Originally published in AAHOA Lodging Business, February 2007

Industry Update

Last year proved to be a successful year for hoteliers and their hospitality partners. ALB asked both franchisors and membership-based hospitality companies to update AAHOA members on their initiatives, affliations and hotelier programs that were launched in 2006 and provide an update on the company’s plans and goals for 2007.  For additional franchisor and membership-based hospitality company updates, please click here.

Compiled by Laura Jorgensen

Carlson Hotels Worldwide, including Regent Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn, are part of Carlson Companies, one of the largest privately-held hotel, travel and marketing companies in the world. Carlson Companies will celebrate 70 years in business in 2008. In 2006, Carlson Hotels Worldwide added 84 hotels around the world. A global hotel company, Carlson has over 940 hotels in 70 countries.

Country Inns & Suites opened its 400th hotel in 2006 and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in business in 2007.  Country Inns & Suites is a founding member of AAHOA and over the past 11 years has donated significantly to the AAHOA educational fund and other efforts including the India earthquake relief fund. 

Carlson and its affiliated brands continued to grow its diversity efforts and in 2006 achieved a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, was recognized as One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother Magazine and the hotel group tested and will roll out a new standard for its hotels to have a new assistive convenience kit available for guests with dwarfism or short stature at all of its full-service hotels and select-service hotels with 120 or more rooms beginning in July 2007. All hotels in the Americas will be encouraged to have a kit available on-site for guests to use. It is part of the company's broader view on diversity and inclusion. 

The company also recently put in place Medallia, a Web-based customer feedback system, so that Carlson hotels will get real-time feedback from hotel guests and a property can quickly learn of any problems and fine-tune service delivery to ensure greater guest satisfaction. Country Inns & Suites launched a new customer service employee training program called "Be Our Guest" to ensure guests get the same welcoming atmosphere, personal attention, service and appreciation one could expect as a guest in the home of a friend. In 2007, Radisson will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its “Yes I Can!” global service culture training program that empowers front-line employees to do what is needed to achieve total guest satisfaction.   

Each of Carlson’s hotel brands has product offerings to differentiate the brand in its competitive set. Radisson now offers a custom designed Sleep Number bed that enables each guest to adjust the firmness of his/her mattress at the touch of a button. Radisson also launched an online check-in system called Express Yourself. Country Inns & Suites offers the Book It & Return lending library and donates funds to support literacy. Carlson Hotels also continues to enhance its guest loyalty program called Goldpoints.

Conrad N. Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels Corporation, opened his first hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919. Hilton Hotels Corporation was incorporated in 1946.

The company launched its “Be Hospitable” program in early 2006. It is a philosophy that is shared by all brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels.

In mid-2006, Hilton Hotels Corporation and global fitness equipment leader Precor launched dynamic Fitness by Precor facilities at full-service Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy Suites Hotels in North America, and at The Waldorf=Astoria® in New York City.

On the e-Business front, the following online booking features have been introduced or enhanced within the past 18 months: e-Events is a real-time, instant online booking of anywhere from five to 25 guestrooms without a request for proposal; Calendaring enables customers to view a single hotel’s best available rates and discounted advance purchase rates for their preferred length of stay across a 31-day span; Compare/Travel Cart — allows customers the option to compare hotels side by side and the ability to store hotels in a “shopping cart” for future access; eCheck-in allows Gold and Diamond Hilton HHonors members the convenience of checking in on the Web from two to 36 hours prior to their arrival regardless of method of reservation; Travel Agent Portal is a dedicated portal for travel agents planning trips; and Weddings Portal offers an easy and uniquely tailored experience for wedding planners and their guests.

In October 2006, Hilton launched redesigned brand home pages, including many customer designed enhancements such as improvements in search, reservations, navigation and access to specials/promotions for enhanced guest control, choice, flexibility, ease of use and speed.

During the third quarter, the company celebrated its 1,000th opening since the 1999 acquisition of Promus Hotels at the Embassy Suites Hotel Fort Myers/Estero, Florida.

Hilton Hotels Corporation committed to continue its sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2008. The Hilton Family of Hotels will offer its “Team USA Advantage” program to National Governing Bodies and their members. This program provides discounted room rates and direct support to help teams offset their current and future travel expenses through marketing contributions, Hilton HHonors Diamond and Gold VIP memberships and discounted room packages.

Hilton Hotels Corporation expects to add approximately 250 hotels and 35,000 rooms to its system in 2007.

