Lodging chains are trying to attract local patrons to social evenings and running clubs,
Building a crowd of regulars stopping in for drinks, dinner may help entice visitors
Even though he lives nearby, Edilson Cremonese is a regular at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. But he never sleeps there.
Every Thursday evening after work, he joins a group formed by the hotel and a local running store for a 5K workout, followed by a post-run happy hour.
It’s part of a national “running concierge” program created by Westin, which, as are many hotel chains, is finding that a local clientele can help even out the ups and downs of the lodging business. And locals can even help out-of-towners feel more at home.
“Most of the people staying in the hotel are just looking for something to do that’s more local than something they’d read about,” said Cremonese, a physical therapist by day. “They all want to know what to do, places to go,” he said, and he is happy to give them tips.
Chris Heuisler, a Westin manager in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who leads the company’s national running-concierge program, said the point is “making the locals really aware of your property.”
Hotels are always eager to get people in the door, of course, whether to spend the night or their money at the bar. And catering wedding parties and banquets has long been central to the hospitality industry.
But the newer trend is to focus on getting repeat business from a local following. So the innkeepers are sponsoring running clubs or organizing other attractions such as author readings, art shows or musical performances.
“You’re trying to look for incremental revenue anywhere you can,” said Bobby Bowers, senior vice-president of operations at the travel research firm STR.
The effort includes making lobbies and lounges more inviting hangout venues, rather than simply places to stare at your smartphone while awaiting a car to the airport. The theory is that a vibrant group of local patrons can make the hotel more attractive to out-of-town lodgers.
“Certainly, what we’ve seen is younger travellers like active spaces, even if they’re sitting by themselves,” said David Loeb, senior hotel research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. “This is certainly one way to spur on that activity. It’s the coffee shop mentality.”
A buzzing social hive can even convince lodgers that they don’t need to leave the hotel to have a meal, drink or general good time.
“A lot of times when people come and stay, they look for things to do, and if there’s no activity at the hotel or it’s kind of sparse, then the likelihood is they’ll go somewhere else,” Bowers said.
“If you have that activity there — and a lot of time that does come from the locals — that’s a way to capture that revenue.”
Or as Thom Kozik, vice-president of global loyalty at Marriott International, put it, “Nothing is worse than a dead lobby.”
To breathe new life into its public spaces, Marriott has experimented with various ways to attract an intown clientele. Its Renaissance Hotels brand a few years ago created an online concierge service, supplemented by recommendations and insights from local “navigators.”
More recently, it started an Eve- nings at Renaissance program, with amenities such as craft cocktails and musical entertainment. The Renaissance in Asheville, N.C., for instance, recently had a local acoustic-country duo play for guests at one of its weekly music nights.
And the company recently completed a five-week test in the Baltimore-Washington area in which local Marriott Rewards members could earn points by drinking or dining at 21 of its hotels in the region.
Jonathan Frolich, vice-president for global brands at Hyatt Hotels’ Andaz line, said each of its hotels holds six to 10 “salon” events a year, which typically draw several dozen people — usually a mix of lodgers and local residents. In Napa, Calif., aspir- ing artists painted and drank wine alongside a local artist, and in Savannah, Ga., a local scholar gave a presentation on art and design.
Demographics are also driving the localist trend. Millennials are a growing consumer force, and when they spend their money on travel they often seek personalized experiences.
“There’s a growing demand among younger travellers,” said Heuisler of Westin, describing the sentiment as, “I want to go somewhere that really only the insiders know about.”
Loeb, the hotel analyst, agreed. “The best advertisement for a hotel is the local community,” he said. “If you can get locals to have a good experience, however they spread that word, it’s a positive.”