Fort Lauderdale, FL – July 21, 2011 – Since opening its doors in January 2011, B Ocean Fort Lauderdale – the first hotel of the new B Hotels & Resorts® brand – has launched a series of innovative cultural initiatives focused on employee empowerment and guest engagement.  With a new ‘B Keeper Ambassador Program,’ the appointment of a ‘B Experience Manager,’ a fresh approach to uniforms and a trademarked internal employee language, B Ocean is quickly making waves in the hospitality industry.

“B Hotels & Resorts® is about letting guests define ‘how’ they want their experience to be,” said Chris Tompkins, corporate vice president of B Hotels & Resorts®.  “The ability to communicate our brand promise starts with hotel employees.  From the beginning, we understood that employee engagement was one of the most important deliverables in conveying our brand new alternative of ‘self-expression’ hospitality.  We knew we needed to get it right with our first hotel.”

B Ocean Names Veronica Miranda ‘B Experience Manager’
A critical role in ensuring consistent delivery of the brand at the hotel level is the ‘B Experience Manager.’  Veronica Miranda (pictured left) recently stepped into this role at B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, providing marketing and promotions support, as well as leading the company’s B Wed™ program.  As the ‘B Experience Manager,’ Miranda also is responsible for facilitating the company’s ‘B First to Know’ monthly guest newsletter and forging strategic alliances as part of the hotel’s B Adventurous™ excursion program.

“Veronica’s diverse hospitality background, ambition, creativity and passion is helping us implement strategic marketing initiatives that are designed to create unique experiences for past, present and future guests, as well as individuals who simply love the brand,” said Tompkins.

Prior to joining the B Ocean Fort Lauderdale team, Miranda served as sales and marketing executive assistant at the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami.  Previously, she worked in the food and beverage department there and in concierge services at Jade Ocean Condominiums.  Miranda holds a Hospitality Management Degree from the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College.

Key Employees Appointed to ‘B Keeper Ambassador’ Program
With Miranda on board, B Ocean Fort Lauderdale recently launched its ‘B Keeper Ambassador’ program.  Formed to ensure smooth delivery of the B Hotels & Resorts® brand experience, this initiative creates a dialogue between hotel employees, empowering them to work together in delivering the overall guest experience – the way it should B.

The B Keeper Ambassador team is comprised of eight employees representing each department within the hotel.   The team meets on a bi-weekly basis and the format of the meetings is interactive.

“We have already had great success with the B Keeper Ambassador program,” said Tompkins. “B Ocean’s employees are proud to play an active role in shaping the guest experience and their engagement continues to positively impact the public’s overall impression of our brand.”

Getting Creative with the ABCs
Interestingly, B Hotels & Resorts® has also adopted its own language of more than 1,000 words and phrases which B Ocean Fort Lauderdale employees – including Miranda and the B Keeper Ambassadors, among others – are encouraged to use in internal and external communication.   These include B Happy™, B Driven, B Our Guest®, B First to Know™, B Green™ and B Humane, among others.

“By developing our own language, it allows us the opportunity to really deliver the brand culture.  It’s a creative, consistent and customized language that provides a foundation for each guest who walks through the doors of B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, helping them instantaneously feel the difference between our brand and all others,” said Tompkins.  “The most rewarding part is when we hear guests start to interact this way with each other, using our language.  Just recently I overheard a guest say to another – B Ready to B Inspired!  It’s just really fun.”

Comfort and Style is Not Just for Guests
At B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, employee empowerment goes beyond creative titles and committees – it starts with how employees look and the importance of how that makes them feel.  Taking a unique approach to uniforms, the B Hotels & Resorts® team worked to ensure every team member at every level within the hotel feels pride in their position.

Uniforms were carefully selected for all departments based on approachability - design, look and feel – from both the employee and guest perspective.  This includes the hotel’s housekeeping uniform, a sleek track suit.

“For an employee to give inspirational guest service, they themselves must feel inspired,” said Tompkins.  “So many uniforms out there are just that – a uniform.  I don’t know of anyone who feels good wearing something that says ‘this is what I do for a living.’  We want for employees at our hotels to feel like individuals.  It’s important that they are comfortable when leaving work so if they need to go shopping or run errands, they can do so with a genuine sense of pride and comfort.”

For more information, log onto www.BOCEANFORTLAUDERDALE.COM or call 888-66-BHOTEL.

About B Ocean Fort Lauderdale
B Ocean Fort Lauderdale features 240 guestrooms, all boasting panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows and breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.  Each room features The Blissful Bed™ by B Hotels & Resorts®, designer white leather-front furnishings, a 37” or 42” HD LCD television, branded retail items and more.

Additionally, the hotel features an infinity edge pool, Quench Pool & Patio Bar, free wireless internet throughout all guestrooms and public areas, and two distinctive restaurants - SAIA, a chic signature sushi teppanyaki restaurant open for dinner; and B’stro on the Beach™, a casual eatery open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  iPADs are also available for complimentary use.

Consistent across all B Hotels & Resorts®, the following B Signatures are found at B Ocean Fort Lauderdale:  B Ambiance™ (a custom sound, lighting and scent program); B Social™ (incorporating communal seating and gathering spaces);  B in Touch™ (with complimentary Internet access throughout all public spaces and guestrooms); B Active™ (a fitness center where guests can exercise and re-energize); B Indulged™ (a Spa Suite featuring a variety of treatments); B Adventurous™ (applying the cruise industry’s model, this key element lets travelers explore and discover the destination); and B Sensitive™ (initiatives that encourages and supports green programs).