Quick change

GEORGE — The Holiday Inn Express in George appeared literally overnight.

“On (April) 10, we closed the transaction and then at 7 p.m. IHG, which is the brand where Holiday Inn Express comes from, gave us the green light to open the hotel,” said general manager Jed Jonathan.

The hotel, which was built in 2020, had been a Wyndham Microtel up until then. It hadn’t been listed for sale, Jonathan said, but the owner had put out a few feelers. Jonathan owned several storage businesses under the name Dream Storage. When he became interested in branching out into the hospitality sector, Jonathan reached out to a number of hotel chains looking for a franchise, he said, and IHG was the first one that called him back. IHG put him in contact with A1 Hospitality in Tri-Cities, which owned about 20 hotels. Between them, they created Dream A1 Hospitality, which is the official owner of the hotel.

“We wanted to start operating right away,” Jonathan said. “We actually had a group of 30 (guests) that day. They were filming a commercial and we told them ‘Don’t come back until 8 o’clock’ … the previous owner technically let go of all the staff under his payroll at 10 o’clock (and), we hired them back again at two o’clock.”

All of the existing staff chose to stay on, Jonathan said, but a lot of other things had to be changed in a hurry, from the signs outside and in the lobby to the parking signs to the logos on the room numbers to the kitchen appliances. The change in companies meant a change in standards as well, Jonathan said; what worked for Wyndham wouldn’t necessarily fly with IHG.

Food service was part of that, Jonathan said. Wyndham has a deal with Pepsi, but IHG serves Coca-Cola products, so the pop in the coolers changed. The coffee that does double duty for the lobby and the breakfast buffet was another. Two full-service machines that cost $15,000 apiece now grind the beans on demand and brew a fresh cup every time.

“It used to be two pump pots that the (front desk staff) would have to take in the back and replace every four hours to keep coffee hot,” he said. “Operationally, it’s a lot of work. So we ended up getting water supply and power here and now … it’s bean-to-cup. This is important for our guest experience.”

The hotel’s breakfast bar was upgraded as well, to include fresh eggs, bacon, French toast and biscuits and gravy, and a machine that creates two fresh pancakes on the spot.

“This was my kids’ favorite thing,” Jonathan said. “They were like, ‘Can we take this home, Dad?’”

One thing Jonathan really wanted to step up was security. The hotel hasn’t seen a lot of problems with crime, but nobody wanted to take chances, so the new owners installed floodlights all around to illuminate the parking lot at night. The front door now locks at night, with a little phone outside so the desk clerk can admit guests into the lobby.

“In 53 days, (there have been) no issues,” he said.

There were some basic fixer-upper jobs that needed to be taken care of as well. Previously, the hotel had only had front desk staff and housekeeping, and maintenance tended to fall between the cracks.

“What was really missing was engineering and maintenance,” Jonathan said, “so every little ding that would happen here would fall onto the housekeeping team or the front desk would get pulled into it, and it’s not efficient.”

The solution to that turned out to be Jose Contreras.

“He’s our chief engineer, our chief maintenance guy, and that one hire helped me a lot in making sure that we can keep moving at the pace of the renovations that we have to do,” Jonathan said.

Contreras’ sister worked on the front desk, and she recommended him for the job. It turned out to be a good match, he said.

“I’ve been a handyman,” he said. “All the (things) I’m doing here, I’ve done them all separately, just not for a hotel. But I’m glad to be on this team. It’s a fresh new start for all of us.”

Contreras’ son, Jonathan Serrano, works with him. Serrano doesn’t have the same level of experience in facilities maintenance, but he’s gaining it, he said.

“I’ve done a couple of things that we’ve done in the rooms, but the majority of things that I’m starting to do is a learning experience,” Serrano said.

Other than accumulated dings and spots, the hotel was in good structural shape, Jonathan said. The previous owner was also the contractor who built the hotel, and it’s passed all its inspections handily, he said.

Jonathan came to the U.S. from India in 2008 with his parents, who had $200 in their pockets, he said. He studied computer science at the University of Washington and got a job writing software for ultrasound machines. After about five years of that, he and his wife married and had a family almost as rapidly as changing over a hotel.

“We had all three kids in one year,” he said. “The oldest was born in January, and the twins were born in December. We don’t recommend that strategy.”

The three, all girls, are 8 and 9 now, he said. They’re living on the west side until school is out, and then the whole family will join Jonathan in East Wenatchee.

The Holiday Inn Express just got through its first Gorge Amphitheatre concert Memorial Day weekend and was filled to capacity.

“In the months of June, July and August, anything on this side of the mountains will probably make a little over 60% of its revenue for the whole year,” he said. “I keep telling my team, any idiot can make money with the concerts. I’m really bullish on (creating) a system where we’re getting everyone else to stay here.”

The concertgoers aren’t all the guests the hotel sees, of course. There are construction workers at various local projects, including data centers, and general I-90 traffic.

“This is the middle ground for Spokane and Seattle,” said front desk clerk Jordan Arellano. “So, this is where people like to stop.”

Despite all the other changes, the all-local staff has remained the same, with a few additions. That’s important, Jonathan said.

“It’s one thing to have a miraculous turnaround and to change the sign on the building,” he said, “but what is really at the heart of our company is to earn trust with the staff and have them believe that the change is good for this community and that they’re going to be okay in the change.”

    The pylon sign outside the George Holiday Inn Express could be changed literally overnight, but the one on the side of the building is a temporary one until the permanent signs are ready in 14-16 weeks.
  

    The breakfast buffet at the George Holiday Inn Express offers fresh pastries and rolls, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage and biscuits and gravy. So far breakfast is the only meal the hotel serves, but once the liquor license comes through and the bar can open there will be more options, said General Manager Jed Jonathan.
  

    The change in brand meant all the linens, both bath and bed, had to be upgraded, said George Holiday Inn Express General Manager Jed Jonathan. The old ones were donated, he added.