Hotels offering more perks to make stays more pleasant

Hoping to attract more business, many hotels in the Boulder Valley are going to extremes by offering guests that little something extra.

Some hotels are welcoming dogs and even offer pet-walking services or special pillows for pets.

Other hotel managers will work up special menus for business meetings and stage business cocktail receptions around a hotel swimming pool. There’s the complimentary candy, newspapers and a free pass to that nearby health club.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Empowering communities

Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), part of the UnitedHealthcare family, has pledged its commitment to uplift these communities through substantial investments in organizations addressing the distinct needs of our communities.

Sherry Houston, marketing director for Pratt Properties’ Raintree Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Longmont, said the hotel is very flexible in the way it accommodates guests.

“We do a lot of things. If a business customer wants to bring their dog, they can,” she said.

In fact, one long-term guest who stayed in the Hawthorne, the 84-room extended-stay property that is part of the hotel, brought her dog for a long visit, she said. “She was the first guest who was allowed to bring a pet,” she said.

And it’s not uncommon to see Manager Nick Martin walking a dog for a guest at the Boulder Outlook Hotel and Suites in Boulder.

The 4-year-old Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield is pet-friendly, too.

“We accept any small pets if they can be contained,´ said Phyllis Adkins, sales and marketing director. We have special dog food, dog bones and special bowls for them,” she said.

The hotel just began allowing pets in the last year and one-half.

“More and more people have more free time. Their children have left the home, and they’re young enough to travel but like to travel with their pets,” she said.

In fact, Adkins said she and her husband always travel with their own dogs. “I take my three miniature dachshunds,” she said.

And hotels are paying attention to the needs of the guests beyond providing a bed and a bathroom.

Houston said the Raintree and Hawthorne cater to business travelers, groups and conventions as well as leisure travelers.

“We had a research group that booked a couple meetings here and brought in people from all over the world,” she said.

“We had Asian guests here who were from overseas. Their diet required rice, so we went out and bought nine rice cookers just for them,” Houston said.

And the Omni offers custom amenities to frequent guests as well.

“We try to get the small details about that individual — if they like this room or another one, if they want a foam pillow instead of a feather one. One guest wanted a large bottle of sparkling water. When they check in, we take care of their special needs. It’s so much more personalized,” she said.

The Omni also does a lot of candy delivery to guests, providing them with a package of truffles in their room. “Select guests also get morning coffee, juice and a morning paper of their choice delivered to their room at a time they designate,” she said.

Adkins said the hotel business in the Broomfield area became even more competitive last year, mainly because the 10-story, 232-suite Renaissance Suites Hotel at Flatiron opened in October.

But she adds that there also has been an increase in business travel.

“We’ve seen an increase in business travel this year,” she said.

In fact, on a Wednesday in January, all hotels in the area were sold out, she said.

“We’re struggling to help people find rooms. We also have a lot of group business and conventions,” she said.

As the number of hotel rooms increased while the economy continued to slump in recent years,

“we determined how to get additional guests into the hotel, and we targeted groups,” she said.

The Omni’s golf course is a drawing card as is its spa and health club, she said.

All sorts of perks are offered to hotel guests. “If it’s icy in the morning, we’ll scrape their cars before they have to leave,” she said.

In Boulder, the Best Western Boulder Inn on 28th Street offers special business tools for business travelers.

“The biggest perk we have is free wireless T-1 Internet access. Most hotels are charging for it.

We just started offering that a year ago, and it’s worked out really well. Lots of people take advantage of it,´ said Ari Reubin, sales director of the 98-room facility. The inn also has a conference center on the premises for group meetings.

The inn offers free passes to 24 Hour Fitness across the street.

“In most hotels, what they have for a workout room is an old maid’s room with a couple exercise machines in it. We’ve found that most people don’t work out, but the people who do really enjoy a full-service fitness club,” he said.

Reubin said business travel for the hotel industry has been picking up lately. “It’s actually started to come out of a slump lately, and you can see an improvement on the horizon,” he said.

Another lodge that caters to corporate retreats as well as leisure guests is the 13-year-old Lookout Inn in Gunbarrel.

The 13-room guesthouse features a large conference room with a fireplace, said owner John Odde.

“It’s a great place for peace and quiet. The rooms are all double-insulated large rooms so they’re very quiet. They’re all suites or mini-suites and all have kitchenettes and fireplaces,” he said.

Additionally, the inn offers Internet access.

“It’s mainly set up for corporate people who want to get away from a corporate hotel, but the rooms are big and have outside entrances. It’s a courtyard set-up. There are 24-hour snacks and guests have access to the great room to get fruit or popcorn or cookies in the middle of the night,” he said.

Free cocktails are offered to guests during the “Colorado hour” between 5 and 7 p.m., he said.

At Lookout, we have a nice relationship with the Gunbarrel health club there. A lot of guests use that. It’s quite a benefit to a lot of people,” he said.