For Brett Orlando, a hotel stay is about far more than clean sheets and a place to shower.
“I think my most favorite thing is creating an experience,” said the 35-year-old general manager of the Palomar Hotel in Dupont Circle. “I like creating something for the traveler. Some say it’s [just] your home away from home, but it’s an experience. And it’s the fine little details that make the experience.”
Orlando has spent the last year getting all of those little details in order for the Sept. 14 grand opening of The Palomar — the latest hipster boutique hotel from San Francisco-based hospitality company Kimpton Hotels to open in the District.
Like the six other Kimpton hotels in the city, the Palomar has unique touches, many of which Orlando and his team conceived.
Inspired by the hotel’s “Art in Motion” theme, Orlando recruited the Washington Ballet to train the hotel’s staff on posture and panache and the D.C. Improv to work with the staff on interacting with guests. There is a pet-loyalty program, which takes the Kimpton’s pet-friendly policy to a whole new level, and includes personalized birthday cards for pets on their birthday. For human guests, the hotel’s loyalty program includes stocking favorite magazines and snacks in guest rooms.
Orlando comes to The Palomar after 10 years in New York City’s ultra-competitive, high-end hotel market. The move to Washington — and more specifically to the Palomar’s Dupont Circle address — provides something of a break from his previous lifestyle, he said.
“Your heartbeat is always a little faster [in New York City] but here your heart beats normally,” Orlando said.
“We wanted to create a fun, relaxed environment and Dupont
Circle lends itself to that.”
BRETT ORLANDO
BUSINESS
»Current job: General Manager, Hotel Palomar
»Last job: General Manager, Royalton Hotel
»Number of e-mails a day: 100+
Number of voice mails a day: 25
»Essential Web site: Google
»Best perk: Working for a company that cares about its employees (the free rooms and around the country also helps)
»Gadgets: iPod
»Education/credentials: BS
»First job: Bus boy in high school
»Original aspiration: airline pilot
»Compensation: gets me by
»Career objective: run the company
PERSONAL
»Date of Birth: 04/16/71
»Hometown: Coral Springs, Fla.
»Sports/hobbies: like football, biking, running, anything outdoors, mowing the lawn/yard work
»Transportation: hate my car… looking for a new one
»Favoriterestaurant: don’t have one yet, but, love Filaminos in Georgetown
»Computer: HP laptop
»Favorite clothier: Ralph Lauren
»Vacation spot: anywhere where it’s sunny
»Role model: former me allows, John Grisham
»Worst fear: letting my family
