A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE LARGEST HOTEL CHAINS IN THE WORLD.
I have the great fortune to have two clients with a similar mandate. Find me the best International Hotel Partner.
One client will build a major 5 Star luxury hotel and Convention Centre for which I need to find the right hotel group to manage the property. No investment necessary.
And another client that needs assistance to book hotel rooms and meeting space in 70 cities every quarter plus a bunch every month for which I need to find the right International Hotel Partner.
I am dealing with the same hotel groups in each case!! I am dealing with two totally separate geographic areas.
How extraordinary that the quality of the service and culture is identical in Development and Sales.
Here are some facts that are relevant.
- The best company in development is the best and most responsive company in the sales area.
- The worst reaction from the development department for the new hotel was replicated by the global sales department who were both unresponsive and ineffective. Everyone
delegated the task to someone else in both development and sales. - In the case of the new hotel, nothing has happened in 6 weeks.
- In the case of the bookings in multiple cities, only a small handful of RFPs have been submitted.
- In one case nothing has been received at all on the possibility of $2 million of business.
- In all of the worst cases, the promotional material all but guarantees a rose garden
- The smallest company, which I had anticipated would be the hungriest, was the most complacent and in fact downright arrogant in the development area.
- The best and most rapid reaction came from the fastest growing company that has totally re-vamped its organisation, ownership and business model.
- From one Sales Department, I have had no response whatsoever. Their telephone has been forwarded from North America to their European Reservation Centre for weeks. They may have quit and no-one is any the wiser!
It is perhaps interesting to point out that the reaction that we received from the worst company comes from an old, dated company whose reputation is almost acceptable in some remote parts and questionable in others. However, their new properties are generally terrific which is where you will generally find their senior executives.
The hunger to delegate permeated all of the companies. In each company, I was delegated down three or four levels. In no case has the most senior person followed through to see if the system is working.
It is interesting to note, although perhaps unfair, that the companies that are reacting better have leaders who are from within the hotel industry and those that are performing badly have a leader that comes from another industry.
The multi-brand concept was a large disappointment to me. Many brands that are listed under the umbrella of the parent company are actually regional brands and not available in other parts of the world.
The global sales offices have little or no influence over the majority of their hotels. They merely coordinate details, they are incapable and/or have no authority to lead negotiations on behalf of a global client.
Have the Big Boys become too big?
Does the term 'Chain' need to be revisited?
What's really missing from the Policy & Procedures Manual is Spirit! Entrepreneurial Spirit.
And for that, we have to wait for Generation Xers to grow up.
For more information on who is who in this maze of mediocrity, contact [email protected]
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