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Great Expectations
Business bookings lag but hopes abound at Omni
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Business New Haven
8/10/98
By: BNH
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As you walk in you immediately feel transported to another, more elegant era. The dark wood paneling, the rich tapestry upholstery on the period-style furniture, the opulent Victorian floral arrangements all combine to create an atmosphere of Old World gentility.
Welcome to the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, the Elm City's new luxury hotel and conference center, and the center of hopes for the revitalization of its downtown.
In addition to 306 meticulously appointed guest rooms, the Omni boasts an upscale rooftop restaurant with a panoramic view of the city, more than 22,000 square feet of meeting space, a 9,200 square-foot ballroom, 21 conference rooms and a business center.
Since the transformation of the old Park Plaza first began, it was fervently hoped that the Omni would provide the key to bringing much-lacking conference and convention business to New Haven. So far, the hotel has been responsible for bringing in several new conferences that previously would not have considered New Haven as a venue.
These include a meeting of the Connecticut Chiropractic Association, a regional convention of the Correctional Education Association, and one of the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association. But just how well is the Omni really doing in terms of reaching its potential to attract convention and other business to the area?
“We're behind our curve for expectations,” acknowledges Linda Libby, the Omni's general manager, attributing the lag to having fallen behind on the hotel's construction schedule, and to the impasse with the local hotel workers' union earlier this year.
George Soderberg, the Omni chain's regional director of sales and marketing, concurs: “Business-wise we're a little bit behind schedule. We don't have as much group business on the books as we would like.”
However, there are hopeful signs. First, Soderberg points out, transient business is doing quite well. “June was right on target,” he says, and even though the summer is traditionally a slow time, it has so far been a busy season at the Omni, with a few thousand business travelers a month booking reservations.
Libby points out as well that “The interest in social/catering [services] is greater than we thought.” Management's original intent was that there would be an even split between social and business functions. To date, however, customers interested in using the Omni's facilities for weddings and other functions has been particularly keen.
Also, the hotel is working actively to pursue future bookings. There is an in-house staff of 16 dedicated to sales and marketing, catering and support services. These are backed up by the efforts of the Omni chain's national sales force, in this case those based in the New York regional office. Libby reports that a number of groups that previously would not have considered New Haven are considering booking the Omni in the future.
Both Libby and Soderberg are extremely optimistic as they look ahead to the fall. All that remains to be done on the hotel is final detailing on the interior, additional work on the entranceway, and ironing out bugs in mechanical systems. All is due to be completed by the end of the summer.
Omni management also feels good about how relations with workers and the community have unfolded. Working with the Job Center and the Regional Workforce Development Board, the hotel has employed 250 workers, about 65 percent of whom are New Haven residents. (The Omni's original commitment to the city was to employ 35 percent New Haven residents.)
“We expect to be fully caught up by fall,” says Libby.
“Fall should be just gangbusters,” adds Soderberg.
- S.B.
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