Doubletree by Hilton Hotel San Jose, California
San Jose International Airport
This Saturday, March 31st, is Earth Hour! The DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose Airport Hotel will be participating in the incredible event from 8:30-9:30pm this saturday. We will be dimming our lights in the Lobby and Spencer’s for Steaks and Chop, along with featuring a certified-sustainable, organically grown wine in our 2050 Lobby Lounge & Bar.
Come join the nationwide event with us, or participate on your own by turning your lights off! It’s only for an hour and it’s for a great cause!
America’s fastest free outdoor Wi-Fi network coming soon to Downtown San José
America’s fastest free outdoor Wi-Fi network is slated to come to Downtown San José this summer. The City of San José is pleased to officially announce a new partnership with SmartWAVE Technologies and Ruckus Wireless (Ruckus) to deploy one of the fastest Wi-Fi networks available in the nation, at minimal cost to the City, using state-of-the-art technology developed in Silicon Valley.
“We are excited to bring this cutting-edge Wi-Fi network here to San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley,” said Mayor Chuck Reed. “I’d like to thank SmartWAVE Technologies, Ruckus Wireless, and our City’s IT leadership for spearheading this public-private partnership to enhance wireless Internet access for those who live, work and visit Downtown San José.”
Under the direction of Acting Chief Information Officer Vijay Sammeta, the IT Department is spearheading an innovative, new partnership to address the connectivity needs of entrepreneurs, visitors and the businesses in the city center of Silicon Valley. The new network will be accessible through the entire downtown core, from E. St. John St. to the north, portions of Balbach St. and Viola Ave. to the south, N. 6 St. to the east, and Almaden Blvd. to the west. Diridon Station will also offer free Wi-Fi.
“This will bring disturbingly fast Internet access to Downtown, and is part of San José’s strategy to partner with industry leaders who are committed to improving communities and furthering the Silicon Valley experience. Both SmartWave Technologies and Ruckus Wireless will bring the City’s vision of a reliable, free Downtown Wi-Fi to life,” explained Vijay Sammeta, Acting Chief Information Officer for the City of San José.
The new outdoor Wi-Fi infrastructure takes advantage of recent technical advances developed by Ruckus Wireless that leverage the newest ultra-high speed Wi-Fi standards to improve network performance along with patented technology that extends the range of wireless signals and increases the reliability of Wi-Fi connections.
One of the nation’s leading wireless integrators, SmartWave is working with the City to provide expert configuration, site survey, deployment and ongoing support services to ensure non-stop operation of the new wireless infrastructure.
Ruckus is providing outdoor 802.11n access points that will be deployed on light poles and other locations throughout Downtown San José. The majority of these wireless devices will be connected to an ultra high-speed gigabit fiber network that terminates at an Internet peering point called MAE West in Downtown San José. Management of the wireless network will be centralized at City Hall, allowing a single point of visibility, control and tuning of the Wi-Fi network.
“With our great weather, Downtown San José’s outdoor spaces play an important role as places to connect, work, and socialize,” noted Councilmember Sam Liccardo (District 3), who represents the Downtown. “With the addition of the fastest free Wi-Fi network, our businesses, residents and visitors will have an easy, effective way to stay connected with the online world while discovering Downtown San José.”
In 2004, San José was among the first large cities to provide free wireless Internet access in downtown hotspots. The wireless network was a crucial component for the infrastructure of the City’s parking guidance system. As technology changed, the City, 1stACT Silicon Valley, and the Downtown business and event community identified the clear need to improve the speed and coverage of the network.
“There is an inherent expectation that when people visit Silicon Valley they experience the very best in technology,” said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. “The City of San José understands this better than anyone else and is taking aggressive steps to build a world-class wireless network serving local business and visitors who are now demanding more pervasive and reliable mobile connectivity. We are proud to have been selected to help the City realize this shared vision.”
In addition to making free Wi-Fi available in public spaces downtown, the new network will also provide redundant and enhanced connectivity for City facilities. It will greatly benefit the downtown parking infrastructure, namely the pay-to-park meters, parking guidance signs and parking garage systems by improving the speed by which timesensitive transactions occur.
The new Wi-Fi network project will have a one-time cost of approximately $94,000, with ongoing costs of about $22,000 which is similar to the on-going costs of the current system. This project is being funded through parking revenue and the City’s General Fund.
Did you know the DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose Airport Hotel is only .5 miles away from the San Jose International Airport? Making our hotel one of the BEST hotels for business travelers.
