May 31, 2010

A Closer Look Into Hotel Crime


A few weeks ago, a traveler interested in visiting the country of Grenada contacted me. The person ran across the video Exclusive Remedies Studio produced for a small luxury property on the island and inquired about the island's safety. I was intrigued because I asked myself the same question during pre-production for the video shoot.

As soon as my family learned of my travels to Grenada, they immediately inquired about the safety of the island. Americans have questioned traveling to the small island country since the 1983 U.S. led invasion called Operation Urgent Fury. Our production crew discovered it was a very pleasant and safe  place to visit.

With all of the bombings that have taken place in Indian and other middle eastern hotels, it makes you wonder how often hotel crimes occur. One of my first jobs was working the front desk of a hotel. I typically worked alone in the evenings. Though working the 3:00-11:00p.m. shift was the most desirable for me, I later found it to also be the most dangerous shift. At least the 11p.m. front desk clerk could lock the door before allowing people to walk in. I did not have that luxury.

I will never forget having a day off, only to return and learn the clerk that worked my shift was robbed at gunpoint the night before. That was enough for me. I quickly put in my notice shortly thereafter. That was not the end of my experience with hotel crime. 

Three years ago I prepaid for a vacation to watch a famous Caribbean festival. I booked it through a third party travel site. I had never done that before but it was a spur of the moment vacation and it appeared to be the best deal at the time. I visited the website, viewed the pictures, read a few reviews and hoped for the best.

Upon arrival, I knew I had made a mistake. I immediately asked for another room after seeing the first. Unfortunately, I did not even get to enjoy my new room because two Canadian women were pistol whipped and held at gunpoint just two doors down from me! I could recall hearing someone scream but just as if I was in a movie, I shook my head and told myself, "maybe it was nothing."

When I heard a soft knock and a whimpering voice outside my door five minutes later I knew I was not dreaming. Through my peephole, there she was, a terrified woman whispering for me to let her in. She and her friend had just been robbed and the men took off with their room telephone. I later learned that the men had mistakenly thought they were two other guests that had apparently stolen their drugs.

"Drugs?" I exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?" I had had enough. By the end of the week, I had been moved three times and found myself being questioned by the police in hopes that they could find the two men before it was too late. Needless to say, my vacation was ruined. I have never prepaid for another vacation through a third-party website ever again. Safety takes priority over great rates any day.

Photographs are great, but when you decide to feature your property through moving imagery such as video, consider discussing your hotel's safety procedures and features. Introduce yourself, your staff, and anything you may want to share to make your prospective guests feel comfortable. It could be the one factor that differentiates your hotel from another. Photographs are easily edited to be more appealing. Whereas, covering up imperfections on video are not. Additionally, doing so can be very expensive. How do you ensure safety  for your guest?


 
Exclusive Remedies Studio is a service-based video production company that works directly with clients to produce promotional media content to promote their business.

visit the Exclusive Remedies Studio website

Getting started is easy:

· Inquire about a production quote
· Speak with a representative
· Upon receipt of the hotel questionnaire, your project is assessed and a production quote is
  given.

May 5, 2010

Exclusive Remedies Studio Attends Re-Discover the Caribbean Show In Barbados



Exclusive Remedies Studio presented Viral Video Marketing Techniques at the 2010 Re-Discover the Caribbean show in Barbados on April 23rd and 24th. The presentation revolved solely around smart marketing techniques to help build brand awareness and reach customers directly. Attendees learned easy strategies to emphasize key selling points and how to create video content, publish, share and track it. If you are interested in learning viral video marketing techniques to help promote your resort or business, feel free to email info@exclusiveremediesstudio.com.

Adrian Loveridge, hotelier and owner of Peach and Quiet 
with ERS senior photographer, Krystle Solomon

 Sandiford Center