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Six weeks off the plane from Toronto, the new general manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach already has a California tan and is in the market for a sports car--preferably a convertible.
He has secured a board post with the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau and has become a Hoag Hospital fund-raiser. Last weekend he closed on a house and moved his family from their Four Seasons suite to a tony Bay Crest home--a 25-minute jog from work.
Raymond Jacobi is settling into Orange County. And, citing big plans for his new job, he's wasting no time.
"It'll cost them a lot of money to get me out of here," he quips.
Working 14-hour days, the self-described "aggressive and very competitive" GM has closed three group sales, added two new hires to his sales force and lowered prices on the hotel's fine dining menu.
"He's definitely very marketing-oriented," says public relations director Nancy Bartelt. Le Meridien general manager Linda O'Toole,meanwhile, says she's impressed with her new rival's zeal.
By all accounts Jacobi's first impression has been bold. But then, that's his style.
"I maintained a very high profile in Toronto. Here I intend to do the same," he says.
Jacobi has inherited a hotel with a fine reputation--maybe a little too fine during an economic downturn. His predecessor, Tom Gurtner, spearheaded a $2 million room renovation and is credited for smartening up the hotel's service. His tenure was crowned by hosting the April 4, 1991, summit meeting between President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu.
But the Four Seasons' reputation as a first-class hostelry has not been reflected, by most accounts, on the bottom line. Jacobi's task is to bring more people into the hotel. To help do that, he emphasizes the word "value," as in, "worth what you pay." He rejects the label "luxury," saying "it conjures up excessive indulgence."
His goal is plain: "Revenue," he nods. "Revenue."
The recession has ravaged the hotel business, and Orange County has been no exception. Jacobi claims that the Four Seasons, managed by Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels Inc. and owned by the Irvine Co., grosses approximately $30 million in annual revenue. It makes a profit, too, he says.
Some hotel industry analysts...