Larkin Hospitality

2011-06-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Larkin Hospitality’s most recent construction project is the building and renovation of what currently is the White River Inn & Suites. The entire staff ‘down south’ cannot help but be excited on a daily basis as we witness major developments within our work days!

Located directly across the parking lot from the Holiday Inn Express & Suites will soon sit a beautiful new hotel filled with suites which could accommodate an entire family. As of late, my job consists of doing new and exciting things which I had not yet experienced in this industry. Just last week AllisynMarthers and I were looking through pieces of art to decorate the walls of the new guest rooms!

Our current clientele is also enjoying the almost hourly changes to our building. Our 37 rentable rooms are filled with many long term guests excitedly anticipating the chance to stay in one of our new suites.

Needless to say, with all of the developments occurring I become easily distracted looking out the windows day dreaming of what it will be like to sit in a brand new hotel!

Sarah Benedict Crispim

Welcome to the Dark Side

2011-06-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Since we started this blog we have embraced it as an opportunity to tell you all how much we love our jobs and where we live. Working in the hospitality industry in Vermont is like putting sugar on ice cream; it just doesn’t get any sweeter. The hotel industry does, however, have a dark side…and sometimes that dark side is hysterical!

Running a hotel is like inviting a few hundred strangers into your house every night and hoping they all respect your property and use their manners the way you would. By and large we have overwhelmingly positive guest experiences. Occasionally, however, there are guests who cause trouble and our staff is left with the consequences…and the stories!

There was, for example, the sorority group that I convinced the General Manager to take as I was sure college age girls away on a trip and under a school’s name would handle themselves with dignity and restraint. Wow, was I wrong. Their late night alcohol infused merriment involved among other things police assistance, detox, and sparse clothing. One of my favorite guest stories was of the irate guest whose blonde wife found long dark hair in his hairbrush. He accused our housekeeping staff of brushing their hair with it. When our GM asked if it was possible that the hair belonged to the man, the guest responded “that is impossible since I am bald”, begging the question of why he needed a brush in the first place. Finally, I will offer the story of the guest who was livid to discover that, in his opinion, we had lost his reservation. In an attempt to calm him down, our desk staff thought to call other Holiday Inn’s in other Burlingtons around the world and found that the man had mistakenly made an online reservation at the Holiday Inn in Burlington Ontario. Upon our explaining his error, he demanded we reimburse him for a long distance call to Canada to cancel his reservation there.

We cannot always control what guests bring to our doorstep, but we can and do learn from the experiences. Our well trained staff works hard to ensure that no matter what the circumstance, our guests are comfortable, safe and content. In the coming months we look forward to sharing with you more funny stories since at the end of the day if it is going to happen we surely learn something…and we share!

Dina Townsend

Director of Sales

Get Here & Get Out

2011-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

I hope I am not alone in saying this, but my favorite time of year is finally here. As much as I love the winter here in Vermont with snowboarding, skiing and sledding, I prefer spring and summer. The green mountains come to life and show us all the beauty they possess. Who can ask for more? For me this time of year means time to get outdoors and enjoy some of the greatest things in life including hiking, kayaking, and one of my favorites, biking down the Burlington bike path.

Typically I start at Oakledge Park and ride the Island Line Trail through the downtown waterfront passing the skate park, dog park and North Beach all the way up to Colchester. The 12.5 mile ride sounds long, but it has so many sites along the way that you really just forget how you got to the end and sort of wish it hadn’t ended. Have no fear though, if you didn’t pack your bike with you there are rental places along the way like Local Motion or Ski Rack both in Burlington.

If biking is not your thing you can skate/blade your way all along the waterfront. Skates are also available for rent at the Ski Rack, or just take a causal walk if it suits your needs. Check out http://www.champlainbikeways.org/ for more details on the many bike paths that Burlington has to offer. I hope you will come and enjoy the many sites along your ride as I know I have.

