August 30th, 2011 by TRT Blog

One of the most beautiful and breathtaking regions of the country, Sonoma Wine Country is like no place you’ve ever experienced. The Refinishing Touch team got to find this out first-hand while working at the Doubletree Sonoma Wine Country Hotel.

There are over 49,000 acres of vineyards and about 200 wineries to explore in Sonoma. If wine isn’t your thing, perhaps a museum dedicated to Peanuts and Charlie Brown creator, Charles Schultz, is. To catch the region’s beauty on full display, you can take in the views from a hot air balloon ride or travel down the Pacific Coastline and relax on the beaches of Bodega Bay. There are even tours that allow you to harvest your own lavender.

If you just feel like hanging out around the resort, you’ll be able to do so while enjoying the over 300 items in the hotel (from lounge chairs to sofas) that our upholstery crew completed. They first completed the cutting and sewing portion of the project at our home facility located in Alpharetta, Georgia, and then headed out to California to complete the installation process on-site. Our work matched the elegant Tuscan-inspired décor the Sonoma hotel offers.

Outside of our work, at the resort you’ll also be able to find family style dining that honors local farmers, along with a beautiful heated courtyard pool and Jacuzzi for complete relaxation. The resort also boasts two 18-hole championship golf courses and you don’t want to miss out on the hotel’s complimentary local wine and cheese reception every Friday night.

Business is booming in Sonoma Wine Country (and how can it not, the wine industry in Sonoma County contributes over $8 million to the local economy each year) and the Doubletree Sonoma Wine Country hotel is determined to keep up with the ever popular moelleux vacation spot. We’re pleased that we could raise a glass and help contribute to the already natural beauty of the resort and area. Cheers!

August 26th, 2011 by TRT Blog

Here at The Refinishing Touch, we like to educate just as much as we like to work, so beginning today we’re introducing a new feature on our blog: Refinishing Resource. This month we’re focusing on how you can reduce a property’s carbon footprint through refinishing instead of buying new.

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on across all industries, it’s that wise investment in your property, be it university, hospitality or government, can mean the difference between a lean green property and one that unnecessarily harms the environment and costs its owners too much.

For each property we work at, we provide a cost benefit analysis which shows the savings achieved by refinishing instead of buying new. In almost every instance, owners and managers are shocked at how much we can save. And that’s before we bring up the environmental impact the work we do has. Or more specifically, the lack of one.

In comparison, consider everything that goes into the new furniture process. Time and energy into placing orders, new materials for construction of the order, packaging, emissions from the shipment, waste from the disposal of existing furniture – it ‘s very wasteful.

Admittedly, sometimes you need new furniture – it’s unavoidable. But more often than not, the strain on the environment can be reduced by refinishing instead. With each refinishing and reupholstering project on existing assets at a property (from couches, to desks to doors), the lives of dozens of trees can be saved, and emissions will drop.

So when it comes to investing in refurbishment, take our advice. Understand that every situation is different. Take the time to consider what needs to be replaced and what can be reused. By doing this, you’re not only reducing your costs, but also lowering the repercussions on the environment as well.

If you’d like to see how big your property’s carbon footprint reduction can be through refinishing, check out our website and enter your information on our Carbon Foot Print calculator to find out.

August 23rd, 2011 by TRT Blog

The governments of this world must step in and create firm legislature to dictate the steps necessary to slowly reverse the downward trend of our planet – and step up soon.   Businesses, citizens and the planet’s health all demand it.

When you’re relied on to be a driving force behind anything, it’s never good if you fail to meet expectations. Far too often this sentiment follows government participation in key decisions.

For example, during the U.N. climate negotiations in Cancun last December, some 20 heads of state showed up to discuss the impact human induced climate change is making on our planet.  Illustrating the earlier point about failed expectations, consider the dramatic drop off from the 120 heads of state who attended in 2009.

But there was an increased attendance from another sector: business.  Business leaders attended in force, and showed a united front to state that climate change is bad for business, and to urge changes must be made.

There seems to be one factor in getting business under one roof speaking in harmony; money. Giants such as Google and Wal-Mart, which were amongst the 250 businesses represented at the conference, could only voice concern to governments that a framework be developed to help create long-term strategies to reduce the risk faced by businesses due to negative climate change.

The International Chamber of Commerce urged negotiators “to establish a set of clearly outlined financing goals and objective, transparent governance procedures to help businesses understand the public policy agenda on climate finance” – which was said to be a major factor in determining whether or not a business would invest in an initiative.

