Q & A with Gerardo Steward Murray, General Director of the Casa Grande Hotels, owners and operators of the Wyndham Casa Grande Monterrey (formerly the Radisson Casa Grande Monterrey Valle)
Wyndham Worldwide started business in 1954, when a Group of investors proudly opened the first Wyndham Inn in Flagstaff, Arizona and sold its first franchise that same year. Today, Wyndham Worldwide has 7,000 hotels in more than 66 countries and world presence.
Gerardo Murray believes that this chain is the magic link between offering a familiar space for tourists and the services needed by business travelers: “Wyndham hotels offer their guests a harmonious combination of comfort and accessibility. Nowadays, frequent travelers are astonished by all the advantages a hotel can offer them while away from home, added to the way it rewards the frequent traveler’s loyalty. We are proud to present our Wyndham Rewards program, offering you the chance to gain reward points that can be exchanged for free nights, great prizes or plane tickets on more than 25 airlines affiliated to our program”. That is what this Hermosillo Sonora-born top executive has to say to us. He has been leading the efforts of this hotel group for more than four years and now includes the new WYNDHAM MONTERREY in his catalog.
The Wyndham Monterrey is making an impressive turnaround these days, which is the reason for this interview. It used to be the Radisson Casa Grande Monterrey Valle, to offer more details, and is now the magnificent Wyndham Monterrey Valle.
In this industry, any travel writer that prides himself for being just that knows every brand’s details, and in the case of the Wyndham, what makes it stand out most to one who is exhausted from asking, reporting and taking photos is the marvelous ergonomic bed and pillow concept called the Wyndham BE-WELL, because it reduces tension in pressure points and provides relief with its warm, sophisticated presentation. Would your guests agree that this is another advantage, Mr. Murray?
Of course, making our guests feel good is our brand essence, and that’s why we call it the BE-WELL concept, which, as we said, tries to benefit our guests by giving them a myriad of comfortable pillows and an ergonomic surface integrated to the mattress and molds to their body and assures a pleasurable rest.
The human factor is also very important for those who are here on business, not pleasure. We know that Mexicans are naturally hospitable and helpful, but have any changes been made in the service now that you are Wyndham Worldwide Hotels?
Yes, I was just going to mention that. The hospitality of our people, the corporative mentality of each and every employee in our hotel is comparable only to the comfort of the installations. Those are some of the reasons why the hotel that operated under the name of Radisson Casa Grande Monterrey Valle for more than five years will continue offering quality service and personalized attention under the name of Wyndham Casa Grande Monterrey and be part of the Casa Grande Hotel Group. Even though our employees had a background of continuous training with Radisson, we are all enthusiastic about that being reinforced by the Wyndham philosophy.
Let’s talk about the hotel’s location.
The new Wyndham Casa Grande Monterrey is in the Valle Oriente zone of San Pedro Garza Garcia, 5 km from downtown Monterrey and only a short distance from local attractions, such as the Mexican History Museum, the Alfa Planetarium, the Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO) and the Monterrey Arena. It is just two minutes from the CONVEX Convention Center, 15 from CINTERMEX, large shopping centers and important corporations.
How much has the drop in tourism caused by bad publicity on influenza affected you, and what are your expectations for this season?
I think that the entire hotel sector in Mexico got a beating, first because of the economic crisis that has been affecting us since the middle of 2008 and then the influenza scare that hit us in April of 2009.
But the good news is that a gradual recuperation can be seen in all our plazas, and the occupancy rate has gone up in the entire hotel sector, which is exciting to us but makes us even more committed.
Which markets are most important to you? What about the Mexican market?
Definitely the national market because our hotels cater to business travelers. They are our main market and that’s why we focus our sales activities, promotion and marketing on the national market, and specifically on natural markets.
Wyndham Casa Grande Monterrey has 198 rooms and suites, including the Presidential Suite. It has facilities for people with different capacities (32” TV, CDs and books, clock radio, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, mini-bar, pillow menu, safety deposit box, telephone with 2 lines and voice mail). It has an Executive Floor and private lounge for express check in and out. It also has a floor exclusively for women, “Women on their way”. It is well equipped for the MICE segment and has five salons with a capacity for 450 people and an open-air garden with advanced technology and a Business Center with bilingual personnel. The “Los Nogales” specialty restaurant is renowned throughout the zone and the “ERL Café and Sushi Bar” is elegant yet casual. It also has 24-hour room and bar service, a gym, massages, pool, laundry and dry cleaning service, medical service (by request), private parking lot and tobacco shop.
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