Specialist hotel research consultancy, BDRC Continental, has revealed headline brand performance results from the 2013 Pan Western Europe Hotel Guest Survey.
The independent study is based on 8,500 interviews with nationally representative samples of business and leisure travellers across Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Spain and is widely regarded as the definitive measure of hotel brand performance.
Most widely used brands are from economy tier
Commenting on the results, Matt Costin, Director at BDRC Continental, says:
“When it comes to overall brand equity, Hilton remains the benchmark. It is still the ‘leading choice’ brand in most Western European countries and commands a higher rate premium than any of the other major hotel groups.
“However, it is significant that for the first time, the most widely used brands for business as well as leisure, are from the economy tier. Tighter travel budgets and rapid growth in distribution are, of course, major factors in the success of Premier Inn in the UK and Ibis across much of Western Europe, but the positioning of both of these brands resonates with a growing number of travellers.”
Accor success across the region
Hilton remains the overall market leader across the region, retaining its No.1 position in Britain, Germany and Italy on a composite measure of brand performance. However, Accor’s economy tier brand, Ibis, is now the most widely used brand for both business and leisure stays, having overtaken both Hilton and Holiday Inn on this metric in the business market since the equivalent survey in 2012.
In an outstanding set of results for Accor, Ibis is the ‘Most Improved Brand’ for Western Europe as a whole, as well as for Germany and Benelux, while sister brands Ibis Budget and Mercure claim the same accolade for France and Britain respectively.
The progress of the Ibis brand follows Accor’s strategy of consolidating its economy tier hotels under the Ibis flag, with Etap and All Seasons hotels becoming Ibis Budget and Ibis Styles respectively. However, the results for the core Ibis brand are a like-for-like comparison with previous years.
2013 Pan Western Europe Hotel Guest Survey – Leading Brands
| No.1 Brand (Overall) | Most Improved Brand | No.1 – Business Usage | No.1 – Leisure Usage | Leading Choice – Business | Leading Choice – Leisure | |
| Pan Western Europe | Hilton | Ibis | Ibis | Ibis | Hilton | Hilton |
| Great Britain | Hilton | Mercure | Premier Inn | Travelodge | Hilton | Premier Inn |
About BDRC Continental
BDRC Continental is an award-winning insight agency, helping clients get closer to their customers by translating data into actionable business intelligence.
Established in 1991, BDRC is a full service research consultancy with specialist expertise across sectors including hotels, meetings & hospitality, financial services, media & advertising, Government & not for profit, culture & leisure, tourism, travel & transport and sports & sponsorship.
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