NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – Luxurious mansions built as summer homes for the fabulously rich share a ZIP code here with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which sits mere minutes from the church where John F. Kennedy got married and crystal blue waters that wrap around the city.
Newport has long embraced its status as a premium tourist destination, drawing more than 3 million visitors a year. But facing growing competition from other cities for limited tourist dollars, and amid a downturn in visitors, officials are concentrating on keeping guests happy – and coming back.
A new hospitality training program in the city aims to do that by taking shopkeepers back to basics, teaching them how to help tourists locate hard-to-find public bathrooms and parking, and reinforcing to them the importance of attending to customers’ needs.
“You can’t control gas prices, war in Iraq,” said Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, which is spearheading the initiative. “Those are things that you really can’t focus on. What you can focus on, what you can improve, is the positive visitor experience.”
It may sound elementary, but it also underscores the importance of hospitality in a city whose attractions include Gilded Age mansions once inhabited by the Vanderbilt and Astor clans; the oldest synagogue in the nation and heralded summertime music festivals.
Several of the indexes used to measure the health of the tourism and hospitality industry, such as admission to attractions, have declined as destinations around the nation wrestle for their share of the market. Newport has special challenges as a colonial-era city that has to absorb a crush of visitors every summer.
City Councilman Charles Duncan said he’s concerned certain employees, especially younger ones, aren’t as courteous to customers as they should be.
“I don’t think they understand that tourism is one of our biggest commodities here – and Rhode Island’s biggest commodity,” said Duncan, who sponsored a City Council resolution supporting the program.
“You don’t have to be toothy nice, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “You just be polite, for heaven’s sake.”
The program, targeted for May, is geared to businesses and city staffers that regularly encounter tourists. Details are still being developed, but among the likely topics is basic information about the city, like where to find parking, lunch spots and public bathrooms, which often lack adequate signs.
While year-round Newporters generally know answers to those questions, the city’s shops and restaurants depend heavily on seasonal workers, often out-of-town students or people from overseas who may be almost as new to the city as day-trippers.
“Fundamentally, we want to do a self-audit, if you will, of all of these aspects,” said Evan Smith, president of the Newport County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Officials say the initiative isn’t about fixing any major problems with Newport. Stokes said the city doesn’t receive any more complaints than it used to or than other cities get.
“I don’t perceive anything to be broken,” Smith said. “I just think we have room to be better.”
Business owners say they appreciate the importance of customer service and already practice what the chamber preaches. Several merchants said they liked the concept of the program, even if they weren’t sure it was for them. 1/8
“Every city employee should be well-versed in giving directions and helping people,” said Bill Rommel, owner of the Arnold Art Store and Gallery.
Linda Pickin, owner of the Newport Breeze clothing shop, said it’s important that her workers acknowledge customers when they enter the store and be friendly but not overpowering.
She said it would be rare for an employee to be stumped by a tourist’s question about the city.
“I’m really confident in how I can service people, so I most likely would not attend it,” Pickin said.
Bob and Cindy Wernicki, of Griswold, Conn., had one of their first dates in Newport more than 20 years ago and still make regular visits. They said they enjoy their jaunts here – even though parking is occasionally atrocious, and even if some restaurants have jacked up prices.
“They’ve kept it quaint, they haven’t really overly commercialized it,” said Bob Wernicki. “I can’t say they’ve done anything negative.”
Encounters with store workers are no different in Newport than anywhere else, the couple said.
Besides creating a culture of superb service, which will take time, Stokes said he wants Newport to attract and retain visitors eager to spend time and money.
“We’re looking at this as a long-term investment in the hospitality community.”
On the Net: Newport County Chamber of Commerce: www.newportchamber.com
AP-ES-03-24-07 1416EDT
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