| Dolce Hayes Mansion: Appealing to All |
| Hotels and Resorts | |||
| Written by Ashley McGown | |||
| Wednesday, 01 July 2009 | |||
 This resort has grown tremendously over the last decade by focusing on creating a unique environment for its guests. Cedric Fasbender explains.
Located in San Jose, Calif., the 10th most populated city in the US, Dolce Hayes Mansion (DHM) offers its guests the experience of a resort setting—an environment traditionally reserved for rural and suburban settings.  Cedric Fasbender, general manager According to Cedric Fasbender, general manager, the formula has helped DHM weather the economic storm because it allows families to explore the downtown area of a large city without having to deal with the hustle and bustle of a place like Los Angeles or San Francisco. “It’s the most unique venue in Northern California,” he said. “Our guests can stay here and take advantage of the resources we have at the resort, and they can easily make day trips to the beach, wine country, San Francisco, Monterey, and many other places,” Fasbender added. “When they return here at night, the resort setting makes it easy for them to relax.” To take advantage of the surrounding resources, the team at DHM partners with companies in the area to develop packages that add value to the guest experience and generate additional business for both parties involved. Fasbender said packages involving shopping, vineyard tours, and golfing are among the most popular, but attractions like Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room haunted Victorian mansion, are also attractive to guests because they’re unique to the area. A strong foothold The main building that sits on DHM’s 26-acre estate was constructed in 1905 and operated as a private residence for just short of a century. In 1994, the City of San Jose purchased the 41,000-square-foot mansion and used it to host day meetings and social events. Two years later, the property underwent a renovation that added 135 hotel rooms and additional meeting space, and over the last decade, it progressed into a full-service resort that boasts 214 guest rooms, 33,000 square feet of meeting space, and a world-class spa. Dolce Hotels and Resorts was selected to manage the property in 2004, using the space to host conferences, meetings, and events, so it’s not surprising that the sector still generates nearly three-quarters of the property’s total annual revenue today. This is a market that has proven successful for DHM, and as a result, Fasbender and his team continue to embrace it. As part of an effort to promote the property, the team at DHM is affiliated with International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), an organization that uses strict guidelines to identify some of the world’s best meeting spaces. As an IACC-certified resort, DHM is audited on an annual basis, a process that helps Fasbender and his team to improve the overall meeting experience. To date, however, the team has had little to improve upon. In 2009, DHM scored a 95 out of 100 on its audit, and outside organizations have continued to recognize the property in recent years. This year, Corporate Meetings & Incentive granted DHM the Paragon Award, an honor given to the top 10 conference centers in North America. “Recognitions like this are something we’re proud of, and they help reinforce our reputation and efforts toward excellence.” Fasbender said. “Any time someone is making a choice about where to plan a meeting, they’ll look through their resources, and if you’re one of the best properties in North America, that’s helps the decisionmaking process.” Appealing to all markets DHM hosts local, regional, and national conferences for businesses across an array of industries, and although 50% of that business is generated through Dolce Hotels and Resorts, the property also has a four-man team of sales managers onsite to help target specific vertical markets. “The property sits on 26 acres and has 23 meeting rooms in addition to the large ballroom, so it can conform to a variety of settings, which is appealing to businesses across a range of markets,” Fasbender said. To complement the property’s physical features, the team at DHM has made numerous technological investments to create an environment conducive to meetings and conferences. The organization staffs its own AV and IT technicians, which means technical support can be granted immediately, when a situation arises. Although Fasbender and his team have made many investments in recent years, he said the property’s wireless capabilities have proven most useful. “Our capability is 45 GB, which means up to 1,500 people can access the wireless system at any given time, a boon for large large meetings.” Investments such as this one have helped establish DHM as a top name in the world of conferences, but they also work to attract leisure guests, a population Fasbender and his team are certain not to ignore. Most recently, the team at DHM introduced a carbon offset program, a unique initiative that helps guests calculate how much carbon has been emitted into the atmosphere as a result of their travels. “For a very limited cost, our guests can go online and calculate this figure, and then they’re given a list of ways they can offset this carbon—by planting trees or donating to a wind generation or solar company, for example,” Fasbender said. “This is just one of the unique experiences we offer our guests.” |
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