036-38_TTGB hotel feature v2 5/11/08 13:15 Page 38
38 hotels
L50776 CWT counts Preferred, Real Hotel Group, major hotel booking agencies, all the major variety that we can in terms of the style of the
Grange Hotels, De Vere Hotels and Macdonald conference agencies and we are a member of rooms and the quality of the food. We have a
Hotels amongst its preferred hotel suppliers. the Hotel Booking Agency Association.” ‘campus-style’ feel to our properties and we
Nigel Turner, CWT’s director of public sector The smaller chains are also good at running are very flexible in terms of working with our
and industry affairs, said: “The advantage of a eye-catching incentives and promotions. Hand clients. For example, we have unlimited free
big brand is you know exactly what you are Picked has its Business, Meetings and Events refreshments for meeting attendees.”
getting, and there is something to be said for campaign to raise awareness of what it offers.
big chain reliability and uniformity of product. It also runs a number of popular agency Flexible working
However, as more and more people spend more incentives including “Beat the credit crunch”, De Vere specialises in training, and will brand
and more time in hotels, people want something in which agents can win vouchers for any their venues to meet clients’ needs. BMW, for
a bit different or a bit of variety. I think this is meeting or event booking worth more than example, runs a technical academy, and PwC
why we have seen growth in bookings from the £3,500. The group has also run a popular runs a graduate trainee scheme with the group.
boutique and independent chains.” campaign over the summer in which meetings QHotels was founded in 2003. It has 21
and events bookers who make a booking worth hotels, some city-centre based, some deep in
Variable standards £1,000 are automatically entered into a prize the countryside. The group has spent more
Turner puts the main reasons down to draw to win an overnight party for up to 60 than £150 million on refurbishing the
individuality, guest recognition and a more people worth £12,000. properties, much of it on its corporate facilities
personalised service. He says the drawbacks are Julia Hands, its chief executive, said: “The including dedicated conference suites, training
that standards may well vary, particularly if the corporate market is a segment of business that facilities and meeting rooms. It caters for events
group has been put together from mainly is incredibly important to us. All of our hotels of up to 700 people and as with the other small
independent hotels. have meetings and events facilities and we get chains, many of the hotels have large grounds
The meetings and events market is always a lot of local business. I think if I were to define for team-building activities and golf days.
looking for a “different” type of venue, which our appeal compared with the big chains, it is A few years ago Macdonald Hotels and a
is why the small chains are so popular. “Many that we ask the clients what they want rather number of other smaller chains were no longer
of these hotels have big grounds and they can than tell them what we offer. We are flexible.” listed in Amex’s preferred hotel programme.
put on corporate events that are a bit different Then, at the start of this year, the TMC came
from the norm,” he said. Something different back to Macdonald and relisted them. Business
Nutfield Priory, for example, part of the De Vere Venues celebrates its 30th birthday development director Ruaridh Macdonald said:
Hand Picked group, offers archery, barbecues this year. The chain of 30 venues, which “Amex recognised that brand values and quality
and wine tasting as part of its meetings and includes hotels and also training centres, are important which is why they came back to
events packages. Hand Picked has a leisure/ specialises in meetings, events and training and us and signed an 18-month agreement.”
corporate mix of about 55/45, the majority of boasts a client list including BMW, O
2
, Macdonald Hotels also has preferred supplier
those corporate sales are from group bookings. PriceWaterhouseCoopers and British American deals in place with BSI, HBI, Expotel, CWT and
The group will give its current sales team Tobacco. It also deals with booking agencies HRG. TMCs account for about £18-20 million of
specific responsibility for agency sales in the and TMCs such as Zibrant, Expotel and HRG. Macdonald’s annual revenue – about 50% of
new year, prompted partly by a 20% increase Its business comprises 80-85% corporate, and overall revenues.
from that channel in the past 12 months. the rest leisure. With the boutique properties wanting to
Martin Terry, head of sales, confirmed that Although distinct from the other small hotel make the most of every potential booking, and
Hand Picked now has 25 preferred supplier chains – some of its properties have 400+ corporates looking to give their events a dose
deals in place. He added: “In the past 18 rooms and it offers 1,000 meeting rooms – it of character and style, now is the right time
months, we’ve actively been looking at also offers something very different from a for TMCs to be in the right place. L52159
preferred agreements. We’re never going to traditional hotel chain, as Nick Read, marketing
be massive with the likes of HRG for example, director, explained. For all hotel contact details, consult the Hotels
but we do have agreements with most of the “A lot of branded hotels cannot offer the Card free with this issue, between p20-21
ttgbusiness.com a79 november 2008
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64