Houston Hotels

Ten years into studies of the travel and hospitality industries, the search continues on how to attract customers; and with marketing being a city of many avenues, hotels, which are in reality, in both the hospitality and travel industries have the toughest marketing tasks. The partnership, Web Writers International is the end result of four partnerships combining during a 10-year period starting out with ThinkNet in 1999, a company involved in travel writing and vacation planning; the group has studied the industries through combined partners in the travel, hotel, restaurant and marketing arenas and came to the conclusion that business reviews and articles are the marketing Mecca that can make or break a business. But, how are those reviews, which are most prominent on the Internet, to be seen? Restaurant review sites have flourished on the Internet and companies such as CitySearch have hotel reviews but, the strength, quality and quantity of the reviews are just not there. As is the abundance of restaurant reviews, so is the availability of banquet hall reviews, which capture a significant portion of the wedding market but, can the best banquet hall really hold a candle to the best hotel banquet services? No one may ever know that answer due to the lack of hotel reviews and articles. When the new partnership, Web Writers International was formed, the group decided to take down the catering services off their Houston hospitality website, HoustonReservations.Info and focus strictly on restaurant and hotel reservations, for the staff believed that the site would attract a more corporate and wedding cliental. The competition is fierce though, especially downtown with the Crown Plaza, the Omini Hotel, Hotel Derek, Club Quarters, Sheraton, Brookhollow, and the Aloft Houston by the Galleria just to name a few. Our favorite though is the Hilton both, in Greenspoint and Clearlake and due to the lack of hotel reviews, the founding partners of Web Writers International, Mike and Carla Rizzo decided to take on the task of telling the world about Hilton Houston North's banquet services for their vow renewal ceremony on Valentines Day, 2010.

The saying of, "you get what you pay for" still goes and although hotel banquet services may be double of that of a banquet hall, the services are often 10-fold of that of a banquet hall. The ability to house out-of-town guests, feed patrons at a restaurant without leaving the facility, offer cocktail lounges, pools, weight rooms, spas and the list continue on, hotels can always offer much more than a banquet hall. But, the focus on the Houston Hilton North is the organization, the hospitality, the personal touch, the food, the atmosphere and the ultimate perfection of the event. Being the premier 4-star hotel for North Houston, the towering 16 story hotel stands out in the Greenspoint skyline of North Houston. Patrons who frequent the hotel are still in awe when walking in for the towering ceilings, skylights, decorative garden areas and spacious commons areas to relax and lounge. The personal touch though stands out, whether guests are checking in or visiting the hotel to enquire about that personal banquet and wedding touch. Once entering into the Hilton Houston North's banquet offices, the wait to be assisted each time was less than 10 seconds and the quest to assist in our needs did not stop at the first to greet, for often two or three other employees asked if someone has assisted us yet. Marketing the wedding touch is a major team effort but, the social catering manager, Nyomi Villafranca is forefront from the time of enquire until the food is served and on the tables. Communication throughout the six month period after booking was always within the hour. The team effort though was so existence, which is especially needed for the personal wedding touch. With only the bride and maid of honor left to complete the decorating of the room only hours before the ceremony, Jayna Richerson, offered her assistance in setting up the decorations, which was not the Hilton's responsibility. As the groomsmen entered the hotel, Nyomi was patiently waiting for our arrival and Mike was immediately introduced to the banquet captain, Marceline Meza and his staff; which is unusual for a hotel and is what defines the personal wedding touch. Although it seemed that Mr. Meza was well in control of our event, Nyomi stayed present until time that dinner was to be served and continue to peer in and out to assure all went well. The key of the entire evening though was all the guests saying that the money was well spent. Mike and Carla Rizzo both believe that the evening was one of if not the best evening of their eight year marriage.

Considering the restaurant experience of the staff of Web Writers International, a reputation and respect has developed from their articles and reviews; so the staff strongly believes their evaluation of the Houston restaurant industry to be solid. The belief is that Houstonians are more into ambiance and service than taste of food, which is prevalent at the Houston Hilton North but, this article cannot be written well without mentioning the food. As are many Houstonians, the desire for pizzazz and service was sought out, so the pasta bar with a chef preparing on the spot was the chosen entrée. The smell of the garlic being sautéed right in the room and guests able to choose their own ingredients of the entrée was exciting. The sauces were remarkably Italian in taste with both a marinara and an Alfredo sauce offered. Being that Mike Rizzo worked for an engineering firm in Greenspoint during the 90's, he was quite familiar with the pasta bar for it has been a lunch tradition for twenty years at the hotel. When Mike and Carla saw the pasta bar on the menu, their first thought was the price but, the dinner was $8.00 less per person than the next best offer obtained from another hotel. The dinner included the Whole Cake and Kaboodle who prepared the wedding cakes for the ceremony. Owner and baker of the Whole Cake and Kaboodle in Old Town Spring, Monique LeBlanc, prepared the prettiest and tastiest cakes we have known to date. Special thanks go to the banquet staff of Magda, Rosa Fohm, Rosa Diaz and Jorge Sandezal for their spectacular service. The Houston Hilton North offered more than just the Whole Cake and Kaboodle, they offered ambiance, service and 4-star restaurant food and service.

Marketing the wedding touch the Houston Hilton North does well, which leads into the hotel's ability to attract corporate events and meetings. The hotel is a major conference center for North Houston where not just North Houston corporations have booked events but, corporations from all over the city often choose the Houston Hilton North over the competitive downtown hotels. With such fierce competition in the Houston Hotel industry, especially from the downtown area and the Woodlands, the Houston Hilton North competes well. Marketing the wedding touch though should be a major focus for a hotel and the reviews and focus on hotels as a source of venue for weddings. Hotels need to be asking patrons for reviews and B4-U-Eat.Com should be a good example to hotels as to how to get reviews. The Houston hotel industry needs to start focusing on reviews by passing out review request cards, especially at weddings to help promote the personal wedding touch.