Last week’s Master Innholders Conference was attended by a record number of delegates, who much enjoyed the facilities and both excellent and extensive refreshments provided by the venue – the Park Plaza Westminster – including the ‘sweet stall’, which many found irresistible.
As ever, the two day event provided multiple opportunities for networking: this is certainly one of the best events for catching up with colleagues, making new contacts, and comparing notes on opportunities and problems.
We report here on two of the sessions on the first day that gave delegates occasion to pause and reflect on the implications for the months ahead: it’s often the case that tight cash flow can make the months following a recession very challenging – but finance is not the only challenge to be faced.
Leadership as we emerge from recession
Understandably, the conference had a programme that focussed on growth as we at last emerge from tough economic times.
The opening presentation on Leadership and Growth by Jeff Grout reminded delegates of many of the essentials that leaders will need to demonstrate if they are to retain (how many of your staff are waiting for an opportunity to move on?) and recruit the right staff, including:
- Look ahead: step out of your day-to-day priorities to focus your team on clear, prioritised objectives
- Remember: you are only as good as your team and must both retain and attract talent
- When recruiting, identify what you’re looking for – don’t just hope to recognise it if you see it!
- Training in interview techniques is rare but invaluable
- What is morale really like in your organisation? How can you find the truth? Morale can build loyalty, commitment and trust – or destroy them.
- Make your team members feel genuinely valued
- Communication really matters, and it’s two-way: ‘listening’ not just ‘telling’
- ‘Big Talk’ – vision, objectives, priorities – needs to be communicated four times a year
- ‘Little Talk’ – thank you’s, feedback, praise – needs to be communicated all the time
- Leaders prepare for and achieve change – with team buy-in – before change is forced on them by the market or competitors
- Challenge and question constantly: keep doing the good things; stop doing the bad things; move from doing things occasionally to doing them consistently; start doing the things you’re not doing!
- Learning from failure(s) is important: if you don’t know why you’ve failed, how can you improve?
- Learning from success is also important: if you don’t know why you’ve succeeded, it must have been an accident!
Are hotels commodities?
This panel discussion, chaired by Russell Kett of HVS, featured David Taylor, Sales Director of Grass Roots; Imogen Furness, Morgan Stanley; Stuart Johnson, Brown’s Hotel; and Mark Lewis, Hotel Rez.
The prevalence and power of OTAs was clearly on all minds: their influence leads to commoditisation in at least some parts of the hotel industry, with hoteliers being forced to look to differentiate by delivering character, service or other features that distinguish their product – something ‘unique’ which makes them stand out both in marketing terms and in the actual delivery to guests that encourages loyalty and repeat business.
Delivering value, it was agreed, is vital: not getting dragged into price offers essential.
Russell Kett pointed out that hotels are now judged as a real estate asset class which, inevitably, makes them a commodity – at least in the eyes of financiers seeking income and profit, and not overly concerned about how it is delivered.
In Stuart Johnson’s view, much of the three and four star market has become or is becoming a commodity market. The danger, however, is that luxury hotels could also become commoditised: the number of boutique and five star hotels in a market – even one as large as London – combined with the OTAs makes this a real danger.
Customers, of course, are not all looking for the cheapest solution: they value quality, differentiation and service – relationships do still matter – but hoteliers will have to focus very sharply to deliver the desired ‘value’ and avoid being dragged down into the price and commodity market.
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