Strategic Hotel Capital Launches Hotel Industry First:The Virtual Concierge.

Business & Travel Editors

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2000

Strategic Hotel Capital, the Chicago-based owner of the five-star Westin Santa Clara, has introduced a technological first to the hotel industry - the Virtual Concierge.

Proving that necessity

is the mother of invention, Strategic Hotel Capital and management at the 505-room hotel introduced the virtual concierge --virtual communication through video conferencing and streaming Internet video -- to accommodate the needs of Anna Morris, the hotel's concierge who recently took maternity leave.

According to Richard Brooks, director of marketing and sales at the Westin Santa Clara, Morris' work-day and commute of three hours (typical in Silicon Valley) would have precluded her serving as concierge after the birth of her son. By teaming up with Interactive Media Artists, Inc. (IMA), a multimedia communication design firm based in Santa Monica, CA, the hotel made it possible for Morris to care for her infant son at home and also continue to provide hotel guests with reservations, recommendations on restaurants and area attractions and tickets to prized shows and events.

"We see this as a permanent arrangement," said Brooks, noting that the virtual concierge technology saved the hotel from having to find a successor for one of its most valued employees. Additionally, Brooks said the technology has the potential for multiple applications that can function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or any time when Anna is not "on camera" from her home office.

When Morris's countenance isn't being beamed onto the 3-by-4-foot screen in the hotel lobby, the hotel uses its high profile communications venue for advertising, for guest specials on PowerPoint displays and VIP welcome messages. As the "Virtual Concierge," Morris schedules her day to meet the high demand times of business travelers from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The system designed by IMA uses a Sony Contact ME Videoconferencing System and a T1 connection to present the concierge on a large screen monitor enabling her to greet clientele and deliver the personal service on which they and the hotel rely. IMA founder Skip Rodenbush said Strategic Hotel Capital and the Westin Santa Clara are using technology for "real world" situations that will likely grow throughout the hospitality industry to areas such as 24-hour concierge services and, possibly, multiple hotel properties linked by a single virtual concierge.

The Virtual Concierge cost in excess of $40,000 according to Laurence Geller, CEO Strategic Hotel Capital, the hotel's ownership. "It's an investment that exemplifies our commitment to asset management and proactive, creative approaches to information and technology," said Geller. "We are greatly intrigued by what we've already seen and will continue to explore applications of this technology in order to drive greater results at the property level," he added.

A privately held firm founded in 1997, SHC targets upscale and luxury hotels on a global basis for acquisition. It seeks larger hotels (200-plus rooms) managed by a group of very select, "preferred" operators. Since its inception, SHC has assembled a portfolio of properties in the United States, Mexico and Europe.

Hotels in the SHC portfolio include the Essex House, A Westin Hotel, New York City; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Calif.; the Hyatt Regency New Orleans; the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero and the Park Hyatt, both in San Francisco; and the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

SHC is committed to building approximately 30 percent of its portfolio outside of the United States, said Geller. In Europe, its properties include the Hilton London St. Ermin's, the Marriott Champs Elysees in Paris, the Hotel Inter-Continental Praha and the Marriott Hamburg. In Mexico, SHC owns the Four Seasons, Mexico City.