BUFFALO, NY—Major snowstorms often create hassles for weary travelers: closed roads, flight cancellations and unexpected trip extensions are frequent occurrences. But, here in Buffalo, people are used to it.
“There’s a lot of anxiety that’s built up,” said Jay Dellavecchia, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. He divided the guests into two groups: those with reservations who can’t make it to Buffalo, and those in town who can’t get home.
“You have cancellation policies, so how do you show care and concern to those customers? We’re not going to charge them if they can’t make it,” he said. “And, if they didn’t call us because they had a stressful day, they were stuck in the airport or whatever it might be, there’s not a hassle in waiving that.” He noted that all employees are instructed not to charge, and to make sure guests know that right away. “If it’s a meeting in the hotel, same thing. We’ll try to find alternate booking dates because they still most likely want to have the event,” he said.
“For the guests who are here, their anxiety is that they want to get home,” he said, adding that the uncertainty over when the airport will close adds to that. “We do everything we can to make that inconvenient experience more comfortable. We try to take the lead and call the airlines to check up, and we’ll call or text you so that we keep you updated. They appreciate that because it’s one less thing to worry about.
Dellavecchia added that the hotel also tries to anticipate any guest needs, such as toiletries or use of the hotel laundry. “They may have only brought three days worth of garments and they need five days, so we wash their things here,” he said.
Because Buffalo is so used to snow, the Hyatt Regency Buffalo has never had a problem with food shortage, said Dellavecchia.
However, all of the preparedness in the world doesn’t make it any easier for people to get to work. “When we know there’s a storm coming, we’ll offer housing to our team. If they can’t get out, we don’t want them to try to travel in this condition,” he said, noting that staff members are diligent about making it to work if they safely can. “We have dedicated employees. They could easily say I’m not coming to work because it’s bad outside, but they come to work,” he said.
Dellavecchia noted that it’s important to try to make things as comfortable as possible for the guest. “We all try to have fun with the customer. Everyone wants to be home, so we set TVs up and try to have the camaraderie between guests and employees as much as we can,” he said, adding that the hotel puts out playing cards and games for guests to use. In addition, guests can be allocated space in the meeting rooms to work in, so they can avoid the cabin fever of working in their guestroom.
—Nicole Carlino