special report indie hotels
a singular focus that necessitates a
reward framework based around
the needs ‘of one’ rather than ‘the
loyal community’.”
Preferred will also relaunch its
website in the third quarter. This
will include a dedicated section
on Preferred Residences which,
according to Ueberroth grew
significantly in 2017 and now has
70 members.
WORLDHOTELS
In March, WorldHotels
reclassified its 350 members into
three collections, WorldHotels
Distinctive, WorldHotels Elite and
WorldHotels Luxury, from two
collections previously, WorldHotels
and WorldHotels Deluxe.
Distinctive covers upscale
properties, Elite upper upscale and
Luxury is, well, as the name says.
In general, WorldHotels
members became part of
WorldHotels Distinctive while
members that were WorldHotels
Deluxe became part of WorldHotels
Elite. The very best hotels became
part of WorldHotels Luxury.
“The re-classification clarifies
the market positioning of our
collections, so our sales team
can sell our hotels to our clients
58 TTG Asia luxury | May 2018
with greater confidence,” Geoff
Andrew, CEO of WorldHotels, said.
“Therefore, travel agents as well as
guests get a better understanding
of the accommodations and the
services they can expect before they
book with WorldHotels.”
He added: “The creation of
the new collections signals that
we will be taking a more focused
approach to the quality levels
within each segment. Hotels that
don’t meet our quality standards
will obviously be addressed and
given the opportunity to resolve
these issues. If a hotel does not
improve its quality standards, it
is possible that it will be excluded
from its collection and the overall
WorldHotels’ portfolio. As the
brand continues to grow and
expand, new properties will
have to continue to adhere to the
standards for each collection to
maintain the integrity of each.”
So is WorldHotels shifting
towards the high-end? Said
Andrew: “WorldHotels has
always been involved with luxury,
high-end properties. The overall
WorldHotels portfolio, however,
ranges from upscale to luxury and
we will continue to serve all of
them. Because of the upper upscale
and luxury portfolio of our sister
Above Grand
Ferdinand, Vienna,
a member of
WorldHotels Elite,
one of three new
classications of
the WorldHotels’
portfolio
Today,
independent
hotels want
loyalty
programmes
to help
them drive
more direct
bookings and
reduce their
dependency
on OTAs and
other third
parties.
Geoff Andrew,
CEO, WorldHotels
company ALHI (Associated Luxury
Hotels International), we do see
an opportunity to grow within the
high-end market. However, this
does not mean we will be shifting
solely towards the high-end.”
Since ALHI parent, Associated
Luxury Hotels, acquired
WorldHotels in February 2017,
work on leveraging the two brands
has been going on in earnest. ALHI
handles global sales, particularly
meetings & incentives, for its
membership comprising more
than 250 luxury hotels and resorts,
primarily in the US. WorldHotels’
portfolio, on the other hand,
comprises 350 properties, many
outside the US.
Andrew said WorldHotels is
leveraging the luxury aspect of
ALHI to elevate the overall brand
of WorldHotels. ALHI too has been
generating leads of clients they
can’t place in their own portfolio
to WorldHotels. “Between us, we
have 150-odd sales people and
600 hotels. One of the things that
we’re looking at is, what services
can we add that will benefit both
organisations and members?” he
said.
WorldHotels is targeting a
massive growth from its present
350 hotels to 500 properties within
the next three years. Asia-Pacific is
a clear target of growth, as seen in
two key promotions in April, James
Koh as regional vice president of
hotel development Asia-Pacific,
and Ganessan Suppiah as regional
vice president of sales Asia-Pacific.
Both have served WorldHotels for
over 11 years. Outside Asia-Pacific,
a global director of travel industry
partnerships, Tim Burke, has been
hired, based in Dallas, along with
a regional director of sales based in
Los Angeles, Fernando Carranza.
“WorldHotels is currently
making significant investments to
enhance its service offerings for
independent hotels including the
expansion of its already extensive
global sales and e-commerce force