Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, the first branded full-service hotel in Baltimore City’s Inner Harbor proudly celebrates the property’s 40th anniversary by collaborating and supporting local and minority-owned business.
Guided by Hyatt’s purpose of care, the hotel team has worked to invite local business owners that have been impacted by the global pandemic to utilize the property’s meeting and event spaces to conduct business efforts, including Dessert Fantasies – a scratch made dessert company, Emerging Wealth Strategies – a company specializing in long term care, asset protection and estate planning, and Terra Loft Consulting – a local consulting firm specializing in business support services for the underserved and underrepresented small and micro businesses within the Baltimore community to name a few.
“At the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the financial impact to the hotel and hospitality community was immediate and unnerving and unlike anything we had ever experienced,” said Donna Márquez, general manager, Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor. “Working with small businesses in our community represents a unique opportunity to proactively care for others and support Baltimore’s recovery.”
As a few businesses in the city of Baltimore began to reopen, Márquez and her husband Robert were walking their dog Harper and stopped by their favorite neighborhood cupcake shop, Dessert Fantasies, to check on the owner Tosha Williams and ensure she was safe and healthy. Williams has seen success as a supplier in the hotel’s 24-hour Market for the past few years. To their surprise and heartbreak, Dessert Fantasies had closed its doors. Márquez and the hotel’s Executive Chef, Lonnie Crowe, quickly reached out to Williams and presented the opportunity for Dessert Fantasies to operate out of the hotel main kitchen and keep her business afloat while navigating the pandemic at no cost to her for the remainder of the year.
“Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor has afforded me the opportunity to maintain a viable business since closing my bakery due the COVID-19 pandemic, as I was ready to throw in the towel. The hotel and I have been long time partners, and I look forward to continuing our relationship as I navigate this new normal and explore options to opening a new storefront,” said Williams.
“By removing barriers and building a system of support, Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor is helping create a legacy of Black ownership that will benefit our city for a generation to come,” said Downtown Partnership of Baltimore President Shelonda Stokes. “When they’re ready, I look forward to welcoming these culinary businesses into their own brick-and-mortar storefronts right here in Downtown.”
In collaboration with City Councilman for District 11 Eric Costello and Sam Storey, director of economic development for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the hotel intends to continue its community impact efforts and focus on supporting the community’s small businesses with an emphasis on Black-owned organizations.
“I want to thank Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, especially Donna Marquez and Andre Street, for their leadership in creating new and exciting opportunities for Black-owned small businesses in Downtown,” said Costello. “This initiative is exactly what we need, right in the heart of Baltimore City.”
The hotel’s efforts to support the local community were recognized by the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) through the 2020 Mayor’s Business Recognition Award. This award is given annually by the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) and GBC, to those companies that have demonstrated outstanding community service and, through their contributions, have significantly improved the city.
Approximately 25 minority and Black-owned businesses have been identified to utilize space at Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor. Downtown Partnership will be focused on assisting small minority owned businesses by offering grants and other guidance.
Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt’s multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt’s commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness
To learn more about Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor or to book a stay, please visit the hotel’s website.
About Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor
As the first full-service branded hotel in the downtown Inner Harbor, the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor has solidified its position as a premier choice for professional meetings, events and leisure guests. Our downtown urban retreat is within walking distance to over 50 options of restaurants, shops and sporting events.
The 488-room Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor is a lovely, upscale hotel in a fantastic waterfront location in the downtown Inner Harbor neighborhood. Our guests rave about the stunning views of the Inner Harbor and the downtown skyline from our guestrooms and seasonal outdoor pool and bar. Contemporary rooms have plush beds and modern amenities like mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi in all guestrooms and public areas. Other amenities include a well-reviewed restaurant, a 24-hour market and coffee shop, and a spacious fitness room.
