p26 hotels nov14 11/11/08 17:39 Page 26
Hotels & resorts
Rupert Murray
020 7921 8010
rmurray@ttglive.com
For the latest accommodation news, visit ttglive.com/hotels
Luxury digital
agency set up
LUXURY sales and marketing alliance Great Hotels
Organisation, which represents independent hotels,
launched a digital marketing agency at WTM.
It says thebigagency.com will help independent
hoteliers to be competitive on and offline and
improve visibility and sales.
Managing director Lilou Mace said: “Indepen-
dent hotels have not yet utilised the power of the
internet. There is a tremendous opportunity for
them to grow online.”
The agency can provide pay per click and
search engine optimisation strategies.
IT’S GOOD TO CHALK: The Trinago family, founders of Club Med, has opened a “You need to have a comprehensive pay per
“boutique” hostel. Mama Shelter in Paris is a cross between a boutique hotel and a click strategy,” said Mace. “If you are not doing it,
youth hostel in which rooms sell for ¤79. The lobby and walls are made from chalkboard your competitors are, and it’s likely that if you
so guests can scribble at will, and guests can attend forums with scholars and politicians. are not bidding on your hotel name, they are.”
Hotel sector ‘faces
Cotton Bay Village
joins Small Luxury
a harrowing 2009’
COTTON Bay Village has become St Lucia’s only
member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World
(SLH) marketing group.
Rupert Murray.
Pederson also believes hotels will place less Chief executive Michael Bryant said:
TEN per cent of the world’s hotels will go bust, emphasis on their environmental credentials as “Membership of such an internationally
be sold or change use in 2009, according to they fight for business – and even survival. acclaimed association represents independent
Niels Pederson, managing director of the “Nowhere is safe because the hotel industry is recognition of what we already firmly believe:
Supranational Hotels consortium. now having to pay for average price increases of that Cotton Bay Village offers truly outstanding
Pederson, who has 40 years’ experience in the 40% over the last three years. Survivors are quality of service and experience.”
industry, expects next year to be “even worse learning to fight for every single guest,” he said. SLH boss Paul Kerr aims to increase the brand’s
than the gloomiest pundits imagine”. Those that survive will be those that remain presence in the Caribbean and Central America.
He believes hotel revenues will drop by 20% positive, Pederson added.
overall. The five-star market will be hardest hit, Supranational Hotels has 1,250 members
with drops of more than 25%, while the four-star across 70 countries.
sector will decline by a quarter and three-star
Park Plaza trial
properties by 10 to 15%. But he predicted the PARK Plaza County Hall in London is the first
budget hotel sector would remain static. Hotels suffer October fall: European hotels hotel in the world to trial a Synanto MeetingPod
Pederson argued that successful hotels will had a bad October, with occupancy rates down system.
offer the best value, not necessarily the best in 17 capitals, according to hotel trend analysis The makers of the paperless meeting system
price, while business travellers will opt for company STR Global. Average room rates also claim it can reduce carbon footprint by up to
shorter stays and no places for spouses. started to fall. In London, the figures show that 85% by replacing the need for paper documents.
“There will be an end to hypocritical wasteful- revpar (revenue per available room) fell by 18% The equipment shares everyone’s names and
ness on expense accounts, extravagant add-ons in the week to November 2. Occupancy was roles, the agenda and any other papers for the
by those attending meetings, or bogus inspection down by 11.1% and room rates fell by 6.2%. meeting. And after the event it emails minutes
visits,” he said. and action points to every attendee.
26 14.11.2008
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