Stacy Germond

General Manager

Holiday Inn Express

..And All That Jazz

2011-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Finally the snow has stopped and spring has sprung – everyone all together now–jazz hands! What could be a better way to celebrate the sun and warmth than with the Burlington Jazz Festival June 3^rd through the 12th? Just a 5 minute drive to the heart of the festival, Comfort Inn & Suites is the perfect accommodation for this wonderful Burlington event.

Whether you live here year round, like we do, or you are just visiting, Jazz fest will transport you to a whole other world -to a place where music, incredible food and drinks seem never ending and no matter how hard you try, you can’t keep your feet still, That’s what becomes of our very own Church Street.

Indulge your ears, eyes and mouth with a treat and after that pamper your body with a clean and comfy bed where the last thing that you’ll hear as your head hits the crisp pillow is the remnants of your favorite jazz musician sc-sc-sc-scatting into the dark.

With legendary artists like Herbie Hancock, Bearquarium and Poncho Sanchez, and incredible food and drink from Leunig’s Bistro, Three Tomatoes and the Farmhouse Tap and Grill, this festival is a great way to start your summer.

We love hearing our guests’ stories from their downtown festivities and we love that we get to play a part in their total Jazz festival experience. For great Jazz you come to the Jazz festival and for divine comfort you come to the Comfort Inn & Suites.

John Cammarano

General Manager

Comfort Inn & Suites

Not Everything is What it Seems

2011-05-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

This week, I learned a lesson in irony and snap judgment worthy of sharing. Several times I have noticed trash in our parking lot. As a company, we work diligently to keep our property fresh and welcoming and it’s disappointing to watch guests carelessly toss trash on the property’s grounds. Upon seeing the litter I have thought to myself, ‘how can it be that guests feel it is acceptable to dispose of their refuse so irresponsibly?’

This Monday, as I made my morning Starbucks run, I noticed someone in front of me open their car door and toss two Starbucks cups on the ground, presumably making space for their new cup of coffee. They continued by throwing empty wrappers right next to the discarded cups. As the offending driver left the scene, I noticed the car’s plates were Vermont issued and recognized the driver as someone I see almost every morning at Starbucks. This was a fellow Vermonter and a local resident! My theory that all Vermonters keep their state clean and care about a litter-free community was now full of holes. Irony.This past weekend residents of our area engaged in Green Up Day, a long standing tradition here where residents donate their time and energy picking up the trash along our roadways and open spaces that has been exposed by the melting snow. As Green Up Day comes to a close each year, neon green trash bags stuffed full dot street corners all over town, ready to be picked up and properly disposed of. I have thought to myself, ‘this is the Vermonter spirit - taking care of our community and working together to keep it clean. I wished that more of our out of town guests had the same outlook’. Snap judgment.

Early this morning as I came to work preparing to write this blog, I watched two of our guests get out of their car -with Massachusetts plates- walk out of their way toward new litter someone had left overnight, pick it up, toss it in the receptacle, and go into the hotel. They walked up to the desk, checked into their room and made no mention of their good deed in the parking lot. I was impressed and humbled!

The moral of the story? It doesn’t matter where we are from and regardless of our different beliefs, attitudes or values, keeping our communities and planet green and clean is, and must be, a shared mission in which we all play a critical role.

Michael Sheeran
Area Manager
Larkin Hospitality

A Proper Spring!

2011-04-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Take a look around, what do you see?

If you're lucky enough to be in Burlington, VT, you'll see the vibrant greens of grass and trees, the bright blues of the clear, sunny sky and depths of Lake Champlain, the rich reds and warm oranges of sunrises and sunsets. ...A proper Spring!

There are many ways to enjoy the beautiful weather and variety of outdoor settings throughout the region, but we all so often get trapped indoors and miss out. So this Spring, when you come to town, definitely take time to appreciate the fine shopping downtown on Church Street or at the outlets in Essex, but don't forget about strolling the beautiful Waterfront Park or rowing the lake on a kayak from the Community Sailing Center, walking the grounds of Shelburne Farms or the Shelburne Museum, taking a day cruise on the Spirit Of Ethan Allen or enjoying the lush greens at one of the many public golf courses and country clubs in the area.

