Holiday Inn

Guests and Hotels Both Win With Advance Reservations

Early each November, the staff at the Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View looks forward to welcoming long-distance runners who travel from Germany to run in the annual TCS New York City Marathon and spend a few days afterward recovering, sightseeing and shopping.

Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View exterior at night

Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View

Before checking out of the hotel, the leaders of the group make sure to book rooms for the following year. Over the years, the Holiday Inn staff and their German guests have developed a friendship, celebrated with handshakes each year upon arrival and hugs on checkout.

For both hotels and repeat guests, there are several advantages to booking follow-up stays – whether they be a month or a year away – as early as possible. For hotels, advance bookings provide a base of business to build on. For the repeat guests, booking early avoids the worry about finding rooms at the last minute.

guest room at the Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View

Holiday Inn L.I. City – Manhattan View

Even if rooms are booked in advance at a relatively low rate, hotels benefit by having confirmed business on the books for an entire year in advance. In the weeks and months to come, the revenue team will use dynamic pricing to adjust the rates up or down as the market demands, even impose a minimum length of stay, to maximize income.

Guests who book early gain the comfort of mind of knowing they’ll have a place to stay in a hotel they know is comfortable, well maintained and convenient. Moreover, the hotel staff knows their needs and will take care of them in advance. As a bonus, repeat guests who are members of the IHG Rewards Club will earn points good for future stays.

The Benefits of a ‘Soft’ Hotel Opening

Like owners of a newly constructed house who need weeks to feel truly comfortable in their new home, hotel owners and managers consider the first initial weeks of operation to be a “soft opening,” a period before any grand-opening celebration when glitches are expected and everyone is on the alert to address them.

new mattresses being taken into the Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square

Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square

It all begins before the first guest steps into the lobby, when contractors work feverishly in the final hours before opening to complete repairs specified in the owner’s punch list. But today’s hotels are vastly complex, and the opportunities for complications range from sophisticated communications technology to traditional housekeeping.

Minor though any problems they be, the hotel’s owners and managers want everything to be as close to perfect as possible to enhance their guests’ experience. Those initial guests are, by and large, unaware of these kinks as managers and rank-and-file associates work to resolve them quietly and efficiently.

Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square front desk

Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square

M&R Hotel Management’s newest hotel, the 271-room Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square, is in the midst of its soft opening, having opened its doors last month. We are working with all deliberate speed to resolve even the smallest issue before we formally celebrate the opening.

Preview performances in the theater serve a similar purpose as a soft opening in our business. Once the actors have had the opportunity to perform enough times before a live audience, they are ready for the official opening night.

Holiday Inn New York City ─ Times Square Debuts in Manhattan

looking up at the exterior of the Holiday Inn Times SquareM&R Hotel Management today announced the opening of the 271-room Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square at 585 Eighth Ave., between 38th and 39th streets.

The new hotel is located three blocks from West 42nd Street with convenient access to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York Penn Station, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Broadway theater district, world-class restaurants and shopping.

The Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square features king and queen rooms, 24-hour business and fitness centers, flight check-in kiosk, complimentary high-speed Internet access throughout the hotel and Guest Link technology, which provides guest room charging and TV connections.

The Beer Authority, operator of restaurants and bars in Manhattan, will operate Rattle N Hum West Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen in the hotel, providing breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night bites and room service.

The 35-story hotel becomes the 13th New York hotel in M&R Hotel Management’s 16-hotel portfolio and fifth Holiday Inn hotel. M&R also manages five Holiday Inn Express hotels, including the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West on West 48th Street. Both brands are franchised by InterContinental Hotels Group.

Holiday Inn Times Square guest bedroom

“The opening of this hotel marks several milestones for our company,” said Brian McSherry, M&R Hotel Management chief operating officer. “The Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square is the largest hotel in our portfolio, adds a full-service hotel to our growing presence on Manhattan’s West Side and extends our already strong relationship with InterContinental Hotels Group, parent of both the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands.”

M&R Hotel Management’s New York hotels include four in Manhattan, six in Queens and three in Staten Island. Rounding out the portfolio are a hotel in the Boston suburb of Braintree, Massachusetts, and hotels on the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten and Dominica.

Along with day-to-day management, M&R Hotel Management provides consulting services in hotel site and contractor selection, feasibility analysis, permitting, financing, franchising, human resources support, sales and marketing, revenue management, food and beverage management, risk management audits, e-commerce, design, procurement, accounting audits and engineering.

