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BUSINESS NEWS PELICAN GRAND BEACH RESORT ANNOUNCES $7 MILLION GUESTROOM RENOVATION As one of the only true beachfront, boutique hotels in Fort Lauderdale, Pelican Grand Beach Resort, part of Noble House Hotels & Resorts collection, announced the start of its $7 million dollar guestroom renovation, scheduled for completion in December 2018. The transformation includes the complete redesign of 145 guestrooms and 16 suites, in addition to the creation of eight new luxury suites, honoring the existing property’s old Floridian charm while blending sleek, fresh concepts and boho-inspired elements to provide a quaint and tranquil vacation experience. Conceptualized by Seattle-based architecture and interior design firm Degen & Degen , the team was tasked to lead the charge formulating a design concept representative of Fort Lauderdale’s breathtaking coastline – inspired by warm sun-drenched sand, waves, sky, and textures of the beach – creating a getaway where guests can truly unwind. Channeling vacation vibes, sand between the toes and relaxed luxury, the rooms will be dressed in an intentionally tonal color palate of warm creams, clean whites, and soft grey tones with splashes of bright Florida chroma

to accentuate the resort’s best asset – the unobstructed sunrise and vast beachfront ocean views. Accessorized with coastal artwork by local artisans using a variety of materials from frame prints and canvas to driftwood and nautical rope, each room will also boast spa-inspired fixtures, freestanding soaking tubs, walk-in showers, and quartz countertops. “It was important for us to create a space portraying the traditional Pelican Grand experience our guests have come to love, while delivering the modern setting they deserve. Everything about the oceanfront experience is thought of in the eyes of the guest, from the towel rack at the entry, to easily maintained luxury vinyl flooring, to a swimsuit hamper in the bathroom,” said Heidi Dennis, general manager of Pelican Grand Beach Resort. “Our rooms needed to embody the level of service we provide and through much thought and detail, we’re confident we will accomplish just that. This, along with our nearly all-suite room product, are some of the many ways Pelican Grand Beach Resort is setting a new standard for a vacationer’s paradise.” Adorning 500 feet of Fort Lauderdale’s pristine beachfront, Pelican Grand Beach Resort

couples old Florida grandeur with seaside elegance to offer a coastal-chic waterfront retreat. From watching stunning sunrises on private balconies and indulging in culinary creations at OCEAN2000 Restaurant & Lounge, to rejuvenating at the Scandinavian- inspired PURE Spa and floating down Fort Lauderdale’s only lazy river, guests are engulfed by the unrivaled location of this laidback luxe resort set amongst the soothing sights and sounds of the Atlantic Ocean. From Las Olas Boulevard with boutique shopping and chic cafes, to fine art museums and breathtaking gardens, Fort Lauderdale provides high fashion, historic homes, exhilarating nightlife, and miles of white-sand beaches, just steps outside the resort. Degen & Degen is a full-service integrated architecture and interior design firm. The firm specializes in hospitality – hotels, resorts, residential lifestyle living, and other facilities that are designed for public accommodation. Degen & Degen has work throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Projects include both new construction and renovation. No two projects are ever alike.

CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, from page 3

the right people and not filtering it through your personal viewpoint. If every negative statement made by a client has you saying, “We’re not really seen as over-priced slowpokes, that’s just XYZ’s unrealistic expectations,” then you need to stop. Chances are if more than one person says the same thing, there’s some degree of truth in it. 2)Employee surveys. You know who can be ruthless? Employ- ees armed with a place to voice frustrations anonymously. But just like client perception studies, the right questions need to be asked. If you find yourself looking at a lot of employee feedback and saying, “Oh well, they don’t really know what goes on or why this is this way,” then those are the statements that need to be paid attention to the most. If your employees think management isn’t doing enough – work to at least try to change that perception. Your employees are your strongest brand ambassadors to the rest of the general public. Their opinions are extremely important. 3)Website/marketing audits. There’s a service that will re- view your website for free and record a completely random stranger’s reaction to it. If a person who can read at an eighth grade level cannot understand the basics of what your firm does after spending five minutes on your website, you have a major problem. The same thing goes for marketing brochures or PDF downloads. Highly specific and technical descriptions are great – but make sure there’s still an overall context. The perception of your firm and brand are extremely important! Doing good work is not enough if no one knows about it, or can understand it. Stop being a self- centered introvert and start understanding how you might be seen by others. CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES is Zweig Group’s director of marketing. Contact her at christinaz@zweiggroup.com.

This self-centeredness is both dangerous and prevalent in marketing. Some examples include using internal acronyms in outside communications, forgetting to clearly display contact information or calls to action, or using highly technical descriptions on projects without the benefit of a broader context. “The perception of your firm and brand are extremely important! Doing good work is not enough if no one knows about it, or can understand it. Stop being a self- centered introvert and start understanding how you might be seen by others.” Here are a few things you can do to work on being less self- centered and consequently improve your firm’s marketing: 1)Client perception studies. A client perception study can be the most valuable marketing tool your firm can employ, but it’s worthless unless you ask the right questions; get honest, unbiased feedback; and listen to feedback and take action. In order to have truly valuable feedback, you can’t just ask clients to talk to the project manager about their experience. People do not like to give negative feedback to people they have worked with. Furthermore, clients are less likely to get asked the hard questions, and you’re less likely to gain an understanding of how your firm is viewed in the rest of the market. The most important part of this is sharing the feedback with

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 1, 2018, ISSUE 1266

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