Worldhotels offers new branding solution for upscale hotels
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Worldhotels offers new branding solution for upscale hotels
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Category: Worldwide - Industry economy
- New brands / Affiliations
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2010-11-10
The first five branded Worldhotels are to be launched by January 2011
Worldhotels, the leading group for independent hotels, is introducing a new branding solution which is the perfect alternative to standard franchise and management contracts. For a competitive all-inclusive annual fee, independent four- and five-star hotels competing against global chains can now brand themselves as a Worldhotel and benefit from the impact, support and strong return on investment of a global brand while still maintaining their unique identity.
The Worldhotels brand will be prominently featured as part of the hotel name, signage and at various customer contact points of the premises. At the same time, the group will emphasize the uniqueness of each property. Branded hotels will, for example, receive their own complete hotel website rather then just a section within a corporate website and are not obliged to standardize their hardware. However, eligible hotels have to meet Worldhotels’ comprehensive set of quality criteria which are reviewed twice a year in anonymous tests.
“Our focus is on guest experience and quality, not on standardizing hardware”, says Robert Hornman, managing director of Worldhotels. “Therefore, to become a branded Worldhotel, a hotel has to offer premium facilities for discerning business and leisure travellers including modern guestrooms with a comfortable work space and high-speed internet connectivity, room service, a restaurant, a gym and attentive, personalized service.”
Branded Worldhotels will receive support and service at least on par with large chains and franchise companies, including marketing, sales, distribution, strategic consulting and quality assurance. In addition, the group will make luxurious, elegantly branded bathroom amenities available to its branded hotels.
“Making our brand available to independent hotels is the next logical step in the development of our group”, says Mr Hornman. “In recent years, we have developed into the largest upscale hotel network outside of the US. Within this market segment, we have identified the need for a branding solution which offers hotels all the benefits of a global hard brand while still allowing them to keep their own unique character. We will fill this gap with our new service offering.”
The first branded Worldhotels will be launched in December in Frankfurt and Vienna, followed by hotels in Almaty/ Kazakhstan, Munich and Hamburg in January 2011.
“Our target is to have 50 branded hotels by 2013”, adds Mr Hornman. “We are aiming at new hotels as well as member hotels interested in adapting their affiliation. Whether our existing hotels choose to change their affiliation status or not, they will benefit significantly from the launch of our branded hotels as it will also multiply brand exposure and customer awareness.” The Worldhotels portfolio currently consists of 450 affiliated hotels in 250 destinations and 65 countries.
With 40 years of experience, Worldhotels offers independent hotels a one-stop solution for full-service support in sales, marketing, distribution, technology and strategic consulting.
Among the group’s key assets are an unparalleled network of 32 global sales offices, the leading central reservation system Trust, its own online booking engine Resmaster, the global RFP and sales management solution Nexus, partnerships with 18 frequent flyer programmes and professional training and quality assurance opportunities around the globe.
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