Even though it’s not for the altruistic reasons we would like, businesses are still sending the message that governments must listen to. The world and its economy cannot continue down the path it’s on.

With the next round of discussions to commence in October, it’s more important than ever that the governments of this world step in and create firm legislature to dictate the steps necessary to slowly reverse the downward trend of our planet – and to step up soon.   Businesses, citizens and the planet’s health all demand it.

Business, climate change, Government, ICC, U.N

August 19th, 2011 by TRT Blog

Welcome to the second installment of our chat with Glenn Haussman of Hotel Interactive. If you missed the first part, click here to check it out.

TRT: If a hotel has gone through a complete renovation, say they’ve reopened after doing a 70 million dollar renovation, they advertise and promote it heavily do you think that does have an impact on the occupancy rate or the interest of travelers to book that particular hotel?

GH: Absolutely. I think that at the beginning of the Great Recession that we had (I hate using that term) it was really all about figuring out ways to take costs out of your hotel business. Now that we’ve done such a great job as an industry at paring down those costs, we need to try and maintain that cost structure without letting price creep back in, or raise rates. Renovation is a really smart, great way to freshen your property and be able to push those rates. You can then say, sure the guy down the road is charging a little less, but look at our great new product. And people want that new product. They want something new, they want something different, and they want something that feels refreshed. This is especially true if you’re doing it sustainably. If you’re able to figure out ways to be more sustainable while also lowering your ongoing costs while being more appealing to the consumer, I think that’s where you’re going to see a win-win.

TRT: With those renovations, do you have a sense of whether they are replacing old furniture with new. Do you have an idea of what that ratio might be?

GH: I think it really depends on each individual property. But what I can tell you is between 1995 and 2000 so many hotels opened up in this country and a lot of those hotels have not gone through a major refurbishment. They were thinking of doing it, but then the economy ducked down, so what we’re seeing now is a lot of pent up demand for renovations. And a good chunk of those properties are going to need to go through full renovations, which include having to replace some of those hardgoods. Now if they have an opportunity to not spend that kind of money and refresh their product, I think that’s going to be better. And here’s an interesting statistic about renovations: According to Lodging Econometrics, right now we’re seeing 10 times more rooms being renovated than are being built this year. And the same holds true for 2012.

TRT: With green initiatives but also cost savings, obviously refinishing is a combination of the best of both worlds, when you speak with others about these issues, what kind of responses are you getting?

GH: I think the audiences are very encouraged by the amount of renovations that are going to take place. And when it comes to the suppliers they’re downright ecstatic. Even though new construction has dried up for the time being, there are plenty of opportunities for them out there. And buyers, the ones who are refinishing these rooms are really starting to see projects pop. For a while now, the brands have kind of laid off the need for hoteliers to keep up with brand standards, and now they’re putting their foot down which is forcing owners to have to do renovations. The economy was so bad the brands were like “OK, OK, you don’t have to worry about the PIPs (Property Improvement Plans), we understand.” But you can only go so long by doing that without destroying the fundamental quality of each of those brands. And they have no choice now but to tighten the reins on people and say you have to put money into the property. I know a lot of people anecdotally who were saying “My business sucks” and in the last six months they’re like “Wow I can’t believe this happened. We’re getting call after call, we’re hiring people, and the jobs we’re getting are great, it’s fabulous.”

TRT: You mentioned increased occupancy. What do you ascribe this to? The economy is still struggling, why are you seeing increasing occupancy rate?

GH:  Well number one is people feel they have the right to travel, or they need to travel. Businesses sat on the side so much [without traveling] they can no longer afford to do that. They have to get out there and pound the pavement and meet clients. They have no choice. Further, the whole idea of businesses not having big group meetings has abated and meetings and incentive travel is resurging now. After the Obama administration pilloried it, everyone was kind of scared for a while, but that’s over and meetings are coming back in force.  Everyone I’ve talked to at the big convention hotels have said, “I’ve gotten nice business this year” and things have really solidified in their calendars for 2012 and ‘13.

TRT: In looking at the whole hospitality industry do you believe they have a strong focus on the green initiative or sustainability and how it can help their industry?

