Omni Hotels Launches Sensation Bars

Mini-Bars Customized to the Local Market

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

IRVING, TX, September 27, 2006. Local treats ranging from Yoo-hoo to California Golden Pretzels await Omni Hotels' guests on both coasts, as part of the new Sensation Bar introduction at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza and Omni Berkshire Place in New York City. These fun and unique mini-bars were designed to reflect the local culture of each hotel property and also boast indulgent products such as Dean and Deluca Chocolates and Eucalyptus bath salts. As part of Omni Hotels' sensory branding initiative, the expansion of the Sensation Bars to New York and Los Angeles follows the successful Sensation Bar rollout at the Omni Mandalay in Las Colinas near Dallas and Omni Chicago Hotel on Michigan Avenue.

"As we enhance the guest experience through the senses, we are excited to reflect the local market in our latest initiative," said Michael Deitemeyer, president of Omni Hotels. "We are interested to see how the expansion, spotlighting local treasures, is received at the Los Angeles and New York City properties."

Omni Hotels tapped the experience of its industry-first Sensory Advisory Board at a recent quarterly meeting to aid in localizing the new Sensation Bars. The 10-member board, composed of representatives of some of the world's most well-known and admired brands including Whole Foods Market, Bon Appetit, Apple(R) and Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas, provides non-hospitality expertise to help Omni Hotels shape and create sensory initiatives developed to enhance the hotel experience for guests.

To ensure a touch of Southern California style, the Sensation Bar at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza features:

o Visine to help with weary eyes on smoggier days

o California Golden Pretzels

o "Great Lines from Great Movies" soundtrack

The Sensation Bar at the Omni Berkshire Place in New York City features New York-centric favorites including:

o Zagat's New York Restaurant Guide

o Yoo-hoo chocolate drink

o Great Buildings of New York; a guide that allows guests to catch up on the city's architecture and sound like a true New Yorker when walking the streets

o Pretzel Crisps, for a new twist on an old favorite

Both bars also offer other creative options to standard mini-bar items such as pomegranate lip balm, mojito-flavored jellybeans, a sleep-inducing CD, a miniature Zen garden and a magnifying lens.

"It is a pleasure to step outside the norm for us and lend sensory expertise to Omni Hotels," said Mark Furey of Sirius Satellite Radio, who helped Omni select several of the new local items for the mini-bars. "When we met, we gave careful consideration to select memorable items that add to an extraordinary hotel experience."

Guests at the Las Colinas and Chicago properties have been very receptive to the Sensation Bars, in particular, they have had an affinity to the Dean and Deluca Chocolates, as well as commenting on the "interesting" aroma in the guest rooms created by the Eucalyptus bath salts. The successful roll out in the Dallas and Chicago hotels have also driven the demand for certain items within the hotel. The Omni Chicago Sensation Bar has helped with the positioning of wine; since its debut, sales of cabernet have nearly tripled.