SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD™

Transcription

Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
Joinslh.com
WELCOME | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Baros Maldives
A Warm Welcome to
Small Luxury Hotels of the Worldtm
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world’s finest
small luxury independent hotels. Comprising over520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the diversity
of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design
hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic
country houses to idyllic resorts – the breadth and depth of the brand is far reaching.
While a hotel undoubtedly enjoys the benefits of being part of a global brand, SLH places enormous
emphasis on celebrating the individuality of each hotel. This remains one of our core values and is
central to the continued success of the brand.
We strongly believe that the strength and credibility of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ brand is
dependent on the quality of its individual hotels. Strict controls are applied to ensure that only the very
best hotels with the highest standards are accepted into the brand, thus ensuring that the quality of the
experience that guests receive is consistent across all SLH properties. To ensure that these exceptional
standards of excellence are maintained, SLH has a carefully monitored ‘mystery guest’ programme
which relies on valuable reviews from inspectors who importantly are also consumers.
Over the last 20 years SLH has been transformed from a Club of hotels to a Club of customers –
customers who are loyal to the brand.
The luxury hotel market has been fairly resilient to uncertain times that we all have experienced over
the years. We all need to be prepared as these times continue, markets shift and competition stiffens.
We at SLH endeavour to prepare our hotels to navigate through the shifting markets and respond
to the ever changing patterns of customer behaviour. After all, SLH is the champion of the
“Small Luxury Independent Hotelier” for the “Independently Minded” customer.
We encourage only the very best to apply to join the brand of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ .
As soon as you join, you will benefit not only from a wealth of experience, but also from our
partnerships with other luxury brands and established names. By being part of Small Luxury
Hotels of the World™ your visibility and profile will be enhanced. Your revenue will be maximised
and your independence preserved.
Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer
For Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
Managed by Hill,Goodridge & Assoc Ltd.
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for more information visit joinslh.com
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WELCOME | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
The Benefits of Joining
Small Luxury Hotels of the Worldtm
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The
York information
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forNew
more
visit joinslh.com
Why join Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM?
Worldwide presence and distribution of
your hotel
Dedicated support every step of the way
Worldwide exposure through marketing,
social media and public relations
Worldwide sales team support and opportunities
Be part of a community of unique independent
luxury hotels
A smart investment
How to apply
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WHY SLH? | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
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WHY SMALL LUXURY
H O T E L S O F T H E W O R L D TM ?
“Our affiliation with SLH goes back 15 years. SLH has helped us build our image and position
the hotels globally, which a small company like ours would have struggled if we were to do it on our own. Many discerning travelers find us through SLH and stay with us thanks to this wonderful network”
Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Hotels Ltd
Château de Bagnols, Bagnols near Lyon, France
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Why Small Luxury
Hotels of the Worldtm
Your content, rates and inventory are distributed to the eyes of
over 450,000 travel agents worldwide and millions of web users.
Our web booking engine can also be used on your own individual
website, at a much lower cost than other limited distribution
suppliers.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is at the forefront of the luxury
travel market. We have the experience, resources and strategies to
develop the true potential of your hotel. Becoming part of Small
Luxury Hotels of the World™ delivers tangible business benefits
and offers real return on investment.
Travel Agency Focus
We can offer unique access to luxury travel agencies worldwide.
We have a strong sales team of actual employees, utilising the
LX GDS code and one of the most powerful travel trade
customer databases in the business and a dedicated website.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a unique management
structure. It is a non-profit organisation – a mutual company,
it has no assets and no employees. It is Hill Goodridge and
Associates Limited, the UK based exclusive global management
company for Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ with 65
employees based in their three offices in London, New York and
Singapore, which formulates and executes the strategy that
drives the brand forward.
Whilst the elected board of directors of Small Luxury Hotels of
the World™ set the fees and are responsible for accepting and
rejecting hotels, it is this unique structure that allows a simple
focus on delivery, reservations and maintaining the quality of
the brand at minimum cost to the hotels. By being part of the
brand, your visibility and profile will be enhanced, your revenue
will be maximised and your independence preserved.
Powerful ONLINE PRESENCE
For direct bookings, our website offers hotels a substantial
presence on the web, including multi-image photo tours,
special offers, news, reviews by Club members and one of the most
powerful internet booking engines available.
To complement the success of our website, we have also
refreshed our iPhone App which is even more user friendly and
faster. Over 70,000 people downloaded the new app in the first
two weeks! We have also launched a version of slh.com for iPad
users. When using an iPad, the website automatically delivers a
version of slh.com with bigger navigation and graphics.
Visitor numbers are up 200% since launch!
Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece
Differentiated Marketing
We recognise that every hotel is different. Every hotel is included
in at least one marketing programme, targeted at different
market segments such as Gastronomy or Spas or Weekend
Country Retreats.
We are committed to serving the world’s finest small luxury
independent hotels and resorts.
Focused Niche Brand
We only market small independent luxury hotels. We do not
market large hotels, conference hotels or other accommodation
types. The average size of hotels is 49 bedrooms. With SLH,
you are never a small fish in a big pond.
Trained Voice Agents
We have a team of reservation agents and VIP desks around the
world, fully trained to only sell SLH hotels.
Loyalty and Recognition
Many SLH hotels have been part of the brand for over ten years.
In terms of customers of the brand, Club SLH is one of the
most powerful hotel recognition programmes, delivering repeat
guests at higher ADRs. We now have over 320,000 Club members
over three loyalty tiers – Special, Loved and Honoured.
