Peter Strebel, President of Omni Hotels & Resorts
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Peter Strebel knows a thing or two about hotels. He has 30 years of hospitality experience and was previously Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Sales at Omni Hotels & Resorts before becoming President.
Strebel is responsible for the repositioning Omni in the luxury hospitality sector especially when it comes to developing brand-wide real estate standards for its convention center hotels and resort portfolios.
The new Omni Oklahoma City Hotel opened in January of this year.
Omni Hotels & Resorts
He shares his thoughts on traveling in 2021, the company’s growth plans, and how to plan your way forward after a year of such turmoil.
Are you noticing any trends in travel?
The Omni Amelia Island Resort is located directly on the beach.
Omni Hotels & Resorts
With the growing demand for leisure, we are seeing a sharp increase in seniors traveling as many have been vaccinated. Use data from our senior discount rates and compare the first two months of 2020 to 2021. Omni Amelia Island Resort Florida Baby Boomer Sales Up 137% Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort Bookings increased by 25%. There are bags in great demand that are now ready to travel.
We’re seeing our Texas hotels see an upward trend in small-scale meetings. Not much, but there is some upward movement. Arizona is doing well too – our Tucson and Scottsdale properties are seeing some spikes in group bookings. The southern states seem to be recovering first when it comes to group travel.
What is Omni’s current growth plan?
We have been focusing heavily on group and convention center hotels for over a decade and are building our resort portfolio. As we emerge from this crisis, we need to think ahead about our branding strategy and our portfolio offering.
To deliver a consistent guest experience, we sold five hotels. Tracking the potential sale of assets that are no longer in line with the direction of the brand was part of our pre-Covid strategy.
A representation of the new Omni Boston Hotel at the seaport
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Last year we also added hotels in Minneapolis – Omni Viking Lakes Hotel – and in Oklahoma City – Omni Oklahoma City Hotel. And we’re opening a property in Boston at the end of the summer – Omni Boston Hotel at the seaport.
How does Omni deal with business travel now?
In the near future, we expect 100% of our profits will come from resorts (vacation trips). In the long term, we see a trend in the right direction towards meetings.
The pandemic was a challenge for group business, but it was an opportunity for us to be creative with our offerings and to think outside the box. “Here Comes Omni” from our sales team to test ours Omni Safe & Clean protocols and stay connected with customers. During a week in October, the Omni team traveled 5,115 miles in a motorhome and stopped at 15 Omni locations to show customers how Omni is ready to hold meetings and events safely.
A boardroom in the new Omni Oklahoma City Hotel
Omni Hotels & Resorts
That same month, we implemented a social distancing filter for the meetings and events pages on hotel websites, which allows users to book event space with Omni based on the number of attendees. Users can switch between default, moderate, and strict settings while viewing new meeting room charts and improved graphics. Omni was the first hotel group to offer such a feature.
How does Omni deal with virtual and hybrid meetings?
We’re all at different levels of comfort now. The new program “Ready, Set, Go Hybrid with Omni”, which was developed through customer feedback, offers a new level of production quality and technological support for presentations, small meetings and hybrid events of our customers.
How important is food and drink to Omni?
The Ember & Ice Bar and Lounge on the Omni Viking Lakes in Minneapolis.
Omni Hotels & Resorts
As with our design process, it is important that we incorporate local cuisine and resources to ensure the highest quality and creativity. We pride ourselves on sourcing local products whenever possible. To launch the Omni Viking Lakes culinary program in Minneapolis, we worked closely with Ann Kim, a Minneapolis-based James Beard Award-winning chef. Their menu is the highlight of the hotel’s Kyndred Hearth restaurant.
Bob’s Steak and Chophouse at the new Omni Oklahoma City Hotel
Omni Hotels & Resorts
At our newest hotel, Omni Oklahoma City, we teamed up with veteran chef and restaurateur David Gilbert, who is now the head chef there. Gilbert’s menus have caused a sensation in international competitions around the world. The property has seven dining options, all of which are regionally inspired, including Bob’s Steak & Chop House, which has already received rave reviews.
Why is Omni looking for sports arenas and convention centers in new markets?
The Omni Oklahoma City Hotel opened in January with 76,000 square feet of meeting space and rooms … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Retreating to large sports facilities and event spaces – in addition to the resorts – is our way of ensuring continued growth in multiple markets beyond business goals. When we select a city to build an omni hotel, a professional sports organization in the city is the “cherry on top”.
The view from the pool deck at the Omni Frisco Hotel next to the Dallas Cowboys World … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
These organizations allow us to bring our luxury hotel experience to the mixed-use development of the affiliated team and highlight a model that has proven successful. These partnerships include the Omni Frisco Hotel with the Dallas Cowboys (opened 2017), the Omni Hotel at The Battery Atlanta with the Braves (opened 2018), and the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel with MV Ventures, the development arm of the Minnesota Vikings (opened last Year) ).
The balcony of the presidential suite at the Omni Hotel in The Battery Atlanta near Truist Park. … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
In May, in collaboration with the PGA of America and the city of Frisco, we will also lay the foundation stone for the Omni PGA Frisco Resort (which is expected to open in spring 2023).
What is the design process like for a new hotel?
A two-level hospitality suite on the Omni Viking Lakes in … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Incorporating regional culture into new and existing properties is part of the Omni DNA. The hotel decor takes inspiration from the landscape, the current economy of the city and its history. We want the locals to feel at home while those traveling from elsewhere get a feel for the place.
The Oklahoma Basin Bar, one of seven food and drink options at the 605-room Omni Oklahoma … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
At our newest Oklahoma City hotel, every aspect of the design has been somehow borrowed from the state of Oklahoma, from the earth tones used to represent the layers of the earth to the cowboy and oil-inspired features of the bar and lounge. The hotel’s Mokara Spa incorporates one of Oklahoma’s most productive resources, cotton, into its design.
What is Omni’s “Say good night to hunger” program?
Omni staff prepare groceries and supplies as part of Say Good Night to Hunger. … [+]
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Omni is committed to the local communities we are in. Launched in June 2016, the Say Goodnight To Hunger program is our partnership with Feeding America that helps provide a meal for every guest stay completed. To date, nearly 18 million meals have been donated, and all 60 Omni properties support food banks and pantries in their areas.
