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Boston Harbor Hotel Puts Best Foot Forward with Stone and
Brass Restoration from Stuart Dean

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Hospitality�s leading restoration and maintenance company suggests scheduled preventive
maintenance for hard-surface stone and restoring finishes on precious metals

New York� August 11, 2009 �When your hotel is named one of the �World�s Best Places to Stay� by Condé Nast Traveler and has been awarded the Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award, it�s important that all architectural elements be impeccable. The Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf, located on one of the oldest wharves in the nation, believes that putting one�s best foot forward starts at the floor. To maintain the landmark hotel�s marble flooring, the hotel relies on The Stuart Dean Co., based here. As the hospitality industry�s leading restoration and maintenance company, Stuart Dean provides ongoing preservation and reconditioning of the hotel�s hard-surface stone, as well as its brass treatments, to reveal natural luster and protect architectural integrity.

"Stuart Dean has been the exclusive restorer of the Boston Harbor Hotel's marble and brass furnishings and floors for many years, and we highly value the relationship,� said Paul J. Jacques, Boston Harbor Hotel General Manager. �The key to preserving marble's beauty is vigilant maintenance, and that is a service that Stuart Dean provides for the Boston Harbor Hotel.  We have some of the oldest and finest marble in the city of Boston in the lobby and other public areas of our hotel.  As a Mobil five star property, it is very important that the marblework and brasswork reflect our luxury standards.  We make that happen because of the personalized investment Stuart Dean makes in us. The Stuart Dean team is always professional and immediately responsive."

As part of its proclamation to make �2009 the Year of Preventive Maintenance,� Stuart Dean remains devoted to the restoration and preservation of stone flooring and architectural metals, including: aluminum, bronze, copper, nickel, stainless steel and other non-ferrous metals. According to Stuart Dean Director of Hospitality Greg Schall, hoteliers can make a lasting impression on their guests by maintaining the stone in the public areas, and by properly caring for their architectural metal elements, such as banisters, railings, doors, elevators, signage and ornamental treatments.

�The Boston Harbor Hotel understands the important role that proactive stone and metal restoration plays in attracting and retaining guests and in making a positive first impression,� Schall said. �Amidst today�s economy, when every penny counts, there is no substitute for hiring a trusted, professional stone and metal restoration expert to maintain the architectural elements of a hotel, in fact hiring improperly can cost you far more.�

Stone is one of the most versatile, prestigious, and elegant building materials, he said. It is a symbol of strength and grandeur that has timeless beauty and classic appeal. Metal, such as the Boston Harbor Hotel�s brass railings and decorative trim, has provided functionality and architectural interest in hotels throughout history. Stuart Dean is an expert at restoring and maintaining a variety of stone to reveal its natural luster, which not only is critical for aesthetics, but it prevents costly replacement of stone. Likewise Stuart Dean�s expertise in metal maintenance was developed through decades of researching, developing and applying procedures for repairing finishes and caring for metal surfaces. Stuart Dean uses proven methods to remove scratches, eliminate wear and tear damage, repair finishes from misuse or vandalism, and restore architectural metal to its original luster.

�A common misconception in the hospitality industry is that in-house staff or a contracted janitorial company has the skills needed to properly preserve marble and granite floors,� Schall said. �While there is no common industry standard for professional floor maintenance, the fundamental difference between Stuart Dean and other service providers comes by way of a customized and regularly scheduled preventive maintenance program. Part of our program is to continuously hone and polish all stone areas that are badly worn on a scheduled service so the entire floor always looks its best. And, in the case of metals, it takes a trained professional to identify the right application method of refinishing for each type of metal. Methods include, lacquering or oil rubbed, non-directional or directional finishes, oxidation, painting, patination, polishing, graining, removing scratches and more.�

The Boston Harbor Hotel�s Jacques concurred, saying: "My entire staff needs to be able to focus on taking care of our guests and providing them with exceptional service. That is all of our top priority.  It gives us peace of mind to know that we can entrust Stuart Dean with the process of preserving and protecting our treasured marble and brasswork.  Stuart Dean provides regularly scheduled, proactive maintenance on our large public areas that require their expertise. Mistreating precious metal and stone can be very costly.  It is very reassuring to know that Stuart Dean is taking care of our facilities."

Stuart Dean advises owners and operators to research any company that maintains their stone floors to ensure the team has experience and a proven, lengthy safety record. Stuart Dean has been maintaining stone floors for more than 50 years and is committed to the research and development of new technologies. This allows Stuart Dean to remain the leader in the industry.

�It�s equally important to be sure that hoteliers do their research before hiring  a metal restoration company,� Schall said. �There is a serious flaw in thinking that it�s time to call in the Calvary only when it becomes obvious that architectural metals need to be cleaned. Waiting until the building looks poor prior to doing something risks damage to your metal and alienating customers. Waiting until something looks bad might end up costing far more than periodic regular maintenance.�

The only nationwide company of its kind, the Stuart Dean Co. is an approved vendor for Hilton Hotel Corp: Conrad Hotels / Hilton Hotel & Resorts / Doubletree / Embassy Suites, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group, Loews Hotels, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott Hotels & Resorts: JW Marriott / Renaissance Hotels / Marriott Courtyard, Peninsula Hotels, Ritz Carlton Hotel Co., Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Westin Hotels  / W Hotels / Sheraton, and Avendra. For more information, visit www.stuartdean.com, email [email protected], or call Greg Schall at (847) 234-8955.

About The Stuart Dean Co.
Founded in 1932, Stuart Dean Company serves as the nation�s largest restoration and maintenance company, specializing in stone, metal, and wood surfaces.  Today the company provides preventive-maintenance services to the industry�s leading full-service and luxury hotel. For ongoing public-area preventative maintenance or renovation of guestroom bathrooms, Stuart Dean Company employees 550 expert technicians and project managers ready to serve. 

Headquartered in New York, the company�s owned and operated regional offices are located in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Richmond, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Toronto.

For more information visit www.stuartdean.com or call Greg Schall, Director of Hospitality, at (312) 640-9690 or 800-322-3180.

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Contact:

Barb Worcester
 President/Principal
 PRPRO
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]

Greg Schall
Director, Hospitality 
Stuart Dean Company Co., Inc.
Tel: (847) 234-8955
[email protected]
 

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Also See: Stuart Dean Asks: 'Have You Tested the Metal of Your Hotel?'; Hospitality's leading restoration and maintenance company suggests scheduled preventive maintenance for removing scratches, eliminating wear and tear damage, repairing finishes from misuse or vandalism and restoring architectural metal to its original luster / June 2009
Stuart Dean, GlasWeld Form Strategic Alliance to Bring Glass Restoration to Hospitality / April 2009
Stuart Dean Co. Debuts Sustainable, Self-Cleaning, UV-PCO Surface Solutions / February 2009
Stuart Dean Co. Proclaims 2009 �The Year for Preventive Maintenance� / February 2009
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