Desires Hotels, the boutique branch of Tecton Hospitality, based in Miami,
is heating up the industry with successful operational and financial
management, human resources, and sales and marketing services that don’t
compromise the individual integrity and unique qualities of each asset.
In just one year, after launching in January 2005, Desires has grown from
four boutique properties to eight, doubling its portfolio and expects to
continue at this reckless pace with their projections for the year 2006.
The Desires portfolio includes the award-winning 84-room Water Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 50- room Aqua Hotel, the 66-room Wave Hotel, the 83-room Circa 39, all, in trendy, hot Miami Beach. By years end, they had acquired the 40 room Hotel Astor, the 61-room Betsy Ross Hotel and the 87 room condo hotel, the Strand Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Florida and the 110 room Glenn Hotel in Atlanta, Ga.
“We have demonstrated to owners that we can drive top and bottom line results while maintaining the design, style and characteristic of their unique assets and that has a lot to do with our growth,” says Doug Carrillo, VP of Sales and Marketing with Tecton Hospitality.
A recent example is the Desires’ ability to upgrade and enhance the Sagamore Hotel on Collins Avenue at 17th Street, just completed in April. Its owners approached the company in need of finding solutions for achieving more profitability. Desires brought in China Grill Management to debut a new, chic, restaurant, “Social,” which has greatly enhanced the property and increased the bottom line.
In 2001 there were few selections for owners operating boutique hotels. “We formalized our approach with the institution of Desires to fill a void of options that exist today. Owners of this new genre of boutique hotels typically take one or two routes. Some owners turn to large management companies that often post their brand names to what were, at one time, truly unique properties. Others’ try to manage the hotels on their own and quickly realize that operating boutique hotels is not the same as investing in them,” says Carillo.
The Desires’ Hotel is defined as a property with “style with substance,” a modern boutique hotel concept targeted for GenXers who fall into the psychographic that demand the best in technology, food and beverage and style. “We’re not interested in developing a consumer – end brand,” says Carillo. “We cater to the hotel owner who has property or wants to build and we “individualize” our strategy per owner, fulfilling their vision based on financial resources.”
Desires Hotels Management was involved at the initial stage of planning in both the design and branding of the Glen Hotel, the 110 room property, which opened in January of this year in Atlanta and the Hotel La Mela, slated to open sometime in the third quarter of 2006 on West 44th Street in the heart of New York City’s theatre district.
“Boutique hotels require a special touch, “says Raul Leal, Tecton Hospitality’s president. “By honing in on the individual concerns of owners of boutique hotels, we can deliver the financial performance that owners
demand while making sure that the hotels develop and maintain their own personalities. It’s all about delivering a hotel product that is stylish, unique, and creative – yet traditional in service and functionality.”
One of the unique offerings that Desires’ is rolling out is their ecommerce technology initiative, designed to both inform and pre-screen each property’s customers in order to better meet their needs. Weekly Pod-casts on the websites of each Desires’ Hotel, recorded by the manager at each property, provide an update to tech savvy GenXers about local activities in the area. Additionally, the website offers guests an opportunity to
make food and beverage amenity choices and other personal preferences that they pre-select, which will then be in the guests’ rooms upon arrival.
As part of its technology offerings, Desires’ management has instituted a system by which guests will be referred to their “quasi concierge, “or “web concierge,” which they provide through the use of IDT data systems technologies, that they’ve outsourced to handle reservations. Additionally they are planning to roll out in the 3rd quarter of 2006-7 an ARS (Automated Revenue Management Service) which they’re currently bidding on, to ramp up revenue.
“Each property has its own idiosyncrasies and requires a different management approach,” says Carillo. The “Desires Orientation,” provides employees with relevant information about each property’s unique attributes. Desires’ Hotels HR management utilizes a slightly different interviewing process which lends itself to the special concerns of the Boutique Hotel entity. They’ve designed training programs for Directors of Revenue Management who will be on site at each property to insure profitability.
Ultimately, at each property, personnel will drive revenue.
