Beechwood Hotel
Address: 363 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
Phone: 1- 800-344-2589
Fax: 508-754-5789
Website: www.beechwoodhotel.com
Number of employees: 70
Top executive: Mark Waxler, Vice President and General Manager
Product or service: Hotel, restaurant, meeting facility
Year founded: 1989
Great expectations at Worcester’s luxury hotel
lags fluttering, the distinctive round brick hotel catches your eye as you cruise east down Worcester’s Belmont Street toward Lake Quinsigamond. A luxury boutique hotel, the Beechwood now belongs to the Carino Collection of independent hotels. It’s the highest-rated hotel west of Boston, recently upgraded to "moderate deluxe" by Hotel Travel Index. If you’re a guest there, expect to be pampered.
Vice President and General Manager Mark Waxler outlines the extensive list of renovations the hotel has undergone in its 17-year history. Offices became suites, the restaurant became the ballroom, and a hospital chapel became a function room and setting for special ceremonies. Owners Dr. and Mrs. Charles Birbara bought and relocated the 105-year-old Worcester City Hospital chapel, complete with carved wood and stained glass, after UMass took over the former hospital facilities.
Built in 1989 inside Worcester’s biotech park across from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Beechwood opened with 58 rooms, initially sharing space with a technology company on its second floor. When it relocated, 11 rooms and four suites filled the space, some have skylights, fireplaces or cathedral ceilings.
Today, the hotel boasts 73 guest rooms, a 24-hour fitness center, business center, gift shop, a 4,200-square-foot ballroom adjacent to the chapel, outdoor patio, and another five meeting room spaces. Guests can enjoy the five-star Harlequin Restaurant on the hotel’s lower level.
While the setting is elegant, it’s quality service that sets the Beechwood apart, notes Waxler. A full-time concierge recently joined the staff, trained with Disney to give quality service to our guest . "Our staff needs permission to say ‘no’ to a guest," he says. "We want to anticipate their needs."
Before VIPs arrive, photos circulate so staff will recognize them. Unanswered wake-up calls prompt a knock on the door. If a guest falls ill, staff bring chicken soup and ginger ale. Guests enjoy complimentary executive breakfasts, plus a manager’s reception Sunday through Thursday evenings.
Greater expectations extend to the guest rooms, which feature granite baths, two-line cordless phones, a bedside CD player with iPod mini-jack, and plenty of outlets for today’s wired world. Free high-speed internet access also means that guests working in their rooms can print documents to the front desk color printer. Calls to their room can be forwarded to their cell phones. If they need a ride to business appointments during their stay, a complimentary car service will take them up to five miles away, mornings and afternoons.
Then there are the unnoticed details. At check-in, an energy management system automatically raises room temperatures to a comfortable 70 degrees. A router in the basement boosts cell phone service levels. Sheets are washed 10 times before first use. Mattresses have pillow-top covers. And many pillow selections are offered to meet individual preferences.
"I slept with two dozen pillows," says Waxler, laughing as he recalled the extensive testing process.
Word is spreading about this high-quality facility. The Travel Channel’s "Great Escapes" program featured the Beechwood last winter, describing it as a "serene hideaway." A British luxury travel magazine praised its accommodations and recommended it as a base to explore much of New England.
And, there’s more to come. "We will continue to upgrade and add amenities to meet travelers’ needs," says Waxler. "We want to be the best of the best."
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments