Hawthorne Hotel Guests Welcome 2007

 
 
 
  

Our New Year's Eve Guests

 
 
 
  

A Different Venue for Your Special Event

Here are two views of the Atrium at the Peabody Essex Museum. We are the preferred caterer for the PEM, and we love to show you different ideas for your events. One of the nice things about hosting an event there is that you can arrange to have the house galleries open for your guests to tour, as part of your event.

This makes the event an educational and unique affair, which cannot be duplicated anywhere else.

If you are looking for something different for your next event, why not consider the PEM? You can easily set it up by calling 978-745-9500 extension 3156. Speak to amy Jacobson, our offsite catering manager, and she can handle everything for you with one phone call.

We look forward to taking your call.

Juli
 
  

Happy Anniversary at the Hawthorne Hotel

On Thursday December 28, Todd Brown and Kirsten Wagner celebrated their third wedding anniversary with us here at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. They were married right here on December 27, 2003.

As they told their story to James Kluge, our Dining Services Manager, this was the first and only place that Todd brought Kirsten to look at as a site for their wedding reception. After seeing the Hawthorne Hotel, Kirsten knew this was it, and there was no need to look anywhere else.

As it turned out, all of our Saturdays were booked, so they booked a Sunday wedding. However, it was always Kirsten's dream to have a candlelight Saturday night wedding, and her dream unexpectedly came true when another couple called off their wedding for a Saturday night. Our catering manager remembered the Kirsten wanted a Saturday, and called her and offered her the Saturday, which she gleefully accepted.

Todd has many ties to Salem, having grown up here. Todd's family owned the Salem Paper Company, and he grew up knowing the Harrington's, the current owners of the Hawthorne Hotel.

We are so pleased to be a special part of our guests' lives, and this is just another example. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse of life at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Congratulations, Kirsten and Todd!

Juli
 
  

Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts is Proud of Our Staff Members

. . . and here we are again, this time to award Mike O'Meara with our Full-Time Employee of the Month recognition, for the month of December.

Mike is our lead banquet captain, and he is the rock of the banquet department. Whenever I see Mike on the floor, I simply know I no longer have to worry about whatever it is that he is overseeing. He has worked a plan out, and is busy working that plan, and making sure everything is going perfectly.

In the past year he has been learning even more about the workings of the banquet department, and has been a coordinator and supervisor for us as well. He's even learning the computer work that we do!

 
 
In the photo above, left to right are me, Mike, Liz Dube (our Banquet Manager), and Claire Kallelis (our Director of Food and Beverage)

I hope we have the opportunity to show you what a terrific team we have here in our Banquet Department at the Hawthorne Hotel, and for you to see for yourself why Mike O'Meara has just received his fourth employee recognition award.

Juli 

Hawthorne Hotel Names Full-time Employee of the Month for November 2006

 
Here you see me surprising Melisa Duffy with her award as our full-time employee of the month for November.
 
In this photo you see James Kluge, Melisa, and Beth Singer, all members of our Food and Beverage management team here at the Hawthorne Hotel, as they recognize Melissa with her award. Melisa works in many capacities for us here, including banquet server, banquet captain, bartender, coordinator, and hostess, as well as also filling in for us at the PEM. We are so pleased to have someone as versatile as her working with us, and recognized her efforts this week with this award.

Juli 

We are so happy to be a pet-friendly hotel

Here you see Nikita, aka Niki, who stayed with us over Christmas this year, visiting with her owners from Troy, New York.

Niki was such a sweet dog, and she stopped to tell me how much she enjoyed her stay with us.

We also received several Christmas cards this year from some of our guests who brought their pets to the Hawthorne Hotel with them this year, included the darling King Charles Cavalier Spaniels who stayed with us both this year and last year.

Guest after guest will comment to us about how this hotel feels like home. That makes me very ,very happy, because that is what we strive to be --- a comfortable home-away-from home for our very special guests.


Juli 

Hawthorne Hotel's Flags of the Week -- December 25 through 31, 2006

It's handy how this year ends on a Sunday, which is the last day of our flag-week. Here are the final flags for 2006:


Monday , December 25 ~~ Norway and Wyoming
Tuesday , December 26 ~~ Oman and Alabama
Wednesday , December 27 ~~ Pakistan and Alaska
Thursday , December 28 ~~ Palau and American Samoa
Friday , December 29 ~~ Panama and Arizona
Saturday , December 30 ~~ Papua New Guinea and Arkansas
Sunday , December 31 ~~ Paraguay and California

If you want to hear one of my favorite songs,check out this link: http://www.uaf.edu/music/akmusic/snd/Flag2.mov

I lived in Alaska for 14 years, and loved it, so in some ways it seems like 'home' to me. I hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about our 49th state. And no, you don't need a passport to travel there!

Juli

Christmas Makes Some of Us Feel Like Kids

Yesterday as we were beginning the Christmas Day Brunch, I observed young Max, show below, talking to our host, James. He was beyond animated, and seemed so ebullient, I tried to capture his spirit in a photo. In the exchange that ensued, he decided he should take my photo, so I allowed him to. Then he refused to do it until I made a funny face, so here it is.