Least Expensive Channel
Our fees are tailored to small independent hoteliers, and
we are often the lowest cost of distribution. Our fees are no
higher than glossy magazine advertising or employing an
international sales manager. We also have our own pre-paid
rate programme, to compete with websites such as Expedia
and Booking.com, at a lower net rate margin.
Brand Recognition
We have been consistently voted the number one luxury hotel
brand by The Luxury Institute. Our corporate communication
programmes and partnership marketing, provides global
awareness for your hotel at no extra cost.
Stay Independent
We have a ‘soft’ approach to branding. You can maintain your
independent ownership but identify with one of the world’s top
luxury hotel brands.
Quality, Quality, Quality
Each of our hotels is subject to a vigorous inspection process,
both before joining the brand and throughout membership. As an
extra check, Club members are now able to review hotels, provided
they have actually stayed there! This is far more powerful than
other review websites.
All Inclusive Fees
We include many activities within the annual fee, such as entry
in the Be Inspired magazine distributed to 100,000’s consumers
worldwide. SLH has innovation at its heart, creating new
marketing tools such as our iPhone App, the cost of which is
also included in the fees.
Dedicated Account Management
Unlike pure distribution platforms, we have a global team of
revenue account managers to support you every step of the way.
Small Is Beautiful
The brand positioning matches what luxury consumers want
nowadays – choice, individuality, memorable experiences
and a sense of self identity. Consumers do not want
cookie-cutter hotels.
By Hotels For Hotels
SLH is a mutual organisation with no debt and healthy reserves.
It is managed professionally, with a board of hotel
representatives elected every year by hotels.
One Stop Distribution
Our reservation platform can handle all GDS, voice, website,
mobile and third party website distribution.
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TRULY GLOBAL. true choice
Over 520 hotels in over 70 countries & over 320,000 Club
Members in over 150 countries.
Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece
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DISTRIBUTION | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
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WORLDWIDE PRESENCE AND
DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR HOTEL
revived
“We have chosen to affiliate three of our privately owned hotels with SLH, starting with ABaC in Barcelona some years ago and more recently The Mirror and Cram. SLH is the perfect brand fit as it helps us reach global markets which we would find hard to do on our own. There are a lot of ‘boutique’ hotels in Barcelona but the SLH GDS code ‘LX’ differentiates our hotels – travel agents
know we are with Small Luxury Hotels of the World giving them more confidence to book. SLH’s own channels, slh.com and the SLH voice centres also deliver direct discerning customers who truly appreciate small, luxury, boutique hotels”
Eva de Aurora, Commercial Director for ABaC, Mirror and Cram, Barcelona
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Worldwide Presence and Distribution of your Hotel
Joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ can transform the
electronic distribution strategy of your property. SLH reservations
revenue for the brand in total is $110 million (Year end December
2013). We have also launched a new booking engine (IBE) for
individual hotel websites, and have seen some great results, some
increasing their internet bookings by as much as 77% over their
previous booking engine. Our investment of half a million dollars
in our own booking engine has certainly paid off, increasing our
conversion by 29%. For some hotels, the SLH Reservation System
contributes up to 40% of the hotel’s total room revenue.
By joining SLH, you will benefit from one ‘command centre’ to
manage all of your rates, across all booking channels. Once you
have joined SLH, you will be given 24-hour access via Internet (no
proprietary hardware to install) to one of the hospitality world’s
most powerful Central Reservations Systems (CRS). The CRS
grants you and your operational team extraordinary power and
flexibility in managing everything related to onward distribution of
your hotel rooms, from one system. The sophisticated CRS holds
your property descriptions, images and all rates and availability,
including any negotiated or consortia rates.
MULTIPLE DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
SLH provides you with the capability to manage your rates across
multiple channels.
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our award winning website – www.slh.com
All four (GDS) global distribution systems (Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo & Worldspan) used by over 450,000
business and leisure travel agents in over 90,000
travel agencies worldwide
internet sites powered by the GDS or internet third
party sites including channel management via third
parties such as RateTiger
SLH voice reservation centres
SLH internet booking engine (white label service
for your own website)
Mobile devices such as the iPhone
Unlike some other distribution options, with SLH you retain control
across all distribution channels. No allocation is required, and
nothing contractual automatically locks you into supplying a certain
number of pre-determined room nights.
Global travel agents
By joining SLH, you will become part of a prestigious global luxury
brand, represented internationally to the travel industry by the
GDS chain code LX, standing for LuXury. The importance of this
immediately identifiable distribution brand, linking your property
with a consistent group of luxury hotels to travel agents, cannot
be underestimated. Compared to other distribution channels you
might be using, global travel agents can be a very cost-effective
distribution channel. Some other organisations may try to entice
you with the offer of connectivity they claim is similar to us, but
they cannot match the power of the strong SLH global brand.
Travel agents genuinely recognise the LX code, while some other
companies have generic two-letter codes.
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internet
One of the most significant benefits of using the SLH CRS is that
your team can be freed from the burden of manually maintaining
multiple 3rd party extranets. The SLH CRS can connect you to a
wide range of online travel agency websites, seamlessly.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
The SLH Reservations System is central to distributing your hotel effectively. It feeds voice centres, travel agents, GDS (Global
Distribution System) and internet sites worldwide and has the potential to reach millions of prospective guests. All SLH hotels use
the code LX (for LuXury) in all GDS’s. The diagram below shows how the SLH Reservations System links your hotel to the world.
