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The Tour of Hotel Skyler

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Today, the Hotel & Resort Operations class and I toured the newly-opened and the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified hotel in Syracuse, NY --- Hotel Skyler. What impressed me the most is that the developer transformed a historic building into a modern, boutique style hotel that meets the LEED Platinum standards, with 30% used materials that were shipped within 500 miles from Syracuse.

The property was built in 1921, first as the Temple Adath Yeshurun, then the Salt City Theatre, and now a 58-room boutique hotel. The developer blended the boutique hotel concept in this historic building very well. Based on the pictures here --- Coffee & Wine Bar, the lobby, and the Tree House Suite (from top to bottom) --- would you agree with me that this is a nice looking hotel?

Overall, I feel that Hotel Skyler reflects the hotel trends very well, such as the boutique hotel concept, the green concept, the new lobby concept, the mini market concept, the hotel design trend, the reward program trend, and the demand of free WiFi in hotels. Did I miss anything? What other trends did you observe from this hotel? Also, which unique characteristic(s) of Hotel Skyler impressed you the most?

Want to see more pictures of this property? Please check out the album on my Facebook page. When you are there, please do not forget to “Like” my Facebook page!
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  1. Bryan GeorgiadySeptember 27, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    But, a hotel is only as good as its ability to make money.

    Yet during S.U. graduation week last year--by far the most profitable week of the year for area hotels--they had less than a 30% occupancy rate because they didn't finish their construction and remodeling work. If they had just timed the construction properly, they probably could have made an extra $20,000 PER DAY over that long weekend, just in room revenue alone. And they were even within walking distance of the S.U. campus. Sad.

    Good management requires planning ahead and making sure your facility is ready to take advantage of the best opportunities...

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  2. Linchi KwokSeptember 27, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    Thank you for the insightful information, Bryan. I believe the hotel probably intended to have everything completed before that weekend, but probably did not plan for "the unexpected." I agree that project management and time management skills are important.

    Meanwhile, if the hotel is not ready, the management should not open the hotel for business --- rather sacrifice some money but must do the right things for the customers and the brand.

    Interestingly, however, one of my friends chose to stay in the Genesee Grande over Hotel Skyler and the Crowne Plaza. She was coming to SU for a conference --- she thought Sheraton was too expensive; plus, it was full. Actually, I even told her Hotel Skyler is new boutique property and has a great location to SU campus. I even told her Hotel Skyler is owned by the same company who manages the Genesee Grande. She ended up staying in the Genesee Grande --- very likely, Hotel Skyler have mostly king beds, which is good for a single businessperson or a couple. My friend preferred a two double since she is sharing the room with another person.

    I wonder if the market search in Syracuse shows that there is a substantial demand for king rooms. With a low OCC, I believe Hotel Skyler needs to make more efforts on sales and marketing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KrissieOctober 15, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    Another trend that I noticed in Hotel Skyler was the bar in the lobby, a trend that the hotel staff discussed with us. According to the managers of Hotel Skyler, the desire for an in-hotel bar is growing much more prevalent these days. Business travelers especially look for this exponentially popular addition to hotels.

    After thinking about it, I can see why business travelers would want a bar in their hotels. Although many people don't relate business travel to social scenes, we cannot forget that business travelers do have some free leisure time throughout their travels. After a long day of business and often times in an area that they are unfamiliar with, the ease and comfort of an in-hotel bar is a great draw.

    Being so close to the Syracuse University campus, a bar inside a hotel could be a great source of revenue for the property. By marketing their bar to students, Hotel Skyler could not only make revenue from selling drinks, but also get their name out their to a target market that often has guests looking for places to stay.

    ReplyDelete

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