Summing It Up
|
To ensure a big finish each year, keep building on tradition.
With a history dating to 1928, it’s no surprise that tradition plays an important role at Skytop Lodge in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. This is especially true at the holidays, when families and corporate groups come to this historic local landmark to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the season.
But even the most beloved traditions can benefit from some creative tweaking, says Robert Baldassari, Skytop’s Director of Sales—especially if a property expects to draw holiday guests from the same membership base or geographic area year after year. At Skytop, the innovation begins at the invitation stage.
Come Bearing Gifts
Last year, the sales department kicked off its holiday campaign in August by visiting selected corporate meeting and party planners, bearing gifts of elegantly beribboned boxes of freshly baked Christmas cookies from Skytop’s kitchen. Accompanying the sweets was a printed flier with menu suggestions and information about the resort’s holiday banquet offerings.
The sales team also arranged for the Pocono Mountain Chamber of Commerce to enclose copies of the flier with its monthly member newsletter mailing. Skytop staffers then followed up with phone calls to prospects on the Chamber’s list. The multi-faceted strategy, Baldassari says, was well worth the team’s efforts.
“We had a record-breaking year as far as parties,” he says. “We’re a remote location in the mountains and, although Skytop has a stellar reputation in the area, networking with the Chamber really helped us to expand our prospect base.
“The visits and phone calls gave our effort a personal touch that elicited a very positive response,” he adds.
For 2006, the resort is inviting its corporate friends and neighbors to “Come Home to Skytop” for their holiday parties and banquets. The invitation, which highlights menu items, was scheduled for an early fall mailing, and will again be followed up by personal phone calls.
Catering to All
On average, Skytop hosts between 20 and 30 events, not including weddings, during the winter “prime party” season, says Baldassari. Two years ago, it introduced a program that allows small companies with limited budgets to book a table or two in a private room, rather than a banquet space or ballroom for holiday parties, says Maureen Chawaga, Skytop’s Manager of Special Events. Offered on Friday evenings, the special corporate package includes decorations, live music and a one-hour open bar.
After a party is booked, one of the special event coordinators is assigned to handle the event from planning through execution and post-party follow-up. One of the first things the coordinator does is note the dates and pertinent details on a “Banquet Event Order” that is distributed to all of the department managers throughout the resort.
“We send these forms to everyone, including the front office manager, even if there are no check-ins expected from the party, to make sure they’re all in the loop,” says Baldassari. “If a guest comes to the front desk to ask where the Acme Company Christmas party is, for example, we want the staff to be able to provide that information.”
Many corporate party planners are content to choose from one of Executive Chef Stevan Sundberg’s pre-planned menus. Others prefer to discuss tweaks, special dietary needs or preferences directly with him.
“Our coordinator guides everyone through the process, arranging for the key individuals and departments to meet and discuss pertinent details and issues,” says Baldassari.
The coordinator is on-site for the event, handling details and taking notes on everything from whether dessert was a “big hit,” chair counts were low, or if services was too slow or too quick. These notes are passed along to the appropriate department manager, including Sundberg.
Bulking Up
In addition to corporate celebrations, the resort buzzes with business as usual during the holidays. For example, many families gather at Skytop for Thanksgiving, filling the dining rooms with guests with hearty appetites for the traditional turkey and trimmings.
Sundberg does not disappoint them. In preparation for the holiday, he purchases around 1,000 lbs. of fresh turkeys (about 600 lbs. of whole birds, and 400 of breast) from local producers. To determine his needs, he consults sales numbers from the previous year that are stored on his computer database.
Family parties in the resort’s dining rooms often order one or more turkeys for tableside carving. Baldassari notes that Skytop is a favorite site for holiday family reunions that bring together an average of between 20 and 80 people. Under the resort’s Full American Plan, individual guests who book accommodations any time of year, including the holidays, also take their meals in the dining rooms.
Local residents who prefer to gather their loved ones at home may order holiday dinners from the Skytop kitchens for pickup or delivery. Last year, the resort sold between 30 and 40 take-out dinners at Thanksgiving alone, reported Baldassari.
Along with the turkeys, Sundberg estimates that his crew prepares at least 200 pounds of sage, sausage and fennel stuffing, along with hundreds of pumpkin pies for Skytop’s various holiday festivities. At Christmas, Sundberg replaces turkey with prime rib or Cornish hens, often with apricot and pecan stuffing (see recipe, pg. 33).
During the “Christmas at Skytop” dinner show, Sundberg’s team regularly serves between 350 and 400 dinners to guests who attend the Saturday evening events. To ensure smooth service, Sundberg relies on a menu of simple dishes that can be quickly and easily plated and will hold well during service, such as braised lamb shank or European chicken breast topped with Fontina cheese and proscuitto with a Marsala wine sauce. On New Year’s Eve, a “surf and turf” combination of lobster and filet of beef is a major attraction.
In addition to table service, Skytop also sets out a lavish midnight buffet for its guests. Over the past five or six years, Sundberg has “lightened up” the late-night display in response to guest preferences and dining trends. Skytop now includes varieties of poached and smoked fish, as well as Sundberg’s popular gravlax salmon appetizer (see recipe at left). Desserts include miniature cheesecakes, chocolate t
arts and petits fours.
Ice carvings that elicit “oohs” and “aahs” provide the finishing touch for the buffets. “I did them all myself for the first couple of years, and still make one or two,” Sandberg says. “But I found a contractor who can do a beautiful job, and that gives me more time to focus on the food.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.