Latest / Suite Spot: A Hotel Marketing Podcast / 167 – Suite Spot: Spotlight Series – Conrad Orlando
Transcript
- Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree and I hope you are watching us today on our YouTube channel because as you can tell, we are not in the Suite Spot podcast studio. We are instead at the beautiful Conrad Orlando here with me, Sean McCarron, general manager of the Conrad Orlando.Thank you so much for being with me today. Sean McCarron: It's a pleasure to be here and thank you for coming and seeing us today. Ryan Embree: Yeah. Thank you for hosting us at this incredible property. We're gonna talk all about it today. This is our Suite Spot Spotlight series showcasing some of the most unique hotels. This one certainly fits the bill. But before we get talking about the property, what I love talking about, this is your first time on the podcast, hospitality people come from all different places. Sometimes they're born into the industry, sometimes they're jumping from brands. Tell us about a little bit about your journey behind the scenes. Sean McCarron: Well, I've been in the business for over 30 years, believe it or not and all in luxury. So I went to hotel school out in Switzerland, and once I graduated from hotel school, I came out and went back to the States and started with the Ritz Carlton. So I was with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in various different areas and opening hotels for about six years. And then went to Four Seasons and spent about 16 years with the Four Seasons hotel company, opening other hotels and again, you know, variety of different locations. And then started with Hilton Luxury at the Waldorf Astoria here in Orlando about nine years ago, and been on this project for the last three here at the Conrad Orlando. Ryan Embree: Incredible. And that taste of luxury from different brands, I'm sure that certainly gave you a unique perspective as your journey led you here at the Conrad Orlando. Sean McCarron: Oh, it certainly did. You get different viewpoints from every location that you, that one works in from urban environment to a resort environment to, you know, Las Vegas I spent some time in as well. Opening hotels, all of it kind of lends to a broader experience in order to open this beautiful property. Ryan Embree: Let's talk about the Conrad brand, right. It's unique, known for its design and how it's built. For those that may not be familiar with the Conrad brand, what's the flavor? What makes it unique? Why do travelers love this brand? Sean McCarron: Their main pillars for the Conrad as a brand itself, one of them is bold design, as you had, as indicated. Experiences are also a big part of what we do from a Conrad brand perspective. This hotel is no different than any of our others. I think it's quite unique in the fact that a lot of the design element is based upon water. So lots of blues and refractive lighting, very contemporary feel throughout the resort. Lots of natural light, floor to ceiling windows from a design element. From an experiences element, I mean, you walked around this resort, there's a stunning lagoon right down the middle of it with beaches surrounding it and a lot of activations and a lot of activities from a resort perspective here in Orlando that make it very, very unique. Ryan Embree: It's a breathtaking view that I personally got to experience, and it's a blue on that lagoon that I will not forget. And I'm sure it's being shared everywhere on social media, but a resort, a campus like this doesn't just spring up overnight. Right. I've been in Orlando native for almost a decade now, and I've heard about this project, it feels like since that time. Talk to us a little bit about the history of this project and maybe some of the things that have made it so special. Sean McCarron: Well, the history, we started for us about three years, three and a half years ago, back onto the project itself. It was still under construction. And a lot of the team that we started to put together was how do we take advantage of the unique features of this resort and look at the things like the, eight acre lagoon that we have and activate that lagoon and activate the beaches that are around and all of the beautiful areas that we have built activations for, from a group perspective with different things indoor and outdoor. We have 20,000 square feet of exterior space for groups to gather in. We have 40,000 square feet of interior space for our groups to have meetings and social events throughout. There's a beautiful spa. There's a gorgeous pool. Conrad has its own beach that has access right into this beautiful lagoon. So I think a lot of that was just how do we put it all together and really make it something and highlight some of the, again, unique features that we have in the resort itself. Ryan Embree: Yeah. We've had the privilege of visiting a couple of these kind of newer built properties and the intentionality behind the architecture, behind the lands, even down to the landscaping, some of the artwork that's included on these properties. It's stunning and, you know, the effort, it takes a lot of effort to obviously, as you know, Sean, from, from start to finish, but also to make sure that that translates to the, to the guest. And a lot, a big term that we've heard over the past couple years and really the past decade in hospitality is personalization. Sean McCarron: Of course. Ryan Embree: And your, your team here, go above and beyond. I wanna make sure I use the phrase on this, "How to wow, the un-wowable." Where did that phrase come from, Sean? And talk to us a little bit about what that means. Sean McCarron: It's something that we experience all throughout luxury. If you think about, you know, a luxury hotel usually has the