What’s so Great about Great Hotels of the World?
Hotel Santos Porta Fira, designed by renowned Japanese Architect Toyo Ito and winner of the 2010 Emporis Skyscraper Award, opened its doors in 2010 and has been a member of Great Hotels of the World since late 2013. Located in the heart of the congress and exhibition district of Barcelona which consistently ranks among the top 3 event destinations in Europe, the hotel faces fierce competition. At the same time, it really is a unique property filled with personality – its award-winning architecture, inimitable interior design and carefully selected and served international cuisine in the distinguished Spiral restaurant, are some of the most emblematic marks of our strong character. “This has always been key for us to maintain and showcase, and unlike many other soft brands, Great Hotels of the World champions our individuality while providing us with the reach, visibility and credibility of an internationally recognized and trusted brand.” said Anna Sanchez, General Manager of Hotel Porta Fira when we spoke to her about the value of belonging to GHOTW (Great Hotels of the World).
“Fundamentally, they have the resources to place the members under their brand on relevant international trade media and reach a global online audience. They are connected to top buyers in key markets that independent hotels and even smaller local hotel chains simply don’t have access to.
Additionally, as experienced hoteliers themselves, the GHOTW team understand the complexity of a hotel’s distribution system and of managing the sheer range of distribution channels on a global scale, so they work closely with our sales, distribution and revenue teams to ensure that all channels are optimized and maximized. For example, in 2017, there was a notable decrease in GDS production, the GDS & Corporate Team worked tirelessly to find out why. They conducted a full analysis of rate strategy, compared competitors’ public rates, contacted our Consortia programme and the main accounts producers, and in 2018 production recovered. In fact, when comparing 2014 production (our first full year of membership) to 2018 production, the number of nights increased by just over 91% and revenue increased by more than 115%. Average Daily Rate also increased by 13 % in 2018 – and in the end, this really is what we are looking for: an increase in GDS production and in ADR.
GHOTW maintains ongoing communications with its members, whether from their Groups Desk and MICE team to inform us of leads received, or from their Marketing and Communications department. We receive monthly newsletters detailing the activities they are undertaking on behalf of the members, announcing new members to the collection, reminding us of the upcoming events we can take part in, at our discretion, and providing us with actionable up-to-date industry insights.
We received their Sales and Marketing Plan for 2019 – it’s very ambitious! Great Hotels of the World will be in all of the major trade events with, or representing, interested member hotels. There are also a number of events they organize geared towards connecting member hotels directly with relevant buyers from international markets. With an expanding collection and a growing footprint, we expect to continue to see our revenue increasing!”
Anna Sanchez, General Manager
Hotel Santos Porta Fira,
Barcelona, Spain –
Member Hotel Since 2013
