Marriott has partnered with COVERPLAY for a new Tots Travel Too program, which aims to make it easier for families traveling with young children. The news release says the program will provide guests, upon request, with a travel crib and laundered COVERPLAY removable slipcover, as well as a free bath gift (animal squirt toy) and parents can also contact the front desk for complimentary items they may have forgotten, like outlet covers, baby shampoo, oil, etc. The program is for five of Marriott’s brands: Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites.
The release reminds me of my first experience traveling with a baby last summer. And coincidentally, it was to one of the above mentioned brands, a hotel we stayed at on a family trip to North Carolina from Ohio, the first with our 10-month old daughter. A great hotel, somewhat in the middle of nowhere about the half-way point on the drive down, that provided us with a nice crib and everything we wanted. On the way back, though, unfortunately, we arrived after a long day of driving to find out a crib was not available, despite our request made a week before. The newer hotel only had three cribs, and three guests with more loyalty ranked ahead of us in our request, so we were out of luck. With no crib available, we couldn’t stay there, and had to get back in the car and drive another 45 miles to another hotel, while attempting to call ahead to confirm both room and crib availability. Had we known about the policy and that our request was just that, and not any hope of a guarantee, we would have had a better understanding of the situation, but weak customer service and the fact we were never told that policy when making the reservation made it a very upsetting experience.
This year, when we make the same drive to visit the parents and the beach, we’re bringing our Pack-n-Play, and maybe not the stroller or golf clubs (I hope not), and probably will avoid the hotel in question, despite it being in a perfect spot and the nicest option available.
Frankly it was something I never thought about before becoming a father and am still a bit confused that hotels can’t book their cribs in similar fashion to beds, at least giving guests an idea of whether they’ll be available or not. First come, first serve or by loyalty overlooks the problem that many parents aren’t going to consider putting an infant on the floor or in a bed and will likely leave disappointed. Compound a policy like that with less than good customer service, and you may lose a customer for good. Hopefully Marriott’s new policy helps address some of these issues and maybe that hotel now has more than three cribs and is better prepared to deal with parents and young children.

The brewing controversy over extra fees imposed on hotel guests is not going away, nor should it. A startling (perhaps not?) new survey from D.K. Shifflet shows quite convincingly that the worst thing the hotel industry could do is follow the path taken by the airlines and begin to nickel and dime their guests.
In a survey of 500-plus consumers who’ve stayed in lodging properties the past three months, three of the top five annoyances for hotel guests are items that involve added fees: charging for Internet access, hidden fees at checkout and charging for parking. The other two annoyances in the top five were uncomfortable beds and thin walls between rooms.
The hotel industry has a rare opportunity to shift its strategy before it’s too late. Bundling all reasonable fees into the room rate makes the most sense and will be most appreciated by guests. I know room rates and by extension, revenues are a problem for nearly every hotel, but all signs signal a turnaround. Occupancy is improving, and rates are sure to follow. Don’t be stupid enough to trade short-term revenues for long-term disgust by your customers.

As stories of boycotts over Arizona’s controversial new immigration law and the potential impact on convention business make the rounds, the harsh reality is even one boycott is too many for an area still reeling from the economic and real estate disaster of the last 24 months. The shame of the matter is the hotels and their owners and staff had nothing to do with the law, so organizations and associations boycotting meetings at such properties are penalizing innocent bystanders the most.
I was at the Elite Meetings Alliance in Los Angeles earlier this week and talked to several directors of sales from some of the top luxury resorts in and around Phoenix and Scottsdale and every one said they’d already had at least one cancellation, and several other events were on hold or in limbo. All agreed business had finally started to pick up after the recession left the area one of the hardest hit, and the latest setback over the immigration law was the last thing Arizona hospitality and tourism needed.
And as Ed Watkins wrote last week, kudos to AAHOA and the AHL&A for their efforts to fight talks of boycotts.

