Webster Wants to Build on Hilton's Reputation

The word "reputation" pops up quite often when Peter Webster talks about his hopes for the Hilton Short Hills.

He wants to preserve and enhance the reputation the local hotel has built within the Hilton chain and among its guests, but he also wants to make sure people know about what he calls a hidden treasure.

Webster is the new general manager for the hotel, a position he took in mid-March. He comes to Millburn-Short Hills after seven years in the Bahamas, most recently serving as the general manager of the British Colonial Hilton in Nassau.

"When I lived in Chicago, I thought it was the greatest place and America's best-kept secret," he said. "Now that I'm here in New Jersey, I think this is America's best-kept secret."

Many people in the area need to be reminded what the Hilton Short Hills has to offer, Webster said.

"They may not have been here for awhile," he said. "How many years has it been since they've been to the spa? Or Sunday brunch? Or maybe they were here a few years ago for a wedding. We need to remind them we're here."

One way to do that is through food festivals, he said, which are planned through the summer. A Kentucky Derby event is set for the weekend of the horse race and menus will also be changing with each season.

Locals may also see the return of the five-star Dining Room, which was closed when it no longer turned a profit. Webster said it's not clear why the restaurant stopped working so well after being popular for so many years. The space is now used for private parties, but the restaurant could return in the future, although in a different way, he said.

Webster comes to Millburn-Short Hills with a reputation for refurbishing and rebuilding hotels throughout the Hilton chain, including the Nassau hotel. But he's not coming here with those plans, especially since the Short Hills hotel just finished a remodeling project.

"I was not looking for a transfer, but this is one of the jewels of the Hilton crown," he said of the Hilton Short Hills. "This is not (a job) you say no to."

In his first month on the job, he's been doing a lot of listening, he said, both to his staff and to regular guests. There are people who regularly stay in the hotel three or four times per week, or longer, and have become like an extended family, he said. "They know things better than I do."

While the Bahamas can be a leisure destination, Webster said, it's not that different from Millburn-Short Hills and its Hilton. Both are affluent communities with many business guests who use the hotel.

But it doesn't mean the economy isn't on his mind. There is a perception that the Hilton Short Hills is an expensive hotel, he said. "Many people don't realize we can be quite flexible with our prices, especially with our catering."

With the hotel's reputation for fine service, however, people won't get "rock-bottom prices." But they are aiming to give back to their guests, including spa deals for business travelers who use the hotel, he said.

The local Hilton also already is a leader in the "staycation," he said, with many people travelling from New York City to take advantage of the hotel and what Millburn-Short Hills has to offer.

"They enjoy the outdoor pool, they might enjoy the spa and they go to the mall," Webster said. "There's a lot of relaxing things to do here."