Chris Johnson, Area General Manager, Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel
With the pandemic woes in its rearview, the hospitality industry is making every effort to course-correct and enjoy an even greater future after what was an extremely rough couple of years for the industry. In Pittsburgh, the iconic Renaissance Hotel is hard at work preparing for a key renovation that will cement it as among the best lifestyle hotels in downtown. “We are very committed to what is going on in the city,” Chris Johnson, general manager for the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, said in an interview with Invest:. “We are going big on the renovations because we are very confident in this market and this community and believe the ROI on this investment will be there for us.”
What is your general outlook for the Pittsburgh market?
My relocation here was by choice. In my previous position, I was the vice president of operations for a hotel company managing 15 hotels along the Midwest, and I had three properties located in the Pittsburgh market. The more that I started coming to Pittsburgh, the more I really started to fall in love with the city. I love the rivers, the sports, the people, the topography. I brought my team together for a regional meeting in Pittsburgh, and when I was here, I said to my boss “I want to move to Pittsburgh.” I spoke with my wife and we were here 30 days later. I absolutely love it. It is a great restaurant city and there are so many things to do. I have lived in 13 cities, and this is my third stint in Pennsylvania. It is home now and where I plan to live after retirement.
What are your top priorities to continue the success of the Renaissance Hotel?
My focus since I have been here revolves around service. It is about creating a service-first culture. Coming out of COVID, many hotels still have not added back those key functions that we provide, such as bell service and daily housekeeping, for example. It is all about creating that service culture within our team and developing that. We are just at the beginning stages of a complete renovation and repositioning of the hotel. We will be starting renovations this September. We will be bringing down our restaurant, Bradex Rebellion, and converting that into a mixed use space. We are really looking to transform into a lifestyle hotel. We will stay in the Marriott family, but we will transition to an autograph collection hotel. That will encompass a complete renovation of all the public spaces, our Bradic streetside bar, and our guest rooms will be upgraded. This will be a significant renovation. There are a lot of opportunities in the market. The Renaissance Brand really puts you at a threshold. We feel the renovations will take the hotel further up the market and provide unique experiences for travelers coming to the city. We are really excited about it.
What is the thought process behind the planned renovations?
Our whole thought process behind the renovations is that it is OK for local folks to pop in. Part of the autograph collection is that every property of this kind needs to have what is known as a mark. Something unique and individual about the property. We are in the process of generating something that will have the same feel of the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, for example. When you go to Las Vegas, you do not have to stay at the Bellagio to see the fountains. We are not ready to unveil what will be the name or the distinguishing feature of the hotel just yet, but it will be something that I am confident that people will come by to check out. We also do the concessions and food catering for Heinz Hall. As such, we want to grow those relationships with the downtown theater district and the cultural district. We want to be the spot that people think of when they come downtown. We want to create a place and host events that families can take advantage of because our property is really unique and iconic.
What will be the net positive effects of the ongoing downtown revitalization efforts?
We are here to support the revitalization of downtown in any way we can, whether that is hosting events or just being a good neighbor and a good partner in that process. Looking at our downtown, what would truly be beneficial is a higher density of residential options. The residential presence that is happening just outside of downtown will be nice to see within downtown. This will have a ripple effect and catalyze the businesses in the area.
What goes into accommodating the different events happening in the region?
It is a lot of work. There are some great properties here and the market is competitive. We have seven weddings scheduled through the end of September. We are going to be busy. I believe people are shifting back to wanting more traditional experiences. Professionals help handle every bit of the wedding experience. We can handle all the big, and smaller, details. Hotels provide a more professional infrastructure. And for us, our wedding specialist is incredibly talented. He has been doing it his whole life. Couples-to-be partner with someone who has great experience and is acutely in tune with their vision and who wants to execute it at a very high level. We are seeing the benefit of this and that’s where we feel like the planned renovations will really pay off once completed. Once completed, we will have a unique look and really catch people’s attention.
What challenges are most prominent in the hospitality industry today?
One of the hardest aspects remains filling open positions. We look for people who have experience, but most importantly, passion. Our industry has lost many professionals since the pandemic. Our perspective is that we will hire for personality and train for skills. If someone is truly passionate about taking care of guests then we will be successful. The biggest challenge is finding and retaining those really passionate people.
What have been changes related to guest experience?
People are looking for all the services they were used to before COVID. Additionally, it feels that people are hungry to be connected to the city they are visiting and to the local culture. They want to know where the locals go. People are really wanting to experience those hidden gems and not necessarily go to that chain restaurant or do something they can get in any other city. Part of our primary focus is to listen to guests while they stay with us and make those great, unique recommendations. A lifestyle hotel gets in front of this by being that local expert. Our team members are ambassadors of the city and really can make those great recommendations.
What is the outlook for your operations in the next couple of years?
We want to make sure we are supporting the direct efforts of the Convention Bureau to bring citywide business to the market. We need to make sure we can grow that revenue stream in the market, which helps us all. We need to support all the efforts that will make Pittsburgh a destination market. We are very committed to what is going on in the city. Our ownership is going to put a significant investment into this property. We are going big on the renovations because we are very confident in this market and this community and believe the ROI on this investment will be there for us.
