Concierge Marketing Assignment
20% of total course grade
Selection of NYC Attraction is Due Before Class Begins, Week 9
Written Assignment is Due in Class, Week 12
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Task
Consider all that New York has to offer visitors and New Yorkers alike. Consider also places in New York that you have never visited but would like to explore; perhaps a museum, an art gallery, a park, a sports arena, a restaurant and so much more. Make a list of these places. Then choose one to visit considering
1) significance to the culture of New York
2) the attraction’s point of difference
3) the target demographic of the attraction.
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After your site visit write an essay describing
1) it’s significance to the culture of NY
2) what makes the attraction unique
3) who is the target demographic
4) examples of hospitality you witnessed
5) areas of improvement in guest service
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Role and Audience
You are the Concierge of an upscale hotel in Manhattan; you will use your research to communicate to your guests about NYC attractions.
Format
Assignment selections
- Post your essay on OpenLab under NYC Attraction Submission
Written portion, 2 page essay
- APA format and standards, proper grammar, sentence structure, spelling…
- Minimum of two credible references
- Exhibit the ability to evaluate the importance of the tourist attraction or historically significant location to the New York City hospitality industry
- Provide evidence of the importance of employees as a part of the product and how an employee influences the guest’s experience.
Oral presentation
- Students will share their experience with the class
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this assignment, students will be able to:
- Discuss scope of the hospitality and tourism industry
- Gather information from observation in regard to the hospitality industry from a local, national and global perspective
- Evaluate and examine hotel classifications
- Engage in high impact and industry specific written and oral communication
HMGT 1101
NYC Attraction Assignment
Yanina Filipova
One World Trade Center and Freedom Tower
For us, people of 20/21 century , living in America , the history of our times has divided for “before 9/11” and after. For us, and for the whole world, September 11 became a tragedy that nobody can ever forget. People who lost their loved ones, their parents and children , who didn’t even have their remaining, that they could bury and who didn’t have a place to come and connect with those who left, they now can come to this amazing memorial and the freedom tower to bring flowers and be closer to whoever they lost. This place is energetically dense , it has a lot of grief and feelings yet a visitor who wants to experience and know real New York can not neglect it.
Soaring to a symbolic 1,776 feet — it is the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building, WTC tallest as well and already an iconic New York. It opened in October 2014 and was build by the same architects as Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It has 104 floors and 3 million rentable square space. The cubic base of the building has a footprint identical to the original Twin Towers. The surface of the base is clad in more than 2,000 pieces of shimmering prismatic glass. Tower’s edges form a perfect octagon at center and culminates as a glass square at the top. It is made this way so the light hitting from each side during the day retracts in different sides like a kaleidoscope .
The “One World Observatory” — opening 2015 — is an enclosed observation deck rising 1,250 ft. above street level. There is a horizontal beam of light that can be seen miles away enlightening every night with it coming from the building.
The tower itself, the observatory, the memorial of 9/11 and the attached buildings, one of them which is a mall with a unique architectural design ,built by a famous futuristic architect Santiago Calatrava, constitute one of a kind tourist attraction that would be of interest to any demographics really . Anyone of any age will find their point of interest here. It combines history , technology, art , design, amazing views of the city ,interactive plays and even shopping and dining.
As my personal recommendations for a NY guest ,visiting it is a truly amazing and one of a kind experience . Just the elevator itself will make one dizzy , going up so fast yet revealing NY historical terrain with a 3d graphics that will leave you speechless at the top already. You want to start filming before the door closes. Trust me! Once you are up there , it is fascinating. The best time to visit is a sunset , since you could see how light is changing and reflecting in buildings and bridges of New York from above , 360 degrees. You could then see how it gets dark and how slowly everything illuminates changing a daily life to a night magic .
Definitely one of the most modern and most meaningful and very different experience of NY.
Yanibel Medina
11/15/2017
Perspective in Hospitality Management
Prof. Akana
HMGT 1101
Central Park
There are many places and areas in New York that holds a lot of history and meaning to our people and visitors from across the world. One popular area of attraction is Central Park. Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. The significant culture it has in New York goes above and beyond. The creation of Central Park was influenced by other international landscapes from London and Paris. During the process of making Central Park the city of New York had to acquire over 800 acres of land. It has a huge impact in the culture of  New York due to its diversity.
People from all over the city and world visit daily which also plays into a community based area that welcomes everyone and anyone. The attraction point of difference grabs many people’s attention and majority of them are tourist. These are people from different countries that are aware of the the history and beauty of Central Park who come to visit and experience it. What makes the attraction so unique is that it’s not just a park , it’s a way of observing the bondings between different ethnicities as well as the activities that are available. A fascinating perk of Central Park is that they also include a skating rink , a zoo , museums, etc.The target demographic of Central Park brings all people of different ages.