top three to 5% of the traveling market. They're very well traveled, they've been everywhere. They've seen everything. And it's a matter of really trying to understand those guests as they're coming into the hotel and as they're coming, as this is a resort environment, they're typically coming here on a vacation type of a basis, unless they're here for business and a group. But if they're coming on a leisure perspective, it's important for us to really try to understand each and every guest what they're coming for, why are they here, what are they trying to accomplish when they're here. What are some of the highlights that they're trying to gather, whether it's on the resort or whether they want to go into the parks and see different kinds of things. And we actually reach out to our guests prior to them arriving and try to get some information as to what they are looking to accomplish, what they wanna do. We do bespoke itineraries for them so we can help them get into each of the parks and have an itinerary through the park. We have a, a Disney and universal experts that can help guide our guests if they're looking to go to the park, but a lot of our guests, we have found want to just stay here. I mean, with all that we can offer for the beach in Orlando, which is what this resort has really brought in that unique flare of having the activations and being able to go out on a paddleboard and being able to play pickleball or take a kayak or two championship golf courses, or spend an afternoon at the spa. There's so many things to do here, and it's just understanding what those guests are looking for. And then from there, build not only an itinerary for them, but anticipate what else they may need to kinda have that connection with their family or with their loved one, and really create an environment where they don't have to think about anything. It's all there for them before they have to ask the question. Ryan Embree: It's really refreshing to hear in a, in a time where, you know, technology, we're making it more seamless for the guests to really go right past the front desk, unlock their room, and then not speak to anyone at the property. So proactively reaching out to the guests and trying to figure out where, where they're coming from, why they're coming to visit you is, is so unique, I think right now. And, and really goes back to that core of what hospitality is, and I'm sure that you've learned over the years in your time is at the luxury space because you can anticipate the needs, like you were saying, you know, being able to take it that extra step and maybe making that memorable moment for them. Now I've had the pleasure. It sounds like you, you've had some experience in Orlando as well. I've had the pleasure of over a decade. But for those who aren't familiar with this area, I mean, this is, this is prime location in central Florida, right here. You got the parks, you mentioned it. Paint a picture for, maybe guests that are hearing this for the first time of where this is, this property situated. Sean McCarron: Well, this property is essentially very, very close to, to Disney. It's about a, between a five and 10 minute drive, depending on which one of the parks that you want to go to. We have a luxury motor coach that takes our guests or from this resort to each of the parks. It's a dedicated shuttle and a motor coach that gets them there, also picks them up and brings them back to the resort for those that want to go there, those that want to go and experience any of the other parks. Universal, for example, is about a 10 minute, 15 minute drive to get to it. So it's very well situated within the landscape and within the park location in locale. But a lot of our guests, we have found that actually are staying onto the resort more frequently than they are actually traveling off to off to the, the, the parks. Initially when we had put this hotel together, we were trying to figure out, okay, how do we take care of the day that they're taking off from, from the parks and really make this a special environment for them that they can enjoy? What we've found after we've opened is that there's so much to do here on this resort, and it's so unique bringing the beaches and the lagoon and all of the water sports that you can do on top of it is that guests are actually spending more time on the resort, and their day off is from the resort going to the parks, which is an interesting, you know, dynamic that, that we didn't really anticipate originally. Ryan Embree: Now Sean, you cannot say luxury hospitality anymore without your food and beverage experiences. Right. And sometimes that's some of the most memorable parts of a hotel experience. Talk to us a little bit about the Conrad Orlando and the F&B experiences here. Sean McCarron: Here at Conrad Orlando at Evermore, we are fortunate to have several different outlets, for our guests. The first being Little Spoon and Little Spoon is a grab and go restaurant that we have for the guests that are on the go, whether they're going out to the pool or they're getting onto the Luxury Motor Coach to get out to Disney. And it has different kinds of coffees and pastries from our award-winning chef and different kinds of breakfast sandwiches and things to take on the go. But it's open all throughout the day so the guests can come back for more lunch type meals, sandwiches and salads. And then of course, that afternoon coffee that everyone kind of dies for. And then at the end of it is also a gelato. We have beautiful gelatos that are again, produced by our pastry chef and making sure that we have something for everybody just in a grab and go basis. The second of our restaurants is Papaya Club, and it's a polynesian fair, so very light bites. Shrimp Toast is one of my all time