Business Travel Executive, March 2020
16 Business Travel Executive askBTE com March 2020 SR SPECIAL REPORT C onsolidation in the hotel industry is at an all time high Flags are moving around like pieces on a chessboard and brands are battling to be the last one standing Historically rapid consolidation would mean tougher negotiating for travel buyers since they have less leverage at negotiation time However the actual picture on the ground is more complicated because in the end the corporate property relationships tend to be individual ones While all that is happening consolidation is giving larger chains more visibility into a corporate travel programs spend and market share This can lead to a competitive environment where hotels with greater degrees of rate control can drive prices up in compressed markets Travel managers and procurement leaders can prepare for these scenarios says Lexi Benakis director of hotel sourcing consulting for HRS in the Americas The best tactic Have deep insight and awareness of their own travel data as well as their ability to shift share to preferred hotel partners via alteration of their online booking tool and or internal communications to travelers and the admins that book for higher yielding executives If the travel buyer has concrete details regarding forecasted steady volume to a destination due to factors such as a merger facility upgrade or multi week training for a large group of employees that can also swing some leverage back to their side of the table Carol Lynch group vice president global sales for Wyndham Hotels Resorts says consolidation in the industry is impacting By Keith Loria Hotel consolidation is changing the rules of engagement but the rate games still go on
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.