An example of hospitality I witnessed during my visit was a bird house in which a worker of there briefly discussed about the types of birds they have , the country of origin and their natural habitat. Another one that is similar is the Central Park Zoo which was one of my favorites because of the service they provided and a knowledgeable way to learn about animals. Yet again a reason why it is populated with so many people which brings meaning to the city of New York. It’s a unique one of a kind attraction that is special.
As a concierge of a hotel in Manhattan I will suggest Central Park as an attraction to all tourist from across the world. The experience will feel fresh and they will have the availability to learn about the background history of the area. This will make them feel apart of the community which leads to good reputation of the area. More and more people will  to visit and history will continue grow. A good way to assure the welcoming towards anyone.
During my visit to Central Park I learned many ways it impacts the culture of New York and the unique attraction it brings. This for sure was a good experience and i will definitely recommend the area to anyone who loves to do physical activities or learn about the background of Central Park along with the city itself.
Chrest Laza
HGMT 1101
11/16/17
Professor Akana
Citi Field
Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. Located in 123-01 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11368. With the 7 train being right in front of the stadium this is how most fans arrive to this beauty stadium. The ceremonial ground breaking was on November 13 2006. With that taking over 2 years to get it built completely. Before Citi Field, the Mets were at Shea Stadium, on the 3rd base side of Citi Field now where the parking lot is. With Citi Fields seating capacity at 41,922 its perfect for anyone to attend from obviously Mets fans/ baseball fans to anyone who never has been there to see. Citi Field/Mets are a significant thing to New York because the Mets have been around since 1962 so they have a place in the hearts of many New Yorkers. They have won 2 World Series (1969,1986) and whenever they play the Yankees, the city tunes inn to see who comes up on top.
So many things make Citi Field a must visit next spring. When riding the 7 train to flushing you look out the window and you see the whole stadium. When you get out of the train station and you look up the first thing you see is the big letter on top of the stadium “Citi Field” from that you also see all the American flags flying. You will also see a huge apple right before entering, this apple was the old home run apple from Shea Stadium. Whenever a Mets player it a home run the apple will rise for 30 seconds. The Mets also have one inside at Center Field. As you walk around the outside of the stadium you will see bricks on the floor with special messages from Mets fans which they purchased. As you go onto the 3rd base side of the stadium and walk to the parking lot you can see where all the bases were exactly located from Shea Stadium. This is nice because you see kids and adults running all around like their favorite players used too. As you walk into the stadium through home plate you walk into the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. This rotunda is giving honor to Mr. Robinson for breaking barriers in the game of baseball. Also you will see a big 42 with his feet imprint. There is also the mets museum where you can find so many memorabilia from world series trophies to game used items. As you go up you see the beautiful stadium. Fans can enter 90 minutes before the game starts so you can watch batting practice, this is a great chance to interact with the players and get autographs and pictures. If you take kids you should go to Center Field as they have games for kids to play batting cages, dunk tank, video games. Also visit the bullpen on the right field side as 15 minutes before the game starts you can see both starting pitchers warming up and just see how they prepare how hard they throw and hear the pop of the catcher’s mitt.
The hospitality is amazing at Citi Field is great especially if you are in a suite. When you are in one of these suites all food and non-alcoholic beverages are free. The staff is very friendly always asking if everything is good asking if they can help you with anything. The greeters outside always have a smile and ready to take questions. I don’t see any reason to complain about guest service they are always friendly.
So if you haven’t been to Citi Field go in 2018 take a friend grab some food and keep an eye out for all the things I mentioned to get the full experience. And one more thing if you going to go get shake shack make sure you ready to wait for a long time because everyone wants that.
http://mlb.mlb.com/nym/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=by_the_numbers
Brandon Prince
HMGT 1101
Concierge Market Assignment
Luna Park
What if I told you, that deep within the southernmost part of Brooklyn lies a place where memories are made, thrill seekers can find death-defying rides, foodies can find fresh seafood and carnival treats, and all at an affordable price, would you believe me? Although this sounds like a fantasy, there’s a place that was absent at the start of the 21st century but has returned in 2010. Luna Park, New York City’s largest amusement park. This wonderland stands out as the centerpiece of Coney Island.
