H & C News is pleased to introduce the second in this series of articles authored by experts from Buell Consulting Group on the subject of Managing Provincial Hotels Profitably.
Recent publicity on the acquisition of hotels and hotel groups has distracted attention away from the fundamental issue of operating profitably. Provincial hotels operate in an environment that continues to be ‘challenging’: the economy struggles on without sign of a significant upturn, and the already crowded market becomes ever more competitive as Premier Inn is joined by more budget hotel groups.
In this second (of four) articles in the series, Jill Chalmers, Associate (Sales and Marketing) from Buell Consulting offers insights on the areas that she sees as priorities at the present time.
1.1 The Product
Keep the product alive and happy – smaller provincial hotels can often have the edge over corporate chain-like products.
Include small, personal touches at different guests’ touch-points: low cost to you, but high value to your guests.
Think global but act local – global customers will like your local product offerings.
1.2 Position
Make sure that you know what you are, and where you sit in your marketplace.
Create your own branding around that.
Tell the world about it.
1.3 Pricing
Make sure you know your immediate competitive set and your pricing and product are in line with them.
If your pricing is higher, make sure the potential customer knows why.
Add value, build in packages to detract from price, and enhance the offering.
Provincial hotels can sell themselves to the world – make sure all distribution channels are maximised.
1.4 People
Employ on attitude, train the skill. Employ BIC (Best In Class).
Multi-train your employees to keep costs down and efficiencies high.
Develop your staff and build in business goals and incentives, this will keep attrition rates down and therefore save on costs.
1.5 Technology
Provincial hotels need good PMS and EPOS systems. There is no reason why provincial hotels can’t compete with prime located properties now.
Make sure that your PMS connects to the online marketplace via channel managers and distribution channels.
Make sure your pricing strategy is right.
1.6 Vision
Make sure that you have a vision and tell your staff and everyone about it.
Differentiate yourself from the crowd.
1.7 Sales & Marketing
This isn’t just for big city centre hotels. Make sure that you have systems and people in place to make sure that:
- You are attracting back current customers.
- You are finding routes for new customers.
1.8 Assets
Your hotel is a great asset – keep it that way. Build value into your assets, and make sure that you include a CapEx budget to keep your asset in tip-top shape.
Future articles in this series
Over the coming weeks, H & C News will be publishing further articles on Managing Provincial Hotels Profitably, presenting the insights and guidance of Buell experts: Peter O’Meara (Associate, Operations); and Stephan Riegel (Associate, Operations); Peter Hancock (published 3 May – Managing Provincial Hotels Profitably)
About Jill Chalmers
Jill is an Associate, Sales and Marketing, of Buell Consulting whose career includes roles as International Sales Director, Scandic Hotels AB; S & M Director and Joint General Manager, Skibo Castle; Managing Director, All-hotels.com; and Managing Director of SUITE, the specialist hospitality, tourism and leisure consultancy that she founded in 2004.
A successful international manager with an extensive global network and experience within the Hospitality, Travel & Leisure sectors, Jill is a proven achiever at a senior level in both the traditional and online marketplace, and a natural team leader with multi-cultural teams, who is results driven and with a proven capacity internationally to make things happen.
About Buell Consulting Group
Buell Consulting Group provides business consultancy services to business owners and operators across the Hospitality and Leisure sectors.
The Group is defined by its unique coalition of Business Associates and Business Partners and headed up by its Board of Directors:
Jeremy Logie OBE – Chairman
Roddy Watt – CEO
Fergus Chambers – MD (Foodservice)
Michael Gottlieb – MD (Restaurants)
Jonathan Perrin – MD (Finance)
The Buell Business Associates are industry experts each with more than 15 years’ hands-on experience in their field of expertise, and the Business Partners are top quality advisory or B2B service providers, each endorsed by the Buell Board.
The portfolio of services provides a comprehensive response to any requirement operating businesses or investors may have and specifically covers Operations, Support Services such as Sales & Marketing and HR, and Legal and Professional. Also offered is a range of bespoke products including Business Strategic Review, Non Executive Directors, and Talent Research and Acquisition
Buell Consulting Group essentially provides a multi-layered, one-stop resource for businesses whether they require expertise in one area or many.
For more information click here