by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Four years ago, the Hyatt added a nationally known foodservice brand, Einstein Bros. Bagels, to its list of amenities available for guests and other people Downtown. The hotel’s management said it was a way to offer more options and an extra level of convenience.
The Hyatt added another brand, this one international, to its services menu Wednesday with the opening of a FedEx Office location on the third floor near the convention check-in area and meeting rooms.
The center offers FedEx’s complete line of printing, packing and shipping services and is staffed by FedEx employees 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday. It’s also accessible around-the-clock, seven days a week to guests who need to make a copy, use the Internet, send a fax or drop off a package that’s ready to go into the shipping system. There’s also a selection of self-service packing envelopes and office supplies that business travelers might forget to bring or need to replace.
“That rack will be empty after a big convention,” said John Isaac, manager of business development for FedEx Office who came to Jacksonville from Dallas for the grand opening.
Isaac said the Hyatt’s facility is the 56th FedEx Office location in a convention center or hotel and the first in North Florida.
“We key on hotels with at least 750 rooms and 50,000 square feet of meeting space. We’re also in Hyatts in Houston, San Antonio and Denver. It’s a beautiful partnership,” he said.
The new center is networked with more than 1,800 FedEx offices worldwide, which makes it convenient for meeting planners to email convention materials that can then be printed at the Hyatt just before the group arrives, saving the cost of shipping, said Isaac. When guests are ready to check out after a meeting, FedEx can ship their suitcases directly to their homes, eliminating the baggage claim process at the airport.
Hyatt Senior Sales Manager Bruce Lacey said the new service will be marketed to guests via the hotel’s in-room information system. It will also be part of the convention sales kits.
Looking out the window behind the counter in the center that faces the St. Johns River and Main Street Bridge, Isaac said even after opening FedEx Offices in 55 other locations all over the country, “We don’t have a store in a hotel that has a better view.”
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