The Internet "Blogosphere" recently became a little more accommodating to the lodging industry with the addition of two new blogs by Vijay Dandapani, Chief Operating Officer of Apple Core Hotels.
"We call our blog 'No goldfish, no wheat grass,'" says Dandapani, who is also a former chairman of the Hotel Association of New York. The title of the blog at http://www.applecorehotels.com/blog/ is "a bit irreverent, if you will" Dandapani says politely. But Dandapani adds, "at the same time we talk about the city and what's going on."
Subtitled, "Everything you need to know, and some things you don't: New York hotel specials, travel tips, events & more," the Apple Core blog offers information for "tourists, travelers and New Yorkers who love to find value in one of America's most expensive cities.
As COO of Apple Core Hotels, Dandapani operates a Manhattan-based chain of five limited-service value hotels for business and tourism travelers. With 750 rooms in the Midtown Manhattan area between Times Square and the Empire State Building, the vicissitudes of the lodging industry since 9-11 are one of the reasons Dandapani decided to start blogging in December.
Dandapani also writes "New York Hospitality by Vijay Dandapani," www.vijaydandapani.com, a blog offering personal insights on hotel trends.
"I travel a bit in work and write about what I encounter in hotels," Dandapani said. Recent entries include, "The triumph of design over function," a humorous take on "hip hotel trends" such as "ultra cool rooms without alarm clocks."
Hotel Interactive discussed both the lodging industry and blogging with Dandapani by phone from his office in Manhattan.
Q: Why did you decide to become a blogger?
A: I had thought about writing a blog as long ago as 2003. If you recall, the Homeland Security department used to put out threat levels that affected our reservations. The volume would plummet as soon as the threat level changed, as they (guests) called to cancel. We wanted to inform the public that the Big Apple's open for business, and that life was going on for millions of residents of NYC. Including me--I live in Manhattan.
Q: Blogging is time-consuming. How do you find the time?
A: I have a day job, which is why it's probably not updated as frequently as it could be. I am an early morning person getting in at 7:30 and squeeze it in before the email starts rushing in. And I do welcome contributions to 'No Goldfish…' from my company.
Q: Who is your audience?
A: The 'No goldfish…' one is directed at anyone visiting or planning to visit NY. I include information about museums, art galleries. One of the recent ones was about the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Whitney (Museum) Biennial.
Q: Do you receive any email or comments from readers?
A: So far we haven't had comments on the blog because it's so recent. We do get email from satisfied customers who are intrigued because the blog is linked to our main Apple Core reservation site.
Q: Will you deal with controversial issues?
A: I do. In one of them, in my personal blog, which is devoted to the hotel industry exclusively, I mention the (notion of a) shortage of rooms (in NYC). It's a phantom theory, it has no foundation in reality, because when economic conditions mandate new construction -- and that's happening right now -- there's a ton of projects on line. There are about 25 hotels in the early permitting/planning stages. In 2006 we're expecting the addition of 1,500 rooms to the city. So the idea that the hotel room count is going the way of the dinosaur is a myth. We ourselves are looking for new product here in Manhattan.
