ANDOVER, MA—As part of a larger relationship with Sonesta International Hotels Corp., the lodging REIT Hospitality Properties Trust in mid-June began converting 17 of the upscale extended-stay hotels in its portfolio to a new brand, Sonesta ES Suites.
The hotels are located in 14 states. Fifteen of the 17 had formerly been Staybridge Suites, which is part of IHG, while two had been Residence Inns by Marriott. The conversions occurred over a 10-week period, starting in Burlington, MA, and concluding in late-August in Auburn Hills, MI.
To get a close-up sense of what’s involved in converting so many properties to a new brand in such a compressed timeframe, Hotel Businesspaid a visit
to the 133-room, 12-year-old former Staybridge Suites, here, which became the Sonesta ES Suites Andover on July 25, the third of the 17 to convert.
“We’ve approached the conversion process in three stages. The first was mapping the actual conversion dates somewhat by geography as we rolled across the country to ensure we got from one to 17 in a logical timeframe. Three teams were assembled to carry out the work. Phase two involved all the issues around the actual conversion, while the final phase looks more to the future,” explained Michael Wohl, Sonesta ES Suites VP of operations.
About four days out, a conversion team arrives at the hotel. There are technology changes that have to happen as well as housekeeping, food services, human resources and financial front-office system changes.
“Everything is fairly well staged out. It peaks on the day of. At midnight that evening, the hotel stops being the brand it was and starts being a Sonesta ES Suites and we roll in from there. The team tries to create as little impact on the local managers as possible, but that doesn’t mean there’s no impact,” Wohl noted.
At the point of conversion, Boston-based Sonesta wanted there to be something new for existing guests to experience, so they wouldn’t perceive the change of flags as a loss, but rather as an improvement. Given that these are extended-stay hotels, many guests are in the midst of stays lasting many weeks, if not months.
Guestroom beds were one upgrade. “We replaced the bedding we had been using with an upgraded Sonesta bed, better quality linens and king-size, feather pillows. We removed the duvet and began using triple sheeting that makes the bedding seem richer and more contemporary. The linen is higher thread-count, which adds to the sense of luxury,” reported Paul Wilkins, general manager of the Sonesta ES Suites Andover.
The second day-of upgrade was the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, which now features more fresh and local items, as well as baked goods. “We’re baking fresh every morning now, including muffins, scones and different breads,” Wilkins said.
“Both changes have been well-received by guests,” he added.
In terms of sales, the hotel, which is located in an upscale office park in Andover, 25 miles north of Boston, made a concerted effort to reach out to its corporate clients to keep them abreast of the changes underway.
Reassuring the clients
This would make sense for any hotel undergoing a conversion, regardless of lodging segment, but is especially important when the hotel is an extended-stay property. In this case, a significant percentage of the long-term bookings come from a limited number of corporate accounts, most of which are located nearby.
“We had talked to individual accounts in the weeks leading up to the changeover, explaining the process to them. Their biggest concern was whether the property was going to change physically and if the services their people had come to expect would still be there,” recalled Michael Pittsley, director of sales for the Sonesta ES Suites Andover. “Now that the conversion has happened, we want them to come in to see the improvements we’ve made. We want to remind them we’re still here, that the sign out front may be new, but the phone number hasn’t changed and that the majority of the staff is still here. It’s business as usual,” Pittsley said.
The day before the flag change, the hotel left letters for guests reminding them that the change was about to happen. Wilkins and other staff members made especially sure to have conversations with long-term guests about the last-minute transition. “The next day, we sent updated information letters and held a reception to welcome everyone to their first night with Sonesta ES Suites,” Wilkins said.
Unlike a conversion from one existing extended-stay brand to another, Sonesta ES Suites is a new brand without a long-established set of policies and procedures. Although Sonesta has a successful track record operating full-service hotels, both in the U.S. and internationally, the company is new to the extended-stay segment.
“In a lot of ways, this has been an advantage because there haven’t been any preconceived impressions of what the Sonesta ES Suites brand is. So we’ve been able to create standards—or, at least, the initial set of standards—from the ground up. Other standards will evolve as time goes by,” Wohl noted.
“We’re converting both Staybridge Suites and Residence Inn hotels, so we’ve really got two sets of standards to take a look at plus the Sonesta standards from our sister hotels,” he continued.
The third and final phase of the conversion process will soon kick in. “Now that we’re the managers, we can start thinking about some of the longer-term changes we want to make to enhance this new brand,” Wohl explained. “These are things you’ll see roll out over the next year or two.”