GH: I believe they have gone through a strong educational process the last few years, and green no longer the big buzz word that’s out there, and that’s good. Now that everyone has stopped talking about it as a concept, they’re now enacting it in their businesses. It’s no longer the hot new thing because everyone is doing it. Now everyone is digging down deep to figure out how they can incorporate sustainable elements into their properties and future projects. Again it’s being motivated by cost savings and not out of altruism, but I think the end result is really the same which is lower expenses and less impact on our environment.

TRT: Going back to value, when you go and book a stay at a property, you expect a good room that is well furnished and well serviced. What other types of value benefits do you think customers are looking for when choosing a hotel?

GH: They don’t want to feel like they’re being nickel and dimed.  One of the things that they want is true high speed internet access without paying an extra fee. I think people love a breakfast that’s included. People just want to know what the overall cost of their trip is going to be and not have to keep pulling money out of their pocket. And that’s why there’s been a great surge in all-inclusive types of properties.

TRT: Do you have a sense of whether the same issues are affecting properties overseas as well as the US? The same issues regarding value and keeping sustainability and costs low?

GH: While I can’t speak too much on this issue, I can say I do feel that Europe and Asia have done a much stronger job at following sustainability trends and really getting in there no matter what the cost. I think the culture of Europe in particular is demanding it more. And in Asia, there are so many hotels that are so new they incorporated a sustainable mindset into the development process.

TRT: What can hospitality learn from or even teach some of the other industries some of these best practices in terms of reuse, sustainability, renovations. Are there lessons that can be shared?

GH: Yes. I think the biggest lesson of all is that you can’t do the sustainability effort from the top down. I think you need to give the people in your organization the power over the program so that they feel emotionally engaged in the process. And by them taking it over, they’re going to come up with great ideas. They’re really going to spearhead those programs and make those businesses successful in the long run.

TRT: Glenn I appreciate your time and thank you for participating and giving us your ideas on sustainability and green initiatives.

GH: My pleasure, thanks so much for allowing me to share my thoughts.

glenn haussman, hospitality, Hotel Interactive, Sustainability, Travel

August 16th, 2011 by TRT Blog

We’re pleased to have Glenn Haussman, editor-in-chief of Hotel Interactive join us to talk about the hospitality industry, the green initiatives within it and the next steps he sees the industry making to continue its recovery.

Glenn got into writing about the hospitality industry after being a music and entertainment writer. Unsurprisingly, he found celebrities to be disdainful and decided to move to the hospitality business because it’s the closest thing to living like a Hollywood rock star outside of Hollywood. Hard to argue when he gets to travel to some of the best locations and hotels around the country.

The Refinishing Touch: It’s been a fairly tough economy in the last few years, do you think that the industry has changed in any substantial way or has it been recovering from the downturn over the last few years?

Glenn Haussman: The hospitality industry is definitely recovering from the downturn in the sense that demand for hotel rooms is higher than it has ever been in the entire history of the hotel business. You can expect that in 2011 we’re going to sell more room nights than we’ve ever seen before. Well over 100 million room nights are going to be sold this month (August). Right now, there’s not a lot of new construction happening, so demand is beginning to outpace supply. The only thing that’s holding hotels back now is the lack of confidence in their desire to raise rates. They say they are going to but they’re not actually pushing rate.

TRT: How have rates been changing? On average have they changed up or down in the last few years?

GH: Well they were down quite considerately but now they’re inching back up. The general temperature of the industry is that ‘things are back’. Guests have changed somewhat. It’s more about personal experiences. Guests are out there trying to collect experiences no matter what the purpose of their trip is, even if it’s for business. They also want higher value in what hotels are offering. They’re not as price conscious as the general managers of hotels think they are. Meanwhile, group business travel is solidifying at the same time but a lot of those business they’re having an inability to move those rates because, in those scary days of 2009 and early 2010, deals were made that locked these people into lower prices than they could probably get now if they were negotiating contracts.

TRT: What is the mix of business travel vs. vacation, or personal travel?

GH: Even through the downturn, leisure travel remained strong. Americans feel it’s their right to vacation. But now, business travel is surging back. You have those two things working together to restore the industry.

TRT: What about oversees visitors? Do you see an increase coming to the US?

GH: Oversees visitors have been coming into America but not at a pace that Americans need. Tourism has an opportunity to be our biggest export. The average international guest stays twice as long and spends more than twice the average of what the American guest would spend. So we really want to get those international travelers coming here. But the problem is that we’re not really addressing the needs of those travelers to come here easily.

TRT: How so?

