Feature: UK Independent Hotels Como Hotels' The Metropolitan
hand, while the branded hotels are fairly consistent and predictable in their offerings – which some of our travellers like – many of our travellers prefer the distinctiveness of independent hotels. “This 'distinctiveness' is something that many large chains are now emulating, but from a buyer perspective it's clear at times that independents have quicker escalation processes and may not be so rigid in their procedures. While any hotel worth its salt should focus on customer loyalty, most smaller, independent hotels do seem to give it the extra focus. “They can and do have a different approach
to the large chains and are better equipped sometimes to make quicker decisions and show flexibility and this is attractive to buyers. We have not seen higher average daily rates at independents over chain hotels.”
➔independent hotels that aren’t in the GDS?” HRS, in comparison, claims to feature over
250,00 hotels in its database, both chain and independent. “By giving the independent hotels a common platform they’re able to compete with the large chains on a much more level playing field,“ says Kramer. “At the same time, providing a many-to- many distribution platform, the corporate accounts are able to take advantage of better choice and more competitive pricing.” So how does an HBA, in this case HRS, manage to carry an extra 170,000 hotels in its inventory when compared to the GDS? “The majority are indeed independent hotels,” says Kramer, who explains that in addition to some 1,000 hotel chains in the HRS system, there’s also lots of smaller, ‘local’ chains. “We have all of the GDS content – which is mainly the large chains – and then we've added many hundreds of small chains. “Some of these small chains are actually groupings or associations of independent hotels, and then, in addition, we have all of the truly independent hotels which run the full gambit from ‘Mom & Pop hotels’ to the top five-star luxury hotels.”
WHAT THE CORPORATE BUYERS SAY Jane Dibble, Travel Services Manager Operations, Infrastructure & Procurement for PricewaterhouseCoopers “The independent hotels that we currently have on our preferred programme in the UK are definitely standing their ground against the big boys. This is mainly down to the strong and well-established relationships we have with them. Although their occupancy market share in certain locations is not as strong as some of the chain hotels, we are seeing comparable average daily rates.
Geoff Allwright, Head of Travel and Expenses UK, EADS UK “There are some independent hotels in our programme but that's purely because of the geography. Certainly in our main cites it would be unusual for us to have an independent hotel, mainly because in general they are simply not big enough and because of the availability of rooms. But there are exceptions. “We have global partnerships with major
City Inn Leeds' Sky Lounge Bar
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De Vere Hotels “There is no reason why they would not get
on our tender lists if they have the right product in the right location and are bookable on the GDS. While the independent hotels that we use tend to have been part of our preferred programme for a number of years, it's clear that representation by hotel marketing groups helps the independents with introductions to large corporates who may not be aware of their properties. If there is a place for a hotel on our programme then it will have the same level of consideration whether it is an independent property or one of a big chain. “The independents don't have the leverage
that chains have with their brand recognition and their established loyalty programmes, and this is their biggest challenge. On the other
hotel suppliers and in our main cities – Paris, Toulouse or Bristol – we would use our preferred brands. But where they don’t exist, or we have a local need, we might use an independent hotel. “When it comes to dealing with the corporate market, some of them get it, but some of them don’t. Some independent hotels don’t have a sales team and don’t reply to RFPs. There was a particular hotel in Chester which wouldn’t reply to our RFP and wouldn’t even meet with us. They were of the view that they didn’t need the business, but these hotels are definitely losing out. If they’re not in our programme, they won’t show on our online booking tool so they lose visibility and therefore business. “Some of the independent hotel chains, like Malmaison and City Inn, have sales forces and would offer corporate rates and benefits. “They’ve got to be more responsive to things
like electronic auctions and RFPs because that’s the way it’s going. If we don’t get a reply, we’re not going to go chasing after them. “I think a lot of them simply don’t understand
how an RFP process works. They are a bit daunted by it, but they need to get clued up. There are associations that can help them or they can just come and ask us.”
Caroline French, Corporate Travel Manager for Inmarsat “When we put together our hotel programme we look at which hotels are close by. We’re not too particular about whether they are a large chain or an independent. In London, we have a good mix of hotel chain properties and
➔ 24 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 18 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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