Allie Belgiovine April 23, 2010
Smart brief #8 Dr. Brian Miller
Title of article: 12 Months of Sundaes
Author: Margaret Rose Caro
Source: Hotel F&B
Date Published: July/August 2009
Link: http://www.hotelfandb.com/biol/july-aug2009-trendsetters.asp
Summary:
12 Months of Sundaes is an article about an interesting amenity the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort has throughout the year. A Marriott employee decked out in 50s apparel will go to any guest room and make a delicious ice cream sundae or root beer float to all guests. There is an old-fashioned ice cream cart filled with Haagen-Dazs ice cream and a plethora of candy toppings. The fact that it will come to your room makes it easily essesable for guests of all ages. The fact that the cart is 50s themed makes it so guests not only receive an enjoyable dessert, but also a fun and interesting experience. Because this particular Marriott is at the beach is one factor which makes the Sundaes so successful, everyone loves their ice cream on a hot day! The cart is also wheeled to the pool so guests can enjoy the treat and 50-60 ice creams are sold every hour. They are sold for $5 each no matter what toppings are on it and employees will always run to the kitchen to get anything they don’t have on the cart for their guest (for example a banana).
The employees who run the cart are chosen carefully. They must be outgoing and get into their character of “old fashion 1950s soda pop staff”. It is like they work for the chain restaurant Johnny Rockets but on a smaller scale. Marriott has found that both business and leisure travelers love the ice cream cart and returning guests usually ask about it. A quote from David Cronin, director of F&B, “Everyone loves ice cream…” This is a very true statement and Marriott has the right idea of how to increase revenues during tough times and other hotel companies should follow the trend.
Reflection:
This article caught my attention because my group and I have created something very similar for our Lodging Module hotel project. We have chosen the city of Evanston Illinois to put our Four Points by Sheraton and Evanston is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. When we read this interesting fact we decided to add a Sundae bar to our hotel and this article has given me more ideas on how to expand on this novel concept. Although Evanston is not located on a beach like the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort is, I feel that everyone enjoys ice cream and because the roots of the sundae were formed in our city, many of our guests will enjoy this extra amenity. It is also a relatively cheap investment. The carts are only $3,000 so if the concept fails we haven’t really lost too much money. I would love to stay in a hotel where a friendly employee comes to my room dressed in 1950s apparel and create a sundae for me. It is unique and different and I hope the trend catches on and more hotels offer something similar in the future.
This is a wonderful idea for Marriott, especially a resort Marriott that tries to incorporate fun things for their guests all year round. It will not only appeal to little kids but because it is Haagen-Dazs ice cream adults will enjoy it as well. As Allie pointed out, the ice cream cart has made a lot of money for the hotel. It is a very cheap concept that could potentially be incredibly successful. And because "Everyone loves ice cream..." it is sure to be something that guests will choose this Marriott resort over another restort in the area. I actually don't see any potential problems with this!
ReplyDeleteI really like the article you chose about hotel food and beverage! It is interesting and definitely relevant to your hotel project. Being a HUGE ice cream lover myself, I definitely think this project is both innovative and pleasing to all guests. I can see guests of all ages being excited about this - the older crowd, because it may bring them back to their youth; children, because what child doesn't love ice cream?; and adults can even enjoy this indulgence as something new and exciting to experience when away from home. It adds the perfect amount of an extra touch so that the guest will remember and enjoy their stay at the Marriott.
ReplyDeleteI also found this article interesting because for my group's RADAR project in Dr. Beldona's class, we discussed sensory marketing and how many hospitality organizations are engaging more of their guests' senses. By incorporating several senses into the overall experience, like having a person in costume physically make and deliver an ice cream sundae to the guests' rooms, guests will create a better memory of the hotel and be more satisfied and likely to return.
I think this is a very interesting article. I agree with Allie that in today's competitive economy hoteliers are looking for creative, innovative ways to service their customers. By standing out from competitors hotels are gaining a competitive advantage and steering away from being considered just a commodity. Since hotels all offer a similar core product, by providing experience service they can increase excitement and entice guests to come to their establishment. The Harbor Beach Marriott Resort is doing this exactly by having fun, adventurous employees dress up and offer guests a delicious dessert with an entertaining touch as well. This article also relates to my group’s lodging module project because we have decided to implement a similar type of creative service to our guests. In our Four Points by Evanston we offer the Best Brews Program where we not only provide guests with beers from all over the world but also offer delivery to their room by bartenders dressed up in original costumes.
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