Q&A talks about the hotel industry with Karen Bachofner, vice president of sales and marketing of the Waterford Hotel Group Inc., which manages the Marriott Hartford Downtown, Hilton Hartford, Residence Inn by Marriott Hartford, Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport and Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell.
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Q&A talks about the hotel industry with Karen Bachofner, vice president of sales and marketing of the Waterford Hotel Group Inc., which manages the Marriott Hartford Downtown, Hilton Hartford, Residence Inn by Marriott Hartford, Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport and Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell.
Q: The rough winter put a strain on the hospitality industry. How were Waterford's Greater Hartford hotels impacted and have they been able to recover yet?
A: As you know, the winter weather had a significant impact on travel throughout the Northeast. While we did experience a number of cancellations at our hotels, we also gained reservations from guests already in-house that were unable to travel to their next destination. This helped to offset the impact of the inclement weather.
Q: Where do occupancy and average daily room rates stand in Greater Hartford? What's driving both of those numbers? What are you projecting for the rest of 2015?Â
A: Year to date, both occupancy and room rates are strong at our Greater Hartford area hotels, with a noted improvement over last year collectively. This is not attributed to just one factor, but rather an increase in demand over a number of market segments. Business travel remains strong and we are projecting to end 2015 with an increase over 2014. Corporate travel continues to rebound and we remain cautiously optimistic for continued progress.
Q: How is the summer season shaping up for Greater Hartford's hotel industry?
A: The summer season is shaping up well. Our challenge remains with driving visitors to the Hartford area during weekends and we continue to work closely with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in promoting the region. There's so much to see and do in the Greater Hartford area and we need to continue to market ourselves and attract new business.
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