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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

New Marketing, Renovation at Airtel Hotel

The Airtel Plaza Hotel and Convention Center is bound and determined not to let the local economy leave it behind, so earlier this year the hotel launched a quarter million dollar marketing and renovation campaign. Come September, the hotel will unveil a new logo and monument sign, and upgraded meeting and conference facilities as well as a redesigned menu for corporate clients. Nine months ago, the hotel was outfitted with wireless Internet technology to meet its customers’ high tech needs. “It became obvious to me that the economics of the San Fernando Valley have continued on a real growth, and attendant to that, there’s a need for off-site meetings for training, and for budget reviews or company recognition of sales,” said James A. Dunn, president and chief executive officer of the hotel. “We felt we could position ourselves well because we’re in the center of the San Fernando Valley, we would be a good place to hold any type of meeting for any company in any part of the Valley. Before embarking on the renovation project, the hotel surveyed a number of its customers to build a list of improvements. Out of that survey, the Dunn said the hotel was also convinced to change its lunch options for corporate clients. “We’re creating a menu that is a break from most hotel meetings, the food service can be done in a very short period of time and at a reasonable price. Instead of the traditional sit-down break for lunch, we’re going to design a more fast-food presentation.” Dunn said that the Airtel, which turns 21 years old this summer, has seen the major players in the Valley business scene come and go during its history. Larger companies like General Motors and the aerospace firms have left the area, Dunn said. Now, the hotel caters to the mid size communications and software technology companies that are coming to dominate the Valley. He thinks the hotel’s strengths will continue to bring those new businesses. “We’ve found that we have a lot of small to medium sized companies in an aggressive growth pattern,” said Dunn. “We want to get these seminars for companies that have a new product to roll out or need to plan strategic marketing. When you’re isolated, you can give complete attention to the goal.” Dunn said that the Airtel’s independence, he and another investor are the sole owners, gives the hotel greater opportunity to meet its customers’ needs. “The essence of a good meeting is to be able to have everything coordinated well. We think we have an edge on the competition because we’re an extremely flexible, independent company, we can make instant approvals of any client request,” said Dunn. “We have employees that have been here as short as seven or eight years, or as long as 15 years. They all know their job well, and they know what it takes to satisfy the clients.”

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