The Graves Awaits You
Le Meridien takes a new name. Yeah, I don't care either, but the article features this creepy passage which demonstrates how the Bush economy is misallocating its resources:
"We're not snotty about it by any means, but that's the level we're going to be playing at," Graves said. "We provide an experience. ... You're in an oasis, and it provides you all the amenities you'd have if you had a domestic staff that didn't end."
Graves said there's a strong demand for such experiences.
"There's more discretionary dollars in the marketplace now than there's ever been with the accumulation of wealth, time and interest in travel. It's one of the leisure activities that definitely is growing," he said.
Graves' timing appears to be good. The hotel industry -- particularly in high-end properties -- is booming worldwide, with large publicly traded firms such as Starwood and Marriott reporting record profits.
"There clearly is a market for upscale hotels," said John Karver, senior vice president at the CB Richard Ellis Hotel Group brokerage. "Upscale hotels across the United States, if not the world, are performing admirably. ... They're heavily favored by guests and investors alike."
Yikes. Meanwhile we working folks keep treading water and scratching our heads over the curious phrase "domestic staff." Anyway, I don't wanna put down the future Graves 601 Hotel Minneapolis, since it's a union shop. (The nonunion luxury Grand is what we should boycott, that is if any of you readers have relatives or clients wealthy enough to attempt a stay there.) Maybe a post-trickle-down voodoo economy really could help workers. So long as unions are involved and fair wages and benefits are collectively bargained as a result of some fat-ass profiteering. That round-the-clock "domestic staff" don't come for free...
posted by Mark D. @ 5:55 PM |
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10 Comments:
I knew somehow this was bush's fault. Must be a pretty slow news day if this is all you can find to piss and moan about.
Scott K
Scott K, FYI in the future you might look a tad less foolish if you actually read the post before commenting on it...
Mark,
Are you serious? These aren't luxury hotels. Upper end business hotels maybe. The Marquette is the prestigious hotel in Minneapolis. If you are Euro-trash elitist, an arguement could be made for the Sofitel, but I'd put the Le Merde on par with the Radisson, nicer TVs maybe, but more same than different. (I'd rate the Grand ahead of both, but that has to do with the happy hour(s) more than the rooms or service.)
You want an upscale place, check out the Peninsula Hotels, the Rosewoods or my favorites, the Fairmonts. (I will admit that the Royal Meridiens are up there, although I don't care for the european flavor.)
I'm also surprised by your consistent sniveling over the success of others though. Consider your own arguement.
"I'm union and myself and those like me are struggling while all around the US and world economies are booming and those unlike me have more and more discretionary income and time to enjoy it."
Um, at the risk of insulting you with the obvious, perhaps you're on the wrong track here... maybe, just maybe its not all the successful folks that are wrong.
-Censored
Say, censored, that "quote" seems to have come from someone other than me. Unless you are attempting a really really bad paraphrase. Sometimes I do write bad prose, but never *that* bad.
I don't begrudge anyone who's achieved financial success through hard work or creativity. But those who have had piles of money handed to them because of our new regressive tax policies, or because they received an inheritance, or a legacy education at an Ivy League school, they very rarely deserve a dime of it.
As for Le Meridien, it sounds like that Graves fellow is attempting to rebrand it in order to make it more luxurious than it is now...
"creepy passage which demonstrates how the Bush economy is misallocating its resources:"
"Meanwhile we working folks keep treading water and scratching our heads over the curious phrase "domestic staff."
The first quote was from you Mark. Kinda comes across as pointing the finger at Bush, but hey I'm just foolish. The second quote also comes from you. Kinda sounds like your bitching about nothing. So I guess I will stand by my first post and look foolish. by the way do you know anyone that works at the le Meridien? My guess is not.
Scott K
Scott K., Right, fair enough: I was mostly referring to the "Yeah, I don't care either" which began the post by acknowledging its apparent irrelevance...
No I don't know anyone who works at Le Meridien (nor do I know anyone who has ever stayed there as a guest). Now how on earth is that relevant to the content of my post?
You made a silly arguement - you should expect people to notice.
As for the "earn it yourself." I've said it before and I'll say it again. The number one and number two reasons I work so are my kids (and the third is my wife.)
I fully intend to provide for them and bust my ass so that they don't have to. However, they aren't the sole beneficiaries of my efforts, I pay taxes. (Alot of them.)
So your arguement that there's no contribution by us is absolute crap. Further, I'll spend MY money however I please - and it pleases me to do more for my kids.
-Censored
I think it is funny that such a hard worker has so much time to play around on the internet all day long.
Censored, I think my "arguement", such as it exists, is that a supposedly booming economy should benefit everyone, not just the very wealthiest among us. There is something deeply dysfunctional about an economy where luxury hotel use is booming while food pantries are seeing an increased demand.
Mark,
A rising tide lifts all boats, but they need to be able to float. It will swamp those at anchor.
Tie yourself to minimums, lock yourself into long term agreements where you trade the ability to cash in should things improve for security and when things improve, this is what you can expect.
So far as the foodshelf issue, I think you are making a mistake Mark. Is it really that foodshelf demand is at an all time high, or is it that foodshelf availability is an all time high. (You see, when price is zero for some good with even marginal utility, the demand always equals the supply.) Might this really be another sign of prosperity? Certainly you'd agree that charity is a luxury and people who are doing better can (and do) give more.
Aside from the obvious reintepritation of the same facts, to be persuasive you need to explain why there is so much contrary evidence to your belief - SVU (Supervalu) stock is up 50% over the past two years. You'd think if no one can afford food, they'd be feeling it.
Look at Cub's circular - they're selling T-Bones and Lobster Tails at the Metro stores. They even have color print dedicated to fresh flowers. Its not exactly gruel is it.
How about obesity? Want to explain that one?
How about growing sales of diet soda?
Atkins product boom?
Longer life expectancies? (Afterall, there may be a billionaire hosing up average income figures, but no one is living 2,000 years and wrecking that curve.)
Lower child mortality? (A few rich babies won't skew this one either... its a good measure of prosperity. Even the UN likes this one.)
I gotta tell you, the case for widening prosperity is looking pretty strong.
Maybe you should stop worrying so much about redistributing wealth and start thinking about how to continue to create more. Of course, that takes us back to the rising tide lifts all boats thing that we started with, doesn't it?
-Censored
-Censored
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