There’s an ugly fight going on involving the new downtown Hilton hotel and, for once, the ugly has nothing to do with the building’s façade.
Instead, it has everything to do with how government and business are supposed to work together. The Hilton is a classic example of a public/private partnership. But the way it’s being run is all private and that’s bad for the public.
The latest addition to the city’s skyline and tourism industry has had a rocky introduction. While the hotel touts wonderful views of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the view from the seats has been ruined. Now it’s the view from the streets that’s in question.
The Hilton created a stir when it cut an exclusive deal with Diamond Cab to pick up visitors at the brand-new, 757-room facility.
Other cab drivers protested the deal as unfair because of city involvement. Just this past week, the city shut down an exclusive taxi stand outside of the Hilton. That didn’t change the contract; it was just street cleaning. City law prevents such stands, but city fathers have taken little action to fix how public/private partnerships are supposed to behave.
Don’t blame Yellow Cab. The successful firm has aggressively pursued similar deals with other downtown hotels and has arrangements with everything from hotels to hospitals to Penn Station. The Hilton is different. It was built with a $300-million loan from the city. That raises a reasonable expectation that every company get an equal shot at business there.
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While Yellow Cab drivers get to enjoy the benefits of exclusive rights to the Hilton customers, other cab drivers are left out in the cold. High gas prices and a downturn in the economy already make it tough enough on drivers. Competing against a company that controls more than half the city’s 1,152 licensed cabs is harder still. Competing with the city is unfair.
It’s certainly not the Hilton’s fault this happened, either. Hotel leaders are doing what any business should do. They are making deals to benefit their own operation and their customers.
That’s the way business ordinarily works, anyhow. Throw in government support and you get different expectations.
It’s up to city leaders to make some taxicab confessions about how government and private business should work together going forward. We all know better than to assume they’ll fix any mistakes already made.
Since city leaders have dropped the ball, it’s up to the Hilton to do the right thing. Hotel representatives need to get with Diamond and make this issue go away. A new business doesn’t need bad public relations.
The Hilton should have a bright future, but it needs some image repairs first.