SLH Internet Booking Engine (IBE)
By using the SLH IBE (white label booking engine) to power
reservations on your property website, you and your team can
manage your inventory through just one system. Our IBE is
currently one of the most cost-effective booking systems on the
market. Additionally it is fully customized to match the look and
feel of your website. You can also add amenity upgrades such as
champagne or airport pick-up.
UTOPIA
Depending on your PMS supplier and specification, you can have
a 2-way interface with the SLH CRS. If you also use the SLH IBE,
you can gain ‘Utopia’ by having most of your distribution channels
managed by one system, making it far easier to manage your rates
and control parity.
MOBILE DEVICES
To provide customers with as many choices as possible to look
and book your hotel, SLH also provides content and reservations
on mobile platforms. SLH was one of the first hotel companies to
launch an iPhone App and we are constantly developing our mobile
strategy. Many of these advancements would not be possible for an
individual hotel.
Pegasus OnLINE Distribution Database (ODD)
Alongside the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Reservations
System, becoming a part of the brand means that you are
automatically loaded into the Pegasus ODD. This is the system
used by many top Internet websites such as Expedia, Travelocity
and Orbitz to provide content and availability. It provides full
details of your hotel to these websites making you highly visible
to an international audience.
SLH Voice Reservation Centres
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has dedicated reservation
offices covering 18 countries, including China, Russia, UK and USA:
toll-free numbers offering local language, hotel information and
bookings. SLH has enhanced its telephone reservation offering by
employing highly trained in-house executives to take customer calls
based in Singapore, London and New York.
SLH Online Digital LibrarY
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ provides its hotels with
an online central point for maintaining and distributing high
resolution digital images. This is an invaluable complimentary
service which distributes images to the four GDS and the onward
distribution channels. Each SLH property can load over 30 highresolution photographs, providing journalists and other parties
with immediate access to images of individual properties.
GDS-Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Worldspan
(the systems used by travel agents to book travel arrangements)
Pegasus/Online Distribution Database (ODD)
(provides content to websites such as Orbitz.com)
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Revenue Account Management | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
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D E D I C AT E D S U P P O R T
E V E R Y S T E P O F T H E W AY
“Our Revenue Account Manager offers us an invaluable service – she is very much like a personal
trainer helping us sweat the value of our membership with a view to having a healthy return on investment. Together we are focused on achieving the same thing – maximising the marketing opportunities to maximise revenue.”
The Capital Hotel & Apartments, London, UK
Cameron Highlands Resort, Malaysia
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Revenue Account Management | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Dedicated Support Every Step of the Way
When you join Small Luxury Hotels of the World™, you will be
introduced to your dedicated Revenue Account Manager, who
will ensure you get the most from your investment. Your Revenue
Account Manager can offer advice and assistance on new business
opportunities, reservation systems, joint marketing activities
and events.
Connecting to the Brand
It is vitally important that your hotel is fully connected to the
SLH brand. By actively engaging in the opportunities and initiatives
that are offered to you, your hotel will maximise its potential to
generate reservations. Hotels that work hard in developing their
relationship with SLH do experience a greater return on their
membership investment.
Revenue ManagemenT
In today’s increasingly competitive hotel industry, it is of critical
importance to position your hotel appropriately within your market.
SLH will provide you with a comprehensive guide to accurately
assessing your hotel’s positioning, pricing and most effective
strategies for maximising revenue, using best practice templates
from peer hotels.
TRAINING
Once connected to the brand you will receive training on all
SLH systems within 20 days to enable maximization of revenue
generation through the proficient use of all systems. Our in-house
Training Managers are located in London, New York and Singapore
and can conduct training either by on-line conferencing, in house
training or by invitation to our regional offices.
All topics covered in training are backed up with training guides
and video tutorials, all accessible on MYSLH.com in the training
resources section.
MYSLH.com
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is far more than a simple
reservation channel. We provide you with state of the art
tools to help you run your business. When you join, you will
be given access to MYSLH.com which is your one-stop shop
for all your needs.
MYSLH.com is a resource centre
that contains information about SLH
accounts, distribution, marketing,
PR and sales.
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Dedicated space for opportunities
which invites you to participate in revenue-building initiatives.
Detailed information about events
and exhibitions with online
registration functionality.
MYSLH.com has been built to support the business
requirements of individual hotels, and allows you to maximise
your partnership with the SLH brand. MYSLH.com is the perfect
platform to showcase ideas and initiatives that will help you
generate reservations.
From MYSLH.com you can access all your monthly reservation
reports, which can be downloaded online. You can view your
monthly Hotel Business Report showing all your reservations by
rate, room type, channel and source. Your Hotel Dashboard gives
you an overview of the same data but in a simple graphical format.
And your Hotel Overview report gives you a summary of rate plans
loaded and other great information for connecting with SLH.
The Content Management System
is an easy-to-use tool that has been
created to enable you to manage
your hotel’s information pages on
slh.com. You are also able to add
special promotional offers, add details
about industry awards you may
have won, or tell customers about
your responsible tourism initiatives.
Blanket Bay walk, New Zealand
MYSLH.com is your only
gateway to download and manage
your SLH reservations.
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MARKETING & PR | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
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WORLDWIDE EXPOSURE
THROUGH MARKETING AND PR
“The partnership between Nimb and SLH has proved very successful since joining. SLH markets the SLH brand and by connecting fully to the brand, Nimb welcomes a significant proportion of its guests through the SLH booking channels”
Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark
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marketing & pr | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Worldwide Exposure through
Marketing and PR
The marketing team at Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is
dedicated to driving reservations to your hotel, and increasing
awareness of the brand in key markets.
