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G. Paul LeBlanc, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Warwick International Hotels // (c) 2010 |
Warwick International Hotels, launched in 1980, offers over 44 hotels with more than 5,000 rooms worldwide in Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, South Africa and the United States. On the occasion of the company’s 30th anniversary, G. Paul LeBlanc, vice president of sales and marketing, spoke to TravelAge West about some recent upgrades and renovations and the company’s plans for the future.
Since TravelAge West is a magazine and website for travel agents in the western United States, let’s start with the perks. Warwick is offering travel agents huge discounts at some of its U.S. properties. Why, and is the program a success?
Warwick International Hotels offers a special discount to bonafide travel agents who are in a position to recommend and reserve rooms at our hotels and resorts around the world. We offer discounts of up to 50 percent off our regular rates by booking through the GDS or our website using the WKTA rate code. Instant confirmation is provided at the time of booking, with the special rate offered. At registration, a pictured IATA card or other official documentation is required from the agent. In 2009, over 545 reservations were accommodated with over 1,300 room nights. This program continues to be very successful in allowing the travel agent to personally experience the service and quality of our accommodations, showing an increase of 41 percent room nights in 2008.
What are some other promotions that travel agents should know about?
Each of our hotels offers distinct packages that fit into its market. For instance, the Warwick New York has a fun Ladies Night Out package that includes a champagne sampling and two passes to the Museum of Sex. Warwick Denver has a number of packages tied to Denver museums, children’s attractions and Denver breweries. The hotels will usually have special packages for major holidays too.
At many of our hotels and resorts, we offer reservations in the way of increased commissions to travel agents. Currently, we are offering an additional 5 percent commission on our Suite Promotions program under the WKSTE rate code. On our website, there is also a special travel agent-only version, which provides a listing of the special offers for travel agencies along with a host of resource materials available.
Across the U.S., our Irresistible 24-Hour package is an excellent meetings’ package for groups of 10 or more starting at $189 per night in Denver; $289 in Dallas, San Francisco and Seattle; and $310 in New York. It includes a room night with upgrade when available, bottled water, continental breakfast, lunch and two breaks, early check-in and late check-out, an LCD projector and one Wi-Fi connection per meeting room.
Also, our military discount rate for service personnel on R&R or with deployment papers, and our senior discounts for those 65 and over, are truly amazing discounts. Although the rate will vary based on the time of the year, the military discount means a room may be had from $55 per night for a classic room (or $67 per night in Seattle) or $99 for a suite, plus taxes. Prices start at $140 in New York. Our hotels outside New York also offer rates for seniors beginning at $65 per night.
Let’s talk about the company’s history. It seems that Warwick began in the U.S. then expanded into Europe and is now worldwide. When did the logo change to Warwick International?
The first U.S. hotel purchased, on 54th Avenue, was called The Warwick. It was built by William Randolph Hearst for his love, Marion Davies, a Hollywood star. We kept the name because the property was so famous — but we are not sure why or how Mr. Hearst originally settled on The Warwick.
That property has recently undergone a $4 million renovation. What were the upgrades in the rooms and public areas?
Six floors, comprising 114 rooms and suites, have been completely renovated. The new room designs, evocative of vintage Hollywood glamour, define the look for future renovations within this historic hotel. That aura of Hollywood royalty pervades the newly redesigned rooms, which are enveloped in shades of platinum, champagne, beige and silver. Furnishings include walnut veneer dressers, consoles and mini-bar cabinets with antiqued mirror inlays and dining room tables and desks in an appropriately decadent shade called Java Chocolate. Champagne silver-leaf coffee and accent tables, along with high-gloss ivory lacquer bedside tables and rich fabrics add sparkle and comfort to the ambience.
Since stars deserve to be pampered, guests in the premier rooms and suites will also enjoy Bulgari bath products, welcome amenities and a box of Milk Duds as the special turndown amenity. Milk Duds were introduced in 1926, the same year as Warwick New York. While the environment conveys timeless elegance, discerning guests will also enjoy state-of-the-art technologies, such as new flat-screen televisions, in-room movies, dimming control for lighting and over-sized electric safes to accommodate laptops and valuables. Each of the premier suites offers a 40-inch high-definition LCD television in the living room with an interactive multimedia system that allows guests to connect their laptop computers, iPods and iPhones to the television. Upon request, a Wii console can be delivered to the suites. Both wired and wireless Internet access are also available in the premier rooms and suites.
What do you think William Randolph Hearst would think of the property in its current incarnation?
We think Mr. Hearst and his friends would find that the premier rooms and suites definitely uphold their standards.
How about upgrades or renovations at other Warwick properties?
Warwick International Hotels is continually renovating and enhancing our hotels. Within the past year we have completed projects in the U.S., Europe, South Africa and the South Pacific.
In Denver, we recently completed a $25 million renovation that covered every guestroom, the lobby and all of the meeting spaces on the second floor.
Recently, we have invested more than $5 million in the Dallas hotel, redesigning every guestroom and suite except the presidential suite and making over the popular Library Bar.
Hotel Warwick Geneva also is sporting a new look for Teseo Restaurant & Bar and for 142 rooms on six floors.
Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa, a member of the Warwick International Hotels collection, completed the first phase of a major facility upgrade that began in 2008. This phase incorporated the development of two new villages (numbers seven and eight), comprising 62 new rooms, including eight executive suites. Other new facilities include the building of a new leisure area, the addition of a spa conference room and a second spa signature room.
Warwick Fiji Resort & Spa recently received AAA Tourism’s five-star rating, in part due to upgrades at the resort, which included upgrades to the former Cafe Korolevu restaurant, now named Bula Brasserie, at a cost of more than half a million Fijian dollars. We redesigned the Suva Wing Ocean View rooms and hallways and invested in a modern gym.
Do you see Warwick International expanding its operations in the future? If so, in what regions or specific countries?
This past year we have added hotels in Vienna, Austria; Stockholm, Sweden; Milan and Siena, Italy. Warwick International Hotels’ most significant expansion during the coming years will be in the South Pacific. Target countries include Tahiti, Samoa and Tonga.
Warwick International Hotels
www.warwickhotels.com