favorites there, but it's also has tiki cocktails, and they were developed by a very famed, tiki bar specialist named Paul McGee in partnership to really make this a, a, an incredible cocktail experience and an incredible food experience right over this beautiful beach and overlooking our lagoon. One of our other areas is called Appar, and that's a cocktail bar and cocktail lounge, and we did a lot of spritz bar and Negroni type cocktails, that was established by a gentleman named John Carlo Mancino. And he is famed for a lot of spritz bars and Aperol spritzes and different kinds of cocktails. So he helped develop that program, our signature restaurant, which is called Ceiba, and Ceiba is on the roof of the Conrad, and it overlooks Epcot and it overlooks Magic Kingdom and this beautiful lagoon that we have. And that is very authentic Mexican food as well. And it has over 150 different agave based spirits. So you can have an cocktail program of all different kinds of tequilas coupled with very authentic Mexican cuisine. My personal favorite are the tacos. They do all kinds of different and amazing street taco, very small bite tacos. So you can try a lot of different, different ones. Ryan Embree: And again, where a guest are spending a lot of their time, those options, I'm sure go a long way. You love to see the international flavor, you know, not just one particular brand of flavor. And, and taking, its own take, but you certainly have the ambiance covered. With that, again, some of the views that you have on this very scenic property, but it goes beyond just the F&B experience, some of the state of art amenities the dedication and prioritization of wellness is also really infused in this guest experience. Talk to us a little bit about that. Sean McCarron: Yeah. Well, wellness is so important. And sleep experience is so important. And as you're creating your journey of vacation and relaxing and reconnection and rejuvenation, wellness is a big part of that. And our spa really focuses on exactly that. A lot of our treatments are designed around that wellness and how do you take care of your body and your mind and your soul. We have an incredible water garden that is associated and right next to our spa that has a very tranquil environment, lots of flora and fauna around and has water treatments. We have a hot and cold plunge pool. Yeah. We have a hydrotherapy tub, and a lot of based on these natural springs that are in and within central Florida. So a lot of that is giving that feeling of Florida and that relaxation throughout. Ryan Embree: Yeah. Back to that theme of water that you talked to that makes this property so unique and the destination experience here. Let's talk about, you know, I had the, like I said, privilege of talking to a couple properties and general managers who always say, you never managed to win awards. They typically just come with the service that you provide. What has been some of the feedback that you've been hearing from guests and recognitions that you've seen and what this means to your team? Sean McCarron: I mean, quite a few accolades that, you know, we weren't expecting necessarily. We try to give the guest experience to every single guest that are coming in here, but we won, Best Hotel in US News for 2025. SBA won best new restaurant in Orlando Magazine. OpenTable, also gave quite a few awards to not only Sophia's, but to SBA as well. And then our spa, actually in Spa Magazine was number 15 of the top a hundred spas throughout the us, so, wow. Yeah. A lot of things and a lot of hard work that the teamput into to getting this resort open and really making the areas that our guests can go into the best of the best. And we've been recognized for that, and we are very proud of that. Ryan Embree: A testament to the hard work, especially to see almost every facet of the guest experience being recognized in some capacity. It's gotta get those new pickleball courts on some sort of lift that you guys just opened up. Right? Yeah. You know, this is a digital marketing podcast. This is how we started, you know, seven years ago doing this, and it's kind of transformed. But, you know, we talk about, especially with a project like this, you wanna get the local community? No, well, not just the local community. You wanna get everybody involved here. Fantastic job of growing a social presence online, thousands of followers. I'm sure you're getting picks every single day that you're liking, commenting, and sharing on. Talk to us about launching this hotel and, and the foundation that was built from a digital presence and how that kind of catapulted you and, and really accelerated growth here. Yeah. Sean McCarron: Well, social media is, is really the most important part of, of getting the message out and, and learning about the hotel. We actually won an award from Forbes for our Instagram and really highlighting all of the Instagram posts that we did and how we were able to talk through and capture all of the imagery of, of this resort. And the challenge that we find is that no matter how much imagery we have out there, and no matter, no matter how much social media posts that we have, until you actually physically see this resort, it, it, it doesn't do it any justice. I mean, this is an absolutely stunning resort for anybody that walks in the front door. And as, as our guests walk in through the lobby, the first thing they see is, you know, from the third floor overlooking that beautiful lagoon. It's so wowing to the guests. They just, it starts the whole mood of, of their visit. Whether they're coming from a group perspective or whether they're coming from a leisure perspective, it's a huge Wow. But going back to social media and how important it is, you know, I have teenage kids and when we go on vacation, they're already well ahead of me. They're doing all of the research and social media. 