Our marketing and PR activities put your hotel name in
front of a global targeted audience of like-minded high net
worth consumers, all wanting a unique experience at a small
independent luxury hotel.
Worldwide exposure through award
winning website SLH.com
With over 300,000 visits a month to slh.com, your hotel will soon
be on show to the world! With over 10,000 pages of content and
15,000 high-quality images, our website is dedicated to promoting
our collection of hotels to luxury customers throughout the globe.
Website features include:
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Rich hotel content with strong photography
including photo gallery
Bespoke, easy-to-use booking engine with live prices
and availability
Fully-optimised destination and news pages to drive
traffic to hotel pages
Special offers functionality to promote tactical or
seasonal rates
Google Maps
Trusted user hotel reviews by Club members
For your convenience, slh.com is powered by a custom-built
content management system. You can update information on
your web pages as often as you like, from promoting a seasonal
package to adding information about your hotel’s facilities.
When it comes to Google, slh.com does the hard work for you.
For a ‘luxury hotels’ search, slh.com has prominent organic and
paid listings thanks to ongoing Search Engine Optimisation and
global Adwords campaigns.
A WORLD OF CHOICE THROUGH MOBILE
With increasing numbers of hotel bookings being made from a
mobile device, SLH offers several different ways for users to find
and book your hotel. Wherever your potential customers are, and
whichever device they use, SLH is there with them.
SLH iPhone App
The recently-updated iPhone app is free to download and offers
users a great way to engage with your hotel. The app is also
designed to help drive reservations by making it easy to book
using an iPhone.
iPad version of slh.com
With a sleek and interactive design and superb large images, the
iPad version of slh.com perfectly showcases your hotel and makes
booking an even more enjoyable experience.
Mobile version of slh.com
Optimised for smart phones, this simplified version of slh.com
makes it very quick for users to find and book your hotel when
they’re on the move.
Mobile success
Our iPad and mobile sites enjoyed fantastic growth in 2013
vs 2012.
iPad: visits were up 42% and reservations up 42%
mobile: visits were up 39% and reservations up 17%
The latest version of our iPhone App, released in February 2013,
has had over 80,000 downloads.
Website re-launch
In 2014 we are re-launching slh.com, the booking engine and
agents.slh.com. The new site will employ reactive design to
provide a stunning experience for all users across mobile, tablet
and desktop. It will feature enhanced imagery and improved
functionality and be designed to meet the needs of both hotels
and guests around the globe.
The Racha, near Phuket, Thailand
SLH online success
In 2013 slh.com generated over $26 million, with a share of
revenue of 24%. There was a 5% increase in visits to slh.com in
2013 vs 2012 and avg monthly visits in 2013 of 336,000. This great
result was achieved by a number of different factors, including:
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Timely and targeted marketing emails
New pre-paid and flash sale rates
Pay per click advertising and improved SEO
Focus on the Club of SLH (our guest loyalty programme)
and its benefits
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MARKETING & PR | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
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OF SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD
Designed to build brand loyalty, The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of
the World is a guest recognition programme rewarding our most
loyal customers within 3 membership tiers: Special, Loved and
Honoured. We have over 350,000 Club Members. The more a guest
stays at any one of the SLH hotels, the more benefits they will enjoy
as they move up the tiers to Honoured membership.
It will help you identify guests who are loyal to the brand, and
respond to their unique needs. By offering tangible benefits and
a highly personalised standard of service to these guests, hotels
are rewarded with increased repeat business. Participation is
an obligation of your membership, and you will be contractually
required to deliver the core benefits whenever a Club member
books through the SLH channels or via travel agents.
There are no costly air miles or points to pay for, and you will
be rewarded with high-value reservations. Other than voice
reservations, bookings made through The Club generate the
highest average room rate and length of stay. In addition, Club
members spend more on spas, food and beverage and other
incidentals than non-Club members. Small Luxury Hotels of the
World™ uses Club member data to execute regular targeted email
marketing campaigns to promote the SLH properties and drive
reservations. All hoteliers are extended an opportunity to promote
their properties by loading a special rate exclusively for Club
members, visible on the SLH.com website.
Club Reviews
Only Club members who have stayed at least twice in an SLH hotel
in the last 12 months can write a Club Member review of our hotels.
Members are either Loved or Honoured. Unlike other hotel review
websites, they can only be submitted by Club members who have
stayed in your hotel and at least one other, so we know that the
reviews can be trusted.
Luxur y pilgrim
ages, culture &
gourmet, spa
Place of residence:
31% Americas
28% Europe excluding UK
21% UK
20% Asia
Age:
18-24 = 1%
25-34 = 18%
35-44 = 27%
45-54 = 25%
55-64 = 19%
Over 65 = 10%
GENDER:
60% Male
40% Female
*Data based on Club Members (who have booked in 2012/2013) of The Club
of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the brand’s guest recognition programme
Guest Profile
One word describes the typical guest of Small Luxury Hotels of the
World™: discerning. As you would expect of a global brand with a
presence in over 70 countries, our customers are international and
are distinguished by higher-than-average incomes. As experienced
travellers, they have the means to afford the best, they expect the
best and most importantly, they are prepared to pay for it.
They value the unique character and charm of the SLH brand,
choosing individuality over uniformity throughout their travels.
Targeted Marketing Campaigns
Take advantage of being part of a global community of hotels!
With over 520 hotels in the collection, Small Luxury Hotels of the
World™ is able to engage in a series of marketing campaigns
that promote hotels by the exceptional experiences they offer. All
hotels, where appropriate, can participate in at least one themed
programme without charge.
