Original Article by The Business Journal

Miller Time Pub & Grill has a new chef, new menu and new design as it rebrands itself to focus even more on beer.

The pub in the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave., introduced the changes last week and will hold a grand reopening block party May 16. The Marcus Corp., owner of the downtown hotel and restaurant, plans to open a second Miller Time Pub at its new Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Neb., in August and is considering other locations, according to a news release.

Chef Anthony Lemons, a Wisconsin native who has worked in pubs in England and Scotland, is now head chef. He has introduced a menu that focuses heavily on beer pairings, with a MillerCoors beer suggestion for each item. The menu is heavy on burgers but also includes salads, sandwiches and other entrees.

The pub’s general manager has been trained as a cicerone, an official certification program for beer experts. The rest of the wait staff have received certified beer server status, the release said. The beer menu focuses not just on traditional Miller products but also on its imports and products from its craft brewing division, Tenth and Blake Beer Co.

The pub will hold a block party from 5:30 to 10 p.m. May 16 on Fifth Street between Michigan and Wisconsin avenues. The event includes free food and beer samples until 7:30 p.m. and a build-your-own burger bar. The band Uprising will play at 8:30 p.m.

One possibility for a new Miller Time Pub location is The Corners of Brookfield, the Von Maur-anchored retail and housing development Marcus has proposed in the town of Brookfield. Renderings of the project have included a Miller Time Pub, although the company hasn’t confirmed that it will be included in The Corners. Chris Anderson, spokesman for Marcus Hotels & Resorts, said the company hasn’t ruled out putting the pub in the development.

May 2, 2013 | OnMilwaukee.com

Miller Time Pub & Grill will have a new concept that will offer “a comfortable, neighborhood social spot while paying homage to its beer-inspired roots.”

The core of the concept is to pair beer and food. Certified cicerones (beer experts) will be available to help guests find perfect beer pairings for every menu selection.

The expanded menu features a variety of specially crafted burgers, along with lighter salads, hearty entrees including crab cakes, fish, chicken, steak and a selection of desserts.

The restaurant, in partnership with brewer MillerCoors, offers more than 25 draft options and over 50 brands of beers in a variety of growlers, yards or flights. Miller Time Pub & Grill also offers a beer of the month, happy-hour drafts, beer dinners and beer flights.

“The enhanced Miller Time Pub & Grill concept is about making memories in a comfortable, neighborhood restaurant with great food and great beer – all at a great price,” said Chris Anderson, senior vice president, sales, marketing and brand development for Marcus Hotels & Resorts.

The new concept will feature MillerCoors décor, including a collection of  memorabilia and artifacts, photos and vintage ads, as well as a retail area. The restaurant also features a High Life Lounge area with seating for group gatherings and a variety of live entertainment.

Marcus Hotels & Resorts revealed the new Miller Time Pub & Grill concept at the restaurant’s original location at the Hilton Milwaukee. The company plans to open its second restaurant location at The Cornhusker, A Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Neb., in August.

Checking In: Summer holidays

by Katarina Kovacevic

This summer the landmark Grand Geneva Resort & Spa turns 45, and they’re celebrating in a big way! The resort is unveiling select Sunday night stays for just $45, available to the first 45 people who book and also offering “throwback” pricing on select activities that reflect 1968 prices (when Grand Geneva opened). Other amenities at the 1, 300-acre resort include two golf courses, a waterpark, and a number of fitness classes like Zumba and rock climbing. Rates start at $179 per night.

Fore!

Explore Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Original Article for Yelp.com

No doubt! Yelp’s Beer Goggle Masquerade at Miller Time Pub & Grill in the heart of downtown MKE made for a super-goofy, wicked-fun elite-tastic party this past Wednesday night. Elites and their guests mixed and mingled over complimentary beers – MTP&G boasts a great craft brew selection on tap! – and a stellar burger bar, which featured fixins galore. (With over 20 unique burgers on their menu, Miller Time let yelpers choose their own adventure with toppings such as bleu cheese, giardinaria, and oh-so-much more. And the hot wings… those wings, you guys!)

After playing catch-up with friends new and old, it was onto the business portion of the evening… beer-goggle making, “Iron Chef”-style! Nine teams of 5-6 Yelpers had five minutes to craft up to three pairs of beer goggles, and the results? Pretty dang hilarious; we had monocoles, we had multiple mustaches, we had turkey goggles and super-fab feather laden creations… the list goes on. (See below, y’all!)

Net Promoter Score

NPS is a loyalty metric that measures how likely a guest is to recommend a product or service. At Timber Ridge, the most common complaints are tracked and discussed on a weekly basis. The current top five issues (that we can control), serve as a topic for discussion every month. Some of these topics become themes for the entire resort staff to improve on – allowing the issue to disappear completely from the list of recurring issues in many cases.

Because Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark consists of 225 condominium suites, a 50,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor waterpark, a 3,000-square-foot arcade, a 3,500-square-foot ballroom and Smokey’s Bar-B-Que House restaurant, there is a wide range of areas and departments where we need to measure and monitor customer service.

