The renovations will include the construction of two additional banquet halls, which Kolenski said will make the Inn the "number one place for wedding celebrations in the region."
The Inn has begun to improve customer service through initiatives like a new standardized telephone greeting. When clients call the Hanover Inn, front-desk employees are required to answer the phone by saying, "It's a wonderful day at the Hanover Inn!" according to List. A mandatory "five-10 rule" for front desk employees in which workers must make eye contact with clients who come within 10 feet of the desk and must offer a greeting to those who are within five feet of the desk was implemented to increase customer satisfaction, List said.
"These new procedures are intended to improve the service standards throughout the Inn and to ensure that service is more consistent and a little bit more formal than what existed in the past," he said.
As a result of Pyramid's management, the Inn has also "become more tech-savvy" by implementing a "global distribution center" reservation system, Kolenski said.
"This means that the Inn is now accessible through websites like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity," Kolenski said.
Potential guests can now secure reservations online through the Inn's website, List said.
"We now have live inventory reservation capabilities, both on our website and other channels," he said. "Before Pyramid, the only way to get a reservation was by calling on the phone."
In efforts to improve the quality of the Inn's food, the cooking staff under Pyramid designed "entirely new menus," Kolenski said.
Pyramid also hired several new upper-management level employees since it assumed leadership over the Inn, List said.
"By adding a new executive chef, a new director of sales and a new general manager, those are all areas in which service has been improved by virtue of having new direction in the department," List said.
Pyramid also added a new human resources director position during the restructuring, according to List.
Despite Pyramid's decision to create new positions, fewer people now work at the Inn than when it was managed by the College, List said. The wages of those workers who were with the Inn prior to the transition are currently "under review," according to List.
The Inn currently has a three-year contract with Pyramid, List said. Prior to being managed by Pyramid, the Inn was owned and managed by the College, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"The College had owned and operated the Inn for many, many years, and because of the College's recognition that the Inn could perform better from a financial service and occupant standpoint, [the College] began to research other ways to manage the Inn," List said.
Although Dartmouth owns the Inn, pays Pyramid for its services and spends approximately $13 million on the Inn each year, workers at the Inn are no longer considered Dartmouth employees, according to Earl Sweet, the president of the SEIU Local 560.
"They don't get the same benefits anymore," Sweet said. "They of course have taken a loss in that respect. How much of a loss, we haven't negotiated yet."
In an effort to expand the visibility of the hotel a plan that Kolenski describes as "proactive selling" the Inn has joined the Preferred Hotel Group and Historic Hotels of America, List said.
Since these changes have been implemented, Kolenski and List said the Inn has witnessed economic growth, although the degree of growth observed varied. List said numbers have "slightly" improved while Kolenski said the Inn has experienced "enormous growth great improvements with growth and occupancy."
The Inn now offers more "community-oriented" services, such as discounts for military servicemen, police, firemen, and emergency medical technicians, Kolenski said.
Efforts to improve morale among employees, including employee incentives, have also been implemented, according to Kolenski.
"We have monthly care rallies," Kolenski said. "There's a big wheel with prizes certain people get to spin. If you were recognized for your work, your name goes into a jar, and those names that are drawn get to spin the wheel."
The Inn had begun to receive a poor reputation among hotel employees and community members prior to the partnership with Pyramid, Kolenski said.
"In working with Marriott and Upper Valley individuals, I knew people who worked at the Inn, and they had a fairly negative tone," she said. "People felt that food and service had declined."
Kolenski and List were both hired by Pyramid to work at the Inn, according to Kolenski. At the time of Pyramid's announced partnership with the College, Carl Pratt worked as the general manager at the Inn.
"We just have such a phenomenal team right now," Kolenski said. "Everyone is so passionate about what they do. It's a really exciting time for us."