'cause, you know, spring break comes up, all right, where do we want to go, kids? Yeah. And it used to be, you know, when my kids were younger, I just made the decision, now they're making the decision, dad, I want to go either here or here or here and here's why. And here are the things that are great about the resort, and here are great things that are great about the actual, you know, environment and around us and the act activities that they can get into. So they really start to drive that, but they're driving it from a social media lens. Ryan Embree: It's a great use case, Sean. And, and, you know, I think I challenge people that are listening to this, you know, where we used to start our research might have been just Google and TripAdvisor and some of these online review sites, but you're absolutely right, this younger generation when you mention, Hey, we might be going to this city, or we're going to stay at this hotel. Yeah. The place they're doing their research is places like Instagram. So to see that you have such a strong presence, there is something we preach on this podcast all the time, because it could be the make or break. You know, when you have this beautiful lagoon and everyone's posting you, you've got a great opportunity to capture guests there. So, we're gonna hit you with some quick, rapid fire questions here. Okay. This one, probably the most difficult, but favorite view on property, Sean. Sean McCarron: Oh my goodness. I would say my favorite view is overlooking the, the lagoon that crystal blue water, and looking right down and looking at the beaches. And in the background, our view on the backside of that lagoon is Epcot. So by day we get to see this beautiful lagoon by night fireworks. And the Epcot ball lit up is, is a pretty spectacular viewpoint. Ryan Embree: That's incredible. Fun fact about the property? Sean McCarron: Yeah, I'm gonna go back to the lagoon. I have to tell you, it, it, you know, you've seen it, it, there's nothing really like it in any of the resorts, not only in central Florida, but I would say all throughout Florida for that matter. But, you know, one of the fun facts is it is 17 million gallons of fresh water. And if you think about 17 million gallons, and, and try to understand what that is, it's about a thousand residential swimming pools that our guests can go out and swim in, get on a paddleboard, get in a kayak. There's just so many things to do out on that water, and it's amazing. It Ryan Embree: Really is. We walked in, saw a bunch of paddle boarders out there, absolutely incredible to see. And you know, there a lot of sustainability efforts, as well were pointed out with this being a new build, so important. We will also talk about trends. Right now, hospitality trends, these new builds are really trying to get those sustainability efforts in there. Favorite amenity at the property? Sean McCarron: I would say that the spa. It's so unique in itself and the treatments that are provided are so wellness based and, you know, encapsulating the, the body and the mind and the spirit and the actual physical relaxation that you can get out of that. Between that and, you know, our two relaxation rooms that we have within the spa itself, where you can go into a hot sauna or you can get into a steam room or then go out into the water garden and experience all of that. It's probably the most tranquil, relaxing spot, I would say is part of this resort. Ryan Embree: Yeah. And sleep, travel wellness, again, a big, big hot topic right now in hospitality. People will, you know, certainly pay a premium to, to make sure that they're getting a relaxing and, and well kept stay there. Sean, you've had multiple stops. You talked about at the top of the episode of, of these luxury hotels and resorts that you've been at, you've been open now for some time you've seen guests come in and out of the lobby. You know, what is your hope as the gm when somebody leaves the Conrad Orlando, what they're saying about their stay here? Sean McCarron: I think for us, the most important piece, and what I would want our guests to walk away from and, and, and have as their memory point is that they had an opportunity to reconnect with themselves, which is part of wellness. Reconnect with their families and their loved ones rejuvenate themselves by relaxing and enjoying the resort itself and finding a place to just say, ah, yeah. And have us do the work for them. I think those are the two main areas of anybody, and even for myself included, when I go on vacation after, you know, a hectic work life, you, you want to get out and, and just relax and reconnect with yourself and reconnect with your family. Ryan Embree: The perfect sound when I saw, when I walked into your this property ,right when you see that lagoon overlooking, it's a beautiful property. Thank you for hosting us, Sean. Any final thoughts as we wrap up today? Sean McCarron: No, please come see us. We would love to have you all come and take a look and experience the resort as well. Conrad Orlando is here. Ryan Embree: Follow them on social media. Obviously we talked about it. But hope you get the privilege to visit this beautiful property and see all that, Sean, and, and the team will certainly take that, take that special care of you. So thank you so much, Sean, for joining me on the Suite Spot. Sean McCarron: I appreciate it. Thank you. Ryan Embree: Thank you. And we will talk to you next time on The SuiteSpot. To join our loyalty program. Be sure to subscribe and give us a five star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with Cover Art by Bary Gordon. I'm your host Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.