Design Hotels Switches Res Systems; Rolls Out New CRM System

AUGSBURG, GERMANY— In creating a global consortium of smaller independent hotels that focus on design, nine-year-old Design Hotels has always focused on offering member hotels technological and marketing support. And recently, the company enhanced its tech offerings by switching its reservations and distribution provider and launching a multi-CRM (customer relationship management) system. “We started offering a hotel reservations system in 1995 to our member hotels. It was through Lexington Services. However, Feb. 4 this year we switched to SynXis, our new reservation and distribution management provider. Were also launching the SMART System, which is a multi-CRM system,” said CEO Claus Sendlinger. According to Sendlinger, the new CRM system and reservation system “gives Design Hotels a real competitive advantage” which reportedly makes it able to offer tech services to its member hotels which dont have the support of a large hotel company reservation or CRM system. The CEO said that it was key to launch a CRM system for its member hotels, because now more than ever, knowing your customer is important. “CRM is really the next big thing for small hotels, and for chains. Hotels need to know what their guests are looking for, and need to be able to give it to them.” The multi-CRM system is currently being implemented, and its first hotel, the Great Eastern Hotel in London, is up and running on it, said Sendlinger. “The roll-out is a process that will happen during the next nine months. In the course of doing this, there will be some hotels that wont need CRM, like for example, the Villa Fontelunga in Arezzo, Italy, which only has nine rooms,” he said. However, while the need for the system will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, it will be available to all member hotels. He noted that through the new inventory and reservation system, “we are able to filter our different customer segments for our hotels. We can work with individual property owners who need global access and better position them as lifestyle hotels.” Sendlinger defined “lifestyle hotels” as those that are very design- and service-oriented. “With Design Hotels its all about the experience, and it starts with the design, and then theres the service, the music, the smell, the place— the whole package,” he said. “We target the type of people who are looking for the most current thing. A lot of our clientele work in the entertainment and media industries, who make the decisions on what hotels to book [for their movie and music stars and models.]We introduce them to our hotels.” The typical guest is upscale, young and upwardly mobile, Sendlinger noted. “We are selling our hotels as an experience to them,” he added. “Our promise is local upon arrival, not a home away from home.” Design Hotels started in 1993 to provide marketing and global representation services for underserved “design-led” hotels worldwide. The company also offers pre-opening services to its hotels. “Our business model works like Leading Hotels of the World,” noted Sendlinger. “Were not an operation or management company. We offer representation and marketing to independent hotels around the world.” Today, Design Hotels, which is headquartered in Sausalito, CA, has offices here and other cities including New York, Milan and Tokyo. In 1998 Design Hotels became a division of lebensart global networks AG, which is a marketing and technology specialist which targets the same “lifestyle traveler” set as Design Hotels. Design Hotels represents a collection of roughly 100 design-led hotels and resorts from around the world, including The Chambers in New York, The Morgan in Dublin, The Hotel in Miami and the Rockhouse Hotel in Negril, Jamaica. Each hotel is represented under one of two categories: urban or leisure.