Manager Named for Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square

M&R Hotel ManagementTracey Rucks, General Manager of the 271-room Holiday Inn New York City - Times Square today announced the appointment of Tracey Rucks as general manager of the new 271-room Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square at 585 Eighth Ave., between 38th and 39th streets.

The 36-story, newly constructed hotel is the 13th New York hotel in M&R Hotel Management’s 16-hotel portfolio and fifth Holiday Inn hotel.

Rucks, an 11-year hospitality industry veteran who has managed hotels in Indiana, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, will oversee all aspects of the hotel’s operations, including sales, marketing, security, maintenance, housekeeping and accounting.

She previously served M&R Hotel Management as general manager of the Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West on West 48th Street. Prior to joining M&R, she was general manager of the Holiday Inn Indianapolis Carmel. From 2010 to 2014, she was general manager of the Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue. From 2008 to 2009, she was general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Edison/Raritan Center in New Jersey, and from 2007 to 2008 she was general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn-Danbury in Connecticut.

Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square guest bedroom

Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square

In 2007, Rucks was an area director of sales for Alliance Hospitality, a hotel owner and management company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and oversaw sales strategy for nine hotels representing four brands. From 2006 to 2007, she was general manager of the former Holiday Inn Tinton Falls-Eatontown in New Jersey.

As Alliance Hospitality’s area director of revenue management from 2004 to 2006, she helped develop and lead a training course required for general managers and sales managers. Rucks has been certified as a general manager by InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a fire safety director certificate of fitness from the New York City Fire Department. She is a member of the Professional Women’s Business Association.

“Tracey’s years of experience as a general manager in the hotel industry, especially with M&R in the increasingly competitive West Side of Manhattan, makes her an excellent choice to lead the team at our new Holiday Inn,” said Brian M. McSherry, M&R Hotel Management chief operating officer.

The Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square features king and queen rooms, full-service Rattle N Hum West Craft Beer Bar & Kitchen, 24-hour-a-day business and fitness centers and complimentary high-speed Internet access.

The Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square joins M&R Hotel Management’s existing hotels in Manhattan: the Holiday Inn NYC – Lower East Side, Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West and Comfort Inn Midtown West. The company also operates six hotels in Queens and three in Staten Island. Outside of New York, M&R operates a hotel in the Boston suburb of Braintree, Massachusetts, and hotels on the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten Dominica.

In addition to InterContinental Hotels Group, parent company of the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, M&R Hotel Management’s portfolio includes the brands of Choice Hotels International, Wyndham Hotel Group and Best Western International. M&R Hotel Management has also been certified to manage selected brands of Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

In addition to management, M&R Hotel Management provides consulting services in hotel site and contractor selection, feasibility analysis, permitting, financing, franchising, human resources support, sales and marketing, revenue management, food and beverage management, risk management audits, e-commerce, design, procurement, accounting audits and engineering.

M&R Hotel Management to Operate Holiday Inn Near Times Square

exterior rendering of the 271-room Holiday Inn New York - Times Square SouthM&R Hotel Management today announced it will manage the new 271-room Holiday Inn New York – Times Square South, scheduled to open this year at 585 Eighth Ave., between 38th and 39th streets.

The 35-story hotel, now under construction, becomes the 13th New York hotel in M&R Hotel Management’s 15-hotel portfolio and fifth Holiday Inn hotel. M&R also manages five Holiday Inn Express hotels. Both brands are franchised by InterContinental Hotels Group.

M&R also manages hotels under the brands of Choice Hotels International, Wyndham Hotel Group and Best Western International. The company has been certified to manage selected brands of Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

“Each of our brand partners has its own special profile and niche in the market,” said Brian McSherry, M&R Hotel Management chief operating officer. “We are proud to work with InterContinental Hotels Group to serve Times Square South, an emerging market that is attractive to business and leisure travelers alike.”

The new hotel is located three blocks from West 42nd Street with convenient access to mass transit including the Port Authority Bus Terminal and New York Penn Station and proximity to the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Broadway theater district, world-class restaurants and shopping.

The Holiday Inn New York – Times Square South features king and queen rooms, a full-service restaurant, meeting facilities for up to 35 people, 24-hour business and fitness centers and complimentary high-speed Internet access. Guest rooms and public spaces will be decorated in keeping with Holiday Inn’s contemporary approach to design.