Back Burner Guerilla Marketing: Simple techniques any hotel can use.
CROWN PLAZA BALTIMORE NORTH Timonium, Maryland
David Marsh, General Manager
“Our goal is to create menus and bar specials in our F&B outlets that extend the theme of a conference or function so guests will want to remain in the hotel. When we have conferences that take over the entire hotel, we bring together the F&B director, chef, and sales department and ask the client what they would like to eat and at what price point. For a recent sci ficonference, for example, we created Star Trek drink specials such as the Vulcan Mind Meld to carry the theme into the bar. Every week, we create a different menu with a different feel. Everything is geared toward the group we have in-house—to keep guests here.”
THE RITZ-CARLTON NEW YORK, BATTERY PARK New York City
Vincent Billiard, Assistant Director of F&B
“We changed the concept of our hotel restaurant from a French-American steakhouse to a bistro because we want to be more of a neighborhood restaurant. We reduced the number of menu items by about half and made it more value-oriented. We introduced a lunch promotion called Formule du Jour or Special of the Day, where we offer two or three items on one plate in half-portions. For $16, guests can choose two of the three half-portions of a soup, salad, or sandwich. For $21, they can order all three half-portions. It has been really successful. We’ve retained the Ritz-Carlton quality, and the quantity is there as well. For dinner, we offer a $40 prix fixe menu that includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert. It has been well-received in the hotel as well as the neighborhood.”
HANDLERY HOTEL AND RESORT San Diego
Karl Prohaska, Executive Chef
“There is an apartment complex next door to our property, and we are able to include a menu with their monthly rent invoices. We offer our full menu, a pizza menu, and bar menu. If apartment residents want a meal delivered, we waive the delivery fee since all we have to do is walk across a parking lot. Customers can call in their orders or even email them to the host stand. We make it easy for them to do business with us. Since we print all menus in-house, our only additional cost is for extra delivery boxes. In the first two weeks, we had 80 orders from this apartment complex. We feel this is going to be huge! We also offer entertainment in our lounge on Wednesday nights with an established local following. It’s a nice amenity for hotel guests that also draws from the outside.”
L’AUBERGE DE SEDONA AND AMARA HOTEL Sedona, Arizona
Donald Dunlap, General Manager
“We started a program at Hundred Rox restaurant at the Amara called Two Dine for $49. The nightly menu gives guests a choice from three appetizers, three entrées, and three desserts, and it’s been fairly successful. We’ve brought in an extra 10 to 15 covers during the week and 20 to 25 additional covers on weekends. Additionally, when L’Auberge took over Amara, we reconcepted the restaurant so we wouldn’t have two formal restaurants competing with each other. The décor was updated, and it is more in tune pricewise with our local clientele and the demographics of hotel guests. We have marketed through area newspapers to generate more local business.”
Susan Bard Hall has been writing about hospitality since 1987 and is a long-time Hotel F&B contributor. She is author of the book Purr-Fect Places to Stay: Bed & Breakfasts, Country Inns, and Hotels with Resident Cats.
