Embassy Suites Caters to Small Meetings
To celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, Embassy Suites gave $25,000 to 25 local charities in the Overland/Kansas City area, home to its first hotel. Meals on Wheels, Boy Scouts, American Cancer Society and March of Dimes were among the beneficiaries. But they weren’t the only ones smiling at this event. SMERF meeting planners were all grins when they learned about this hotel chain’s plans for growth.
Embassy Suites, a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels, was a pioneer in the all-suite concept of giving guests more room to spread out while away from home. Since 1984, the hotel chain has grown to 190 locations and 46,076 suites in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. And it’s well on its way to reaching the goal of 300 hotels by 2010.
In 2007, the hotelier opened properties in U.S. convention centers, business parks, resorts and urban markets. Its 2008 development plan included new locations in Denver, Anchorage, Atlanta, Savannah, New Orleans and San Antonio. Nearly 60 new properties are currently in design or under construction across the country.
Does Bigger Mean Better?
Amidst all this growth, Embassy Suites is determined to retain quality standards by keeping a close eye on the personal touches that make guests feel at home in their hotels.
SMERF event attendees can take advantage of a new online program, Requests Upon Arrival, which allows them to order services, snacks, or beverages before they even set foot inside the hotel. With just the push of a button, guests can have amenities such as extra towels and blankets, baby cribs, or snacks waiting for them when they check in.
The hotel’s spacious two-room suites enable travelers to separate their work from their personal space. And in the morning they won’t find stale donuts or old boxes of cereal in the buffet area. Guests are treated to a complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast, featuring signature omelets prepared with fresh local ingredients. To unwind after a long day of meetings, event attendees can relax in the open-air atriums or sip a refreshing beverage at the evening “Manager’s Reception.”
Meeting SMERFs’ needs
Embassy Suites’ business model of maximizing personal space within a value-driven environment is an ideal match for SMERF meetings. More than 60 of its hotels offer at least 10,000 square feet of meeting space – often in upscale settings at a fraction of the cost of high-end hotels.
“Embassy Suites has always done well with SMERF business, because of our bundled value offering, spacious two-room suites and open air atriums,” says John Lee, VP of Brand Marketing for the company. “Guests have told us that our hotels are perfect for these small meetings, which in many cases are reunions and simple social gatherings. Many of our hotel sales teams – particularly in secondary markets – specialize in catering to this important market segment.”
Some of this year’s award-winning Embassy Suites hotels offer concrete proof of how this chain’s properties guarantee success for small- and medium-sized meetings. Coming in at #1 for quality assurance, cleanliness, customer staff service ratings and physical accommodations is Embassy Suites East Peoria Hotel and Riverfront Conference Center. Located on the Illinois River waterfront, this property is near Caterpillar World Headquarters, Bradley University, Paradise Casino/East Side Centre and Peoria Civic Center, as well as within walking distance to many restaurants and shopping venues. Along with 226 suites, it also has more than 35,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, and the hotel and conference center can accommodate up to 2,000 attendees. The center features a 20,000-square-foot ballroom that divides into 10 smaller rooms, as well as eight meeting rooms and an intimate executive boardroom.
Other award-winning properties include Embassy Suites Louisville in Louisville Kentucky’s East End, serving the retail- and business-filled Hurstbourne Corridor. It’s just 15 minutes from downtown and the Louisville International Airport, and provides more than 2,200 square feet of meeting space conveniently located on the hotel’s first floor. Or maybe you prefer a grand entrance lined with swaying palm trees. This is just one of the things that puts Embassy Suites Fort Myers at the top of SMERF meeting planners’ preferred sites. It’s located only one mile from Three Oaks Banquet Conference Center and boasts a seven-story atrium and a gently cascading waterfall. The largest meeting room, Estero Ballroom, covers 3,102 square feet.
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