2) How has the economy
downturn affected your business? What steps have
your taken to help hoteliers in this economy?
Any special deal, discount, or offer?
Our business is surprisingly healthy. Second quarter
was slower then anticipated, but the remainder
of the year has been strong and the response to
our new product offerings tremendous. Part of
our continued success may be because we have taken
several steps to help hoteliers.
- Negotiated better rates with our suppliers and
passed savings onto our customers.
- Waived our custom shoot fee and offered free
custom imagery to several properties from Los
Angeles to Charlotte.
- Offered to provide mirrors at our cost to properties
who buy our artwork for their guestrooms.
- No Fees. No image use fee. No graphic design
or cropping fee. No custom size fee. No multiple
image fee. No packing and crating fee.
3) What do you see as the future of Hotel
industry? What major trends will impact hotel
business in coming 20 years?
The limited service hotel chain will continue
to see the bulk of the industry’s growth. With
free internet and breakfast buffets fairly standard,
hotels will compete on décor and room size. Boutique,
un-branded hotels appear to be growing in popularity
as well. In terms of décor, the growth of digital
printing technology will make it easier for hotels
to specify affordable custom artwork. This artwork
will range from framed art in the guestroom to
large wallpaper murals in the reception area.
Already, we see limited service hotels using our
photography in new and creative ways that take
full advantage of our affordable custom digital
printing capabilities. Twenty years from now,
no hotel should be stuck with generic poster art
and each property should instead have a unique
wall décor theme and execution – and one that
as (if not more) affordable than the current range
of options
4) What benefits and key advantages you
offer over competition? Why should over readers
consider doing business with you?
We have three key points of difference:
a. International, Local and Proprietary
B&W, Color, Sepia and Vintage Color Photography
Originals of some of our 10,000 photographs reside
in museum collections around the world. But we’re
very affordable for Hospitality… why? We own the
images and the printers which means we save our
customers money on image use fees. We also frame
100,000+ pieces a year that means we have terrific
terms with suppliers and pass on our bulk savings
to our customers of all sizes.
b. Stellar Customer Service
We are a customer service driven organization
at every level and in all that we do. We strive
to provide the best customer service in the
industry, starting with turning quotes around
in 24 hours to pro-actively suggesting ways
for our customers to save money. We also are
proud of our terrific staff that can help design
anything our customers may need - from wallpaper
to stretched canvas to traditional framed art.
With access to every moulding and mat combination
imaginable, and with the ability to custom print
every image, the design opportunities are limitless.
c. Aggressive Pricing
We aim to provide the most competitive pricing
in the industry, based on our core belief that
everyone should have access to affordable art.
We are always looking to get more favorable
pricing from our suppliers and to find more
cost efficient ways to produce wall décor. And
all of the savings we’re able to harness are
passed onto our customers in the firm belief
that a reputation for fair pricing will result
in more than enough volume to keep us in business.
In the end, we treat our customers the way we
expect our suppliers to treat us.
5) Do you provide E-commerce or online
payment facility? Can our readers book your
products or services online?
Your readers can browse our image selection
at
www.kalisher.com. That said, the size and
frame options listed online are limited and
meant only for web retail customers. With unlimited
custom sizes and framing options, the best way
to get a quote and to purchase our work is to
contact Margaret Irvin at (919) 967-4300, xt.32
or Margaret@kalisher.com
For more information: Call: (919) 967-4300,
xt.21
Fax: (919) 929-4833 or Visit: www.kalisher.com |
