Room to Grow

Club-style pool parties, spa treatments, salsa lessons – San Fernando Valley hotel managers are trying everything these days to bring back those guests who became scarce during the economic downturn. While the recession forced hotels to drop room rates and left them with lower occupancy levels and fewer event bookings, certain hotel managers turned to their creativity and management skills to figure out how to pack their establishments again and find new revenue streams. The use of renovations and new attractions to dazzle guests is reflective of a larger trend occurring in the hotel industry, said Susan McCloskey, marketing representative for the California Travel & Tourism Commission’s Greater Los Angeles region. “Rates are lower, but the value added and the benefits of staying at the hotels are much greater,” she said. “A lot of the hotels are going through revamping, updating their interiors in the rooms. … They’re spending more money as far as making their hotels a more desirable place to be.” Several San Fernando Valley hotel general managers have figured out ways to offer that added value beyond the typical guestroom tweaks and discount packages. All it took for Warner Center Marriott’s general manager, Clay Andrews, to come up with his ideas for change was a glance at his hotel’s underutilized pool area when he started working there in 2008. “It looked so sterile,” Andrews said. “It kind of looked like a prison yard. The first think I wanted to do was transform the area.” Under Andrews’ leadership, the hotel underwent a $250,000 renovation to the pool area, adding a cooling deck by the pool and bar, cabanas and furniture, wiring for speakers and an 8-foot-tall fountain wall with torches that are lit at night. This summer, the area has become the home to “Splash Sundays,” where the younger to mid-range adult crowd is known to party from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., ordering drinks from the poolside bar, getting professional massages and dancing to music played by a DJ. The event, which is expected to continue until September, is even slated to feature cultural dancers and other live entertainment in the future, Andrews said. Creating a vibe “It’s all about creating a vibe out there,” Andrews said, adding that the focus of the event is getting guests to stay onsite for leisure activity. “(Before) there was really nothing that stood out that kept the people to our properties. … It distinguishes us from our competition because they don’t have anything like this.” While the event is free for guests staying overnight on Sundays, locals and those checking out of the hotel that day are charged a $20 entrance fee. So far, the event has led to dramatic increases in bar revenues, even on weeknights, Andrews said. Other general managers have also used pool attractions to attract customers. Noel Pavia at the Courtyard by Marriott in Valencia and Bert Seneca at The Beverly Garland Holiday Inn started showing poolside “dive-in” movies at their establishments. Amy Commans at Westlake Village Inn headed a project that renovated the hotel’s pool, added a poolside bar and cabanas, and added two spa rooms. The spa rooms opened earlier this month and offer services such as massages, waxing and facials. The additions are part of a plan to make the hotel stand apart from its competitors, especially the half dozen hotels that moved into the area over the past couple of years. “Consumers are more aggressive about finding bargains,” Commans said. “They wanted more for that extra dollar than they used to. We were compelled to be the ones that delivered that added value.” Other general managers have tried even more unconventional methods to draw guests. The Valencia Courtyard by Marriott hotel’s general manager Noel Pavia and his staff have focused on community-based events offered free of charge to guests and at times even to Santa Clarita Valley residents. The events have included salsa lessons taught by a local dance instructor, concerts by local bands and a video game competition geared toward filming crews and entertainment industry executives. At the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys, the hotel’s owner and general manager Jim Dunn decided to offer complimentary helicopter rides to VIP corporate travelers whose companies generated the most room stays. Thomas Gurtner, general manager at the luxury health-focused Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, drove his energy into providing double-occupancy room and spa specials and building a partnership with the producers of the television show “The Biggest Loser” for filming at the site. Positive results The general managers say the recently added attractions have already started to show positive results. At the Warner Center Marriott, bar sales have skyrocketed with even weeknight bar sales growing by about 30 to 40 percent, Andrews said. Pavia said the events at the Courtyard by Marriott in Valencia have helped boost the hotel’s presence in the community and have led to higher revenues. “It has definitely helped our restaurant and our bar,” Pavia said. “I think even sports teams that do travel into Santa Clarita … they plan their visits into our hotels because when the kids are having fun in the pool, there’s something for mom and dad, and it doesn’t cost anything.” Gurtner said the “Double the Fun” room special the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village started offering about a year and a half ago has been highly successful, and he’s not even sure if the package is still needed from a revenue standpoint. Several hotel managers said their occupancy rates are increasing as the economy recovers, though room rates are expected to take much longer to improve. But while travel by tourists is starting to make a comeback in the region and the state, McCloskey said hotels still need to remain competitive. “(People) will travel, but there has to be something that draws them to the location,” she said.