Spring is everywhere around you in the beautiful Lake Champlain region. Be sure to enjoy it!

Stephen Churchill

Social Media Director | Larkin Hospitality

There Is No Offseason

2011-04-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

As the Director of Sales for four busy hotels, I spend the majority of my day on the phone. For the better part of the year, a large percentage of my phone conversations are with sports teams looking for hotel accommodations. Our area is home to several annual sports tournaments many of which can be found under the events listing sections of our hotels’ websites.

With seven hotels in the Burlington area alone, I typically have plenty of rooms for teams that meet both their needs and budget. On rare occasions, teams playing in exceptionally large tournaments will call late in the game and we are unable to house them. In these events, I take tremendous pride in being willing and able to share clear and solid area information to assist in helping them find lodging elsewhere in town. I have even directed groups to neighboring towns and to spectacular, hidden gems where demand may be less overwhelming, but amenities and natural beauty are plentiful.

I routinely share industry tips with these teams to not only help them find suitable housing presently, but to help them plan ahead for the next year or tournament, because I feel one of our cornerstones has to be educating the guest on not only our area, but also on our industry. Many of these teams travel all year long, spend a fortune on travel, and bear the burden of collecting hotel information, disseminating it among team members and then following through to be sure all families on their rosters have booked. In providing these teams and parents with more than just the bare, essential details pertinent to their current booking needs, they’re better served in all their travel endeavors in the future and are able to make more informed decisions, saving them money and, more importantly, saving them time.

I’ve made it one of my highest priorities to make that entire process as easy as possible for them and, while most of the time I am able to accommodate them, when I am unable to, I take pride in knowing they leave the experience better armed for future success. I understand firsthand how expensive sports travel can be and, at the same time, I also understand how valuable their tournaments are to our area, both fiscally and culturally, so making the process less stressful is always a top priority of mine. In the end, I suppose I could spend less time on the phone were I not to put the guest experience first, but that is never an option here in the Larkin Hospitality Family. When you call upon us, you expect the best, and we take pride in knowing that is exactly what you’ll get.

Dina Townsend

Larkin Hospitality Group

Good Customer Service vs. Exceptional Service

2011-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I arrived to work thinking about what I would blog about today. I had many ideas based on years of experience in the hotel business. I sat down to my computer to begin my task when I noticed a letter I had retrieved from my mail box this very morning. It was from a guest who was checking out. As I read the letter I felt my eyes begin to moisten. It was at this moment I realize what I needed to blog about was presented to me in this letter. For the second time in a week I had received a letter hand written by a satisfied guest. It was more than a letter. Having been hand written I felt as if the person was there with me, it felt real.

What did the two letters have in common? Both of the letters had stated that their rooms had been comfortable, clean and well supplied. That is to be expected. So what prompted the guest to take time to hand write a letter? It was exceptional customer service. The guest both stated that the staff was helpful, attentive, smiling and would go above and beyond their expectations to assist them. One guest stated that his wife was very sick and that the wheel on her wheel chair broke off. He had asked the front desk for a phone book to look for a repair company. The front desk agent went one step further and looked it up on the internet and printed off several options for this guest, even offered to call for them. The guest was very stressed out and the desk agent could see this. So what is good service vs. exceptional service? It is about anticipating the guest needs even before the guest knows what they may need and most importantly following up with the guest to ensure that the needs were met or exceeded.

The guest stated that they felt like they were at home with family. The staff was warm and sincere. The employees listened to the guest and heard their needs. They responded with friendly and helpful assistance. So what makes good customer service great?.......the STAFF. Never under estimate the power of being kind, patient and helpful. I’m very proud of our staff and want to acknowledge them for the difference they make.

Allisyn Marthers

Area Director | Larkin Hospitality

Burlington Means Happy

2011-03-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you've never been to Burlington, VT, you're simply missing out.

According to Gallup research, Burlington was named the "Happiest Small-City" in the nation!

Check out this great feature from the folks at WPTZ-TV...

Click here for the full story...

To say we here at Larkin Hospitality love Burlington, VT would be an understatement, but we know if you come here and see for yourself, you'll love it too!

