As a visitor to Greater Cincinnati, you likely think the claim that “bigger is better” is accurate when suites in hotels are the subject of discussion. At Garfield Suites Hotel, you will find bigger suites, according to Darren Schreiber, guest service manager for the property. The hotel is located at 2 Garfield Place, fronting Vine Street in Cincinnati’s downtown grid. The hotel also features Café Martin, where breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service are offered.
The suites at the Garfield hotel tend to be significantly larger, he said, because each suite was built on the order of a residential apartment rather than just a hotel suite. The cumulative result is more square footage and larger rooms, as well as larger kitchen and bath areas. “We get a lot of guests here who comment on the added space they enjoy in our suites, and that’s to be expected since they are a lot roomier than what you find in the average suites hotel,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber and his front-desk staff cater to business and leisure travelers alike, and guests range from singles to couples and families. The focus at the front desk is to help every type of guest fully enjoy the stay and the visit to Greater Cincinnati.
He said one of the most appreciated services offered at the front desk is the courtesy shuttle provided by Garfield Suites Hotel to help guests needing a lift. The shuttle takes guests to downtown grid locations such as Great American ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, The Banks and Over-The-Rhine entertainment districts, Findlay Market and the Union Terminal Museum Center. “Everybody likes the courtesy shuttle,” is the word from the front desk.
Trying to anticipate guest needs is central to the job at the front desk. “If a guest comes to us needing change for the hotel laundry, we’ll ask them if they need laundry soap and fabric softener sheets, and give them that as a courtesy,” he said. That kind of little extra may be why the Garfield Suites Hotel has been recipient of the Best Front Desk award offered by Cincy Magazine in area-wide competition.
Mostly, people come to the front desk wanting to know where to eat, according to Schreiber. Many more want good bar scenes, or places to take kids for special fun things to do, or good places to shop for special gifts.
“When we have information on places of interest that we can point out to guests, we do that, and they can make decisions based on that,” he said. “For us (at Garfield Suites), we are working to exceed guest expectations. If we do that, then they are going to be happy with us and with their visit.”