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EDITORIAL:
TRAVEL
Wine Hour Lets ‘Innkeepers’
Get To Know Their Guests
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by gerald poindexter
 The
nightly wine hour in the “living room” of the Hotel
Vintage Court in San Francisco was crowded with more than 30 people.
Nicolas Steck, a marketing representative for Sonoma Valley-based
White Oak Vineyards, exchanged pleasantries in French with a hotel
guest. At the same time, he poured just enough of the 2001 sauvignon
blanc to possibly confirm its touted “forward essences of
lemon, grapefruit and apricot blossoms."
The two men didn’t chat for long, but it was clear they’d
connected in the same cordial manner that seemed true of others
in the vicinity. These were mostly hotel guests, with wineglasses
in hand, mingling near the elegant marble-framed fireplace or sitting
comfortably on colorful, velvety couches and smooth leather armchairs.
The scene continued for nearly 90 minutes – 30 minutes longer
than usual. But, of course, time flies when you’re having
fun.
Since opening in 1983, the period from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Vintage
Court has offered the wine hour that brings together guests in the
common pursuit of a relaxing, enjoyable moment aided by either a
glass of merlot, chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon.
 “The
whole idea of being an ‘innkeeper’ is manifest in the
social opportunity that the wine hour represents,” says Steve
Pinetti, founding partner and senior vice-president of sales and
marketing for The Kimpton Group, owner of the Vintage Court and
15 other San Francisco hotels. He and his partners specialize in
offering boutique accommodations for customers whom he says “seek
out something different from the typical hotel brands.”
Offered mostly at high-end
boutique properties, wine hour adds value to the experience by fostering
good vibes and bringing California’s Wine Country directly
to guests, for free.
At the Vintage Court,
a 107-room, wine-themed boutique property on Nob Hill, each of the
hotel’s 107 rooms is named after a California winery. Frequently,
for wine hour, these wineries will host a casual tasting.
At the Hotel Rex and Archbishop’s Mansion, properties of Joie
de Vivre Hospitality (JDV), there’s a more in-house approach,
serving private-label wines bottled by River Road Vineyards and
bearing the hotel name.
The opportunity to sample a fine wine shouldn’t be overlooked
or taken for granted. Based on positive feedback from guest comment
cards and emails, it isn’t – by guests or providers.
“I think the wine hour has a stronger effect on how people
remember their experience at our hotels than any of the other services
and things that we do,” said Pinetti.
On the surface, wine hour is about socializing with other hotel
guests – it’s a nice rest after a long day of shopping
or museum hopping, and a classy pre-theater or pre-dinner activity.
 Rob
Delameter, vice president of creative services at of JDV, which
owns 13 boutique hotels in the San Francisco, recognizes all those
benefits. “It is our company directive that wine hour is the
time that the hotel manager spends to meet guests and find out their
experiences. We know that’s a moment to tap into customer
satisfaction,” he says.
Delameter and Pinetti each acknowledge that feedback during wine
hour can be negative, but that generally, the “face time”
relationship with management that wine hour affords is a positive
one.
Work had kept business traveler Barbara Balthrop, 52, of Nashville,
Tenn., away from the Vintage Court’s wine hour. She finally
made it to the White Oak tasting, which she described as a “nice
opportunity to relax.”
As Balthrop continued to sip Chardonnay, Steck continued pouring.
Steck, White Oaks’ assistant marketing director, explained
that occasionally hosting a wine hour is a boost to his small winery,
which annually produces 18,000 cases (or 216,000 bottles). By comparison,
a larger, non-boutique winery like Kendall-Jackson produces more
than 2 million cases of just their Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay.
“In the hotels, it’s an easy way for us to reach consumers
we wouldn’t normally reach, as we have limited resources and
can’t travel the country as other wineries can, said Steck.”
He adds, “It’s a very important contact for us –
a personal contact – with a future client. The personal approach
is very important. If the tasting was a success, then people will
have a good memory. You want, word-of-mouth and that’ll they’ll
look for our wines somewhere else.”
Or if you’re Delamater and Pinetti, you hope that wine hour,
an inviting, hotel feature, will result in both new and return business
to their boutique properties.
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