Stephen Churchill

Social Media Director

Larkin Hospitality

Variety

2011-03-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

This week, the greater Burlington community was hit with one of the biggest storms in its history, with some areas recording as much as 28 inches of snow in a 15-ish-hour period.

28 inches.

In less than a day.

Coming from my own, mostly West-Coast experience, those figures are simply astonishing. What I found most interesting, though, was how many of those native to the area, or even just more familiar with it than I, chose to bide their time while waiting out the storm.

Walking around downtown, I saw a mix of cross-country skiers, snow-shoers, even snowboarders being towed behind trucks tied to paracord lines, all heading to or coming from the busy downtown Church Street Marketplace and the surrounding commercial areas. Snow to the knees, numbingly-cold winds and all. Business as usual.

For many of us, business as usual is coming into our hotels, sitting in warm offices and plugging into phones, computers and assorted office electronics. For me, business as usual often also includes getting to interact with many of our guests on my way through our lobby, and it just so happens that, after the storm, I saw many of our guests spending their time in the exact same ways I was, whether it be cozying up next to the fireplace with hot chocolate and a book, or with an open laptop by a window, enjoying the scenery from a safe, warm distance.

That kind of variety is one of the many things bringing you to Vermont, and we know it. It's the reason why one of our hotels offers discounted ski tickets at the front desk but also generous seating beside a warm fireplace just a few short steps away. Variety.

So however long this winter has left, here's wishing you a safe and warm rest-of-season! ...or, if you'd prefer, a cold, windy one while you ski around town.

Variety!

Stephen Churchill

Social Media Director

Larkin Hospitality

Mardi Gras

2011-02-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

As we enter the last leg of another long Vermont winter, we are all in the mood to celebrate. Just the thought of a budding flower peaking up through the snow, or a full day with the sun beating down melting away the heavy snow is enough to keep us all going. On Church Street, Saturday March 5^th, Burlington will commemorate the annual Mardi Gras parade with celebrations throughout the city. This is a perfect excuse for us all to come together and delight in the upcoming spring with a parade of 40 colorful floats and festive music to satisfy everyone’s taste. As we all huddle together to beat the cold, swaying to the music, catching colorful beads and eating good food, we slowly start to forget about all the shoveling we have done , how we hate to clean off our cars in the morning, how we can see our breath outside and how 35 degrees feels warm. Those thoughts melt like the icicles on our gutters and we start to feel a warmth in our bodies, like the sun beating down on us and we realize that Mardi Gras has come right in the nick of time. We at Larkin Hospitality would love to contribute by giving you a welcoming place to stay along with a warm smile. Whether you’re here for Mardi Gras, a wedding, a graduation, an anniversary, a birthday, a vacation, or just a weekend away – we would like to be a part of it throughout the year. We want to help you celebrate and assist in the process of slowly forgetting about the white winter wonderland outside and look ahead to sunny days by Lake Champlain feeding the ducks, melting ice creams, barbeques and leisurely walks on Church Street. We want to be in your plans for beating the Vermont winter blues and in celebrating the upcoming spring and beautiful summer.

The Comfort Inn and Suites Team

Part of the Larkin Hospitality Family

Welcome Home

2011-02-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

As a company we rotate our blog responsibilities. My turn came around just three days after returning from maternity leave. In reading the thoughts of my colleagues, I realized that the topic of family had been covered over and over. As such, I felt pressure to deliver something new, something more operations oriented. Nevertheless having just become a parent, family was at the forefront of my mind.

As the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express, I looked forward to returning to my work family, to seeing the front desk crew, the housekeepers, and all of those who look to me for guidance and knowledge. Being so warmly welcomed back by our staff with smiles on their faces made me realize how genuinely I was missed. Seeing our regular corporate guests whom I have come to know so well and to have them ask about my newborn son, and want to see pictures, made me smile. In conclusion and at the risk of seeming redundant, Larkin Hospitality IS a family and I am proud to say I would very much know what that looks like. Family is about support, compassion, and treating every moment as though it were your last. In the hotel industry that means seeing every guest as a person and knowing what they need before they have to ask. In retrospect, perhaps the fact that my colleagues have also written about family is not so redundant as it is appropriate and fitting.

