We Get the Press in "imPRESSive" Site Visits

I remember one of our first Sales meetings with the then new Director of Sales, Dan Fitzgerald who told us to think outside the box and create the most imaginative site visits we can, that nothing is impossible. Well, that proved to be more than true! If the hotel is our baseball field and we build it, they will come!

My own personal site experience was with a company that sponsors a car in NASCAR. The client flew in from Dallas, TX along with another meeting planer. They were dropped off at our property after visiting another hotel and instead of showing the usual "here's our guestrooms", "here's our meeting rooms", I involved the entire hotel staff including housekeeping, banquets, sales, operations and presented her with a cake in the shape of their sponsered NASCAR along with a champagne toast and dessert. The client was so taken back that she nearly missed her next appointment. Needless to say the business was awarded to our hotel. From a helicopter landing in our valet entrance to police vehicles in our lobby, I know one thing is for sure, it takes the entire hotel staff to put on the most memorable experience!

Recently, our unique site visits have been taking notice and was recently featured in a Hilton news article. The Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa took on the appearance of a military base as its marketing and sales department cleverly camouflaged the property to welcome representatives of the Army National Guard Bureau Environmental Workshop, who were in town for a site inspection to determine if the hotel would be a good fit for their March 2009 event. To demonstrate the desire to win the business, the hotel was decorated with a pair of Humvees and an enormous military crane displaying a huge welcome sign. A structural engineer from the City of Costa Mesa inspected the area where the crane would be parked as it was atop the hotel's underground parking facility.To round out the military look and feel, there was even a color guard to greet the representatives and a tongue-in-cheek assortment of fresh food and military MREs (self-contained, individual field rations in lightweight packaging) were served. City officials met the representatives in the hotel lobby, expressing their interest in having the event in Costa Mesa.The representatives were so impressed with the hotel and the effort to win their business that they awarded the contract on the spot. "I am proud of our team for putting together an awesome presentation and grateful to Costa Mesa officials, whose enthusiasm and strong support helped us to win this important business," said hotel General Manager Shaun Robinson. For the full press release: https://cms.hilton.com/NR/rdonlyres/57595B69-DC46-41E0-9BBF-6C20C69A95CC/0/military_site_visit.pdf

--Christine Weijland, Sales Manager

WINE TO ME IS PASSION!

WINE TO ME IS PASSION.IT’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT’S WARMTH OF HEART AND GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT. WINE IS ART. IT’S CULTURE. IT’S THE ESSENCE OF CIVILAZATION AND THE ART OF LIVING. ---Robert Mondavi

Good wine. Wonderful people. Delicious food. What a night! Actually, it was a splendid night. Our seasonal Wine Makers Dinner event is what I’m talking about. Twice a year, we host a dinner for our clients to say thank you for their continued business.

Our featured winery of the night was Far Niente in Oakville, California. As a wine lover, I was very excited to hear this since Far Niente is a world known winery. Famous for their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Far Niente was founded in 1885 by John Benson. Far Niente, from an Italian phrase that romantically translated means “without a care.” Sixty years later, in 1979, Gil Nickel purchased the winery and adjacent vineyard and began a three-year restoration of the property. Today, the winery continues to focus on producing only the two varietal wines.

With our Executive Chef, Chad Krahling and his wonderful staffs’ warm hospitality; we were able to enjoy a five course delicious meal. First were the delectable Hors D’oeuvres that included Smoked Salmon with Toast and Dill and Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Duck Confit. Every course was served with a different wine that complemented the dish. I was in heaven! My favorite course by far was the dessert, Tart Tartin with Vanilla Bean Gelato and Apricot Honey. The moment I tasted that Tart Tartin I was reaching for more! I even took some of Terri Collin’s dessert when she wasn’t looking. My favorite wine had to be their 2006 Nickel & Nickel, Searby Vineyard, Russian River, Chardonnay. It had a touch of vanilla to the front pallet and it was very light at the end. It made me think of a warm summer night with just a breeze in the air. It was refreshing and brought a smile to my face.

In between our courses, our entertainer of the night, Director of Sales, Dan Fitzgerald amused us with his natural suaveness and gave away a few bottles of wine and wonderful gifts that included overnight stays at our lovely hotel. I don’t know who would say no to free wine or free hotel stay! Everyone was very happy and enjoyed every minute of it.

Soon, the night came to an end and it seemed like everyone was very content with either the dinner or the prize they have won. As each of them left, they had nothing but great things to say and we thanked them for their loyalty with our hotel.

As Dan stated, “ Tonight was our best Wine Makers Dinner.” I agree with him 100 percent! I’m already looking forward to the next dinner and to making IT the best Wine Makers Dinner. Again.

- Ms. Jennifer Lee, Sales Assistant

Check out our Recently Renovated Fitness Center by PreCor

We realize that while on the road it isn’t always easy to stay on track with your fitness routine. That is why we are introducing Hilton Fitness by PreCor:

New PreCor® fitness machines
Each cardio machine has an individual TV screen
Free weight section
Stretching area
Non-carpeted “rubberized” floors
Soothing colors and subdued lighting
Break station stocked with water, towels and headphones

For your cardio workout we offer:

Treadmills
Elliptical Crosstrainers
Recumbent Cycles

All cardio machines have an attached, LCD personal viewing screen

Enjoy your workout while overlooking our outdoor heated pool. This almost makes me want to workout!

We've Gone Country!

Cowboys. Country Music. Skeet Shooting. Barbeque. How could a day with all of these activities be anything but amazing?

Recently, the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa Sales, Catering, and Event Services team spent an afternoon at Star Ranch, located in the hills above Corona. We arrived at the ranch, had a cocktail hour, and split into teams for a day of outdoor, true-west team building.

As we rotated through each activity, the “Yellow Bellies” “Purple Stallions,” “Roughriders,” and “Angel’s All-Stars” (yes, we named the teams ourselves) learned how to lasso cattle, shoot actual rifles at clay pigeons, work together to build a fence without saying a word, and herd cattle. Never will our team forget the “unmovable” cow, and the attempts made at getting her to budge. Of course, this day ultimately became a competition, with each team competing to accumulate enough points. The culmination of the day involved creating and performing a song to the lyrics of “You Are My Sunshine.”

While this may sound like an interesting way for a hotel staff to spend the afternoon, our team unanimously feels that the bonding and interaction created through activities that require us to be out of our comfort zone will create lasting relationships, and ultimately enable us to serve our clients and guests better. Just as we had to rely on each of our team members throughout the day to create lasting results and finish activities, as a hotel staff every day we take different skills, abilities, and backgrounds to service our clients from beginning to end.

Our day at Star Ranch facilitated a trust and bond within our staff, and ultimately we will use the memories and skills from this day to strengthen our team’s ability to serve our guests.

If you think this may be a great activity for your organization, contact Star Ranch, http://www.ridestarranch.com/, and mention Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa for special rates.

-Kelly Ricedorff, Sales Manager & Cowgirl