SLH Markets Special Deals To Build Business

NEW YORK— Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) of the World is putting the finishing touches on several new marketing programs aimed at building business at its member properties around the world, at a time when travel is down significantly. With a highly diversified portfolio, SLH has many member resort properties that are doing extremely well after the Sept. 11 attacks, but also has some urban hotels that are severely suffering from a great loss of business. So in an effort to promote travel throughout the collection, all member properties have agreed to participate in one or more of the group’s new marketing initiatives. “This is not the norm for SLH, but these are unusual times,” said Lee Ann Gamble, regional manager/The Americas for Small Luxury Hotels of the World, who noted that the new promotions would be “value oriented.” “We talked to member hotels about their business, their needs. Some hotels are certainly feeling it more, which is why we decided to do this and are happy that we will get 100% participation.” The first of the two SLH promotions, both of which will start later this week, offers guests who stay two nights at a member SLH hotel, a third night at the same property for free. The program is expected to be especially popular at resort destinations, said Gamble, as it allows guests to extend their vacation. The second promotion, which is expected to be popular among urban SLH hotels, offers incentives on rates. In many cases, rates offered will be 20%-25% below normal levels. Both programs will be made available to all SLH hotels, however, each property will choose which program best suits its needs, said Gamble. “We aren’t generally disposed to discounting, but what ever we can do to get people traveling, we’ll do,” she said. In addition, SLH will be offering many regional promotions “to help drive business locally,” said Gamble. SLH will divide its hotels into three regions for the promos— East, South and West. The nature of the regional programs has yet to be decided, she said. Small Luxury Hotels is made up of a collection of 280 properties around the world.