There are times when going with the moment is simply the most fun, and I was happy to have that bit of joy in my day. I hope you enjoy this bit of silliness, too.

Juli

 
  

A Part of the Hawthorne Hotel Staff's Tradition

Every year we have two holiday parties for our staff members. The first one is for the children of our staff members, and we always invite Santa. Cookie-decorating, face-painting, and some great child-oriented snacks round out this private event to help make our families of the Hawthorne Hotel's holidays even brighter.

It is fun to be in the lobby as they enter the hotel, chattering away about the anticipated event -- "Will it be in the same room?", and "What time will Santa be here?" are common questions. Whenever I hear these things, I realize what a central part we play in the lives of our staff.

By hosting parties such as this, we hope to honor the people who serve you, our guests, and help them keep connected with their families, and us.

 
 
 
 

Juli 

Hotel-Keeping, Juli-Style

One of the best things about my job is the fact that I can apply a multitude of skills to what I do here. This story may help you see a bit of a confluence of those skills.

Our staff recently reported some stains on the carpets in one of our suites, that they simply couldn't remove. I went to that room with carpet samples, to pick out some new carpeting. I really didn't like what was in there anyway, so it was time for a change.

But, none of the samples looked like they were going to do anything for the room. As I surveyed this suite, it occurred to me that nothing was really wrong with the carpeting, but the room really needed some color.

So, I went shopping for some new Oriental carpets, and found some great ones at an on-line auction. I bought these two, and they seem to be just what the room needed to pep it up. In addition, I happened upon the auction at just the right time, so the cost to the hotel was minimal, especially when compared to any other options.

So, I was able to improve the decor, create a warmer atmosphere, solve a problem, and save some money. For me, it doesn't get much better than that!

Juli

 
 
 
  

Passport to the World -- Themed Events Are a Specialty

Our catering and banquet department staff members love to sell and produce different kinds of events. It keeps them fresh in their approach, and provides enthusiasm to the team, while giving our guests something unique.

Here are some photos from a themed event that our Off-site Catering Division produced this month, at the PEM (Peabody Essex Museum.)

The first station was the Alps, with a look from the Italian side.
The next station featured a visit to India.

Here we are in Japan

The final stop for this photo journey is France.

I hope you enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at our party planning capabilities.

Juli 

Passed Hors d'oeuvres -- The Party Comes to You

Here are some examples of our passed hors d'oeuvres, which were served to the Passport to the World party guests at the PEM this month. Don't they make you hungry?

Juli
 
 
  

Recognition by our guests makes us so happy. . .

We received this email a few days ago, and it certainly made us smile:

To: Hawthorne Hotel
Subject: wonderful service

My family and I recently rented the library on 12/16/06 for a collation for my father and I must say it was absolutely wonderful. Not just the food but your staff was absolutely tremendous, they were very professional and sincere and treated all but especially my mother with great care at her time of need please commend the staff assigned that day and I wish all of you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Kowalski's

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We hope we can see you soon, to offer you the same kind of caring, professional service for your next event, or simply for a meal in one of our restaurants.

Juli

Did you know that the Hawthorne Hotel sells Gift Cards?

As the days get shorter, many of our thoughts turn to finding the perfect gift for a friend, family member, client or co-worker. Perhaps that perfect gift might be a gift card from the Hawthorne Hotel, right here in Salem?

We are open 24 hours a day, so there is a big plus right there, in case you like shopping at unusual hours. We never close, so if you forget someone, and it is a holiday where everything else is closed, remember we are always open.

Our gift cards come in any amount you desire, and can be used anywhere in the Hawthorne Hotel, from the Tavern and Nathaniel's, to our rooms and even room service. You can even buy sundries and small gifts with it at our front desk.

We can sell them to you by telephone as well, so if you can't make it in, give us a call. If you are in Salem or the surrounding communities, call us at 978-744-4080. If you are calling long distance, you can reach us toll-free at 800-729-7829 (800-SAY-STAY).

We look forward to helping you out with your last minute shopping needs.

Juli

Hawthorne Hotel's Part-time Employee of the Month for November 2006

 
You could call it a family affair. This month, Margaret "Emmy" Nelson, the daughter of our Executive Chef, Steve Nelson, and his wife Penny Nelson (who also works part-time here at the Hawthorne when we need extra sets of hands), were both present today to see Emmy receive her Employee of the Month award. I couldn't resist a family photo to add to our usual blog post of this nice event.
 
Here you see me, James Kluge, our Dining Services Manager, Emmy, Claire Kallelis, our Director of Food and Beverage, and Marcus Wilcox, our Dining Services Supervisor, when we all surprised Emmy at the end of her Sunday Brunch shift today.

Emmy has worked for us since she was legally eligible to, and she has grown up in the job, gaining maturity and responsibility far beyond her years. Congratulations, Emmy, and thank you for all you do.

Juli