Long before European settlers arrived in what we today call Coney Island, it was known to the Lenape Indians as the “land without shadows.” The Dutch had renamed the island Konijen Eiland, translated to “Rabbit Island”, because of the large population of small mammals that overpopulated the coastline. Over time the location played an important role in the rise of Coney Island as a popular New York City tourist destination. Coney Island was easily accessible since it was like Brooklyn’s southern waterfront, and Manhattan was only a few miles east of Coney Island so it presented a getaway location for the fast-growing population in the 1800’s. While New York City was rapidly growing the world was watching the cosmopolitan uprising, so Coney Island being the nearest located getaway gained allot of attention. It was this moment where the insertion of amusement parks capitalized on the opportunity to piggyback off the success of their neighbor island. In 1903 three amusement parks opened in Coney Island. Sea-Lion Park was the first, then Steeplechase Park, followed by the iconic Luna Park.
What makes Luna Park unique today are the historical rides that also serve as landmarks. The world-famous Cyclone is still going strong 87 years after its debut. Owned by the City of New York and operated by Luna Park, the Cyclone is a New York City landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest operational ride is the Wonder Wheel, built in 1920 and granted official New York City Landmark status in 1989. Today, the serves a centerpiece of Luna Park. At 150 feet tall featuring 24 enclosed cars, 16 of which are not fixed and slide in and out on the rails as the wheel rotates, the Wonder Wheel retains all of the unique charm that first made it famous.
My trip to Luna park was just as refreshing as the first time I went. The air was filled with the sounds of carnival games and the screams of thrill seekers. As you walk around looking for where you want to begin unraveling all the excitement the park has to offer, you’re more than likely to be called upon by one of the employees trying to tempt you to test your luck at the game their operating. While some may find this annoying, it just happens to be one of the things I enjoyed immensely. Nothing the employees say is scripted, so they use only their personality and sweet talk to entice contestants in games that are nearly impossible to win. The hospitality that I’ve seen shown within these employees runs deep. They know these games set up for the player to almost never win, so sometimes depending on the attempts a person takes or if they seem down or depressed over their loss; the prize is given to them anyways. This extreme compassion isn’t shared throughout all the staff, but what they all share in common is the ability to make every person feel important when it came to answering any questions. I even took it upon myself to ask certain employees “dumb questions” and each question was handled respectfully and I was given a solution to each of my problems. Luna Park is an amazing place where everyone should visit at least once if you live in New York City.
Tania Garcia
11/10/12
Museum of Modern Art
For my project, I chose to go to the Museum of Modern Art. This is one of the most visited art museums in New York. In a city that is always bustling and moving at a fast pace, a place like this really magnifies the beauty of silence and art. This museum attracts people of all ages; in my visit, I saw elders with their grandchildren stunned by paintings from Picasso and Van Gogh. This museum really is for anyone who loves art and can understand the beauty of it. Talking to the employees there they made it clear that the most popular and favorite part of the museum is the 5th floor. On this floor, they have on display famous paintings from famous artists. Starry Night being the most well-known painting and coveted in the museum. One of the most interesting floors in my opinion is the sixth floor, which is modern fashion. In this city fashion is everywhere; so, when the museum has a whole section for that it shows how there’s art everywhere in this city. From architecture to graffiti on the walls this city is filled with art. While the place is beautiful on its own the hospitality doesn’t fall to far behind. From the beginning, I was greeted with a warm welcome and noticed they wouldn’t discriminate. When I mean discriminate I mean they didn’t seem to respond differently to people on how they were dressed or how they look. When I got to the ticket area they had different options, one in which you can purchase them on a machine and where you can purchase them with a person. They also had a section for coat check in which can be helpful for guests. They also had a hearing device that give you a tour of the museum and describes certain paintings and their origin that can be helpful for those who really want to understand the art. My personal experience was great, from the beginning I was let in for free because I was the first customer of the cashier. The ticket for a student is normally 14 dollars which isn’t much but it was a nice touch. Going around the museum employees told me their favorite paintings and why they loved it making me feel extremely comfortable in the museum. Areas they need to improve on is the service in the café and little shops on each floor. The employees working in that section could be very dry in attitude and not be welcoming to certain guests. Since they were trying to rush I felt as if their priority was to get me out of there quickly instead of making sure I was completely satisfied. Overall I will be visiting again and will recommend
Nicaury Espinal
HMGT 1101
Prof. Walker
11/14/17
The Oculus
The Oculus Shopping Mall is a very interesting place to go. This mall was opened on March 3,2016, and it’s located at the World Trade Center right across from where the twin Towers use to be. It has over 100 stores and restaurants, but it also connects to many train lines such as the A, C, J, Z, R, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This magnificent looking structure was set to resemble a dove leaving a child hand and it is right next to the famous 9/11 memorial. At the top of the structure there’s a very narrow slice of glass that lets the audience see a piece of the Freedom Tower that is right across from it.
