NATIONAL Southeast
One Winning Business Strategy, Two Orlando Hotels By Kristan Obeng
Hotel Experience? No, it’s the Orlando 3000 Experience
M
80 NOVEMBER 2015 Exhibit City News
Center on different sides of the Convention Center District in Orlando, Fla., are 15 minutes away from the airport. They are also within minutes of Orlando’s famed themed parks and the 6,500-acre International Drive, an entertainment and retail district. Although they have distinct identities and branding as well as similar and different in-house partners, Hilton and Hyatt are like-minded in their goal to give business travelers a memorable group or event experience in Orlando. Hilton Orlando From the moment groups descend from a bevy of buses and enter the 1417-room Hilton, they will see that the property’s
staff lives and breathes excelling at customer service. This is apparent in Hilton’s desire to eliminate long wait times. The hotel lobby is designed to checkin guests quickly. It features 12 check-in stations strategically spread out across the space. Some clients have used stop watches while Hilton’s front-end staff checked in groups within minutes after they arrived, according to Staci Sargis, senior sales manager, Hilton Orlando. Hilton also leverages technology. As of this past October, the HHonors app allows members to digitally check-in and pick their room at Hilton Orlando. Additionally that month, keyless entry was added to
Photo Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Orlando
Hilton Orlando provides a luxurious meeting stay
Photo Courtesy of Hilton Orlando
any convention center managers have emphasized providing a “hotel experience” to stay competitive and meet the needs of meeting planners who want to ensure their groups receive personalized attention. The originators of the hotel experience have also evolved to offer more than guestrooms. Hotels operating in major convention destinations have increased their meeting facilities, expanded their partnerships and focused on delivering a higher level of customer service. While convention centers and hotels are complementary and will often work together for the greater economic impact to their city, meetings will continue to mean business. To ensure they can bid and win this business and put additional heads in beds, hotel owners have had to innovate and think strategically. Two years ago, Hilton Orlando and Hyatt Regency Orlando united to attract groups under the moniker “Orlando 3000,” which represents the combined number of hotel rooms they offer. Between Hilton and Hyatt, meeting planners also have access to nearly 500,000 square feet of meeting space. Increased group and event activity has led to over 20,000 room nights accommodated between the hotels since 2014. The two hotels, attached to the 7 million square-foot Orange County Convention