Boutique luxury hotel accommodations in Vancouver's upscale Yaletown district, with full catering and meeting facilities.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Of Budgets and other sundry thoughts



As Dan mentioned in his last entry, it’s budget time here at Opus. And that means lots and lots of spreadsheets. So many in fact, Dan’s locked the door to his office (I assume he’s working in there), has sent out for lunch, and has entrusted the latest blog to me. I had thought writing about our budget process but having sat in a budget meeting until 7.30pm last night, the idea of actually trying to turn that exercise into an entertaining read is too painful to contemplate. And, likely it would be the reading equivalent of watching paint dry for you.

A new hotel is opening in town next year, and I’m of mixed emotions about its arrival. On the one hand, I welcome a competitor. It keeps us sharp, ensures Opus never rests on the laurels of its reputation. We’ve been the only newcomer to the hotel scene for a few years now with no one to challenge us. A new hotel forces us to reevaluate the services we offer, the products we provide, our message to guests, our brand in the market - everything. We welcomed words like ‘new’ and ‘hot’ when we opened, but we’ve matured. Our focus now is on keeping Opus fresh and unique and always providing seamless, warm, friendly service. Relevance, substance AND style.

But frankly, I confess I’m a bit nervous too. Will our guests love us enough to stay? Or will they be lured away by a flashy new hotel. I’m betting the relationships we’ve built will keep them at Opus, but know there aren’t any guarantees. Frankly, it’s a lot like the fickle dating scene (but that’s for a different blog). Will they be seduced by some pretty young ingénue who beckons coyly, or will they demonstrate their steadfast loyalty to sophisticated and stylish Opus?

Recognizing that ‘all’s fair in love and hotel competition’ I confess, nonetheless, that I am tiring of the ‘secret shopper’ phone calls from this new hotel on the block, trying to get us to divulge rates and other industry information. Hey, we all want to cooperate in this industry, but you’re our competitor. And that means, stop calling me for information! Hm. This could soon turn into a rant, I’ll move on now.

It’s Friday, and that means, oh right, more budgets. Today, the fun was slated to start at 2pm, but we decided that we should start a little earlier – like 10am. That should give us a solid 7 hours to wrap things up before the weekend. Getting the office environment right is an integral part of the budget process. We sometimes get a bit giddy during budget season (not so much because of the entertainment value of excel sheets), but insufficient oxygen levels. That means turning the room temperature way down low – Arctic-style. Why? Because 4 bodies X 7 hours + a closed office = dangerously high emission levels of CO2. Enough to lull one to sleep. (Who me? Never).To ensure (artificially induced) alertness, we keep cold and thus clear headed. It also means copious caffeine and sugar. I’ve got my triple shot Americano at the ready (luke-cool, of course, since the office is so damn cold), and a plate of chocolate dipped Halloween themed cookies for all to enjoy. I noticed Dan’s also bought food today: more muffins, cakes, and cookies. This isn’t a good sign. Clearly he’s anticipating a long meeting from the volume of baked goods available. (Please see my blog on hotels and food for further reading on the dietary dangers of this business).

With no windows or fresh air to distract us, a week’s supply of white flour, sugar and caffeine to nourish us, the comforting blue glow of the computer screen to soothe us, we’re ready to proceed. Not surprisingly, today we’re trying to ‘find’ more revenue, and ‘shave’ more expenses. I’d rather stick to blogging.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

I'm baaaaack! Did you miss me?

First up, thanks to Katrina for filling in for me during my vacation. When I read her posts and saw how brilliant they were, I thought, “That brazen little upstart is so fired.” But I’ve since learned to accept being upstaged, and I quite like the idea of a backup for times of low inspiration or excessive workload.

Like now. It’s budget time at Opus, and the reality of having been away for a good part of September is sinking in. This is the busiest time of year for hotel managers; we’re trying to focus on planning for the upcoming year at a time when our hotels are still full of guests who need our attention. Which means lots of extra hours.

Not that I’m complaining. Planning for the upcoming year is always exciting, and I’ve got some great ideas after my recent travels. Right now I’m struggling to find a catchphrase for Opus Hotel’s 2007 plan. In previous years we rolled out our “best boutique experience” vision and a “focus on innovation” strategy, but this year, our fifth in operation, calls for something that reflects how established we now are as a business. I thought of “resting on our laurels” or “less work, more pay” but I doubt it’ll fly with the owners. I’m thinking the best strategy is to stabilize: to secure our guests’ loyalty, our staff’s eternal dedication and our positioning as Vancouver’s #1 boutique hotel.

Phew, glad that’s over. Now I’ll share a few observations from recent trips to Seattle, Paris, Rome, London, Montreal and Toronto, where I checked out about 30 hotels.

· Parisians are a lot nicer than they used to be. Maybe it’s because my French is marginally less deplorable than on previous visits. Or maybe they’ve realized that France is the most visited country in the world, and if people stop coming they will have no one left to condescend to. Whatever the case, merci bien. It made my trip all the more pleasurable.

· At the lounge in Hotel Le Meurice (where, you may recall, I wanted to stay but refused to pay $1300 per night) a simple vodka tonic is 24 Euros, or CDN $35. Thank God I was being hosted. It’s a beautiful hotel with impeccable service, but I’m glad I didn’t stay there. It’s too fussy and old-world for my tastes, and the drinks are far too expensive.

· More to my liking in Paris were Murano, Hotel Costes and the new Kube. Located in a rather dodgy part of the 18th arrondissement, Kube is home to Ice Cube (how cute), a bar made of 22 tons of ice. For 38 Euros (CDN $55) you get ½ hour to sample unlimited Grey Goose vodka blends out of hollowed-out ice cubes. The temperature is kept at a balmy -5, but staff very thoughtfully supply coats and gloves.

· In London, the lobby of the Sanderson Hotel, designed by Philippe Starck and part of Morgan’s Hotel Group, still looks modern and fresh. The bar is hugely popular, and the courtyard is stunning, but we couldn’t help but notice all the working girls preying on international playboys.

· Back in Canada, I stayed at the Drake in Toronto, which lived up its hype. With only 19 rooms it’s more a cluster of bars and restaurants than a hotel, but rooms are well thought-out and inexpensive, and service is great, provided you don’t mind staying on the fringes of Queen West.

· In Montreal we encountered an impressive doorman when we dropped by Hotel Le St. James. Miguel greeted us warmly, sat us down and gave us an overview of the hotel that would put your average sales director to shame, then introduced us around to other staff. Other hotels we liked include Le Germain, the Nelligan, Place d’Armes, Le Godin and the Gault.

· I’ve admired W Hotels for years, but I fear they’re losing their edge. It’s the world’s fastest growing luxury hotel brand, but the look hasn’t evolved much. Service remains inconsistent (some staff interpret the “whatever” philosophy much differently than management intended) and it’s over-branded; you can read only so many cute plays on “W” words before it becomes annoying. Problem is, W appeals to a fashionable crowd whose ever-changing tastes are tough to keep up with, particularly for a hotel chain. Let’s hope they address these issues as they plan for 2007.

· The new Hotel 1000 in Seattle looks awesome.

I could go on and on and on about my travels (as my friends and colleagues will attest), but I’ll leave it at that for now. It’s time to get back to my budget.

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