Case Study: Loews Atlanta Hotel Overcoming Challenges

When crises strike host cities and hotels for meeting professionals, it’s reassuring to know that despite the uncertainty of the unexpected, the hotel where your event is held is well prepared to meet the challenge.

That’s what happened at the Loews Atlanta Hotel, where a water main break occurred in downtown Atlanta a few days before the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) conference, and then affected another water main in downtown Atlanta a few days before the conference.

Responding to emergencies

The break caused water outages and boil advisories at venues, hotels and businesses throughout the city. Fortunately, Loews Atlanta’s water supply was never shut off or reduced because it is miles away from the main break. But even before the warning was issued, the Loews Atlanta team began working.

Executive Chef Olivier instructed his team to fill large sterilized cooking containers with clean water and keep them in the kitchen refrigerator; the team boiled the water continuously for seven days while the hotel was placed on the advisory. Taking this precaution prevented any negative impact on the hotel’s food and beverage outlets.

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“With much of the city impacted by water main breaks, it was difficult to quickly purchase bottled water from nearby retailers,” said Reggie Dominique, general manager of Loews Atlanta Hotel. “Not only did the hotel rely on its network of trusted suppliers in the area, but dedicated team members who lived outside of the affected boil water zones, some as much as an hour away, would pick up cases of water and bring them back to the hotel.

Chef Olivier’s work experience in Florida and Boston has prepared him for such events, as hurricanes in Florida and harsh winters in Boston can cause pipes to freeze and prevent water delivery.

“As with any boil water advisory, residents and visitors may search for what they can and cannot do during a boil water advisory,” Dominic said. “Generally, guests are concerned about whether they can use tap water for personal hygiene needs such as showering/bathing, washing hands and brushing teeth.”

If guests have questions or concerns, Loews has team members stationed throughout the hotel in high-traffic areas to answer them. In addition to direct communication, Loews Atlanta’s communications director sent letters outlining the current situation to 414 guest rooms and sent text messages through the company’s mobile messaging app, Chat Your Service, which provides a link to the hotel’s website with the latest information on the water main break.

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Given that sustainability is a top priority for SFI, Loews Atlanta wanted to ensure that conference attendees could remain sustainable even during a boil advisory. To that end, Loews Atlanta purchased glass bottled water for drinking, hand washing, and other hygiene needs.

“Hotels are often seen as a hassle-free retreat where business people can gather, share ideas and network,” Dominic said. “The key is that hotels do not cause any stress to guests because the hotel seamlessly coordinates all the details, including keeping the space clean, preparing high-quality food and beverages, and creating a warm environment with warm and welcoming team members.

“In unexpected situations, such as a nearby water main break that resulted in a boil water advisory, a guest experience can be disrupted; however, the team at Loews Atlanta carefully crafted a cross-departmental action plan to make disruptions a nuanced one.”