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Jeff Zarrinnam, Hollywood Hotel

How Streamlining Hotel Operations CanHelp Drive SuccessFriday October 21st, 2016 ­ 8:32AM

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LOS ANGELES—Jeff Zarrinnamknows hotels and he knowsHollywood, too. He is president/CEOof Zarco Hotels, Inc., which owns the130­room Hollywood Hotel and hasbeen the hotel’s director for 22 years.

As a Hollywood native—how manycan say that?—he is also a residentexpert on Tinseltown and is deeplyinvolved in the tourism industry, fromserving as senior vice chair of theHollywood Chamber of Commerce tothe Los Angeles Convention andVisitors Bureau to board chair of theEast Hollywood BusinessImprovement District. He works withmany in the industry, exchanging andsharing ideas.

A self­described voracious readerand researcher, Zarrinnam is constantly in search of new ways to enhance the hotel’sbusiness and guest experience. Walk a mile in his shoes and you’d likely encounterhim “listening to the needs of guests and staff; looking for new or different ways ofdoing things via new products and services; and staying aligned with traveler bookingand communication trends,” said Zarrinnam.

And business is doing well, with occupancy at 90% year­round. He credits thehallmarks of hospitality, such as a central location, friendly service, value and acomplimentary hot international buffet breakfast as part of what keeps guests comingback.

“Our hotel and newly refreshed rooms are clean, quiet and intimate. Guests andlocals alike appreciate the hotel’s state­of­the­art extras and thoughtful amenitiessuch as free WiFi, on­site fitness center and open­air fountain courtyard. A uniquefeature is the Hollywood Hotel’s own comedy club, which brings all­star comedians tothe property on a weekly basis,” said Zarrinnam. “More than 50% of our guests areinternational travelers who are excited to experience Hollywood and all it has to offer.Due to renovations, the hotel’s RevPAR has increased 12% year­over­year.”

Zarrinnam is putting forth his best efforts to enhance the guest experience byembarking on a multimillion­dollar renovation of the debt­free hotel—guestrooms,public spaces and rooftop—without incurring any debt. What’s in his secret sauce? Itboils down to establishing solid efficiencies in the hotel’s operations and capitalizingon good business practices.

“Since we have owned the hotel for more than 20 years, our debt service ratio is very,very low. The Hollywood Hotel is an internationally famous hotel and is one of themost recognized of any hotel brand in the world,” he said. “With a very large repeatcustomer base comes high occupancies and consistent revenues that we can

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reinvest back into the property in increments without shutting down the property andwithout accumulating additional debt.”

To streamline hotel operations, Zarrinnam researched and then implementedtechnology that would add value and adapt the way travelers communicate while onthe road.

A few of the innovations added were:

LocalMobi parking entry system that enables digital registration of guest and visitor licenseplates so guests can prepay their parking without the need for a parking attendantGoMoment app for mobile text­based requests from guestsThree Tesla car chargers, in addition to 3 J1772 Plug chargers for any other electricvehiclesGuestbook, an instant cash­back booking program that rewards users with 5% cash backoff the lowest hotel ratesMoncierge app, where the hotel can connect their guests to on­property and off­siteinformation

“Our hotel is in constant transition due to the renovation and implementation of thenew technology and systems so I liken it to putting together a giant puzzle whoseshape changes every day,” he said. “We assign renovation teams according tounoccupied rooms or by floor and project. Some of our new operating systems areback­of­the­house and put into use without any disruption to guest service. Others areimplemented in stages and turned on when all testing has been completed.”

While new technology can help drive efficiencies, he’s careful not to lose sight of thebasics: friendly service, value and cleanliness.

“At the end of the day, our guests like a clean and quiet respite after a day ofexploring,” he said. “Our complimentary, hot international buffet breakfast is one of themost complimented aspects of our hotel on TripAdvisor because of its quality, thelevel of service in which it’s delivered and the value. It allows guests to fuel up beforethey head out for the day.”

—Corris Little

Tags: Jeff Zarrinnam • Zarco Hotels • Hollywood Hotel • Los Angeles • Hospitality •Guest Facing • Operational • Owners/Operators • More News..

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