for the occasional business traveller and while they may improve choice, it may not always be a positive”. Another buyer, from a UK advertising
agency, whose travellers might have been expected to embrace new lifestyle brands, suggests that this is not always the case. “They might like the idea of an ‘edgy’ hotel, but in reality the fundamentals of location and clean, functional rooms are usually more important, although there may be cases when a lifestyle hotel is preferred, such as to impress a client,” she says. But hotel chains that introduce multiple
brands can have benefits for buyers, says Margaret Bowler, HRG’s director of global hotel relations. “For example, they can have one conversation that covers multiple brands, while it also helps because, in some cases, it fills the gaps in supply and the price points,” she says. “But ultimately, it comes down to location and price.” Sue Reeves, head of strategic business management at Chambers Travel Group, echoes this: “What corporates are looking for from brands are competitive rates, value added extras and good management infor- mation,” she says. Yet the growth of multiple brands from the major hotel groups could be a flawed
“Is there a time in the future when user review ratings will surpass ‘brand’ as the primary decision-maker of which hotel to stay in?”
strategy, suggests Jon West, UK manag- ing director of corporate hotel booking specialist HRS. He asks: “Is there a time in the future when user review ratings – Trip Advisor and so on –will surpass ‘brand’ as the primary decision-maker of which hotel to stay in? It will be interesting to see if independent hotels and their reputa- tions via user review ratings will take pride of place versus branded chain hotels in the future.” He adds: “It’s likely that travel buyers
do care about brands, but when it comes to deciding where to stay, I believe it’s the user review ratings which matter more than the hotel identity.”
SURVIVING A CRISIS And hotel brands do not necessarily last forever. A generation ago, the leading UK hotelier was Trusthouse Forte, an empire of some 900 hotels built up by the late Lord Forte, followed by his son Sir Rocco Forte, in an era when global chains were still in their infancy. Forte Group, as it was eventually renamed, embraced brands such as Posthouse, Heritage, Le Méridien and Travelodge – along with ‘trophy’ assets such as the Grosvenor House and Brown’s in London, George V in Paris and the Ritz Madrid – before being taken over in 1996 in a bitter £3.8 billion takeover battle with Granada Group.
Only Le Méridien and Travelodge
brands have survived into the 21st century in any meaningful way, although Sir Rocco’s eponymous luxury group, Rocco Forte Hotels, has come through difficult times in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, helped late last year with an injection of £60 million funds from Italian investors in return for a 23 per cent stake. Sir Rocco, a fit 70-year-old who until recently was a regular competitive triathlete, shows that some hoteliers and their brands are born survivors.
OUR LOCATION PUTS YOU AT THE HEART OF CENTRAL LONDON
St. Ermin’s is designed to make business travel as effortless as possible. Our location in the heart of the recently renovated Westminster and Victoria business districts, puts you in the centre of this thriving commercial community, meaning your route to work could just be a gentle stroll away. If your destination is slightly further afield, St. James’s Park tube station is next door and Victoria tube and mainline stations are only a 10-minute walk away.
• 331 bedrooms and suites • 15 meeting & event spaces • Outdoor Terrace • 24hr gym
St. Ermin’s Hotel, 2 Caxton Street, London SW1H OQW Tel: + 44 (0)20 7222 7888
www.sterminshotel.co.uk BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
• Tea Lounge • Caxton Bar
• Adam Handling at Caxton Restaurant
St. Ermin’s Hotel is part of the Autograph Collection, which means that you can earn Marriott Rewards points, to redeem on accommodation or air miles, every time you stay or hold an event.
BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
79
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL HALLS
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT WESTMINSTER ABBEY
WESTMINSTER STATION WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
CENTRAL HALL WESTMINSTER QUEEN ELIZABETH II CENTRE
ST. ERMIN’S HOTEL
ST. JAMES’S PARK STATION VICTORIA STATION
ST. JAMES’S PARK
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
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