GH: Well, for example: China has got this surging middle class of hundreds of millions of people that finally have the money to start to travel. But in that massive country of over a billion people, they only have five consulates that they can go to in the entire country to try to get a visa to come here. And even then, it’s only good for a year. People are waiting to try to get permission to go on vacation. A Chinese traveler can pretty much show up in any European country and be let in without any issue, but not in the US. So the US government needs to expand their visa waiver program in order to get more folks to come here in a more streamlined manner.

TRT: We can see how that would be an issue.

GH: One of the cool things that has finally been passed during the last year is the Tourism Promotion Act and what that’s done is it’s created a public/private partnership which is being funded by fees that are being paid by travelers that are coming into the US. Those fees are then being used to create advertising to people to visit the United States. International visitors coming to the US remained stable over the last 10 years, but the actual percentages have shrunk considerably because there are so many more people now that have the financial means to travel and they’re simply not coming to the US. Pumping fees into the advertising is hopefully going to help change things

TRT: In terms of value do you think that visitors and travelers are looking at the impact of green initiatives in their hotels? Is that part of their decision making process when deciding where they’re staying?

GH: While there are plenty of people who do, I don’t think that individual travelers overall are making decisions based on that. They’re making decisions based on price and value and not whether or not something is green. It’s just I don’t think it’s something that’s consumer driven.

TRT: The fact that there’s not a lot of new building going on, does that correlate to a lot more renovation in existing hotels?

GH: Absolutely. Right now there are more renovations going on in the hotel industry than ever before. When you talk about green, the real great thing about going green is that you are able to save money and shorten ROI as opposed to buying newer products. I’ve been preaching this for like 5 years. I think everybody got caught up saying that travelers are all going be into green, but I kept saying you need to look at the bottom line. That’s where people are going to be able to make a difference. I think at some point in the future, consumers are going to have a lot more interest in green.

On Friday, we’ll present the rest of our conversation with Glenn to get his thoughts on sustainability in hospitality, more on the value guests look for and his ideas on where you’ll find the hospitality industry most committed to sustainability.

glenn haussman, hospitality, Hotel Interactive, interview, Sustainability, Travel

August 12th, 2011 by TRT Blog

We haven’t been shy about sharing our opinion of how hotels should be spending the funds that are beginning to come back into their coffers. We’ve been talking about the benefits of renovating and refurbishing as opposed to buying new, and after this year’s BITAC East event in Orlando, it sounds like many hotel owners and operators feel the same way we do (read about our time at BITAC East here).

In a poll conducted by our friends at Hotel Interactive, 81 percent of respondents said it was critical to renovate now.

In the article, a design firm representative said: “Properties are three years behind schedule already and unless you’re renovating at that moment you’re even further behind.”

While it’s clear that renovations are necessary, what is less certain is where hotels should be spending design time and dollars.

We see renovations of any type as an important and intelligent form of spending, but hotel owners must take their individual needs into heavy consideration when planning where to renovate. The poll revealed differing opinions on where renovations should focus. While 36 percent of hotel owners said the lobby was the most crucial area to invest in, 20 percent thought the primary focus of renovations should be the rooms themselves– After all, that is where guests spend the most time. Another 35 percent said that refurbishment of soft goods was their focus, perhaps because they thought their rooms were already up to par. The bathroom still remains one of the most prominent places to renovate, with one attendee saying that a wife will pay for the privilege of not hearing her husband use the facilities.

The general consensus was that renovations should be done on high traffic areas, instead of on the special amenities that fewer guests will actually use. The best example of this was giving rooms blackout shades for the late risers and adding better soundproofing so you don’t hear the TV one room over. Almost all of the hotel’s guest will be able to appreciate these upgrades, while only a few would notice upgrades to perks like hot tubs that only some guests take advantage of.

Regardless of what renovations hotels decide to make, we’re glad to see the conversation taking place. Just a few months ago, many hotels weren’t even sure if they’d have a hotel to renovate when all was said and done. Deciding where to renovate is a good problem to have, in our opinion.

August 9th, 2011 by TRT Blog

We’re happy to see more and more hotels seeking LEED-certification and using sustainable building practices. But, the same green standards are often not applied to interior furnishings. Given that hotels spend more than $1 billion a year on furniture, fixtures and equipment -according to a recent article in Sustainable Business Oregon, it’s time that hotels focus on greening their interiors.

Enter the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium (HSPI), which was formed to help improve sustainability across every aspect of the hotel supply chain – Supporting not only green building, but environmentally-friendly operations and furnishing as well.

