By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Best Western Falcon Plaza is always ready with a warm Bowling Green welcome for guests.
Doesn’t matter if you’re a rocker playing the Black Swamp Arts Festival, or a hockey player taking on the hometown Falcons, the welcome mat is out. That’s true for Tractor Pullers or someone who just pulled off I-75 for a good night’s rest. It’s true for a teacher from across the globe and someone from a half-mile away attending a business meeting. It’s true for someone who graduated from Bowling Green State University decades ago and a family dropping a student off ready to matriculate at BGSU.
“We enjoy being the hometown hotel,” said Todd McGee, the hotel’s general manager.
Todd McGee and Jacob Bishop
On Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. the hotel, at 1450 E. Wooster, right across from the BGSU campus, will celebrate its recently completed renovation.
The hotel has undergone many upgrades, remodels and additions since McGee’s grandfather Jacob Bishop bought what was then the Woodburn Motel. It had only about a dozen rooms, which went for $4.50 to $6. The name has changed to the Falcon Plaza, and become part of the Best Western chain in 1977.
“This renovation we just went through was by far the most comprehensive,” McGee said. “We invested over $1 million.”
That meant renovating every room from floor to ceiling, said Niki Carpenter, the desk manager.
The hotel has 85 rooms, two meeting rooms, a breakfast room, lobby with 10-foot-tall water feature, and a fitness room – certainly not something Jacob Bishop had to worry about 50 years ago.
McGee, who took over as general manager two and a half years ago, said one of the first things he did was upgrade the fitness facilities.
Back then a bar of soap that stayed in the shower until it was used up was the norm, Carpenter said. “Now the goal is for the guest to walk in as if no one else has ever stayed in that room.”
Those rooms carry on the Falcon theme with an earthy, subdued shade of orange in the color scheme, and that’s just the beginning.
Every room has been totally refurnished, including all new mattresses.
The rooms were remodeled in the past six months at a rate of four a week. This was done while staying open for business.
The location also offers two meeting rooms, one with a maximum capacity of 40, and the other, 60.
All this is necessary for the hotel to maintain its reputation. Trip Advisor has certified the Falcon Plaza as excellent, and the hotel is consistently ranked first or second in Bowling Green by the travel website.
The Best Western Falcon Plaza also ranked 27th out of 313 Best Westerns in its region, which extends to Maine and reaches into Canada.
The hotel has also increased its online reviews. That’s one way the internet has affected the hospitality business. Online agencies now also book rooms without customers even contacting the hotel, or even knowing until a transaction is complete where they will be staying.
Carpenter said that if customers actually contact the hotel they want to stay in, those online discounts can usually be matched. “If they talk to a staff member, we can better make sure we know what their needs are.”
Carpenter has worked with the Best Western for eight years. That’s a long time considering turnover for her job in the industry is three years. The staff has workers who’ve been with the hotel from five to 25 years, she said.
McGee said the location employs about 30.
“We take so much pride in taking care of our guests,” McGee said. “It’s like family.”
In the last decade or so, the choices for travelers have increased. That competition “is a good thing,” McGee said. “It’s good for the community.”
McGee, who sits on the Convention and Visitors Bureau board, said: “It’s good to get people here in town, keep them here in town, keep the revenue here in town.”
The big draws include BGSU Homecoming, the two Soccer Challenge tournaments, The National Tractor Pulling Championships, and Black Swamp Arts Festival.
Bowling Green can now attract groups here that it couldn’t before because of the larger number of hotel beds available, he added.
McGee didn’t start his career expecting to go into his grandfather’s business. Bishop, who still does work around the hotel, always told his family members that they should pursue what interested them.
After graduating with a business degree from Owens Community College, McGee worked as a supervisor for UPS. About five years ago, he started helping out with maintenance part time at the Best Western before taking over as manager.
“I enjoy working at the family business where everybody is so engaged in the overall experience of the guests,” McGee said. “That’s the most exciting thing. Every day is different. Every day is something new. It’s great to meet guests from all over the world.”
