GHOTW Expands worldwide with Sales Offices Germany, Italy and the US
March, 2020 Great Hotels of the World (GHOTW), the global sales and marketing representation company for upscale independent hotels, has announced increased investment and presence in the German, Italian and US markets.
As key outbound markets for the member hotels, the investment translates into dedicated Sales teams for its member hotels and a considerable increase in the number and range of sales events it organizes for member hotels.
Acquired by leading technology provider GuestCentric in 2018, the new GHOTW team has set its sights on the needs of a changing business travel industry – both in terms of technology and market penetration. The portfolio of hotel members has grown rapidly over the last year and these independent and authentic hotels cater to the rising Bleisure consumer, in both premier destinations such as Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam or Prague, as well as in exciting, upcoming spots such as Poland, Georgia and Lithuania.
To its well-established top tier international MICE sales services, Great Hotels of the World has now added GuestCentric’s leading in-house technology; as well as the flexible, unbundled services, that are missing in larger and more traditional representation companies
The German outbound market is key to Great Hotels of the World’s growth, as it is the world’s largest outbound market, after the USA. With a stable affluent society, low unemployment and over 80 million consumers, it has significant potential for growth for GHOTW’s member hotels.
The German business travel market continues to evolve favourably, with more trips forecast in 2020 and a continued preference for face to face contact. GHOTW is thus offering member hotels a series of sales events where they can network on a one-to-one basis with carefully selected MICE buyers and agencies throughout the year, in cities such as Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf.
On the incoming side, in 2019, GHOTW’s UK MICE buyers expressed sustained interest for Germany as a destination for conferences and meetings and GHOTW is actively targeting independent hotels in that market to add to the portfolio.
Lastly, bleisure – combining work trips with leisure travel – is forging ahead in the German traveller’s habits, as consumers embrace online technology and flexible work habits. Germans top the charts when it comes to Bleisure trips, with 66% embracing this trend on their business trips. Top bleisure destinations include Amsterdam, Lisbon, Prague, Barcelona and Istanbul – all destinations where GHOTW offers unique, characterful hotels.
The US market is the world leader in outbound trips and for GHOTW’s largely European based hotels, is a key market both for business and leisure. With increased airline connections from the US hub cities of Boston, New York, Miami and Dallas, to name but a few, the travel market has increased in 2019 and the outlook for 2020 is positive. To that end, GHOTW is offering its member hotels three different sales events in the market, targeting high-end MICE, corporate and leisure agencies, focused on international destinations.
The Italian market, with a significant number of distinctive, independent and high-quality properties is a key market for Great Hotels of the World. There is also a clear and growing demand from the 3,000-strong UK and German MICE Buyers currently working with Great Hotels of the World, for Italian destinations and hotels, perfectly positioned to capture this burgeoning bleisure market. Current Member hotels too have expressed a keen interest in the Italian outbound market and are looking to increase its market share.
“We are excited to be growing in these key source markets and generating additional revenue for our hotel members. In all three, our team is composed of highly experienced and senior sales professionals, with a solid track record in confirming business to upscale hotels like ours.
Great Hotels of the World now offer our member hotels over 20 sales events a year to choose from, enabling them to personally meet and network with senior-level MICE buyers and travel partners in their main markets”.
We continue to build on its growth-focused strategy. In 2019 alone, our portfolio of member hotels grew in number and geographic footprint; while our database of buyers increased by 23%. We also widened the range of partnerships and the benefits we bring to our hotels, so that we support them in as many revenue-generating and marketing opportunities as possible.” commented Pedro Colaco CEO of Great Hotels of the World.
