The 82-room hotel will also join the Trademark Collection by Wyndham in the fourth quarter, placing a West Virginia historic property into a global reservation and loyalty system for the first time in its 137-year history.
The Giovanni Collection is Taylor Hospitality’s portfolio of hotels set in historic buildings, each operated to reflect the place it sits in rather than a standardized template. The Blennerhassett, which has anchored the corner of Fourth and Market streets since 1889, is a fit by definition: a historic hotel with a spa, a restaurant and lounge, the 1889 Club speakeasy, a library, a garden patio and on-site shops.
“The Blennerhassett does not need to be reinvented; it needs to be seen,” said Sean Taylor, founder/CEO, Taylor Hospitality. “This is a hotel with a 4.5-star reputation and a century of stories that most travelers have never heard of, because it has never been in front of them. Joining Trademark Collection by Wyndham puts it in front of more than 126 million Wyndham Rewards members who would not otherwise have considered Parkersburg. Giovanni is where it belongs, and the guest experience people already love here is the part we are not touching.”
Taylor Hospitality will also modernize the property’s operating and revenue systems, including property management, reservations, revenue management and digital presence, bringing the property onto the same infrastructure that supports Taylor’s national hospitality and hotel portfolio. The hotel remains bookable directly and through its current channels in the interim.
“Most of what we are changing guests will never see, and that is the point,” said Shaun Fronk, head of management services and SVP, operations, Taylor Hospitality. “Modern reservation, revenue and property management systems mean a guest can find this hotel, book it in a few clicks, earn points for the stay and be recognized when they come back. Giving that to a property with this much character is the whole opportunity. We will have that in place by the end of the year.”
The hotel will continue operating without interruption throughout the transition
