Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Sophie Zunz
Aired June 21, 2003 - 09:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: When you think of room service in a fine hotel, perhaps you think of champagne, possibly even a late-night snack. Well, one Boston-area hotel offered something much more exclusive to their guests, Harry Potter.
Here to explain is Sophie Zunz of the Charles Hotel at Harvard Square.
Sophie, thanks for being here.
SOPHIE ZUNZ, THE CHARLES HOTEL: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: All right, let's talk about this. What was the package that you guys offered to entice everybody to come in it? It had to do with Harry Potter.
ZUNZ: Yes, it sure did. We put together a package. The Charles Hotel is located in Harvard Square, so we really are, you know, a huge proponent of literary and literacy. So we put this package together, which contained two DVDs, the first and second movie, and a bag of jelly beans, the Bernie Botts (ph) beans. And then at midnight, the book was delivered to their rooms.
ROBERTS: And so I guess at midnight, as you said, they're delivered. There must have been a mad crush in the hallway of everybody answering their doors to get their hands on the book. And was it mainly filled with adults guests, or kid guests? Or a combination of both?
ZUNZ: No, we had a lot of kids in the hotel, which is really wonderful. I mean, we are family-oriented hotel, so we had over a dozen families in the hotel. Some kids, you know, answered the door, waiting, so excited that they had stayed up past midnight to receive it.
And then some kids who, you know, had fallen asleep because they were so tired, ran to the front desk first thing this morning to get a copy.
So it was really wonderful. The kids were so excited, all dressed up in Harry Potter. It was a lot of fun, a lot of animation.
ROBERTS: Now, I understand that you guys really got into this, because when people checked into the hotel, you had the sorting hat there, the official Harry Potter sorting hat, to let people know exactly where their rooms were? ZUNZ: Absolutely. What we did is, we had the kids reach into the sorting hat, grab a key, and then they were told what wing of Harry Potter they would be in. And then they were led to their room.
ROBERTS: And they were taken away to join the, I guess, the fan club of everyone that's in the Harry Potter fan club for this fifth book, I guess. Did you get your hands on it? Have you read through any of it yet?
ZUNZ: I have a book. To be honest with you, I haven't even read the first page. But I do have it.
ROBERTS: All rightie. Well, we appreciate you taking time to talk to us today, Sophie. Sophie Zunz of the Charles Hotel.
ZUNZ: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Great little program they had running up there so everybody could get their hands on the Harry Potter book. Sophie, again, thank you.
ZUNZ: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 21, 2003 - 09:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: When you think of room service in a fine hotel, perhaps you think of champagne, possibly even a late-night snack. Well, one Boston-area hotel offered something much more exclusive to their guests, Harry Potter.
Here to explain is Sophie Zunz of the Charles Hotel at Harvard Square.
Sophie, thanks for being here.
SOPHIE ZUNZ, THE CHARLES HOTEL: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: All right, let's talk about this. What was the package that you guys offered to entice everybody to come in it? It had to do with Harry Potter.
ZUNZ: Yes, it sure did. We put together a package. The Charles Hotel is located in Harvard Square, so we really are, you know, a huge proponent of literary and literacy. So we put this package together, which contained two DVDs, the first and second movie, and a bag of jelly beans, the Bernie Botts (ph) beans. And then at midnight, the book was delivered to their rooms.
ROBERTS: And so I guess at midnight, as you said, they're delivered. There must have been a mad crush in the hallway of everybody answering their doors to get their hands on the book. And was it mainly filled with adults guests, or kid guests? Or a combination of both?
ZUNZ: No, we had a lot of kids in the hotel, which is really wonderful. I mean, we are family-oriented hotel, so we had over a dozen families in the hotel. Some kids, you know, answered the door, waiting, so excited that they had stayed up past midnight to receive it.
And then some kids who, you know, had fallen asleep because they were so tired, ran to the front desk first thing this morning to get a copy.
So it was really wonderful. The kids were so excited, all dressed up in Harry Potter. It was a lot of fun, a lot of animation.
ROBERTS: Now, I understand that you guys really got into this, because when people checked into the hotel, you had the sorting hat there, the official Harry Potter sorting hat, to let people know exactly where their rooms were? ZUNZ: Absolutely. What we did is, we had the kids reach into the sorting hat, grab a key, and then they were told what wing of Harry Potter they would be in. And then they were led to their room.
ROBERTS: And they were taken away to join the, I guess, the fan club of everyone that's in the Harry Potter fan club for this fifth book, I guess. Did you get your hands on it? Have you read through any of it yet?
ZUNZ: I have a book. To be honest with you, I haven't even read the first page. But I do have it.
ROBERTS: All rightie. Well, we appreciate you taking time to talk to us today, Sophie. Sophie Zunz of the Charles Hotel.
ZUNZ: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Great little program they had running up there so everybody could get their hands on the Harry Potter book. Sophie, again, thank you.
ZUNZ: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
