Millennium U.S. recasting former Regal hotels
Morse, who heads up the newly formed North American division of London-based Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, is busy establishing a U.S. stronghold for the brand, which has 40 hotels elsewhere. By acquiring Regal Hotels' U.S. properties late last year, the company set the stage to expand from a base of one--the Millennium Broadway in New Yorkâto 13.
By the middle of next year, all the former U.S. Regal-branded hotels will be renovated and rebranded as Millennium Hotels. Some $70 million is going into updating the portfolio, which has suffered from inattention in recent years, to raise its overall standards to the four-star level. Once the rebranding is complete, the chain will have instant presence in a number of key locations, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston.
Millennium also recently established North American headquarters in Washington, DC, and Morse has been assembling a team of hospitality veterans to spearhead development of the brand. In addition to Morse, who is president and executive director, the group includes Jean Spaulding, senior vice president of sales and marketing; Roberta Griffin, senior vice president of finance; Tony Kinnear, senior vice president of operations; Frank Rudman, vice president of sales; and Suzanne McIntosh, vice president of marketing communications.
Morse, who oversaw operations at MeriStar Hotels & Resorts before joining Millennium, admits that building brand awareness is going to take time. But he thinks tuning up the old Regal portfolio is a good start.
"Our goal is through our distribution in the U.S. to gain some awareness," he says. "We want to introduce it to the meeting planner, the travel agent, to let them know what we are, what we stand for, what they can expect."
Once all 13 properties are open, he expects cross-selling among them to help the brand as well.
Morse says he thinks there is room for another competitor in the tier dominated by Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton. "We're in a position to make some inroads and some noise," he says. "But we need to create a room that will help differentiate us and make it feel like home." He says the renovation budget is weighted heavily toward guestroom updates and will focus on what he calls the basics: a comfortable bed, a great shower and a big TV.
The hotels that will become Millenniums are a hodgepodge of historic properties, such as the Biltmore in Los Angeles and the Regal Knickerbocker in Chicago, along with much newer structures. Renovations will respect the style of the hotel, with more modern hotels reflecting a contemporary style and historic hotels taking on a look more in keeping with the surroundings.
Staffs at the existing hotels will get the once over as well. "We'd be foolish to invest $70 million in bricks and mortar and not invest in a similar initiative with employees," Morse says. He says training will focus on service excellence and creating "an easy place to do business with, an easy place to stay."
With frequency programs so important at the four-star level, a priority for Millennium will be figuring out ways to create loyalty among guests, Morse says. He thinks the brand will take its cue from what Loews and other smaller upscale brands are doing.
For the future, Morse has targeted additional gateway cities, such as Washington DC, San Francisco, Atlanta and Dallas for conversion possibilities. "We're interested in doing any kind of deal," he says, including owning or managing.
By Megan Rowe
Managing Editor, E-Hospitality.com