Intro
Prices are rising around the world while ratings are falling
Since the beginning of the year, at HQ revenue we’ve randomly reviewed more than 100 destinations around the world with regard to their price to rating ratios. And the same picture has emerged everywhere: hotel prices are still rising and are currently higher than ever before. At the same time, rating figures are continually falling and the trend is continuing. This applies equally to 2 and 5-star hotels.
What’s going on?
Something's brewing. Inflation and the energy crisis are forcing prices to rise and, at the same time, they’re also eating into guests' incomes. Those who can still afford a trip now expect a perfect stay. Hotels are also finding it harder to attract experienced staff (due to Covid disruptions). As a result, the level of service is falling and guests are becoming more dissatisfied.
Our colleague Francesc Gonzales from The Net Revenue in Barcelona (interview in this issue of GRANT) is right in seeing this scenario as a "dangerous cocktail". It’s a poisonous mixture that, in the long run, leads to a loss of value even for high-quality premium hotels. It’s not a crystal ball that will help you out of the crisis but solid data. Ratings are a valid indicator of your guests' experience; they rightly expect fair value for their money.
So how can hotels increase their service value in the face of staff shortages and rising costs? The answer requires pragmatism, not a crystal ball. Know your brand and your market! Know (and show!) yourself and know where you stand.
In this issue of GRANT, we propose some exciting solutions for both perspectives. We show that digitalisation combined with a hospitable face creates trust. Because that's what positioning means: maintaining the value of your hotel and increasing it, even in times of crisis.
GRANT#2 – Highlights
Attract the target group with the right price
It doesn't get any better than that!
Low prices and a great profile alone are not enough.
Attract the target group with the right price
Every hotel is happy about the first place on Booking.com or Expedia. But cheap prices and a great profile alone are not enough. Stephan Kohl from HQ revenue explains why a solid positioning is better than colorful crackers.
Hotel Photography
Brand building through attention to detail
A good portrait invites you to look, it makes you curious to get to know each other, to a crackling conversation. Portrait photography therefore focuses on the face. Because it is the attention to detail that reveals the character. And what is true for interesting people is also true for portraying hotel interiors. GRANT presents great examples by hotel photographers Simon Bernlieger, Anja Hecker-Heimers and Oliver Heimers.
GRANT#2 – Contents
People and hospitality in Ukraine
The Future
How are hotels in Ukraine doing? What does the future of the Ukrainian hotel industry look like?
To find answers to these questions, GRANT Editor-in-Chief Bernd Pohlmann meets Dana Elron, Director of Revenue, Operations and International Sales at the Amarant and City Park Hotels in Kyiv.
It doesn't get any better than that!
Brand building through attention to detail
A good portrait invites you to look, it makes you curious to get to know each other, to a crackling conversation. Portrait photography therefore focuses on the face. Because it is the attention to detail that reveals the character. And what is true for interesting people is also true for portraying hotel interiors.
GRANT presents great examples by hotel photographers Simon Bernlieger, Anja Hecker-Heimers and Oliver Heimers.
Apples ≠ pears?
How the beauty of data visualization unlocks new insights
The HQ revenue algorithm extracts room name attributes — called “tokens” — from an 11-digit set of room rates. Our GRANT visualization shows a section of it, which can be imagined as a gigantic dictionary.
However, the Oxford Dictionary only contains a paltry 150,000 Keywords ;-)
Low prices and a great profile alone are not enough.
Attract the target group with the right price
Every hotel is happy about the first place on Booking.com or Expedia. But cheap prices and a great profile alone are not enough. Stephan Kohl from HQ revenue explains why a solid positioning is better than colorful crackers.
Are your goals being achieved?
Svenja Kassner (TORTUE Hamburg) gives hotels 6 social media tips
Who are you and how do you want to appear to the outside world? Who is already following you on your social media platforms and who would you like to attract? What do you actually want to achieve with your social media presence? Svenja Kassner is responsible for social media at TORTUE Hamburg - and has answers to the central social media questions of the hotel industry.
Interview with Francesc Gonzales from The Net Revenue
Francesc Gonzalez has a special passion for the hotel industry. With The Net Revenue he increases direct sales by up to 60%.
In the interview, he explains the most important points of his strategy.
Positioning needs a roadmap
General managers or financial controllers have a good sense of when something needs to be improved. Often, however, day-to-day business does not leave them the space to initiate or implement improvements.
In an interview, Robert M. Nagel from Revard Digital gives tips for a digitization roadmap for hotels.
Luxury for the Soul
Branding: The example of Sensoria Dolomites in South Tyrol
Sensoria Dolomites is a hotel with a long family history. The children's generation returned here and transformed tradition and experience into a unique and contemporary all-round experience - supported by the Brixen agency Brandnamic. Here, too, positioning is the key word.
Don't miss any peaks in demand
Be smart — with happyhotel and HQ revenue
Automated revenue management? Is this supposed to work? Sebastian, COO of happyhotel explains: "The principle is simple. If the market demand is high, then you can ask for higher prices." Of course, you also know the catch - and the solution: "Of course you have to know the big picture: What does the market look like at the moment?" happyhotel receives this information in real time from the data supplier HQ plus in Berlin.
Get more direct bookings?
You can definitely do something to achieve this goal if you decide to advertise your offer on social media. The social media presence has a great influence on your positioning, both positively and negatively. In our scenario, we show in four stations how social media can establish and accompany the customer relationship - what can go well and what can go wrong.
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