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HOTEL NEWS
Guest ratings
more important
than brand value,
report finds
Price and guest ratings carry more
weight than brand value as key
attributes to hotel property selection,
according to a new study of more than
900 consumers by Expedia Group.
Expedia found that price was “by
far” the most influential driver of hotel
selection, as consumers “prioritise
value above all else” when allocating
their travel budgets. Promotions and
discounts that represent a real value to
the customer is an almost guaranteed
way to get hotel shoppers’ attention
and have them select a property.
Guest ratings were also found to
have a strong influence on consumer
selection, with a 72% chance that
any consumer will value guest ratings
higher than hotel brand.
According to the study, consumers
are willing to pay more for higher
guest reviews, and “considerably more
so than for more premium brands”.
Participants overall were willing to
pay more for a hotel with higher guest
ratings: 24% for a 3.9 rated hotel versus
a 3.4 rated hotel, and 35% for a 4.4
rated hotel versus a 3.9 rated hotel.
However, the study found hotel brand
did carry a slight advantage over other
attributes, including remodel callouts,
room image and star ratings. Premium
brands showed more influence on
selection, with shoppers rewarding
those brands with some ADR premium,
however Expedia added this was“not
nearly to the extent that superb guest
ratings do”.
HOTEL BRANDS
Royal Crescent
Hotel joins Pride
of Britain Hotels
as 50th member
For the first time in its 37-year history,
Pride of Britain Hotels has reached
its self-imposed limit of 50 hotels,
with the introduction of The Royal
Crescent Hotel and Spa in Bath, into
its collection of luxury independently-
owned hotels.
According to the hotel consortium,
the property is an “iconic” example of
Georgian architecture, and each of the
45 individually-designed bedrooms
and suites features “spectacular views”
of either Royal Crescent lawns or the
hotel’s secluded gardens.
General manager, Jonathan Stapleton
said: “We are so pleased to be joining
such a well-established and respected
brand, which represents some of the
most prestigious properties in the UK.”
Peter Hancock, CEO of Pride
of Britain Hotels, added: “We are
delighted to welcome The Royal
Crescent Hotel and Spa into our
collection of independent properties
around the UK. With its outstanding
architecture and fine location in the
centre of Bath, it adds greatly to Pride
of Britain’s offering, which now spans
50 amazing places to experience the
very best of British hospitality.”
While consumers want the best deal on travel
bookings, their individual selections ultimately
reflect their values
Abhijit Pal, head of research, Expedia Group
May 2019
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HOTEL CONSORTIUMS
Easyhotel sales
jump 24% in H1
results
Budget hotel brand Easyhotel has
reported a 24% increase in total system
sales to £19.9m for the six months
ending 31 March 2019.
Revenue increased by 47% to £7m
during the period, compared with
£4.8m the previous year, and owned
hotels like-for-like RevPAR was up
5.4%. However, franchise like-for-like
RevPAR decreased by 3.5%.
The group said that “despite the
ongoing political and economic
uncertainty facing the UK”, it
continued to “outperform” its hotel
markets in the UK and across Europe
during the period.
However, looking across the
wider hotel market, falling consumer
confidence “dampened” total hotel
demand, with RevPAR up 0.4% during
the period. Market demand in London
was off-set by a weaker regional
market performance, with a marked
deterioration in RevPAR across the UK
in Q2 as compared with Q1.
Additionally, the group’s European
franchised hotels performed less
strongly than those in the UK, despite
European hotel markets generally
outperforming the UK.
CEO Guy Parsons said: “Ongoing
political and economic uncertainty
continues to impact consumer
confidence as demonstrated by
weakening quarter-on-quarter demand
across the market, both in the UK and
in Europe.”
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