Stacy Germond
General Manager
Holiday Inn Express South Burlington

Snow Day

2011-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

My name is Linette Searcy and I am the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Berkshires in North Adams, Massachusetts.

It seems that the term “snow day” has been used quite a bit this winter here in New England. Thinking back, a variety of feelings come to mind when thinking about snow days. In grade school, it was the sheer excitement of hearing your schools name on the radio. That announcement somehow gave me all the unbridled energy I needed to brave the elements and play for hours in the snow. In high school, I still had hopes that the day’s math test was going to be cancelled, but that feeling was also mixed with the realization that I would be stuck with shoveling the driveway. Later on in life, those two little words brought absolute panic, that my day was going to be nothing as planned, with schedule changes, driving hazards, the kids out of school, cancelled appointments and, of course, shoveling the driveway.

Working in the hotel industry for more than half my life has taught me that those two words don’t have to bring on the dread and chaos of losing a day or more and being “stuck” away from home. We know exactly how you feel. We have been in your [boots]. Our day, too, can mean delays, cancellations, rearranged schedules and planning for children. Above all, to those of us working for Larkin Hospitality, it also means taking care of you, our guest.

Our family can take care of your family. We have the latest weather conditions available and can advise on routes to take in or out of our cities. We can also help reach your colleagues or area businesses to find out if your appointments are rescheduled. You can use our business centers to e-mail family, friends or co-workers to let them know that your plans have changed. What to do once your affairs are in order? Many of our hotels have swimming pools, hot tubs and exorcise equipment for our guests to enjoy, or you can sit back in your room and enjoy a movie, order room service or even just sleep in. And if you’re feeling adventurous, we have information on the trail conditions in the area for skiing, snowboarding and tubing. You can take a tour of an area museum, browse some local shops, and have some fun in town. Ask any member of our family what to do and they’ll direct you to a wide variety of activities. Just like your family, we pull together to make that “snow day” a little lighter.

See you soon for our snowman-making contest!

Linette Searcy

General Manager | Holiday Inn Berkshires

Mi Casa Su Casa

2011-01-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

My name is Sarah Benedict-Crispim and I have worked for LHG for just over three years in the capacity of Front Desk Agent, Assistant General Manager, and Acting General Manager. In this time I have learned many things from not only my mentors but from our hotel guests. I have learned that treating your hotel like your home and the guests as your guests will establish loyalty, extending genuine care and concern will establish respect, and that ‘leaving the light on’ only gets you a high electric bill and not necessarily heads in beds!

In our industry we meet people from all walks of life coming and going for various reasons. Whether it is a job interview, a concert, vacationing, or visiting family, we get to share in the excitement of our guests’ experiences. Our Front Desks act as dinner tables and our guests are our family telling us about their day. We strive to exceed expectations and ensure your happiness; in short we are people pleasers.

What I love most about my job is this… I love not knowing what is in store for me each and every day. As managers our job descriptions include, but are not limited to, customer service agent, travel agent, weatherman (or woman), concierge, entertainer, security guard, IT person, and my personal favorite ‘the person with all of the answers’.

The reasons why I have invested in this family of hotels are many; most noteworthy would be the immense support my General Managers and their superiors have provided me. I welcome and accept the challenges ahead of me as I work to provide my company with the loyalty and respect which they have taught me to pass on to our guests.

If you have followed this blog you may see that I’ve noted what I’ve learned, what I do, what I love about what I do, and that I have hope for the future. I hope that you will take the opportunity to stay at one of our houses; after all, it could be just what you need when you’re on the move.

-Sarah Benedict-Crispim

Social Media: Who Needs It?

2011-01-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

Social Media.

The term itself has undergone such a transformation as of late, quickly moving from its novel roots and praise of endless conceptual potential to what is now an almost indiscernible flood of gimick websites, tools and spam bots.