InterContinental Hotels Group began with the launch of the first Holiday Inn in 1952. Today IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises over 3,650 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. Through September 30, 2006, 2,773 rooms had been added to the IHG system, bringing the total number of rooms to 543,775 worldwide. By the end of 2008, IHG expects to add 50,000 to 60,000 net room additions to the global system, over a period of three years. Currently, IHG has a record global pipeline of 143,606 rooms (over 1,100 hotels).

Multiple IHG brands are currently involved in sponsorships. Holiday Inn has partnered with NASCAR, sponsoring the No. 29 Holiday Inn car, driven by Jeff Burton. IHG and Priority Club Rewards announced a three-year sponsorship agreement to make Holiday Inn the “official hotel of Major League Baseball.” Crowne Plaza announced a six-year title sponsorship agreement with the PGA Tour, making the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial the first hotel-branded golf tournament.

Candlewood Suites joined forces with Habitat for Humanity International, with a commitment to build 10 houses over the next three years in the United States, Latin America and India.

IHG was selected by the developer Actus Lend Lease to operate transient lodging facilities on 13 U.S. Army installations. The hotels will be branded with IHG brands including Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express.

IHG launched Business ChoiceSM, the industry’s first one-stop hotel reservation and travel management portal specifically designed for travel planners for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Crowne Plaza announced the development of a new prototype.

Hotel Indigo announced the industry’s first branded enhanced music podcast. The first of four complimentary seasonal podcasts debuted in June, and they are available for download on iTunes or Hotel Indigo’s Web site.

Holiday Inn rolled out the People Notice service initiative, which is a branded guest experience designed to reshape and standardize the elements of service delivery at all U.S. full-service Holiday Inn properties.

Holiday Inn announced a comprehensive multi-million-dollar integrated marketing campaign that asks guests to “Look Again” at the brand. The campaign includes traditional print and broadcast advertisements, as well as interactive online and engagement marketing elements, which have been proven to be successful in reaching the highly coveted Gen-X market.

Holiday Inn Express also announced the expansion of Smart Service University. New e.learning modules engage GMs in understanding and embracing the challenges of their roles.

Staybridge Suites unveiled a new prototype design and also announced that all Staybridge Suites hotels of the future will be 100 percent wireless.

Staybridge Suites currently has more than 100 hotels in the pipeline and expects to double its system size over the next few years. The brand will reach its 100th hotel milestone in early 2007.

Candlewood Suites celebrated its 10-year milestone on May 1, 2006 and announced it has approved two locations for the first properties outside the U.S., in Canada (Montreal and Toronto). The brand also broke ground on the industry’s first mid-priced extended-stay hotel for New York City and announced a new bedding collection, “Comforts of Home,” which will be rolled out at all Candlewood Suites properties in 2007.

Red Lion Hotels was founded in the 1950’s in the Pacific Northwest. Today’s Red Lion maintains a position in the western U.S. with 58 hotels in nine states and one Canadian province, including more than one half million square feet of meeting space.

Owned by Red Lion Hotels Corporation, the Red Lion brand plans to expand from 50 markets to 100 markets. To do so, it has refined every aspect of its business, including developing a new brand image, innovative marketing programs, elevated product and service standards, state of the art technology, and comprehensive training and evaluation tools. In addition to having produced over 40 percent revenue contribution from its Central Reservation System (CRS) in 2006, the brand boasts strong revenue and channel management programs, and strong national sales and direct sales initiatives.

In 2006, with a new brand image, Red Lion Hotels completed planned guestroom renovations at many of its hotels and is now focused on finishing renovations of public areas such as lobbies and meeting rooms, which it expects to complete this winter. Red Lion has many initiatives in place to make travelers aware of the product improvements and to attract new customers, including creative marketing programs. One example was last fall’s partnership with Alaska Airlines and Travelocity, which provided Travelocity’s customers with a unique offer for staying at a Red Lion Hotel. The company’s new logo and advertising campaign also reflects its commitment to a revitalized brand.

Looking to a strong 2007, Red Lion Hotels is creating guest-centric programs that are responsive and proactive. The focus is on driving customers to the branded Web site, its fastest growing source of online reservations. “We Promise or We Pay” is an online rate guarantee and encourages guests to book their room reservations at redlion.com. GuestAwards is the brand’s multi-tiered loyalty program that continually aligns benefits to increase guest satisfaction (such as lowering the points threshold of redemption options).

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