The NPS scoring system seeks to measure customer loyalty based on an easy question format: How likely is a guest to recommend “X.” The response options range from zero (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). We ask our guests three simple questions immediately following their stay while their experience is still top-of-mind:

How likely are you to recommend our rooms?
How likely are you to recommend our waterpark?
How likely are you to recommend Smokey’s?

Responses are then categorized into the following segments:

Promoters: Responses range from 9-10
Neutrals: Responses range from 7-8
Detractors: Responses range from 0-6

To achieve the NPS, the percentage of detractors is subtracted from the percentage of promoters. For example, 100 promoters, 30 passives and 80 detractors equates to a NPS of 20 percent (100 – 80 = 20). This means there are 20 percent more promoters than detractors.

To further illustrate, suppose your hotel spoke with 1000 guests and collected the following results:

The overall scoring system ranges from negative 100 to positive 100 and is always shown as an integer.

From the period beginning June 1, 2012, to date, we achieved a 51.19 percent NPS. This number is not easy to achieve considering the amount of neutrals and detractors that can crop up on a daily basis.

NPS Advantages

There are several advantages to the NPS measurement system:

• The NPS system is simple to understand and we are able to collect data directly from our customers on a daily basis.
• Instead of delivering a survey of 90 questions, we allow guests the opportunity to discuss their issues in a simple three-question format. As a result, we have been able to collect eight percent more surveys each year, enabling our resort to continue to provide the top-quality services our guests expect.
• The measurement system focuses on quality over quantity. By asking only three questions, guests are able to address their issues quickly – would they recommend us, or wouldn’t they and why?
• For each question, they are also able to expand on their rating by providing additional comments, giving us an in-depth look at specific issues and areas of strength and/or improvement.
• NPS results trace directly back to our guests’ room and phone number. We can contact them immediately if they leave a vague comment about being dissatisfied with their experience to learn more about their concerns and take a proactive role in addressing the issue.

NPS at Work

Over the past year, Timber Ridge has achieved a 25 percent increase in our NPS. How did we do this successfully? Below are a few examples taken from actual reports in the past year:

Example 1: Sofa Beds

Earlier in the year, we noticed a unifying theme in our room ratings. Guests were continually rating the rooms low because the sofa beds were uncomfortable. After several of the same complaints, we presented a case to the resort’s owners using tangible guest feedback collected through NPS. After discussing the numerous complaints, the owners purchased new sofa beds and the issue was resolved.

Example 2: Waterpark

Another reason NPS has worked so well for our resort is that it allows us to address specific issues with our staff on an ongoing basis. In one instance, we began noticing a common trend popping up across our waterpark recommendations. We have over 70 lifeguards employed at Timber Ridge, and in training, our lifeguards are told to take their job very seriously and that their primary responsibility is to watch the water to make sure that our guests have the safest experience possible.

We started to get feedback from our customers on a regular basis that our lifeguards seemed “aloof.” From this feedback, we were able to open the door for conversation with our lifeguard team about this issue. Knowing that our lifeguards are committed associates, we reinforced the importance of their job, but also emphasized that we are in the hospitality business and need to please our customers by being friendly and accommodating as well. After this discussion, we began seeing a very positive change in waterpark feedback. Comments about unengaged lifeguards turned into comments about how polite and helpful our staff was. Here’s an example: “Everyone was extremely helpful. My wife and I were surprised at how accommodating everyone was, including the young kids who can sometimes be disrespectful. All staff was pleasant.”

Example 3: Restaurant Menu

We can also learn how customers perceive our restaurant menu through the NPS system. About a year ago, we offered a lunch and dinner menu. Both menus were very similar and there was not much variety between the two. In reviewing our guest feedback forms, we noticed guests began commenting that our menus needed improvement, we were lacking variety in our offerings and that the lunch items were a bit pricey. To solve this issue, we worked with our chef to create a separate lunch menu that offered greater variety and healthier options at a lower price point.

While the changes to the new lunch menu were met with success, not all changes receive the same positive feedback. For example, when we changed our brisket and pizza crusts, our guests let us know immediately that these changes were not welcomed. We were able to quickly catch guest’s negative feedback and make adjustments to those menu items to improve our standards.

Example 4: Unsolicited Feedback

Using the NPS system, we can also monitor unsolicited feedback. For example, at Timber Ridge, we employ several mascots to enhance the family-friendliness feel of the resort. Bruce the Moose, one of our mascots, started greeting families in the lobby area during heavy arrival times. Not long after Bruce began greeting guests, we noticed comments on our customer feedback forms about how much they enjoyed having a mascot greet them at arrival. As a result, we put this positive feedback to use and now have our mascots not only greeting guests, but walking around the waterpark and restaurants, attending events and participating in many more activities, providing entertainment throughout the resort.

Is NPS Right for You?

