Talk about a comeback. Last month, Institutional Investor magazine’s 24th annual hotels survey ranked the Millenium Hilton the 69th best hotel in the world for business travelers. Not too shabby for a luxury hotel that only reopened in April 2003, after 18 months of closure due to the Twin Tower collapse across the street.
A panel of senior corporate and financial executives from 27 countries ranked hotels in 37 powerhouse cities including Paris, London, Toyko and Hong Kong. A pack of seasoned travelers, the judges spent an average of 52 nights in hotels over the past year. They based their rankings on factors such as location, service and amenities.
After pouring $32 million in a rebuilding and renovation effort, the Millenium Hilton certainly offers its guests a handful of high-tech amenities. Business travelers enjoy personalized voicemail and 42-inch plasma screen televisions in their rooms.
Jan Larsen, the hotel’s general manager, noted the two-fold benefit of the plasma screen televisions. “We went with the plasma TV because it mounted on wall. That freed up quite a bit of space in the guest room and allowed for a redoing of the layout of furniture,” he explained. The high-tech television is also a guest favorite, he said.
The Millenium’s location also helped it make the distinguished survey list. Situated right across the street from ground zero, the hotel has close proximity to a number of financial institutions. J.P. Morgan, A.I.G., American Express and Deutsche Bank are all within a six-block radius.
Larsen is definitely pleased that his hotel made the magazine’s list. “It made me feel very proud on behalf of the employees here and on behalf of the ownership of Hilton hotels. There are many choices in the world, and to be one of them in the world, and to be 69, we felt that was quite an accomplishment,” he said.
But Larsen’s proudest accomplishment relates to his employees. “We are certainly very pleased we were able to bring back all the employees pre-9/11. We were able to bring back all of them. And most of them are still here today.”
—Hemmy So
WWW Downtown Express