At a time when many companies are making travel less convenient and less customer-friendly, IHG announced a wrinkle to its Priority Club program that every member will love. Hotels Anywhere, IHG’s Macy’s and Gimbels-type initiative, allows Priority Club members to redeem their points, or combine points and cash, to book hotel stays at tens of thousands of hotels, even direct competitors.
Working with its tech vendor, ezRez Software, IHG created a website members can use to find, assess quality and book rooms at hotels around the world. Even with 4,400 properties worldwide, IHG confesses it isn’t everywhere (on the Hotels Anywhere website, the company cites Las Vegas, Hawaii and the Greek Isles as examples of destinations where it has little or no presence), but customers can still visit anyplace they want to go.
Marketing purists will say this is business suicide, that a company should never direct its customers to a competitor. But in today’s consumer environment, where the public feels travel companies aren’t giving them the love they deserve, a gesture like this can go a long way to convince travelers that some companies (in this case, IHG) do care about their customers.
A smart move.

When it has the resolve, the lodging industry can get a lot accomplished. A good recent example involves the dust-up surrounding Arizona’s controversial new immigration enforcement law. The knee-jerk reaction by many opposed to the law was a call for a boycott of the state’s meetings and tourism industry. Of course, what was lost in the rhetoric is the fact that it’s hard-working people in the state’s hospitality industry who would be unfairly penalized should such a movement gain strength.
But to its credit, many sectors of the hospitality industry, with lodging at the lead, stepped forward to pressure those advocating a boycott to reconsider their actions. The AH&LA, for example, sent a stern letter to the Washington, DC city council as it was gearing up to join the boycott. While action by the council is still possible, the measure has been tabled for the time being.
Even more interesting is the stand taken by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. While it also quickly made a public case against a boycott, I’ve got to imagine some AAHOA members are at least a little ambivalent over the whole issue. After all, AAHOA was created in the late 1980s to fight the prejudice and discrimination Asian-Indian entrepreneurs felt as they tried to create their version of the American dream. On one hand, they have a financial stake in Arizona’s tourism business (AAHOA says its members own 40 percent of the state’s 1,100 lodging properties), yet on some level they must feel empathy for immigrants, even illegal ones, as they try to succeed, or at least survive, in their new homeland.
The larger point, however, is the power the U.S. lodging industry can wield if it has a clear-cut objective and marshals its forces in a rational, yet passionate way. I hope this spirit of activism can be tapped again as other key issues threaten the hotel and tourism industries.

Some quick highlights and thoughts from Choice’s annual convention in Las Vegas, set to close Thursday night…
• During a media roundtable, CEO Steve Joyce said the company would love to add an upscale brand or an upscale extended stay brand, either by launching one or acquiring one. It sounds as if the latter option would be more likely considering the potential deals that may be out there.
• Choice and Joyce seem firmly committed to Cambria Suites, despite its slow growth, and are investing even more resources into the upscale select-service brand. Not only is Choice actively buying sites it hopes to flip to developers, it would potentially consider building a hotel, Joyce says, with the same intent.
• Other Cambria news: A green prototype aimed at earning LEED Silver status will be offered this summer. SVP of Global Development David Pepper said the brand could offer a Cambria Hotel in Europe and internationally, instead of the brand’s hallmark all-suite offering.
• Sleep Inn unveiled a redesigned look, with a model room at the conference exhibit area, and execs talked about a repositioning in the lower midscale tier. The new design is available for new construction now and three properties are already open featuring the majority of the new package. Aggressive programs are being offered to expedite renovations, although the recently built Sleep Inn locations will have seven years to comply.
• Joyce faced several questions from franchisees and the media on OTAs after last year’s well publicized battle with Expedia. Ultimately, all he would, and likely could, say was “we believe the success of hotels is directly related to hotels being able to control their inventory and price.”
• The theme of Choice’s 56th annual conference was “Right Here. Right Now” and Joyce talked about the company’s opportunities as the economy rebounded and the many ways it was backing and supporting its franchisees.
Check LHOnline later this week and next for more details on the conference.