Just three years ago, virtually no commercial presence was felt on Facebook.

Now?

Take a look at the picture to the left. Anything stand out?

Social Media.

What once was a collection of interactive online communities made up of real, live people is now overflowing with over 900 million objects, meaning anything not directly considered a personal profile, for users to interact with, and over 3 million "fan" pages, featuring businesses, brands and products that users can "Like" and, subsequently, follow.

So in three years, Facebook has grown from just over 50 million active users to, according to the most recent figures, 12 times that.

How they did it is so often trivialized with marketing analysis and studies of PR campaigns. But, in studying business, like studying anything in life, focus too close on one thing and you'll lose sight of the other.

Examining the logistical and corporate "how" of Facebook's success, you'll miss out on the biggest reason for it, what they offered their users.

It wasn't glamorous or anything financially rewarding, at least not back then.

What it offered was connection.

For the first time in human history, we were as close as our internet connectivity would allow us to be, on opposite sides of the world but separated by mere computer screens. Our lives were linked.

That's the real "how" of Facebook's success, how it enriched our lives.

These days, signing onto Facebook is almost like opening your mailbox. Most of it's junk but every so often there's something meaningful from someone close to you or some offer that is real enough and really helps you in your life, a hand extended, reaching out for yours.

And that's our approach here at Larkin Hospitality. You see, we're simply no more or less than the sum of all our parts, but as a family of hotels, restaurants, development projects and real estate firms, it all adds up to one huge hand that we get to extend out to you, our guests.

From promotions that return our guests' loyalty with reward points and discounted rates to spreading the word about the charitable ventures we get behind, our online presence is so much more than a "Find Us On Facebook" printed on your pillowcase. It's a familial hand extended out, saying, "From our family to yours, we hope you've enjoyed your stay."

Stephen Churchill

Social Media Director | Larkin Hospitality

"Family Of Hotels"

2011-01-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

The popular expression “family of hotels” is perhaps overused, but as a member of this hotel family I know that it is exceedingly accurate. Having just become a new father myself, I have been given a fresh understanding of how a family functions and evolves, and I am certain that much of what we do and the decisions that we make are based on family values.

I too have become one of those proud parents displaying my son’s picture on the back drop of my computer monitor. As a proud employer we recognize one of our employees each month by posting their name and picture in our lobby so that they are not only recognized by other employees, but by our hotel guests as well. Running a hotel more like a family and less like a business works to the benefit of employees and guests alike. Our approach ensures that the employees welcome guests like a new family member and not like another room sold. This gives our guests the feeling that they truly have a home away from home.

Many years ago, one of the first things I learned was to welcome and accommodate hotel guests like you would a guest in your own home. Maintaining that mindset has also made me realize that treating every employee like a family member and less like someone that just has a job to do, ensures that they will pass on this family value and consideration to our weary travelers, sports teams, corporate guests, tour visitors, leaf peepers, musician groups, each other, and everyone that walks in our doors!

Nathan Germond

General Manager | Holiday Inn Burlington

Change Is Good

2011-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

Most of us, including me, skidded to work in the last week as Vermont enjoyed its share of the northeast storms. Here in northern New England, accumulation under a foot barely gets news coverage so we find out about road conditions as we brave them.

Living in Vermont through the winter is not for the feeble. We get to work day in and day out regardless and we are glad for the opportunity to be here. With every storm our landscape appears fresh, clean, and untouched by a new blanket of snow. Similarly, our jobs change each day as new guests roll their bags in our doors and stay with us awhile. How can you not look forward to coming to work to see what each day will bring?

My name is Dina Townsend and I am the Director of Sales for Larkin Hospitality Group, covering the Holiday Inn Burlington, and the Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn & Suites and the University Inn & Suites all in South Burlington. Each of the properties I’m responsible for provide me with certain advantages in matching our guests’ needs, and the rest of our LHG properties are no different, each offering various room types, amenities and area perks. Reward Points bring in loyal guests over and over again as they work toward free stays. Our full service bars and restaurants make business travel more social and convenient. And the inclusive Deluxe Continental breakfasts at our limited service hotels help ease tighter travel budgets. It is my job to bring in groups and corporations but, at the same time, I make it my priority to pay equal attention to all my accounts, however large or small. We know many of our corporate guests by name, and are so pleased that they remember ours as well.

