p26 hotels mar27 24/3/09 15:49 Page 26
Hotels & resorts
Rupert Murray
020 7921 8010
rmurray@ttglive.com
For the latest accommodation news, visit ttglive.com/hotels
Interview Bill Walshe, Doyle Collection
Wake up to a brand
being transformed into understated five-star
properties.
“We chose not to draw attention to the proj-
ect when we started two years ago but now the
hotels are either finished or soon to be so it’s
time to rename, rebrand and relaunch.”
new look for Doyle
The next two to undergo the change are in
Washington and Kensington and the collection
should be complete by the end of the year.
Brand awareness
So do agents know about the new collection?
The Jurys Doyle hotel group is nearing the end of its transformation
On the whole, no, Walshe admits – or at least
into the five-star Doyle Collection, and the boss – who delights in pay-
they are a bit confused.
ing commission – is preparing a major trade push. By Rupert Murray
Walshe says he values agents enormously
and has no qualms about commission bills
going up.
B
ill Walshe must suffer from a serious 11 properties are all in the process of “If I’m paying more commission, I’m getting
sleepwalking problem. Sat in the being refurbished. more business. Being a relatively small hotel
newly renovated restaurant of the group our distribution infrastructure is never
Marylebone Hotel, he reveals that Major overhaul going to rival Starwood or Marriott so the agent
although he woke up in the hotel, he actually Walshe, chief executive of community is my infrastructure,” he says.
went to bed in the Jurys Clifton Ford, its Doyle Collection, claims Walshe sees agents as the best way to reach
predecessor. the evolution is far more a large number of potential customers, and is
And a few days earlier, he says his head hit than cosmetic. planning an “aggressive” programme of fam trips.
the pillow of the Jurys Bristol hotel – but he “We are going through “I have always been a great believer that
opened his eyes in the Bristol Hotel. a comprehensive over- when an agent comes to stay, they leave as an
He’s certain it’s going to happen again, but haul – the hotels bear ambassador,” he adds.
seems quite excited at the prospect. This is little or no resemblance “Agents are in a position of great influence
how Walshe deems that a hotel has been to their days under the and responsibility when recommending some-
overhauled to the Doyle Collection stan- Jurys Doyle brand,” he where to customers, and we want to endorse
dard; he spends the night there, and in says. the agents’ reputation by delivering on their
the morning a new hotel is born. Slowly, quietly and at a promise.
The collection launched in December cost of ¤250 million, the “We pay commission as fast as we can and I
last year as the new, improved face of company’s 11 hotels in the love doing so because the more we are paying
what was the Jurys Doyle hotel group. Its UK, Ireland and the US are the better we are doing.”
Despite operating in the luxury sector Walshe
is not worried about the trend of companies
downgrading their meeting venues.
“We have picked up a lot of business from
companies who are approaching the use of
luxury hotels in a less visible way.
“They are finding it difficult to use ‘trophy’
hotels but we are under the radar – they won’t
have to compromise standards but will have less
visibility and risk of being accused of hypocrisy.”
The group has also invested heavily in its
sales team and is keen to talk to as many
agents as possible.
■ To learn more or to speak to the sales team,
go to doylecollection.com
26 27.03.2009
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