Dave Palumbo, General Manager, Raleigh Marriott City Center

Invest: spoke with Dave Palumbo, general manager of the Raleigh Marriott City Center, about shifting guest expectations, the return of business travel, and downtown Raleigh’s momentum. “There are an awful lot of positive things happening in Raleigh,” Palumbo said.

What changes over the past year have had the greatest impact on Raleigh Marriott City Center, and how have they influenced your operational priorities?

The profile of the guest continues to evolve, and we need to adapt to their priorities. From a staffing standpoint, we have seen a resurgence of hospitality as a career interest, and that has been encouraging. Whether it is those new to the workforce or individuals pivoting from other industries, hospitality has always offered tremendous opportunities for advancement.

Who is visiting the property today, and what are their needs and expectations?

Being a convention center hotel, we are always going to have a wide range of clientele and guests, depending on what conventions or groups are in town. Business travel has also benefited as companies have transitioned back to in-person versus remote work.

What role do meetings and events play in your overall business mix today?

Again, as the convention center hotel a significant portion of our business comes from conferences and events. That meeting or conference attendee is probably somewhere around 55% to 60% of our business.

What are some of the key factors influencing booking decisions right now?

Clients and meeting planners have some hesitancy in terms of what is happening in the economy. Decisions tend to be a little bit shorter range than they were before. In the past, you would see significant meeting bookings 18 months, 24 months, or 36 months out. That window has shrunk over the last couple of years. We will see a decent amount of in-the-year, for-the-year pickup. Generally speaking, the booking window for groups right now is about 18 months, at least for this hotel.

There is also the factor of international travel among attendees and the cost they are seeing lately with airline tickets, or generally just the ease of travel.

What strategies are you implementing to recruit and retain talent?

We are aggressive in terms of our human resource functions and recruitment. We look for opportunities wherever we can. We are seeing some positive interest from earlier ages, including high school and trade schools.

We also reach out to various organizations that assist individuals who are looking to change careers. Maybe they have not been in hospitality and are looking to reinvent their career path. We have seen a good bit of that, and we are excited to welcome them to the industry.

How are you seeing technology change the hospitality industry, and how is your property investing in it?

We are certainly invested in technology — you have to be if you want to compete in today’s world. That technology goes well beyond the ease of being able to book your hotel room or being able to book a conference. The guest is now looking for an immediate response to their questions, whether they are a future traveler or in-house. We have different platforms that we use to communicate with guests through their devices.

That is what the guest is looking for. It is less about contactless concerns and much more about efficiency. Everybody is multitasking, and they want to communicate quickly, make their point, and move on to their next concern. 

We have to look at our technology and communication in two ways: from the receiving and responding end, but also in terms of initiating and reaching out to guests to inquire how their stay is going, as an example. 

What opportunities do you see for growth as Raleigh continues to attract new businesses, residents, and visitors?

The outlook is positive. You have a lot of new development, whether it is residential or commercial development. You have the expansion of the convention center on the horizon. You have a new Red Hat Amphitheater on the horizon. All of that contributes to the vibrancy of downtown.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We are lucky because we have a lot of groups and different organizations that are invested in downtown Raleigh. I will use Downtown Raleigh Alliance as an example. They do a tremendous job of keeping Raleigh at the forefront for activities and interest, whether it is businesses moving into the downtown area or locals looking for things to do.

Downtown Raleigh Alliance is just one of those organizations that we rely on heavily, and they are a great resource for us and our guests.

There are an awful lot of positive things happening in Raleigh.