Newly rebranded ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe (formerly Crowne Plaza Kobe) has introduced a series of services to enhance guest stay as it prepares to kick off a major refurbishment effort this year. The 21-year-old hotel with 593 rooms is owned by TCC Group of Thailand.
According to general manager George Koumendakos, the following have been put in place to ensure the needs of business traveller are met:
• Sleep Advantage – Following studies that 80 percent of the Japanese suffer from sleeping problems, this programme was especially designed for ANA Crowne Plaza properties in Japan and is offered exclusively in its Club Floors. It consists of the “Great Sleep” brochure with tips on how to get a good night's rest, a pillow menu, bath powders, a range of aromatherapy oils, a warmed eye mask, low-caffeine tea and a humidifyer.
• Guest Experience Manager – This highly trained individual focuses solely on customer requirements and assists the staff assigned to all guest contact points such as the club lounge and outlets to respond quickly and efficiently. Again, a specific feature of ANA Crowne Plaza properties in Japan.
• Crowne Event Director – With the Crowne Plaza chain positioning itself as the “Place to Meet”, ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe has designated a Crowne Event Director to handle all enquiries about events and suggest a suite of meeting products and packages to help organisers. The hotel boasts a ballroom, which accommodates 2,500 guests cocktail style, is one of the largest in Kobe.
While the hotel features a largely domestic clientèle, Koumendakos said the 15 percent overseas guests from such countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, the US, China and Germany, remain a vital source of revenue. He said the co-branding of ANA and Crowne Plaza – combining ANA's local knowledge and Crowne Plaza's international distribution systems and resources – would result in improvements in guest satisfaction across the board. "I'm confident that ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe will follow the same trend."
For more about the hotel, visit www.ihganahotels.com
Margie T Logarta