Not only are we incredibly close to the Airport, but we have Complimentary Airport Shuttle for each and every one of our guests!
You think that’s great?! You should check out our great “Park and Take Off” Packages, along with so many others! Check availability now!
St. Patty’s Day is THIS Saturday, March 17th! Come join us at 2050 Lobby Lounge & Bar and get your drink on!
Can’t join us til later? That’s ok! Come drink with us at Club Max, one of the best bar/lounges in Silicon Valley!
Both are located inside the DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose Airport Hotel.
The DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose Airport Hotel has put BRAND NEW “Sweet Dream Mattress’s” in each and every one of our guestrooms! Come check it out for yourself! They are SO comfortable!
“Check In” at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose and recieve 50 Hilton HHonors Points! Its easy and free!
29 February 2012
By Patrick Mayock
News Editor-International
SAN FRANCISCO—All employees, regardless of where they work, want the same thing: They want to be cared about as individuals, as human beings. They want recognition. And they want to know what they’re doing matters.
If HR practitioners are able to meet those needs, the result is a joyful, engaged workforce that will help facilitate happy, engaging relationships with guests, according to experts during a session titled “How the Game Has Changed: Rewards and Incentives,” at the 6th Annual HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.
To emphasis that point, presenter Darci Riesenhuber, director of brand culture and internal communications for Hilton Worldwide’s Embassy Suites brand, offered the following statistic: The No. 1 reason customers don’t come back to a hotel, as cited by 68% of respondents in a recent poll, is because employees don’t care. At a distant second is price (14%), followed by product quality (9%).
“The ripple effect is you don’t care about me as an employee, I don’t care about you, I certainly don’t care about your customer,” she said.
That idea of “caring” is especially important, Riesenhuber said. Bad reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor shouldn’t be the primary concern, as any review suggests a guest cares enough about the experience to write a reaction to it.
“When guests give up (and don’t offer feedback), that’s when we’re in trouble,” she said.
Engaging employees
The most engaged employees are those who understand how their roles and responsibilities relate to a larger meaning, Riesenhuber said.
Room attendants, for example, shouldn’t just view their role as cleaning rooms. Rather, they are creating a tidy place of comfort—a home away from home—for travelers. Likewise, janitors aren’t just cleaning hallways; they’re stopping the spread of germs and are contributing to a healthy environment for guests.
“Our job is to help connect and give meaning to our employees’ jobs,” Riesenhuber said. “… If you can do that, you will have a truly engaged workforce.”
So how do HR practitioners create those places of engagement? Riesenhuber, along with fellow presenter Fred Bendaña, executive director of client service for Fenton, Missouri-based consultancy Maritz, shared three important principles that are crucial when fostering an engaged workforce.
1. Brand promise
The foundation of any HR initiative rests with the individual organization’s brand promise, the panelists said.
At grocery-store chain Whole Foods Market, for example, the company’s brand promise is to radically improve the health of people, both physically and emotionally. Every decision stems from that core philosophy, Bendana said.
Hilton Worldwide’s brand promise is to deliver more of what guests want in a consistent and generous way, Riesenhuber said. With that foundation in place, she was able to investigate what motivates her employees to help them better find meanings in their jobs.
2. Motivation insights
What is the best way to discern employees’ needs and wants, Bendaña asked? Ask them.
His research found 78% of employees said praise or recognition for a job well done is important or extremely important when it comes to fostering engagement.
Gaylord Entertainment excels in this regard. Not only does the hotel company recognize and reward its employees, but it tailors its recognition and rewards to meet the needs of specific segments within its workforce, Bendaña said.
For instance, some employees—the “career builders”—want development opportunities. “Praise cravers,” on the other hand, want to be publically recognized. Others didn’t want any public recognition but place high value on days off and flexibility in scheduling.
“What do your employees want? It’s not all the same thing,” he said.
3. Recognition practices
Another Maritz poll found employee engagement doubles when recognition practices are in place. One particular Maritz client found departments with the highest level of customer satisfaction had the highest occurrence of employee recognition.
The key, added Riesenhuber, is to clearly articulate what it is you will be rewarding. If employees don’t understand the preferred types of behavior, they’ll never be able to achieve them.
“Tell employees exactly what you’re looking for,” she said.
The DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose has taken a new approach to recognition this year as we have taken it to the next step. As it says above, a happy employee leads to happy guests!
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