We promote the campaigns via our Club members as well as
through various media in our top international source markets.
The principal objective is to engage our audience and generate
reservations. Rates can be booked through slh.com, all of the
GDS channels and SLH voice centres.
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To further strengthen our focus on the experiences that our hotels
offer, we have designed and produced a bi-annual magazine called
Be Inspired. This editorial brochure is packed full of beautiful
imagery, holiday ideas and articles featuring a number of different
properties along with the variety of experiences a guest can enjoy
when they book with Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
SLH marketing campaigns include City Sanctuaries, Gourmet,
Spa, Beach Escapes, Country Retreats, Golf and Ski.
“I happen to travel very often and thus have membership in different travel related programs. SLH has always been my favourite of all….”
Belgian SLH Club Member
Gift Certificates
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Gift Certificates not only come
beautifully wrapped but are available in a variety of types, tailored
specially to those who enjoy a spa experience, a gourmet
retreat, luxurious honeymoon or more simply a 1, 2 or 3
night escape.
Certificates are also available in monetary values (50,100,500)
available in three currencies (Pounds Sterling, Euros or US
Dollars). This offers lucky recipients the chance to pick from a wide
range of destinations at a time and place that is best for them.
They are a great way to celebrate special occasions; to say ‘thank
you’; to impress important clients, and to motivate key staff.
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E-Marketing | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
E-Marketing
Club Newsletter – “New and Noteworthy”
In each newsletter, we promote the new hotels that have joined
the brand in the previous month. On occasion, we will also
promote partnership offers and activity such as competitions to
win products or events occurring globally.
Partnership Marketing
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ seeks to develop strong and
meaningful marketing partnerships with like-minded brands and
organisations around the world.
Working closely with several luxury partners on a variety of
marketing and promotional activities enables Small Luxury Hotels
of the World™ to raise brand awareness, generate reservations
and grow our customer database for The Club. Key joint marketing
activity with like-minded brands helps to reinforce Small Luxury
Hotels of the World’s luxury brand positioning – current partners
include American Express, A Small World, Cathay Pacific, Land
Rover, Porsche Club, Mercedes-Benz, Oyster Marine, Ettinger and
Roeckl in EMEA; Mastercard, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, The
Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Audi, Saks, Mountain Living,
AFAR and Price Waterhouse Coopers in the Americas; and Citigold
Singapore, Bluebell Group, The Law Society of Singapore, HSBC,
UOB, ANZ, Singapore Yacht Show, La Perla, Diners Club and SKII
in APAC.
TACTICAL PROMOTIONS VIA EMAIL
Each month, according to relevant time periods, market
requirements and hotel needs, we send specialist marketing
emails to support tactical offers and seasonally inspired or
regional travel opportunities with our hotels. We have an excellent
database of SLH Club members which we segment and target
to match the member’s needs with our hotel objectives. This
represents a good sales opportunity for hotels, particularly
during off peak/shoulder seasons.
have our world
to yourself
We also create bespoke e-mails to support our specialist
marketing programmes or events during key periods in the year.
Travel Agents Newsletter
Should you offer either an agent rate or commission offer, SLH
can include a mention in the travel agents news email that is sent
monthly to a database of 26,000 highly qualified high-end luxury
travel bookers such as agents within the Virtuoso and Signature
networks.
American Express
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ also has a long standing
partnership with American Express which includes preferred
partner status with the Platinum and Centurion programmes.
‘Platinum members are affluent high net worth professionals,
decision-makers and frequent travellers, who are used to the finer
things in life and enjoy treating themselves. American Express
Platinum Card is more than just a card: it unites a community of
cosmopolitan, family-orientated men and women, who travel widely
for both business and pleasure’. (American Express)
‘Centurion members are super-affluent high net worth individuals
on a continual quest for the best and most exclusive. They own
companies and frequently travel; they define success. Exceptionally
discerning and style-conscious, Centurion readers are global
players who gain truly worldwide access to the inaccessible. They
do not compromise and expect only the highest level of personal
commitment from those around them: individually tailored service,
unlimited financial power, exclusive travel benefits, global access
and influence. Centurion is a global community of the highest
earners and spenders on the market’. (American Express)
Over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries
American Express Centurion members can expect more: priority room upgrade, late check-out and
daily continental breakfast for two*. To find out more visit slh.com/amexcenturion
We invite you to join our world at the Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
* Priority room upgrade and late check out are subject to availability at check-in. For a full list of terms and
conditions please contact your Centurion Concierge. Small Luxury Hotels of the World Ltd.
Lefay Resort and Spa, Lago di Gada, Italy
For more information or to make a booking, contact
your Centurion Concierge on 0808 100 50 50
SLH_Amex CENTURION ad final_UK.indd 1
06/07/2012 13:50
SLH has created dedicated websites for its Platinum and Centurion
card members. The websites can be viewed at:
www.slh.com/amexplatinum
www.slh.com/amexcenturion
cmyk version
cmyk version
The websites showcase all hotels in the SLH portfolio. As part of
this programme, SLH hotels are contractually obliged to promote
a value-added offer to these customers – you will be rewarded with
high-value reservations. Platinum and Centurion card members will
spend significantly on food and beverage and spa treatments when
they stay at your hotel.
As an additional benefit of membership, SLH hotels also receive
discounted American Express credit card fees – this represents
a significant cost saving opportunity. This is called the American
Express Affiliate Agreement and all new members will be asked
to sign this contract upon joining. The participation of all hotels
provides SLH with a marketing allowance funded by American
Express, enabling the opportunity to actively promote the brand
through their marketing channels.
