After having nearly two weeks to be at home with Cathy and the Kids, January wasted no time in launching what I hope will be another great year On The Road.  First up was a January 2 day-trip to New York, for a final run-through of the Reservations SAILS Training we’d been developing for Loews this past fall.  I was so very impressed to have the attention of these three V.P’s and one regional director for a total of six full-day customization meetings!  Each of them brought their own unique contributions to the table, and during this final run-through it was clear we were looking at a grand-slam home run as a result.  Here’s a picture of me with the Loews home office team I worked with on this project:  (Left to right) Felicia Fisher, Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategy, Teresa Surin, Vice President of Revenue Management, Doug, and Garine Ferejian-Mayo, Regional Director of Revenue Management, Irwin Fisher, Vice President of Sales & Training:

                                

After returning home that evening it was good to have two office days, and another weekend at home with the kids.  Soon enough it was Sunday night and after landing and renting a car at BWI, I got to try out my own Christmas gift, which was the Garmine GPS tracking device, which made my late-night drive to Annapolis so much easier and less stressful.  Soon I was pulling into the Loews Annapolis hotel, where I was to kick-off the first of 19 days of training the following day.  After another warm and genuine welcome, which I’ve now come to expect and count on at any Loews, I was checking into their Admiral James Stockdale suite.  (Their suites are named for famous graduates of the Naval Academy.  It took a day or two for me to remember that this was Ross Perot’s Vice Presidential running mate in 1992.

I have to say that despite all my years of experience in training, I was just a little anxious if not nervous to be launching this long-anticipated program, complete with all its new content.  But thankfully my group the next day was wonderfully enthusiastic and energetic and things went great!  As the next 10 days progressed, my travels brought me to the Loews hotels in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Nashville, St. Pete Beach, and Denver.  What a whirlwind tour it’s been already.  Yet with the meticulous attention to the meeting planning details, with lots of great effort by on-property leadership to prepare their reservations team and get them excited about our new program, and with the great people that Loews employees overall, the first seven cities (in 10 days) have gone extremely well during my travels. 

From the perspective of a guest, I have been extremely impressed at how consistent the hospitality and guest service efficiency levels have been. Each and every associate I encountered delivered what they term “Genuine Personal Engagement.” So far during 7 out of 7 stays I’ve been warmly welcomed by every door/bell attendant and front desk associate, not one of which has sounded scripted, robotic, or insincere. 

As a trainer, this engagement has been one of the best experiences of my career, and it is great to have both corporate and hotel-level managers standing behind the program to ensure follow-up and long term success.  Best of all, it was great reconnecting with a large number of people who’s path’s had crossed mine before, and who are now working for Loews.   Below are pictures of me with the seven groups I’ve trained so far through January 15, typically including their reservations team and their leadership support (Directors of Sales & Marketing, Revenue Manager, Reservations Manager, and GM's.


Loews Annapolis Hotel
                             


The Madison, A Loews Hotel
                                   


Loews Philadelphia Hotel
                            


Loews Regency New York
                                


Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Nashville
                                 


The Don Cesar, A Loews Resort
                                 

Loews Denver Hotel