a room of
their own," said a Loews spokeswoman.
Loews took that fact and others gleaned from the survey to
develop packages aimed at parents traveling with teenagers. The T.
Loews packages debuted in June.
"We put together pricing where you buy one room and you get the
second [teen] room at a really cheap rate," the spokeswoman
said.
Teens surveyed also said they liked shopping, to "chill out at
the beach" and "check out a cool city."
So Loews developed the T. Loews amenity kit that includes
teen-oriented product samples, coupons for discounts on local
attractions and info on fun things to do.
And that's not all. Families may borrow everything from Gameboys
to Nintendo game consoles to teen books to board games from Loews'
"Did You Forget?" closet at the front desk.
Meanwhile, Park Plaza Hotels and Resorts is promoting a third
night free for guests who stay two consecutive nights, a program
aimed at families.
Crowne Plaza, which also offers a similar free night deal, is
taking even more aggressive steps to attract families. Its sales
force has begun pursuing the family reunion market.
"We are primarily a business hotel, but a lot of the business we
do is groups and meetings," said Kevin Kowalski, vice president of
marketing for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts.
A reunion boom
"The family reunion business is absolutely booming," said
Kowalski. "We are predicting that this summer there will be 200,000
family reunions," each averaging 40 to 50 attendees.
"That is pretty attractive business for the hotel community,"
said Kowalski. "So we are going to aggressively take what we think
is our core strength -- meetings -- and extend that to the leisure
segment, going after the family reunion market."
Kowalski declined to speculate on how long his hotels and others
would continue to pursue the leisure market. That will likely
depend on several factors, including the economy and the recovery
of the airline industry.
Some say it may take until 2004 or beyond for a full recovery on
the airline side. And by then, hotels could be hooked on their new
revenue streams.
Tea, anyone?
To contact reporter Michael Milligan, send e-mail to [email protected].