Independent Hotels Cater to Elite Business Travelers
Charm, personalized service attracts business travelers to small, eite hotels.
Jan. 29, 2008 -- The big hotel companies — Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood and the like — dominate the growing sector of high-end business-center hotels. And why not? Chain-affiliated hotels gain competitive advantages through worldwide reservations systems, popular loyalty programs and slick marketing campaigns.
But in many cities, independents such as The Rittenhouse in downtown Philadelphia continue to compete for the travelers who can pay $300-plus a night for charm, a clubby atmosphere and a reputation upheld over the decades. The Rittenhouse last year reported its best sales and occupancy figures ever. Nonetheless, general manger David Benton says, "We have to pedal twice as fast to keep up with" branded rivals.
The Rittenhouse and other grand old downtown hotels — The Hay-Adams in Washington, D.C., and The Adolphus in Dallas, for example — compete with the chains on the basis of such things as prestigious locations, lavishly furnished rooms, grand architecture, rich history and ultrapersonalized service.
They survive by focusing on an elite group of customers — top-tier executives, celebrities and affluent, older travelers — who don't care much about accruing loyalty points and rewards.
Including resorts, about 70 older, luxury hotels with at least 100 rooms operate as independents in the USA, according to industry tracker Smith Travel Research. Since 2001, Smith says, the number of hotel rooms in that segment of the industry has remained flat at about 17,000.
Affiliations with Chains
But the longer-term trend for the high-end independents has been to become affiliated with chains, says lodging consultant Bjorn Hanson of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chains can buy supplies for less, and their sales channels reach more people, he says.
For example, the 97-year-old U.S. Grant, the grande dame in downtown San Diego built by Ulysses S. Grant Jr., son of the president, joined Starwood's Luxury Collection in 2005 to gain "worldwide exposure," says Mark Dibella, the hotel's spokesman.
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