1. RUSTIC
GETAWAY
Completed
in 2005,
Whiteface
Lodge offers
fee-inclusive
packages
year-round.
FRONT DESK›››››››››››››
WHILE A RELAXING RESORT VACATION
can send guests into a state of euphoria, their
happy mood can quickly turn sour at check-
out when they discover a long list of fees and
surcharges tacked onto their bill.
U.S. hotels collected an estimated record
high of $2.25 billion in fees and surcharges in
2014, according to a trend analysis report from
Bjorn Hanson, clinical professor at New York
University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tour-
ism, and Sports Management. Hanson’s report
charts the steady rise of resort and amenity fees
over the past 12 years, with travelers now en-
countering everything from mini-bar restock-
ing fees and room service delivery surcharges to
automatic gratuities during their stay.
Given the highly profitable nature of fees, it’s no surprise that many resorts are
hesitant to eliminate them, even if it results in guest complaints. But a handful of
properties have taken their guests’ advice by rolling fees into their room rates—
and they’re reaping the benefits in increased revenue and positive reviews.
Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y., has seen great success since imple-
menting what general manager Chris Pulito calls a “resort-inclusive concept.”
After eliminating the resort fee three years ago, the property turned its focus
toward adding value by folding all other amenities, such as Internet access,
daily breakfast, and various entertainment sources into its packages. “If
guests stroll by an ice skating rink, a s’mores pit, or a movie theater, they feel
like they can participate without taking out their wallet,” Pulito explains. “It’s
not just that we have these amenities but that our guests feel as though they
committed to a price that covers their experience.”
Since the switch, Pulito has noticed that guests are spending more money
at the resort. For instance, more guests are dining on property rather than
giving the business to a restaurant down the road—and they’re buying an extra
martini or ordering dessert with dinner.
While Whiteface Lodge has benefited from this resort-inclusive approach,
Pulito stresses that it may not be right for every hotel, especially select-service
properties. Hanson agrees that ditching fees is far from an industry-wide trend at
this point. “There are some brands and some specific resorts and hotels that are
eliminating resort fees, but those are the exceptions,” Hanson says.
Fee Simple
RESORT-INCLUSIVE CONCEPT PREVENTS
STICKER SHOCK AT CHECKOUT BY SARAH BERGEN
Q U I C K TA K E
After a bad experience trying to locate a pair of
shoes his wife left in a hotel room, Paul Mercer
founded ILeftMyStuff, a cloud-based software solu-
tion designed to streamline how hotels file, find, and
return lost items to guests. The PCI-compliant ser-
vice puts a simple user interface on its direct UPS
connection to facilitate the management and return
of the items guests have forgotten at hotels.
PEST
CONTROL
Consider these
environmentally friendly
techniques to keep
critters away
BY WILLIAM D. FRYE, PH.D., CHE
Guests should never worry about
pests during their hotel stay, and
if you take the right approach to
preventative control, they never will.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
emphasizes source reduction and
considers why pests infest a facility
in the first place to comprehensively
address infestations before they
start. Here are a few environmentally
friendly pest control techniques hotel
managers should discuss with their
pest management professional when
they’re developing or reviewing a
property’s IPM program:
Fly lights and sticky boards.
Installing ultraviolet lights inside
entrances and doors to food service zones
and delivery areas lures flying insects to
sticky board traps that keep them out of
the hotel. In kitchen and storage areas,
the sticky boards can also be used as a
monitoring tool to detect the warning
signs of a potential infestation.
Repellents. Small amounts of a
repellent dust can keep pests from hiding
and breeding in those hard-to-reach cracks
and crevices throughout the hotel. Applying
repellents along the edge of exterior
walls followed by the use of a sealant will
eliminate these popular pest hideouts and
help prevent future infestation.
Non-volatile baits. Non-volatile
baits are often a good substitute for
chemical treatments, and they’re
odorless. Once an insect or rodent
consumes the bait, it will take it back
to its harborage area, which can help
eliminate whole pest populations.
n Dr. William D. Frye is coauthor of
Managing Housekeeping Operations.
GOOD
HOUSEKEEPING
FRESH INC
20 LODGINGMAG A ZINE.COM MARCH 2015
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