Here at The Refinishing Touch, we think the Consortium is helping to move the industry in the right direction.

The ten Consortium members come from a variety of industries but share a common goal of helping hotels to find green suppliers. Members include architecture and design firms, manufacturers, logistics companies, sustainability experts, and large hotel brands such as Marriott.

The Consortium hopes to eliminate the use of toxic products and encourages hotels to examine the social impact they have on their communities. The Consortium is currently working on conducting an extensive questionnaire for suppliers, which will then be compiled to create the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI). Expected to be complete by early- to mid-2012, the industry-wide database will rank suppliers based on their corporate social responsibility, environmental, and product sustainability.

The HSPI database could have a significant impact on promoting sustainable projects. Consortium member SERA Architects, for example, recently completed renovations at Marriott properties in Portland and Denver, but found it was difficult to find recyclable and environmentally-friendly materials, according to Sustainable Business Oregon. The HSPI database would have been a great resource for the Marriott project, and it will no doubt help many hotels in the future.

hospitality, spending, sustainbility

August 5th, 2011 by TRT Blog

With the economy slowly recovering, hotel owners are taking a close look at where they’ll be investing their money. Beth Kormanik of Hotel Interactive predicts that, while large-scale renovation projects may still be a few years off, hotels will begin wisely investing in smaller improvement projects that will enhance the character of their properties and distinguish their brands from the competition. Projects that give hotels a more upscale feel will attract new customers and persuade returning customers to spend more.

Hotels are planning to spruce up areas of their properties that all of their guests will notice– adding water features to lobbies, improving food and beverage offerings or enhancing pool bars. Kormanik reported that Loews Hotels plans to update lobbies and food and beverage facilities in one third of its hotels, in preparation for future business.

Planned upgrades to spas, ballrooms or conference centers will also change the way that hotels can be marketed toward different types of travellers, attracting new guests and driving improved ROI.

This isn’t to say that hotels will ignore the basics. Brands are still demanding that hotel owners take care of the essentials such as upgrading to flat-screen TVs, installing high-speed Internet, and purchasing premium bedding, according to Hotel Interactive.

Now that hotels have a little more money to play with, we think the focus of their spending is smart—it will position them to make money now and to continue building their brands once the economy is back on track. We’ll be looking to see how these predictions play out over the coming months.

growth, hospitality, recovery, renovations, spending

August 2nd, 2011 by TRT Blog

It is almost time for children to head back to school, but before they do, one last summer vacation may be in order. Need a suggestion? We have just the answer: Branson, Missouri!

Branson is located just 35 miles south of Springfield on the shores of Lake Taneycomo in the Ozark Mountains. Branson’s famous ‘End of Summer Events’ series is happening right now, providing something for the entire family to enjoy. You can experience the stunning sights and sounds of the ‘Live Entertainment Capital of the World’ aboard the Showboat Branson Belle, featuring music and comedy headliners. Or try your hand at trout fishing– we hear it’s plentiful all year long.

Although Branson spans only 19 square miles and houses a population of just a little more than 7,000, it is home to more than 200 lodging facilities with more than 18,000 rooms. Now that’s music to our ears!

At the WorldMark Branson, they understand that with technology constantly progressing, hotels and vacation condos are forced to keep up with the times. Now that flat screen TVs are becoming more prevalent in the hotel industry, management has been having a hard time fitting the new TVs into the old armoires. Enter The Refinishing Touch. With 81 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, WorldMark Branson was the perfect place to showcase our skills.

Our team modified all of the existing armoires at the WorldMark Branson property to accommodate their new flat screens. After modification, a uniform finish was applied and new laminate topped it all off.  According to our Carbon Footprint Calculator, the World Mark Branson project only released 1.0044 tons of CO2 versus the 101.509 tons of CO2 that would have come from purchasing new furniture.

Because WorldMark chose us to modernize their facility, they qualified to receive our Sustainability Efforts Award. Our award is presented to companies that make an environmentally-thoughtful decision to decrease their carbon footprint by renewing their existing furniture assets. We strive to produce an excellent quality of work for all of our clients, but we also strive to do so in an environmentally-conscious manner. We are proud to say that we have received the US General Services Administration Evergreen Award for innovative, environmentally-friendly practices, and can return the courtesy to our clients. So, with another successful project under our belts, we look forward to what’s in store for us. In the meantime, Branson, Missouri could be what’s in store for you!