This structure is set to have cost around four billion dollars, double the amount that it was initially set to be. That in my opinion, it should’ve been used in something a little more necessary. This structure is also supposed to serve as an attraction for tourist that come to New York from all around the world. Some information provided by “The New Yorker” is that in the time that the Oculus was open there has already been two very terrible accidents. One was a young woman who fell to her death by accident, the second was a man that attempted suicide but survived. In my opinion, it seems like it’s a dangerous place because people who just want to end their lives.
For the people who go through the oculus every day, it is a good and bad experience because the space is filled with high end stores, and some people are just looking for a place to hang out and grab a cheap sandwich. These are stores that some people who can’t afford, which causes the mall to be a little empty from time to time. Some of the stores available are Dior, Breitling, and Penhaligon’s, the store that usually brings in a lot of people when a new product comes out would be Apple. It was a great experience going to a place that I’ve never seen before, it kind of made me see it from the tourist’s point of view, and how it makes New York an even more united place that anyone has known.
Sophia Mahrach
HMGT1101
Prof.Walker
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
There is a plethora of artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and some that represent American History. I was really amazed by all the art, but the two artifacts that I thought were very interesting during the period was the stove used in the nineteenth century in New York and a painting by Jasper Francis Crapsey.
The stove artifact was created by Francis S. Low and John S. Lake. It came from Albany, New York in 1844 and was made with cast iron. Cast iron was very well known in Albany and Albany manufactured in that as well. American designs were inspired by Greek and Roman design and cultures and this stove represented that style. This was a luxurious piece of art and was inside fashionable halls and or parlors. The stove was more of a fashionable statement than of an efficient function, however the stove shows the industrial revolution throughout American History. As the middle class emerged, the people in this class would be able to afford luxury things and activities, so this serves as a purpose to decorate the leisure activities that middle class people would do. The stove was all black in color and small in size, but has an eagle sculpture on top on the stove. The eagle would ensure that it was an American artifact.
The other piece of art that I thought was relevant and interesting to American history was a painting by Jasper Francis Cropsey made in 1865. It is called “The Valley of Wyoming” This was made just as the Civil War was at its end which was another revolutionary time in history. The painting consisted of a wide, large valley with many mountains and less trees. It has a blue sky with white clouds and a ray of sunshine in the middle of the painting. There are also houses shown near the front of the painting and the rear. I can only see two people farming in the painting with a few animals. This painting displays the positive and good side of America. Cropsey created this piece to show his hopes for the future. He wants a happy and pristine society for the settlers in this valley. Cropsey was aware of the massacre in 1778 with the settlers who first came to Wyoming and he thought of their struggle during the Revolutionary War. With the Civil War ending at the same time as this painting, Cropsey takes all of the events that occurred during history and tries to create a humble and fortunate society with this painting. First it was the settlers during the Revolution and then it was the enslaved African Americans that were fighting for their freedom. In hopes that the African Americans get their freedom, Cropsey tries to depict a society where America improves and becomes great with production and people working together.
Overall, visiting the museum was a good experience because I was able to see real objects from the past. Knowing what the people used at that time period and trying to see everything from their perspective really makes one engaged in their time period.
Lisa Torres
Prof. Akana
Perspectives In Hospitality Management
NYC Attraction Assignment
Apollo Theater
Located on 125th st in Harlem, NY is a music hall mainly for African-American performers. It all started with the Showtime at the Apollo, a TV series that presented new talent from 1987 to 2008, and totaling 1,093 episodes. The Apollo Theater first opened in 1914, and is still open today. It was built by Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon, two burlesque theatre operators and opened as Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater. When the Apollo Theater first opened it was only open to whites. In 1934, it then became open to blacks. The Apollo Theater is so important because it launched the careers of James Brown and the Jacksons. Jimi Hendrix, the Jackson 5, Ella Fitzgerald, the Isley brothers, Patti LaBelle, Lauryn Hill, and Gladys Knight. These are all people where their career started at the Apollo Theater. This is why it is so significant to NYC’s people. Billie Holiday appeared at the Apollo Theater about 30 times during her supremacy. The Apollo Theater is the most famous performance venue associated with African American entertainers. 1.3 million visitors. Visiting the Apollo Theater, I had a great experience. Workers were super friendly and helpful. When I got there one of the workers was outside and ready to give me any information I wanted. He automatically started telling me some of its history and what it is like working in the Apollo Theater. Great experience will definitely love to visit again just to see and admire the beauty and history of the Apollo Theater.