It’s that time of year again, where us editors bounce around from one brand conference to another to learn more about what makes these brands tick and their respective growth strategies for the coming year. Most of us know the drill, from the time we arrive we will be hearing about how they will gain market share, cut costs and improve service to the guests (pom-poms not included). But it looks as though next year’s events may be few and far between in the industry. Wyndham Hotel Group recently announced that it will be consolidating all 12 brands at one event in Las Vegas next year as opposed to holding conferences for each brand individually. La Quinta, which held this year’s event in Hawaii, is eschewing its annual event next year in favor of regional meetings, much like Carlson Hotels Worldwide has done this year. Knowing how this industry works, I’m sure several more will follow suit. With finances tightening everywhere, franchise companies are understandably looking at every expense right now and examining how worthwhile it is to spend tens of thousands of dollars on such meetings. And we all know holding large-scale meetings at high-end hotels is not exactly looked favorably upon these days in this country. However, while they’re predictable and maybe even a little corny (insert event slogan here), there is a definite value to these conferences. The power of having a large number of franchisees gather together in the same place and exchanging war stories—or best practices as the brands prefer to call them— is invaluable. I’ve seen first hand the pride of the owners who are nominated for awards and singled out as the “best of the best” by a brand. It’s show business for sure, but it’s about making the owners feel special and good about their brand for a couple of days. Think about how much less likely an owner may be to change flags when he or she has a relationship with a host of other owners in the same brand family or how much more likely he or she may be to add properties if they feel appreciated by their brand. These factors could be especially important considering a lot of conversions are likely to happen in the next couple of years. There will always be some naysayers and those owners who will complain about the cost of the conferences. “Don’t we give them enough in dues? Now I have to spring for this” may be the refrain. If they don’t get the value in it, there’s not much more you can do for them. This is the one chance you have to address your franchise partners all in one place and they indeed are the touch point to your customers. Perhaps some of these companies can look at other ways to scale costs back. For example, do you need that keynote speaker who is marginally famous and knows nothing about hotels, other than the fact that they spend a lot of nights in them? Maybe a few less sessions and two days and nights instead of three would be more cost-effective. For an industry that relies so heavily on travel, canceling or consolidating brand conferences now seems counterintuitive. Now, more than ever, it’s time for everyone in this industry to practice what we preach. ————————————– To comment on this article, please contact [email protected].
Previous ArticleAmericInn Launches Sleep Advocacy Website
Next Article When it comes to overseeing Days Inn, size matters