These days, there really is no place like home.(hotel turns to local market as source for clients, Boston, Massachusetts)(Brief Article)(Column)(Statistical Data Included)

When I was offered the opportunity several years ago to become general manager of the Boston Harbor Hotel, I jumped at the opportunity. At the same time, it was a classic "good news-bad news" scenario.

The good news? I was being given the opportunity to run an established four-star hotel on the waterfront of one of the world's greatest cities. The bad news? It was smack dab in the middle of the Big Dig, the largest public-works project in the history of the United States.

Thanks to a booming economy, a dedicated staff and a strong marketing team, hotel guests overlooked the bulldozers and cranes, and the hotel prospered.

Then came the tragic events …