Schriever senior group told to stop confusing identity
October 25, 2011
Joseph Herbert Naquin
October 27, 2011
Rene Claudet got out of the transportation business in part because he no longer wanted to deal with the stress. In January 2008 he purchased the 200-room Quality Hotel and took on the professional role of innkeeper.
Since then he and his wife, Barbara, a part-time nurse at Terrebonne General Medical Center, have worked as co-owners to pump life into a business that could have easily died.
Little did the Claudets realize that in September 2008, when Terrebonne Parish took a direct hit from Hurricane Gustav, that they would experience a degree of stress they had never known previously, and for the next three years, their attitude of determination would be challenged by storms, a national recession, offshore oil disaster and the spillover impact of federal government restrictions.
Undertaking renovations to the property and operational program, they rebuilt the Quality Hotel with a restaurant, cafe, 3,300 square feet of banquet and conference rooms, an indoor swimming pool, around which the covered courtyard is lined with guest rooms, and a lounge area.
As property owners, the Claudets said they pride themselves on their ability to look at a piece of real estate and see the potential. “When I first looked at this place I had the same feeling that I had with my house,” Rene said. “I thought, ‘Wow, this could be something special.'”
Rene Claudet said rebuilding a business meant knowing one’s customers and understanding the key elements that make a business work. “It is how you control costs. How you treat your staff and help them see the vision of your goals,” he said.
Management at the Quality Hotel believes first impressions mean securing or losing repeat business, and how one treats employees makes for a skilled staff.
The formula appears to be working. In September, the couple received a franchise owner’s award and three of their 52 employees secured four separate Property Excellence awards from Choice Hotels International.
The Claudets said they are determined to beat the storms. With an understanding of the market and its challenges, they said it could be accomplished with hard work.
NAME: Rene and Barbara Claudet
COMPANY: Quality Hotel
LOCATION: 210 S. Hollywood Road, Houma
TELEPHONE: (985) 868-5851
WEBSITE: www.choicehotels.com/hotel/ LA137
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION: LSU; Rene majored in marketing, while Barbara studied sociology. She also attended Nicholls State University, where she majored in nursing
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
BUSINESS BEGAN: 1976
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE SELF: Determined
ADVICE TO OTHERS: Realistically look at what you are trying to accomplish.
BUSINESS OWNER YOU ADMIRE: My brother Michel Claudet, business owner and Terrebonne Parish President, because of his administrative and organizational skills.
EDITOR’S NOTE: CEO 101 is a twice-monthly feature spotlighting successful business owners in the Tri-parishes. We ask them to share their proven strategies for success.
Quality Hotel owners Rene and Barbara Claudet say determination has helped them weather storms and survive economic hits to make their business an example in successful management. MIKE NIXON
