Happy Holliday
As most of the business world cuts back, one swanky ad firm gets pedicures.
High-end amenities aren’t new to Boston companies, the prime example probably being Reebok’s Canton-based headquarters, with its 30,000-square-foot fitness center and beach volleyball court. But the sneaker giant built its digs in the footloose late ’90s—whereas it’s amid grim economic forecasts that local advertising agency Hill, Holliday recently unveiled an in-house salon.
When the firm relocated this spring from the Hancock Tower to a more spacious office in the Financial District, its 500-some employees were greeted with a 33rd-floor salon staffed by top beauticians, including Salon Trio’s Jeanne Lee, famed for her reflexology pedicures, and men’s snippers Rick Jones and Arthur Ardolino of Gentleman’s Choice. (At press time, the hunt was still on for the right women’s hairstylist.) The spin masters over at Hill, Holliday aren’t exactly advertising the addition, citing “awkward timing” as reason to decline comment on what their rep modestly refers to as the “amenity room.” Insiders wonder if there’s a hidden motive behind the beauty spot: to maximize output by keeping overworked employees at the office.
When the firm relocated this spring from the Hancock Tower to a more spacious office in the Financial District, its 500-some employees were greeted with a 33rd-floor salon staffed by top beauticians, including Salon Trio’s Jeanne Lee, famed for her reflexology pedicures, and men’s snippers Rick Jones and Arthur Ardolino of Gentleman’s Choice. (At press time, the hunt was still on for the right women’s hairstylist.) The spin masters over at Hill, Holliday aren’t exactly advertising the addition, citing “awkward timing” as reason to decline comment on what their rep modestly refers to as the “amenity room.” Insiders wonder if there’s a hidden motive behind the beauty spot: to maximize output by keeping overworked employees at the office.
Originally published in Boston magazine, June 2008
