The Trenton Times published the following article on March 19, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Trenton Marriott board, city rush to transition hotel in 90 days

By Erin Duffy/The Times of Trenton 
on March 19, 2013 at 7:30 AM, updated March 19, 2013 at 7:32 AM

TRENTON — With less than 90 days left until the Trenton Marriott’s brand and management contracts expire, the hotel board and the city must act quickly to approve contracts with new companies, hire new staff and create a new infrastructure to run the downtown facility, officials were told yesterday.

At two transition workshops yesterday, executives with the proposed new management company, Marshall Hotel & Resorts, told officials they must negotiate contracts and franchise fees, buy a new software system for the city-owned hotel, and arrange the financing for a makeover that could cost $3 million, all by June 14.

Board members, city business administrator Sam Hutchinson and City Council members listened in as firm president Michael Marshall gave a rundown of the transition timeline and the work that needs to be accomplished.

“We’re actually behind the ball,” said Scott McMahon, Marshall’s executive vice president of business development. “The process needs to begin now.”

Contracts with Marriott and Waterford Hotel Group, the hotel’s current management company, expire June 14. The Lafayette Yard Community Development Corp. board, which oversees the struggling hotel, has picked the Wyndham brand and Marshall Hotels to take over, though contracts with the two companies have yet to be signed or approved by council.

Marshall and McMahon said the city and the board need to shift into high gear to begin transitioning the hotel from a Marriott to a Wyndham or whatever brand the city decides on.

If a contract with Wyndham is not finalized by June, the hotel could operate as an independent entity — as the Trenton Hotel and Conference Center, for example — but the city and board would be on their own to run the hotel without a management company in place, they said.

“Basically, if we don’t have management in place on June 14, who runs the hotel?” board chairwoman Joyce Kersey asked.
“You do,” Marshall said.

“And none of us have any knowledge to do that,” Councilwoman Kathy McBride said.
In addition to the contracts, the hotel needs to create a new marketing strategy, hire new staff, build a new website, acquire booking information and other data from the outgoing managers and prepare to take down the Marriott signs and logos all over the building and city, all in the next three months, Marshall said.

Waterford should be managing the transition for the hotel, but that is unlikely to happen, he said.

“Quite frankly, they should be doing this, OK?” he said. “They’re contractually obligated to do this work. However, they’re lame duck. They’re going to give you a very weak effort. We’re going to get the project improvement plan finalized, going to try to solidify the franchise and go out and get financing for this.”

Contact Erin Duffy at (609) 989-5723 or eduffy@njtimes.com