THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Nathan Greenhalgh , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : ngreenhalgh @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Managing Editor , New Media 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORs Mary Gostelow , Adam Kirby , Oriana Lerner
PUBLIsHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVIsORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Eric Danziger President and CEO , Wyndham Hotel Group , Parsippany , New Jersey
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President , the Americas , IHG , Atlanta
Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
EDiTOriAL AND PrODuCTiON OFFiCES , HOTELS Marketing and Technology Group , 1415 N . Dayton Street Chicago , Illinois 60642 USA 1.312.274.2200 ; fax : 1.312.266.3363 edit @ hotelsmag . com
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Game
Is this the point of view that drove Marriott to create the Autograph Collection , which other brands are copying ? Is it a coincidence Starwood is increasing its stake in Design Hotels ? Maybe a little bit , but I think it is more about brands recognizing a long overlooked opportunity to create a new business niche — a move that already appears to have paid off nicely . But it also shows the brands ’ growing respect for more sophisticated independent operators and owners — and an understanding that complete world domination is unlikely .
While loyalty programs continue to give brands an edge , customization and personalization appear to be an increasingly preferred currency for guests . Brands are certainly reacting to this trend , yet by their smaller and hopefully more personal nature independents have a huge opportunity to better engage existing and potential guests who today are driven much more by experiences than points . So it comes as no surprise that everyone now seems to be promoting service more than grandeur and authenticity more than trendiness .
Another factor helping level the
on
It ’ s not easy being an independent hotelier competing against the brands and their powerful marketing machines . After all , we live in a world gone brand in so many aspects of commercial consumption . And while I don ’ t expect that tide to turn , I am feeling a bit of a groundswell among developers showing more interest in taking the independent route . They like the idea of better controlling their concepts , messages and costs , and some independents today are realizing better results by taking advantage of new media marketing options and an increasing ability to generate their own buzz .
playing field are intermediaries such as TripAdvisor and OTAs such as Expedia . TripAdvisor treats all hotels the same and has become one of the first consumer stops in the booking process . The better an independent hotel ’ s standing the bigger its opportunity to
Editor In Chief compete . With the likes of Expedia creating its own loyalty program , and with its enormous marketing budget that no brand can challenge , again independents have a new method to compete — this time on price , location and exposure to the mass market .
This month , HOTELS reports on the state of independents ( p20 ), delving into issues ranging from how they compete with brands and their loyalty programs to the growing role of social media , other digital strategies , capex considerations and what might be coming next .
What is increasingly clear is that independents can take advantage of technological changes and psychographic shifts to better compete , and it is making for a fairer fight for those that can best take advantage of the new opportunities at hand .
www . hotelsmag . com May 2014 HOTELs 5