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25
E-Marketing | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
SPREADING THE WORD – SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media allows SLH to communicate information instantly
and have conversations with our community in an informal
manner. Not only does it allow people to share real experiences
and inspire others, it has also brought people together who
share common interests. As part of our communication mix it
is important to ensure our customers receive the latest news
from SLH. This helps raise awareness of the SLH brand, drives
customers to www.slh.com, and ultimately, generates
reservations for your hotel. We continue to push content
through our social media platforms, with over 85,000 fans
on Facebook and over 30,000 followers on Twitter. (Jan 2014)
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?
• We can promote news, special offers, incentives, interesting
facts, videos and more through our social media channels
and share this with our community
• We have social media guidelines which will help
you create a presence for your hotel in the social networks
• We can help you reach wider audiences and raise awareness
of your hotel
• Our platforms allow us to listen to what people have to say,
which we will happily report back to you through your
dedicated SLH Revenue Account Manager
• We can reinforce key messages through our channels and
complement other communication channels
Nira Caledonia, Edinburgh, Scotland
Why not join us on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
facebook.com/smallluxuryhotelsoftheworld
twitter.com/SLHLuxuryHotels
pinterest.com/SLHLuxuryHotels
plus.google.com/+slh/posts
blog.slh.com
weibo.com/smallluxuryhotels
linkedin.com/company/small-luxury-hotels-of-the-world
youtube.com/user/SmallLuxuryHotels
instagram.com/smallluxuryhotels
We have expanded our social media presence into China, and
we are growing at a strong rate on the Sina Weibo network,
China’s equivalent to Facebook. Having a strong network in this
region allows your hotel to reach a new audience and capture
new customers.
SPREADING THE WORD – PR COMMUNICATIONS
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a dedicated team of
public relations professionals who, through an integrated
global communications plan, are responsible for raising the
awareness of the brand amongst high-end consumers and
travel agents. With in-house PR teams in New York, London
and Singapore as well as working with outsourced agencies in
key markets, the geographic reach and exposure of the SLH
brand is extensive.
Having an experienced team of PR professionals in our key
source markets is incredibly valuable as it means that as a
brand Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a sound
understanding of the local market and the media that operates
within it. In addition to the benefit of local knowledge, Small
Luxury Hotels of the World’s global PR network provides your
hotel with the potential to be exposed to an extensive database
of international media and PR opportunities, which you may
not otherwise have access to.
Our global PR strategy includes a number of core activities
that are designed to directly benefit SLH hotels:
•
•
•
26
Mini-press releases for new joiners featured on slh.com’s
media section on the slh.com homepage
Strategic messaging in consumer and trade press through
the regular creation and distribution of press releases to
international media
Pitching of story angles to key luxury high-end media, with
the aim of communicating the diversity of the SLH brand
and its individual properties
•
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•
•
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•
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Provision of a dedicated press site
(http://www.slh.com/press-releases/slh-news/) which
serves as a reliable resource centre for international media
Provision of downloadable high-resolution images via
www.slhimages.com to ensure the media have immediate
access to high quality images of individual properties
Distribution of a series of monthly electronic newsletters
to a continually expanding database of consumers, travel
trade and media
Building mutually beneficial relationships with luxury
high end media through regular one-to-one meetings
Creating a publicity buzz through compelling and exciting
competitions and campaigns designed to drive traffic to
slh.com and your hotels pages
Quarterly brand news/updates include a feature on new
hotels joining in that quarter
Dedicated hotel PR list to communicate ad-hoc
opportunities hotels can contribute to, also posted on
http://www.myslh.com/my-resources-landing/pr/
Clipping service of all Brand coverage and individual hotel
coverage posted on
http://www.myslh.com/my-resourceslanding/pr/
and emailed to relevant hotel
All PR activity that is undertaken by Small Luxury Hotels of the
World’s public relations team is designed to strengthen the
SLH brand and to drive reservations.
27
SALES | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
5
WORLDWIDE SALES TEAM
SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES
“Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is a preferred supplier of Valerie Wilson Travel because of its commitment to sales and representing a wonderful collection of hotels worldwide. In addition, it is their dedication to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ reservations centre, using an 800 number, which provides accurate information to our travel consultants.”
Valerie Wilson, Valerie Wilson Travel, New York City, USA
Shanghai
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sales | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Travel Agent website
SLH recognise that travel agents are critical to the success of the
brand and we continue to identify and implement new initiatives
that provide agents with the tools to sell the SLH brand as
effectively and seamlessly as possible. SLH is proud to offer a
dedicated website especially for these specialists in the luxury travel
business. This website provides travel agents with extensive travel
and hotel information, as well as fantastic opportunities
that will support their daily business activities.
American Express Business Travel
American Express Business Travel is the largest wholly owned
global travel network with over 2,200 travel services locations in
over 140 countries and manages the travel arrangements of 70%
of Fortune 500 companies. SLH is extending you an opportunity to
partner with American Express Business Travel Network globally,
better known as the AMEX Preferred Supplier Programme. The
partnership will cover the United States, Canada, Japan, Asia
Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. This
opportunity is not available to individual hotels contracting with
AMEX directly.
What is this programme?