As I read through our online reviews it amazes me when our guests single out restaurant servers or front desk attendants that made their stay more comfortable. Vermont is our brand and our state is our best product. Being in the hospitality industry here means that every guest and, most importantly, the way they feel, matters to all of us. We believe in the brand we represent and the manner in which we deliver our product.

And that has to be my favorite quality and one I find new again each and every day, that here at LHG, we're blessed with the best of both worlds, one landscape of ever-changing weather and scenery, and one of new faces, arriving each day by plane, bus or...4x4.

Dina Townsend

Director Of Sales

Holiday Inn | Holiday Inn Express | Comfort Inn & Suites | University Inn & Suites

Growing Local & Small Business Partnerships To Grow Our Family

2011-01-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

As part of the hospitality industry, we realize that partnerships within the food and beverage industry compliment our own services well and give us increased opportunities to provide our guests with the very best and most comfortable experience possible. With that in mind, the Larkin Hospitality Family is proud to announce our new partnership with Leonardo's Pizza, a family-owned and operated restaurant group putting out some of the very best pies in all of New England.

Spending an entire day in corporate training, on the slopes or exploring Burlington can be exhausting, and coming back to your room only to leave again for dinner can be daunting. That's why we're so excited to grow our partnerships within the community and provide our guests an alternative. Our new partnership will enable our guests to order Leonardo's delivery and apply their food charges directly to their existing room account, making the entire process even simpler.

Not only does Leonardo's put out a superior product to that of their local competitors, their long history in the region is a working display of a commitment to both business and social excellence, commitments to which we also strive for in our own industry. Having grown up in the Burlington community myself, I've always appreciated this about Leonardo's and am personally excited to welcome them into the Larkin Hospitality Family.

Michael Sheeran

Chief Operations Officer

Larkin Hospitality

Rolling on to 2011

2010-12-31T12:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the very first post in the official Larkin Hospitality Group blog. Over the coming weeks and months and on, our readers will become familiar with each of us posting on here and, by diversifying our blog with updates from various perspectives of our team, we hope our readers will come to think of us in the same way we think of ourselves, as one big family.

My name is Stephen Churchill and I'm the Social Media Director for LHG. While it's my pleasure to be responsible for our first blog entry and there are countless ideas and topics I'd like to discuss via the great medium that is our new and focused online presence, I'm sitting within hours of 2011 and I can't think of a more appropriate way to spend our first entry than to explore the grand affair that was 2010.

From a corporate standpoint, 2010 was, simply, the busiest of times, but perhaps equally as rewarding. With the relaunch of our Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express & Suite hotels in South Burlington and White River Junction, we spared no expense or effort in providing our guests with the very best and most comfortable rooms and amenities around.

Because renovations and relaunches didn't quite satisfy us, we also began construction on our newest property, The White River Inn & Suites, in White River Junction, an extended-stay hotel launching around the middle of 2011.

The halls of each of our hotels weren't the only things changing in 2010, as we were fortunate enough to welcome not only new faces, such as yours truly, but also in welcoming back the familiar face of Joe Larkin, who returned to us after spending several years in the world of corporate finance.

Last but certainly not least, 2010 was also the year in which we made it our priority to establish and focus our online presence, one in which we could reach out to the many thousands of past, present and future guests our over 950 rooms have or will come to see. As our ultimate goal has always been to provide the absolute satisfaction of each and every one of those guests, establishing a presence online with which we could reach out was so very important to us and, while our efforts in this light are still very new and will continue to grow in both direction and service, we've already seen the difference its made.

Indeed, 2010 was the best and busiest of times for the Larkin Hospitality family, and on behalf of everyone here in ours, we wish you and yours the very best in life and love, in spirits and health in this coming New Year.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Stephen Churchill

Social Media Director
Larkin Hospitality