As every hotelier looks to find the right guest service measurement tool for their property, there are many considerations to consider. The size of your property can be one consideration. Also, numbers are an important part of the NPS measuring system and there is a lot of time that goes into understanding the numbers. It’s not enough to simply collect the data. Collecting data for the sake of data does no hotelier any good. At Timber Ridge, we view our daily NPS reports as a progress report. How did we do today? How can we improve? How can we be better tomorrow? We share our scores with our entire team (when appropriate) so that change can be implemented across the property, from restaurant managers and servers to the housekeeping staff and the lifeguard team.

While NPS continues to be a work-in-progress, it is a constant reminder that our ultimate success lies in how our resort is perceived in the minds of our customers.

Using NPS we have been able to improve our operations by:

• Contacting guests in a timely manner to clarify or expand upon survey feedback
• Determine why guests feel the way they do about our rooms, waterpark and Smokey’s
• Track changes over time
• Correct major or recurring issues and capitalize on strengths
• Build positive relationships with our guests in all three groups (promoters, neutrals and detractors)
• Understand our guests’ perceptions of our resort to determine if they would recommend our resort to others

We will continue using NPS to reduce the daily number of detractors, with the long-term goal of turning those detractors into promoters. By measuring the number of promoters, neutrals and detractors, we are able to track common issues, manage to those issues and achieve meaningful results to foster a customer service culture that keeps guests coming back to Timber Ridge.

Leslie Johnson is general manager of Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark in Lake Geneva, Wis. Managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS). Ms. Johnson joined Marcus Hotels & Resorts in 2008 as director of restaurant sales and promotions, where she oversaw the management teams and organizational systems for the company’s Milwaukee-area restaurants. Most recently, she served as director of rooms at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. Prior to joining Marcus Hotels & Resorts, she spent 12 years in various positions within the hospitality industry focused on catering and marketing.

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.

Milwaukee’s Spring Gallery Night & Day took place on Friday and Saturday (April 19 & 20), and Third Coast Daily was all over the city capturing the highlights. The quarterly event marked the opening of many new shows (at locations including the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, Sky High Gallery, Katie Gingrass Gallery and Tory Folliard Gallery), served as the welcome reception for the Pfister Artist-in-Residence Stephanie Barenz and coincided with Kenilworth’s annual Open House on Saturday.

We hope you enjoyed Spring Gallery Night & Day as much as we did. The next official Gallery Night will be July 26, but arts lovers can also look forward to Bay View Gallery Night on May 31.

The historic Pfister® Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, which is owned and managed by Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, has completed renovations and opened a new Pfister Club Lounge for overnight guests. Located on the 23rd floor of the hotel’s tower, it showcases expansive views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan.

“We’re thrilled to offer our guests additional benefits when staying at The Pfister,” said Chris Anderson, senior vice president of sales, marketing and brand development for Marcus Hotels & Resorts. “The Pfister Club Lounge gives guests another great space in which to work, connect with colleagues, or just relax and grab a bite to eat, while taking in an amazing view.”

The exclusive Pfister Club Lounge will be open continuously from Sunday evenings to Friday evenings. With an atmosphere similar to a home library, it includes a fireplace, bookshelves, comfortable seating and workstations for individuals and small groups, Wi-Fi Internet access, printers, and televisions for monitoring the day’s events. Pfister Club Lounge guests can enjoy breakfast each morning, snacks and beverages throughout the day, and hors d’oeuvres in the evening. A “Club Concierge” attendant will assist Club Lounge guests, providing the high level of customer service for which The Pfister Hotel is known.

Guests who reserve rooms in the upper floors of the tower side of the hotel are automatically granted Club access. Hotel guests may alternatively choose to upgrade their room reservation to include Pfister Club Lounge access for any room type within the hotel for a nominal fee.

Closely following the Club Lounge renovation will be the addition of a brand-new, high-tech executive boardroom, also on the 23rd floor. Following completion of work on the 23rd floor, a renovation of the hotel’s 176 tower guest rooms is slated to begin in fall 2013.

For more information on the latest news and updates from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, please visit: https://media.marcushotels.com.

About The Pfister Hotel
Built in 1893, The Pfister Hotel has been the premier downtown Milwaukee hotel for more than a century, and continues to celebrate a tradition of gracious service and impeccable style; 2013 will mark the hotel’s 120th year as an icon in Milwaukee. The Pfister Hotel was purchased in 1962 by Ben Marcus, who vowed to renovate the distinguished hotel to its original beauty. Significant renovations were completed and a new 23-story guest room tower was built. In fall 2012, The Marcus Corporation celebrated its 50th year of ownership of the property.

Home to the largest collection of Victorian art of any hotel in the world, The Pfister is a AAA Four-Diamond property with membership in two of the industry’s leading organizations: Historic Hotels of America and Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The Pfister Hotel is located at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee. More information and updates on the hotel can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thePfisterHotel and on Twitter (@PfisterHotel).

About Marcus Hotels & Resorts
Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), owns and/or manages 20 hotels, resorts and other properties in 11 states. A force in the hospitality industry, Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides expertise in management, development and historical renovations. The company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of properties including city-center meeting hotels, upscale resorts and branded first-class hotels. For more information, please visit www.marcushotels.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@MarcusHotels).