06 Jan 2020

Coakley and Williams, Blue Ocean, and Sabra Tours is pleased to announce that their hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton in Pikesville, MD is the first location to be approved by Hilton Worldwide to offer “Sabbath locks” in the United States.

The DoubleTree by Hilton in Pikesville is currently undergoing a total renovation, including the expansion of its ballroom. The new ballroom provides banquet seating for up to 800 guests and more than 1,000 for theatre, lectures, and educational events. In addition to the renovated ballroom area, the hotel offers state-of-the-art breakout spaces equipped with full audio-visual services, making it an ideal venue for a variety of events.

“We are very proud of this facility and the services it offers to the entire community,” said Jonathan Ehrenfeld, President of Blue Ocean. “But because our management’s culture is based on honoring all people through hospitality, we saw an opportunity to provide something unique to the Orthodox community in and around Baltimore and up the eastern seaboard.”

“Nearly all modern hotels provide magnetic room key cards that operate electronically,” said Ehrenfeld, “This presents a problem for the Orthodox Jewish community and other traditionally observant Jews who do not operate electronic devices in any way on the Sabbath. In order to more fully welcome these Sabbath-observant guests, we have installed mechanical “Sabbath locks” that function without any electricity.

According to Hotel Manager Mark Mahoney, installing the Sabbath locks was about inclusion. “Our goal is to deliver a great experience for every guest who stays overnight or attends an event at the DoubleTree by Hilton,” says Mahoney. “Therefore, providing an alternative to the electronically-powered lock for our Orthodox guests on the Sabbath was something simple we could do to accommodate this important need and enhance the experience for them.”

About the DoubleTree by Hilton in Pikesville, MD
Conveniently located just south of the Baltimore Beltway/I-695 and Reisterstown Road interchange (Exit 20) in the middle of the Northwest Baltimore business district, the DoubleTree by Hilton in Pikesville, MD offers easy access to various area attractions. Thurgood Marshall (BWI) Airport is just 20 minutes away and an MTA Metro station is just five minutes from the hotel. The hotel features the attached Coppermine Racquet & Fitness facility, the Fountain Side Restaurant and Lounge, 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, fully-equipped business center, and seasonal outdoor swimming pool.