LEARNING FROM AIRBNB
Dubrovnik coast
LEARNING FROM AIRBNB
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with their daily lives ,” says Takuya Aoyama , Hyatt ’ s vice president , acquisitions and development – Europe , Africa and Middle East . “ We are certainly interested in expanding Hyatt ’ s brand footprint in Croatia and its neighbors , and we continue to look for opportunities in a way that drives preference for Hyatt among our guests , owners and associates .”
While the seasonality of the market is a challenge , Hyatt is pursuing opportunities to increase its presence there , Aoyama adds .
“ We see the biggest development pipeline in the Istria region ,” Topalovic says , an area that compares to smaller-scale , less crowded and more intimate version of Provence or Tuscany .
It might be the last Mediterranean country where there is property to purchase and develop , Topalovic says . “ You can ’ t do this in Italy or Spain or France ,” he says . “ You have one of the most beautiful parts of the Mediterranean coast still available for development .”
As for the country ’ s future , Topalovic points much farther west . “ In the sense of what Florida is to the USA , Croatia could be to western Europe . In the last stage of life , you can live a Mediterranean style that is much more price-competitive than where they come from .”
CROATIA IS SOAKING UP INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION AND INVESTMENT FROM SOME UNLIKELY CORNERS .
By BARBARA BOHN , MANAGING EDITOR
CROATIA CONSTRUCTION
PIPELINE
PIPELINE BY STAGE |
PROJECTS |
ROOMS |
Under construction |
3 |
782 |
Starts next 12 months |
2 |
131 |
Early planning |
6 |
400 |
Total pipeline |
11 |
1,313 |
TOP FRANCHISE COMPANIES , BY ROOMS |
PROJECTS |
ROOMS |
Hilton |
1 |
150 |
Hyatt Hotels |
1 |
130 |
Four Seasons |
1 |
120 |
Unbranded |
6 |
690 |
Other franchises |
2 |
223 |
Total pipeline |
11 |
1,313 |
TOP CITIES , BY ROOMS |
PROJECTS |
ROOMS |
Zagreb |
2 |
212 |
Split |
2 |
201 |
Other cities |
7 |
900 |
Total pipeline |
11 |
1,313 |
Source : Lodging Econometrics
Tips from Chip Conley , former head of global hospitality and strategy at Airbnb , to fellow hoteliers :
• Imagine your hotel is an ambassador to your city or neighborhood so guests can live “ like a local ” – you ’ ll have a built-in advantage if you create a local ’ s favorite restaurant or a bar that your guests can enjoy .
• Optimize web design for mobile , as most of your customers will view it on a much smaller screen .
• Customize guest offers based on data and become a “ lifestyle curator ” – to do this well , hotel companies need to hire more data engineers , just like they did a generation ago with a new class of employees called revenue managers .
• Spend less attention on standards enforcement and more on innovation enhancement . Incentivize your best franchisees to develop best practices that can be incubated by local hoteliers and then spread throughout your system .
March 2017 hotelsmag . com 11