LAS VEGAS—Like the dice thrown in this take-a-chance town, AmericInn proved it was still on a profitable roll for hundreds of GMs and owners at the midscale lodging chain’s annual national convention being held here at Bally’s.
Paul Kirwin, president and CEO of AmericInn and parent company Northcott Hospitality, said the Midwest-based company posted record-breaking numbers in 2014 across some key metrics, continuing a pattern AmericInn has been demonstrating for several years.
“It was a good year; a good year, indeed,” said Kirwin. “System-wide revenue was at an all-time high of $211 million and RevPAR reached over $50 for the first time in our history. So, our brand is serving more guests than every before, and our hotels are more profitable than ever before; both great indicators for the health of our brand.”
Kirwin added more than 50% of the system-wide revenue is coming from brand channels, e.g., the CRS and its Easy Rewards loyalty program.
“Of those channels, we place increasing priority on AmericInn.com, since it provides your most profitable room nights,” Kirwin told the crowd, noting the site’s contribution rose to 13% of revenue, with more than four million visitors to the website in the year.
Contribution by Easy Rewards rose to 32%, another all-time high for the system, the executive said.“Easy Rewards continues to grow and add value to our brand,” said Mark Masuda, VP of sales, marketing and distribution. “Over a third of our guests are now Easy Rewards members. That is truly amazing for a program that is less than five years old.”
To leverage the program even further, AmericInn this year is creating a tier within it to recognize its “best” guests. Dubbed Easy Rewards Elite, card-carrying members who stay a requisite number of nights will be thanked and recognized at check-in and receive a welcome bag containing bottled water, a sweet snack and a salty snack. The cost to owners for the contents will come in under $1, said Masuda.
The chain’s STR market-share index also rose to 109, “indicating we are continuing to outperform the midscale segment,” said Kirwin. He added the Market Metrix overall satisfaction score for the brand hit 92%, with a Very Likely to Recommend score of 75%.
“These scores are a testimony to the commitment of our hotel owners who continue to invest in our brand with new hotels, upgraded operating standards and PIPs, all to the tune of over $20 million last year,” said the CEO.
While Kirwin lauded attendees for the banner year, he stressed this was no time to rest on laurels. “With gas prices and interest rates low and jobs and employment high, we have the makings of a fantastic year for the travel and tourism industry. We are poised for another good year at AmericInn but, hopefully, we won’t settle for good in 2015. Instead, we need to set our sights on making 2015 a truly great year, one that sets all new records for performance and profits,” he said.
One way to make that happen is for owners to take a more-aggressive pricing approach to help lift rates, particularly during peak demand times, Kirwin suggested.
“Getting customers to your doors is half the battle in our business. Winning their hearts and minds with great product and service is the other half. And in that regard, we can never rest,” he said.
—Stefani C. O’Connor
[Editor’s Note: Look for expanded coverage of AmericInn’s 2015 Annual National Convention in the May 7 issue of Hotel Business.]