• It provides hotels with AMEX Preferred Supplier Status globally, including premium exposure through GDS which preferences and highlights preferred AMEX suppliers
• It provides access to all AMEX owned travel offices
• Access to Corporate Meetings Solutions for group
and incentive business
• Participation in incentives, familiarisation trips and miscellaneous promotions
• AMEX Preferred Extras Hotel Programme
• Client and employee business meetings and forums
• Ongoing communications to the AMEX Network for new
hotels, offers, service enhancements etc
Different to the Amex Platinum and Centurion leisure
programme, the AMEX Preferred Supplier Status is for business
travel. The focus is on educating AMEX Call Centre consultants
and implants on SLH hotels, so they can sell better to their
corporate clients. AMEX uses all the GDS systems and will favour
participating SLH hotels in those channels. Currently AMEX
agents only have the ability to book SLH hotels that participate
in corporate negotiated programmes run by AMEX i.e. Goldman
Sachs, Bank of America etc.
Worldwide Sales Team Support and Opportunities
Our specialist sales professionals have developed close
relationships with the travel trade to raise awareness of the Small
Luxury Hotels of the World™ brand and reinforce the status of the
exclusive LX GDS code.
Consortia and Travel Trade Exposure
Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s partnerships with all major
consortia, multiple-outlet agencies, business travel specialists and
global corporations will drive further business to your property.
As part of our corporate sales strategy, Small Luxury Hotels of
the World™ works with the online RFP submission tool, Lanyon,
enabling hotels to submit consortia and corporate RFP’s at once.
There are close to 20 consortia programmes to choose from
including ABC, CCRA, Radius, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, BCD and
HRG Worldwide.
“We consider Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to be one of the best sources of luxury hotels for our clients””
Reed & Mackay, Prestigious Independent
Business Travel Agency, London
Trade exhibitions
In addition to our own events and road shows, you will also be
invited to take part in a number of global trade and consumer
events including ILTM Cannes, Americas and Asia. You will have the
opportunity to participate on Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s
impressive corporate stand always located in premium positions.
Collectively welcoming over 200,000 visitors per year, these
events raise brand awareness and generate new business
opportunities for your hotel.
Showcase events and roadshows
As a Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ property, you will be
invited to join us on a series of events and roadshows designed
to give you the opportunity to meet some of the most influential
luxury travel planners, bookers and key media partners globally.
These agencies are not usually accessible to non-affiliated hotels.
However, becoming part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
brand will unlock the doors to these highly productive suppliers.
The events and road shows are hosted worldwide and take place
in key source cities including London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles,
New York, Mexico City, Moscow, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong
and many more. There is also the unique opportunity to participate
in American Express showcases in England, Germany, Sweden,
Holland, France, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore and many more.
30
31
SALES | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
6
BE PART OF A
COMMUNITY
OF UNIQUE
INDEPENDENT
LUXURY HOTELS
“Joining SLH has been rewarding for us as a small hotels owner, as the brand puts
us on par with the world’s largest brands. We view SLH as our approval stamp of quality as well as our international marketing arm, to provide the market reach where we cannot afford to go ourselves and as a booster to those markets where we are strong in. SLH also helps us keep ahead of competition in terms of technology and industry standards.”
Anchalika Kijkanakorn, Managing Director,
Aleenta Resort and Spa, Thailand
Cap Rocat, Spain
32
33
JOINING SLH | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Be Part of a Community of Unique Independent Luxury Hotels
Joining Criteria & Quality Standards
The strength and credibility of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
is dependent on the quality of its individual hotels. Strict controls
are applied to ensure that only the very best hotels with the highest
standards are accepted, and to ensure that Small Luxury Hotels
of the World properties continue to uphold these standards. In
assessing a hotel’s suitability for joining the brand, we believe that
the totality of the guest experience is as important as anything else.
Inspection Programme
Maintaining the quality of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
properties by way of regular inspection is of paramount
importance to the individual client, the travel trade, the media
and most importantly to you, the hotelier. The integrity of Small
Luxury Hotels of the World™ must be preserved and maintained
worldwide, because all our hotels will be judged on the quality of
the others. Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ runs an invisible
guest perception inspection programme at no cost to you other
than accommodation, food and beverage charges incurred at your
property by the inspector. These inspections are carried out at least
once every two years, and after each visit you will receive a report
outlining the results of the inspection. All inspectors are qualified
luxury hotel guests who pay and stay at luxury hotels all over
the world.
NEW BUILD HOTELS & REFURBISHMENTS
OF EXISTING PROPERTY
We also invite hotels to join us at any stage of the development
process, whether it is a complete new-build on a green-field site
or a conversion and remodelling of an old building.
Hill, Goodridge & Associates Ltd is the home of the small
independent hotelier operating both the global brand of Small
Luxury Hotels of the World™ and specialist luxury boutique
operator, Luxury Hotel Partners Ltd.
As specialists in the international boutique hotel sector, providing
a comprehensive range of hotel services, Luxury Hotel Partners
can provide Technical and Pre-opening services during the process
of development. Their input will ensure that the hotel is optimally
designed and that the operation commences and flows efficiently
with luxury standards of service from the outset. They will provide
direction and advice on architectural plans and interior design to
ensure the hotel will have the potential to be a financial success.
HOTEL MANAGEMENT
Luxury Hotel Partners operates hotels that either are, or, will
become part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™. LHP manages
hotels for owners, investors and absentee landlords. Hotels range
from the Mallorcan fortress of Cap Rocat, the award winning
Chromata in Santorini to the city sanctuaries of L’Hotel in Paris
and No 11 in London.
