Back from ITB which was as hectic and exciting as ever. And of course the best work out in ages for desk bound characters like me from halls 9 to 25….the only thing which did let it down was the transport strike, but even that was addressed relatively well. The travellers who ventured into the S-bahns were rewarded. After my experience with the buses on Day 1, decided to stick to S-bahns and taxis where available. And now to finish of what I started with a a comparison of the SMD’s!

On the distribution side offerings of the SMD’s, it is clear that this where they make a very powerful impact. And for the independent hotelier, this is where one gets their money’s worth. However a careful study of the most suitable offering will make it a win-win situation.

Here is a selection of what the companies have to say about their distribution services.

UTELL

• Strategic business relationships with important online travel providers including Expedia, Opodo and Travelocity, giving access to multiple markets
• Actively promoted consumer websites

DESIGN

• Revenue & Distribution Services
• Global Distribution System
• Internet Distribution System
• Third Party Internet
• Booking EnginePlatform

SUPRANATIONAL

• GDS (Global Distribution System)
• Electronic Marketing targeting GDS (Global Distribution System)and Web Partners.
  4 GDS partners: Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan and Amadeus.
• Daily submission of news/promotions on all GDS ‘free’ marketing screens
• Tailor made Web Booking Engine for groups and individual hotels.
• Next Generation Seamless online availability and reservation facility to all GDS distributors - 600,000 terminals world wide.
• Next Generation Seamless connectivity to leading travel portals via ODD (Online Distribution Database) and ADS (Alternate Distribution System).

WORLD HOTELS

• Global web based CRS TRUST Voyager and Reporting tool TRUST View
• Seamless Next Generation connectivity to all major Global Distribution Systems
  Master Chain Code EW – Exclusive to WORLDHOTELS
• Direct connections to more than 600,000 travel agent terminals worldwide and own dedicated web portal for Travel Agents, WORLDHOTELS.beconnected
• Advanced IDS (Internet Distribution Systems) connections and web booking engine connections to internet portals and distribution partners Specialist services in E-Commerce, Technology and Online Distribution
• Worldwide toll free voice reservation service in 3 Global Communication Centres with over 40 phone numbers
• Own online Booking Engine WORLDHOTELS.booker in 10 languages

GREAT HOTELS OF THE WORLD

• Member hotels on the various GDS and internet distribution channels under own private label chain code: GW.
• Optimal seamless connectivity to the major Global Distribution Systems: Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan, which are used by over 600,000 travel agents globally
• Each hotel will also be displayed on leading internet sites such as Travelocity and Expedia as well as many thousands of sites offering travel and hotel booking services.
• Internet-based CRS providing hotels the ability to enter and control all information about the hotel including availability, rates and descriptions with simple web access alone.
• The Great Hotels of the World reservation system can also be used to power your hotel’s own website booking engine.

RELAIS & CHATEAUX

• Website in 4 languages, 300,000 unique visitors per month, allows online reservation of Relais & Châteaux hotels and restaurants
• Call centres and general sales agents world-wide: France, Italy, Spain, USA, Australia, Argentina/Chile, Japan, Russia.
• The main GDS: Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan and Apollo/Galileo.
• Online reservation, on http://www.relaischateaux.com/ and on the individual website of the property.

A decision on which company to go with depends on so many factors and a clear idea of the hotels strengths and weaknesses would be the right point to start.

There is no one term to describe these organisations - they are at once hotel companies, hotel consortiums, hotel alliances, sales and marketing companies….to give you an idea, here is a look at what three highly visible organisations call themselves.

In their ‘Who are we’ section, Great Hotels of the world website describes itself ”an alliance of the world’s finest luxury hotels and resorts” http://www.ghow.com/

And Leading Hotels of the World is ”a prestigious luxury hospitality organization representing 430 of the world’s finest hotels, resorts and spas” http://www.lhw.com/

WORLDHOTELS ”is a dynamic international hotel organization committed to providing the smartest sales, marketing and distribution solution to independently operated hotels and hotel groups” http://www.worldhotels.com/

For the independent hotelier, these organisations and many more similar ones provide an option to run their own hotels without being managed by another company but at the same time with the benefit of belonging to an umbrella brand/organisation. For a certain yearly fee and commissions for reservations delivered through their website, independent hotels get the benefit of being part of a global brand, their sales and marketing services and even more importantly the power of distributing their inventory to the widest possible audience.

The yearly fees with some of these organisations may not be easily affordable by many independent hotels who may be better off looking out for niche organisations which fit their pocket and offer more flexible options of working together.

Would you pay £15000 to £20,000 or thereabouts a year to become a member of a hotel alliance like the ones above? What do you get for that price? What are the pros and cons? How does an independent hotel owner decide if it is worth it and what works for them?

In the next days, I will take a closer look at some of their services to understand some of the main advantages (and possible disadvantages) of joining these organisations as a member hotel.

Some of the other important companies (this list is not exhaustive)

Utell Hotels & Resorts http://www.utell.com/
Small Luxury hotels of the world http://www.slh.com/
Design Hotels http://www.designhotels.com/
Supranational hotels http://www.snrhotels.com/
Relais & Chateaux http://www.relaischateaux.com/
Preferred Hotels http://www.preferredhotels.com/