Case Study

“Allowing Triple Crown to be involved in the early stages of project discussions and planning was one of the reasons why this multi-phase project was so successful.”

Chris Rapp, President

This ongoing, multi-phase project involves the renovation of the Hyatt House Herndon, a 104 guest suite extended stay hotel located near Dulles Airport and Reston Town Center in Northern Virginia. The hotel caters to guests who stay for weeks at a time, many of whom are repeat customers and some of whom have corporate employer arrangements. Minimizing the disruption of guest experience is always critical, but especially so on this project given the extended guest stays.

Here’s a quick overview of the project phases and our strategic planning:

Phase I

Phase I included the conversion of 70 tubs to showers. To minimize guest and revenue displacement, it was logistically advantageous to work vertically rather than the traditional floor-by-floor workflow. This allowed our crew access the tub/shower drain lines from the ceiling of the bathroom below. It also meant that the water shut down only impacted the rooms where we were working rather than adjacent (and potentially occupied) guestrooms.

Phase II

Phase II was a soft goods renovation in 76 guestrooms, encompassed three of the four floors of guest suites. Since Triple Crown was involved in the early planning stages of this project, we were able to offer several different pricing options, identify potential cost variances and provide solutions to best manage available funding.

Phase III

Phase III will consist of the soft goods renovations to the remaining 28 guest suites on the fourth floor and is planned for early 2018.

Triple Crown successfully managed three primary challenges on this project:

• Maintaining a solid relationship with the hotel operations team and the ownership group is a top priority for any multi-phase project.
• Minimizing guest disruption and allowing maximum suite availability to satisfy the demands of an extended stay hotel.
• Replacing the water riser valves which was an unexpected but necessary addition to the conversion project.

Hyatt House - Herndon Before

Hyatt House - Herndon After

Triple Crown had the unique opportunity to work with the General Manager who is also a partner in the Ownership Group. The GM/partner has a long history in hospitality industry and has been through many renovations. Given his wealth of knowledge and experience, we worked very closely with him to meet his expectations as both manager and owner.

During initial meetings with the ownership group and their team, the Triple Crown team shared our knowledge and recommendations for sequencing and scheduling. We provided front end pricing for the soft goods renovation phase and contributed to overall planning, including identifying potential cost variances and recommending plan modifications to minimize any budget impact. Triple Crown also offered solutions to help manage the budget, such as a scope reduction and splitting off the top floor’s renovation as a separate phase the following year.

After successful completion of Phases I and II, client expectations have been met and those portions of the project were closed out on schedule and on budget. Allowing Triple Crown to be involved in the early stages of project discussions and planning was one of the reasons why this multi-phase project was so successful. Triple Crown recommends collaboration and conversations with all project partners before final plans are approved to get realistic budget numbers and timelines.

Triple Crown is able to consistently deliver projects on time and on budget by adhering to a carefully planned schedule while using our expertise, high quality workmanship, and open communication to proactively identify issues and offer solutions. Triple Crown is a hospitality renovation company built on a mission, where our people are your partners. This is Partner-Grade.