Holiday Inn's New Face

Many of us who remember the 1960s and 1970s have fond memories of Holiday Inn® – the family hotel that invites families to enjoy their comfortable rooms and splash around in their swimming pools. Over the years, inconsistent standards and vintage accommodations enabled the competition to trump the Holiday Inn brand. Business travelers chose to stay in other hotel chains and families have been less likely than before to take extended automobile trips.

Looking Back
Although still a healthy company, changing business conditions and demographics saw Holiday Inn lose its market dominance in the 1980s. Holiday Inns, Inc. was renamed "Holiday Corporation" in 1985 to reflect the growth of the company’s brands, including Harrah's Entertainment, Embassy Suites Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hampton Inn. In 1988, UK-based Bass PLC (the owners of the Bass beer brand) purchased Holiday Corporation, and the remaining domestic Holiday Inn hotels in 1990, when founder Charles Kemmons Wilson (see sidebar) sold his interest. Subsequently, the hotel group was known as Holiday Inn Worldwide.

In 2000, Bass sold its brewing assets (and the rights to the Bass name) and changed its name to Six Continents PLC. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was created in 2003 after Six Continents split into two daughter companies: Mitchells & Butlers PLC to handle restaurant assets, and IHG to focus on soft drinks and hotels, including the Holiday Inn brand. The brand name Holiday Inn is now owned by IHG, which in turn licenses the name to franchisees and third parties who operate hotels under management agreements.

The current economic downturn has had a dramatic affect on the hotel industry as family vacations have become local and businesses tighten their belts on travel budgets. The new term, “staycations” was coined last year to describe spending one’s vacation at home. With families staying home more and business travelers using the Internet and using visual telecommunication programs such as Skype™, companies are
saving money on travel expenses and ultimately increasing their bottom line.

Investing in the future
Most Holiday Inns are independently owned and operated and the Totowa site is no exception. As a franchise brand, owners pay a licensing fee and a percentage of their revenues to IHG. In return, the corporate offices handle marketing, advertising and reservations.

Despite the sagging economy in October 2007, IHG announced a worldwide relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand. The relaunch is "focused on delivering consistently best in class service and physical quality levels, including a redesigned welcome experience and signature bedding and bathroom products..."

IHG invested $1 billion in this project, making it the largest brand renewal project in hotel history. Sixty million dollars were covered by IHC and $40 million by Holiday Inn. The changes include a new logo, a new bedding program, new showers, new marketing and advertising.

Guests who may be familiar with the “old” Holiday Inn will be surprised to see a pillow-top mattress with crisp white triple sheeting, a flat-screen television, free wi-fi, a bright bathroom with a starched shower curtain and upgraded amenities from Bath & Body Works. The amenities guests typically enjoy in higher-priced hotels are now at Holiday Inns around the world. At a time when travelers are still looking for quality but at an economical price, they will be pleased when they check into the “new” Holiday Inn.

Holiday Inn Totowa
The total renovation of the Holiday Inn Totowa, located at 1 Rt. 46 West, was completed on March 30, 2010 Its 155 rooms and 7,000 square feet of flexible meeting space are ready for business travelers, tourists as well as event and corporate meeting planners.

The new Ruby’s Lounge and Restaurant is open from 7:00am until 11:00pm during the week and open until 3:00am on Friday and Saturday. The Grand Opening is scheduled to take place May 13.

Holiday Inn’s Director of Sales, Joe Mazzo, who has built his career in the hotel industry, explains, “We see a lot of groups from Canada and Nova Scotia. It’s an ideal venue for people visiting New York City who want to spend their vacation dollars on things other than hotels.” The busiest months for the hotel are from February to mid-October. Typically, January is a “shoulder” month, which offers savings on meetings and post holiday parties.”

The commercial location is perfect for motor coach tours, corporate meetings and group travel. Mazzo explains that during the week 70 percent of his occupancy is business related – meetings, product launches, conferences. On the weekend, 80 percent is social and tourism. During wedding season, the hotel often welcomes guests of brides and grooms who hold receptions at area catering facilities Mazzo says, “We have hosted as many as nine wedding parties in one weekend.” He attributes the venue’s weekend popularity to its convenient location to upscale catering facilities and the fact that at Holiday Inn’s own Ruby’s Lounge, guests can party until 3:00am and safely take the elevator “home to bed.”



The Gateway Region

Like ever other Holiday Inn, the Totowa site has a swimming pool (and health club on the fourth floor). Mazzo, who has a specific marketing plan says, “There are no palm trees on Rt. 46. Therefore, we have to build on the concept of being an alternative destination and offer competitive pricing. We are a perfect place to stay for guests who want access to the surrounding attractions: shopping, sports and the proximity to Broadway Shows, New York City and shopping.” The Totowa Holiday Inn is located in New Jersey’s “Gateway Region,” which includes Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Essex and Union counties.

The hotel, which is close to major highways, including Rt. 80, the Garden State Parkway, Rt. 46, the Turnpike and Rt. 23, provides shuttle service to public transportation and points of departure. Teterboro, the busiest private airport in the country, is just 12 miles west of the Holiday Inn and travelers who fly in and out of Newark Airport have just an 18-mile trip to the hotel.

Mazzo makes sure visitors understand the hotel’s ideal location because it is close to major malls and discount retail centers – Willowbrook, Jersey Gardens, Secaucus and Woodbury Commons. Guests are also well within reach of Manhattan, the Liberty Science Center and the Golf Museum. The hotel is also just minutes from Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty at Liberty Park.

The Totowa Holiday Inn is centrally located to an array of sports venues for every season. There is a reason why sports enthusiasts don’t have to travel far to enjoy baseball, basketball, football, golf, hockey and horseracing.

Stability and service

Joe Mazzo has been at the Totowa Holiday Inn for 13 years and explains, “My continued presence and dedication to this unique property and my understanding of the tri-state market is a great advantage. Additionally, we have event and corporate planners with thirty years’ of experience!”

The stability and consistency Mazzo brings to the property means that travel agencies and corporate planners who book rooms with him know that he will take care of them. As Director of Sales, he is responsible for corporate sales, group sales, marketing and he makes sure that the hotel staff maintains high standards of service. Mazzo’s motto is “The ‘s’ in hospitality stands for service.”