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MARCH 2015 FEATURED B.E. MEMBER: Texas Western Hospitality Roger Copas, Regional Director
Texas Western Hospitality has grown into an impressive management company of 30+ hotels demonstrating superior influence in the hospitality industry. Their current growing portfolio of solely Hilton and Marriott brands continues to deliver exceptional results to its owners. Regional Director of Texas Western Hospitality, Roger Copas, further explains how an eight‐year partnership with BuyEfficient (“B.E.”) has continued to support their philosophy of “working smarter instead of working longer.” B.E.: How does your partnership with BuyEfficient and the use of B.E.’s bundled solution of contracted Supplier programs and PO technology contribute to Texas Western’s overall success in driving profitability at your hotels? COPAS: Before joining Texas Western, I experienced many chaotic hotel situations where the entire operations team was running in every direction with ineffective and expensive purchasing behaviors. Since early 2007, B.E. has allowed the entire Texas Western portfolio to purchase all of their F&B and Operating supplies in one place. The consistency of BuyEfficient has proven to be one of the main keys for us to maximize hotel profitability. BuyEfficient’s proprietary purchasing platform allows our hotels to buy proficiently and obtain the best Supplier pricing available with B.E.’s pre‐negotiated programs. Additionally, BuyEfficient’s Member support is second to none. One hundred percent of all questions and inquiries are answered with a turnaround time that is impeccable. Within the hour, my team is constantly amazed with B.E.’s aggressive approach to solving any issue that arises. Being in a business that strives for an optimal guest experience, I appreciate a purchasing partner that tries to provide the same level of service to my hotels. It’s a winning combination for a successful partnership. B.E.: Your hotels’ current electronic purchase order usage is at an impressive 92%. How did you get the hotels to become so efficient in using the PO System? What was the main selling point to them? COPAS: Monthly hotel compliance reports delivered by BuyEfficient help me continually evaluate my team and properties purchasing performance. Any new General Manager of Texas Western participates in a full B.E. orientation, ensuring the proper set‐up of individual favorite folders to capitalize on the efficiency of an online purchasing portal customized for each hotel. It’s very important for the new manager to fully understand the B.E. program and realize first hand that they are getting the best value through BuyEfficient; there’s no need for them to go “shop” around for a better price. Furthermore, my management teams are very aggressive and competitive with seeing positive (“green”) results on B.E. scorecards. They don’t want to ever be in the red or even yellow tiers. These ratings help push them fiercely in the right direction. B.E.: Some time ago, Texas Western participated in a social hour and breakfast cutting initiative at SYSCO. Your hotels really embraced the experience. How did this affect your operations? How did the food cutting experience get incorporated in your portfolio? COPAS: The Sysco cuttings have really opened Texas Western up to new ideas and opportunities for positive change. Some F&B products served during social hours are now incorporated into other occasions allowing ingredients to be duplicated and utilized to their fullest. With that being said, Texas Western’s menu variety and selection has also improved while reducing costs. For example, the Southwest Omelet created from a Sysco Dallas food cutting is still on the menu today with products that continually prove to be the best in quality and selection.