My name is Jason and I oversee the valet and parking operations of six hotels, various performing arts theaters, and access to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Since March, the best restaurants in the world, The World War Two Museum, the sights and sounds of the French Quarter, Uptown streetcars, music and entertainment bars of Bourbon Street, The Superdome as well as the best hotels that handle the biggest conventions and largest sporting events have all shuddered their doors, laid off their employees, and shutdown for what has now been six months (and counting).
We are not the only ones who have come to hard times across the country and around the world. Disney World, Broadway, Vatican City, The Eifel Tower, and Beijing have all closed down and seen every glimmer of hope disappear. The biggest hotels have closed, convention bookings have ceased, and almost any organized activity in my great city of New Orleans have gone away for what seems like an eternity. From the end of 2019 to present day, this city and the downtown area have suffered greatly due to the Hard Rock Hotel collapse (which still stands crippling apart), Mardi Gras tainted with victims of float accidents, several tropical storms and hurricanes this summer and now the ongoing effects of Covid 19 (as I write, a new storm eyes Hurricane Sally’s path).
In the most recent publication by the National Parking Association, Louisiana is one of 6 states that have “yet to reach pre-covid parking revenues”. 35% of the hotel rooms in the city are available to book with most of them empty during the week, according to New Orleans and Company. 11.9% of the Metro Area New Orleans population remains unemployed. These are the bellmen, bartenders, waitresses, front desk agents, sales managers, valets, musicians, and housekeepers that you typically see every day here. We need you to come back.
Across the nation, CEOs and business managers have adapted to the new times and culture. These moves have proven to be strategic and financially beneficial. So much business is now done via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This has proven to reduce office rent and business travel expenses but also support family relationships. However, as a hospitality expert, true B2C and B2B service involves being in front of your customer. You have to see their product and understand the challenges that they have faced and overcome in this new business setting. Sometimes you want to see your account manager so that they are able to understand and support you just as they’ve done time and again.
I write to you today, professionals of all industry types. Jump on a plane, rent a car, book a hotel room, and go out to restaurants. Massive efforts by businesses to comply with local government orders and remain open have taken place, however, WE NEED YOU TO COME TO NEW ORLEANS to conduct business but also spend money in the places like Commander’s Palace, The Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt Hotel, jump on a barstool at the Caroussel Bar, see a burlesque show at The Saint Hotel, or just grab a Hurricane and walk down Bourbon Street. Businesses like these and mine have taken great steps to maintain a clean and sanitary environment for you to travel, eat, drink, and sleep during your business trip. After you see our efforts, rebook and bring your coworkers. Spread how great of a city we still are. And then bring the family for the weekend.
We need every dollar at this point just to keep money in our operating accounts and our back pockets. We can’t be choosey about who comes here for fun or for business. Our ADRs are way too low. We recognize that the business traveler is one who pays a premium for the flight, the car rental, the bed, the meal, the cocktail, and the show. I don’t see many of you here anymore. When I do, my eyes light up. I love to ask where you hail from and how I can best exceed your expectations while you conduct your business. You are the most valued customer to our city and our businesses right now. We cannot survive on Airbnb, apartment rentals, or the “Wanna Get Away” rates. We NEED you to come back.
A professional colleague of mine, Etienne Tardy Director of Sales at The Roosevelt Hotel wrote, “we wake up before the sun comes up. We shine our shoes, practice our smiles, drive our old car and park blocks from the hotel. We roll a banquet table, fold some bath towels and move heaven and earth for our guests. We have dealt with the worst case scenarios of hotel fires, loss of power, SARS, Covid 19, lost packages, and rain on a bride’s wedding day”.
But we are still here. So many of us anxiously await your booking at our hotel, eager to valet your car, serve you an Sazerac, boil you some crawfish, shuck an oyster, or just play some good old fashioned jazz for you. But we can’t do it without our most important assets—you, our customers.
Bring your convention group to New Orleans in 2021! Be one of the first companies to bring safe gatherings to the Big Easy. Set the bar high for others to do the same. Continue to show why you are the change agents and the creative masterminds that led to your success. Please book your daughter’s wedding in the spring. Fly in for dinner and a show in the French Quarter. And if you need some help in finding the right place, give me a shout. I’ve been here most of my life and thoroughly enjoy finding new spots to have fun, but relishing in long-standing traditions that never get old.
Yours in Hospitality,
Jason M. Lynch
