Deidre Grieves

Specialist in online media and digital content.

Articles About Business

Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Hotel

Last spring, three people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after staying at the Blue Ridge Plaza Best Western Hotel in Boone, N.C. The victims—elderly couple Daryl and Shirley Jenkins and 11-year-old Jeffrey Williams—visited the property seven weeks apart and all stayed in room 225. Though the initial investigation following the Jenkins’ deaths was inconclusive, toxicology reports eventually revealed that the deadly gas was to blame for the tragedies. The pool heater’s exhaust pipe, which ran

Hotel Concierges Take a Personal Approach

Whether it’s chartering a private helicopter to Niagara Falls, renting out a city’s hottest nightclub, or shipping puppies to Abu Dhabi, hotel concierges are tasked with fulfilling some pretty crazy demands. “When guests come with outlandish requests, we need to remain unflappable,” says Jay Baldridge, chef concierge at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. “We have to understand what the purpose of the request is and figure out a way we can translate it into something that can be

Dolce's Silverado Resort Lures Tourists with Culinary Event

At the annual Flavor Napa Valley Welcome Dinner—a six-course feast featuring California’s finest wines and food from famed chefs including Roy Choi, Michael Chiarello, and Masaharu Morimoto—John Evan’s plate remained largely untouched. The managing director of the Silverado Resort and Spa, which played host to the lavish November event, was too busy buzzing around the room, checking in with guests, directing staff, and ensuring the flawless execution of every detail. Four years ago, the Silvera

Auberge's Culinary Program Bridges Traveler Age Gap

At Auberge Resorts, a luxury hotel company that owns and operates nine boutique resorts located in the western United States and Mexico, the baby-boomer generation makes up the majority of the brand’s business. But according to John Washko, vice president of operations, millennials are slowly starting to account for a larger share. “Although the baby-boomer generation still represents 60 percent of our clientele, the millennials are a fast growing demographic,” he says. “The millennials are get

Archer Hotels' Fictional Host Elevates the Brand Experience

When LodgeWorks, a privately held hotel development and management company based in Wichita, Kan., was thinking through the concept for Archer Hotels, the inspiration was “the consummate host,” according to Cheryl Gilliam, senior vice president of brands and marketing for LodgeWorks. That inspiration became the keystone of building the upscale boutique brand and aligning the messaging across all customer-facing touchpoints.

New Midscale Brand Prototypes Share Common Ground

Despite a strong overall recovery in the hotel industry, the midscale and upper midscale tiers have lagged behind in revenue growth. According to data from STR, the two sectors drove RevPAR growth of 4 percent last year, trailing the overall increase of 5.4 percent. As a result, midscale and upper midscale brands have launched new design prototypes to appeal to developers, drive up room rates, and stay relevant to today’s traveler. Since March, La Quinta Inns & Suites, Wingate by Wyndham, and H