In Wake of Terrorist Attacks Hotels Offering Diplomatic Deals by Mark Hilpert At two local hotels, Sept. 11 started in a fairly routine way: a morning staff meeting, a breakfast interview between a visiting mayor and Washington power brokers, taking care of visiting investment bankers. And then outside these oases of calm amid urban bustle, all hell broke loose. Guests quickly learned via cell phones, television, and hotel staffers of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in frighteningly nearby Arlington, Va., with another plane supposedly on the way. Hotel staffers at the Four Seasons in Georgetown and the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue spent the rest of the day and following days dealing with the fallout: making sure guests were kept safe and got to their next destinations. Concierges and managers were busier than ever, with tasks ranging from shipping luggage home to setting up a full-scale response center where a visiting American ambassador and other guests could digest the news as it broke and figure out what to do next. After the attacks, the Four Seasons helped arrange rental cars so visiting guests sudden ly stranded by closed airports and shipped luggage could get back to homes and offices. At the Willard, staffers shifted gears quickly, setting up a ballroom for guests to watch the news and get updates from hotel staff, get a free meal, make calls and arrange carpools. Although they apparently smoothly handled the crisis, both hotels are still recovering from lost business resulting from cancellations of conferences and other events that lure visitors to town. But each reports steady business from the diplomatic corps that perhaps have more reason than ever to come to the capital in the wake of the fight against global terrorism. "What weíre feeling [since Sept. 11] is the meetingsí group business has fallen off, but thatís good news for the diplomatic corps because it opens up some lower rates for them," said Barbara Bahny, director of public relations for the Willard Inter-Continental Washington. "Right now thereís a certain amount of energy related to the events of Sept. 11," she said, adding that the Willardís diplomatic business hasnít fallen off. A steady flow of foreign dignitaries have streamed through the city and to hotels that cater to them, such as the Willard, which hosts an average of three foreign delegations each month of approximately 40 people each, usually taking up around 30 rooms for three nights. "Overall, weíre doing OK," said Debra Silvi, director of marketing for the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. "We have not cut any of our staff, nor changed any of our standards or services. The diplomatic market has always been a pivotal part of our business mix. In the last two weeks there have been two large delegations and several smaller ones that stayed with us. Weíve always had a strong position in the diplomatic market, and that is continuing to happen right now because we havenít changed anything about the way we operate, and thatís very attractive to our guests." The Willard is seeking to make up for some of its short-term losses in convention and tourist business by drawing more diplomats through its new "embassy package." Room rates have been cut by 30 percent to 40 percent, dropping from the $279 to $320 per night rate normally offered to diplomats to a base rate of $199. Rates for "embassy offices," special in-hotel office space, have also been cut in half, from a usual charge of $320 per day. Another extra is thrown in: a complimentary one-year membership for one member of the party to a special club offering an array of perks at affiliated hotels around the world. Although Silvi said the Four Seasons had no special offers to draw more diplomatic business, she detailed extra security measures that have been taken since Sept. 11 to make guests feel safe, such as searches of all cars parked at the hotel and limiting access to one main hotel entrance. "Most people have been appreciative of that extra concern for their safety," Silvi said. It seems to be working. After the major blow of the canceled IMF-World Bank September conference, which had the hotel booked solid for four nights, people are starting to come back. Reservations at the Four Seasons began to creep back up to normal levels at the end of September and beginning of October, according to Silvi. In addition to new measures to safeguard usual diplomatic business, the hotels are also emphasizing their traditional strengths. Besides its bargain deal for diplomats, the Willard plays up its ethnic meal offerings and special meeting rooms, along with the real estate agentís old adage: location, location, location. Indeed, the grand old hotel has a ringside seat to recent action in the fight against terrorism, with the White House and National Press Club practically next door, and the State Department and Congress a short drive away. While Bahny declined to name any recent or future diplomatic visitors to the Willard, the hotel bills itself as the "Residence of Presidents," pointing to the many future and current commander in chiefs whoíve chosen its halls to hang their hats. No doubt such prestige is a major lure to foreign dignitaries with similar ambitions back home. Chinaís Vice Premier Qian Qichen was one notable recent visitor, giving an address in March on his countryís economy and military. Silvi pointed to the Four Seasonís niche as a smaller hotel with high-level service and international name recognition as part of the largest luxury hotel company in the world. "The diplomats who stay here like the abundance and variety of suite options we have, such as the two presidential suites, which are very much in demand," Silvi said. "And we live the Four Seasons culture of never saying no to anything." Mark Hilpert is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.