Canaves Oia Hotel, Santorini, Greece
Le Grand Bellevue, Gstaad, Switzerland
CRITERIA
To be considered, applicants should meet the following
broad criteria:
•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
34
The hotel must be recognised as one of the best, if not the best,
in the locality
The market positioning of the applicant should be consistent with the overall aims of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
The hotel must move its GDS representation to LX
Operational management must be of the highest standard
at all times
Service should be personal, efficient, prompt and friendly
Food and wine must be of the highest quality, properly presented and expertly served
The hotel must provide room service with limited items available, 24 hours a day
Decor must be of the very highest quality and well maintained with a good general ambience providing a feeling of comfort and attention to detail
The hotel will join for a compulsory minimum period of three years in order for its affiliation with Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to fully permeate the market
The hotel must offer a luxury experience to its guests
CONTRACTUAL & OPERATIONAL OBLIGATIONS
• Implementation begins when the contract is signed and fees
are paid
• Joining fee is due with the contract
• Terms of contract is a minimum of three years
• All contracts are standard and signed by each hotel, changes
to the contract will not be made
• Annual fees are due by August 1st of each year
• Monthly reservations fees are due within 30 days
• Hotel must accept the American Express Card, participate in
the American Express commission programme and American
Express Platinum/Centurion benefits programmes
• GDS must transfer to LX within six months of signing
the contract
• Hotel must accept Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
Gift Certificates and account for them in the correct manner
• Travel Agent’s commissions must be paid within 45 days of
departure via the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Global Payment System or by the hotel directly
• Biennial inspection programme, reimbursed by the property
• Hotel must participate in regional meetings
• Immediate response to inquiries or requests from Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ offices is required
• Hotels must review www.myslh.com for pertinent information
• A minimum of 16 hi-resolution photographs must be supplied for use by Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ with authorisation
to publish
35
Costs
INSPECTION DEPOSIT
A (non-refundable) deposit of £1,000 is payable
before the initial inspection visit. This is
credited against the first-year fees for successful
applicants.
JOINING FEE
This fee is payable once only in the first year
and is due at the time of contract. Currently, the
initial fee for each hotel regardless of size is GBP
£15,000.
ANNUAL BRAND MARKETING FEE
This fee is charged annually and is payable by
31st July of each year. Currently, the annual fees
are based on the number of rooms, up to a
maximum of 150 rooms, as follows:
For the first 20 rooms: GBP £13,875
For each room over 20 rooms: GBP £170
per room
GDS AND INTERNET (INCLUDES SLH.COM)
All GDS Transactions charged @ 6%
Internet Transactions via a Travel Agent @ 6%
All other direct Internet Transactions @ 10%
Prepaid Internet Transactions @ 15%
A £2.20 charge will be processed for each
transaction.
A Database fee of £140 is charged per month.
SLH INTERNET BOOKING ENGINE (IBE)
By using the SLH IBE (white label booking
engine) to power reservations on your property
website, you and your team can manage your
inventory through just one system. Our IBE is
currently one of the most cost-effective booking
systems on the market at £5 per booking only.
VOICE RESERVATIONS
10% of net room revenue.
BARTER ROOMS
Each year, every hotel gives complimentary
accommodation to SLH to be used in barter
arrangements which SLH uses for various
activities. These rooms are for accommodation
only and are strictly subject to availability.
Currently, for hotels up to 50 rooms, it is 15
barter room nights per year, and for hotels with
over 50 rooms, the allocation is 20 barter room
nights per year.
TRAVEL AGENT COMMISSIONS
Travel agents commissions are not invoiced by
SLH. These are payable directly by the hotel to
the agency via the SLH centralized commission
payment system.
RESERVATION FEES
Reservation commissions (on room revenue only)
are charged monthly per net reservation for all
bookings processed through the SLH reservation
system. Commission levels applicable to SLH
vary depending on whether the reservation was
generated from SLH’s voice reservation service,
via the LX code on the GDS or online.
PRE-OPENING HOTELS
An additional inspection fee of GBP £2,000 is
payable on joining for pre-opening hotels. This
is to cover the cost of a professional inspection
within the first six months of opening.
Please note: All costs are set by the Board of
Directors, quoted in British Pounds Sterling and
may alter at any time. The initial contract is for a
minimum of a three year term.
Mukul Luxury Resort & Spa, Nicaragua
36
37
Hotel Éclat Beijing
La Sultana Marrakech Hotel & Spa
To Apply
There are four stages in applying and the timing is critical:
Stage 1
A formal application must be completed and submitted for review.
Successful hotels will be asked for a non-refundable deposit of GBP£1,000
which is required before the assessment visit. This amount is credited
against the initial fee if the application is successful.
Stage 2
Upon receipt of the application form and deposit an initial visit and
inspection will be arranged. The visit enables you to discuss the beneﬁts of
joining and determine the potential return on investment. It also enables
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to assess whether the hotel meets the
criteria and standards.
Stage 3
The report generated from the visit along with the application is reviewed
by the joint Managing Directors of Hill Goodridge and Associates. If they
consider the hotel will add value to Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ and
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ will add value to the hotel taking into
account the location, standard and management of the hotel then they will
be recommended to the Board of Directors’ and then to the Chairman for it
to be accepted.
Stage 4
Successful applicants will receive conﬁrmation of acceptance, contract to
sign and a secure login to our website content management system to supply
all necessary information on the hotel. The contract is standard for all hotels
and states all terms and conditions of joining SLH. The process is completed
when the signed contract is returned together with the payment of the initial
joining fee.
38
39
Experience another World
OVER 520 HOTELS IN MORE THAN 70 COUNTRIES
Joinslh.com

SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD™

Transcription

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