Reduce rates in a recession ? Think again ! | By Christopher Norton

How will the luxury hotel segment brave the downturn in 2009? One thing Christopher Norton, General Manager of Paris' Four Seasons Hotel George V, firmly believes is that the industry as a whole will bounce back from recession, stronger and smarter. For 2009, he offers three bits of advice to operators in the luxury segment concerning the product, prices, and the people that make it all happen. A slew of articles and papers have been published on the subject of trends. The economy has been on a radical change curve and markets are being turned upside down. It has been one of the most dramatic situations we can remember, and we are left wondering how it could have gone « so bad, so fast. » What’s affecting all of us will, to some extent, shake some foundations and challenge our skills as managers – managers of people, of numbers and of the product that we keep reinventing and allowing to evolve.

About The Hotel Yearbook: The Hotel Yearbook is a uniquely forward-looking annual publication. Each year, dozens of CEOs and other senior executives from the hotel industry worldwide, as well as leading analysts and observers, use this platform to share their expectations for the coming twelve months. Each of the 70+ contributors looks specifically at his or her area of expertise, describing the likely developments for the year ahead. As a whole, The Hotel Yearbook thus offers readers a comprehensive overview of the trends and factors that will have an impact on the performance of the hotel business in the year to come – as perceived by the industry’s leaders themselves. For more information visit www.hotel-yearbook.com.

Reduce rates in a recession ? Think again ! How will the luxury hotel segment brave the downturn in 2009? One thing Christopher Norton, General Manager of Paris’ Four Seasons Hotel George V, firmly believes is that the industry as a whole will... Adobe PDF Document (Download Acrobat Reader) File Size: 1687 Kb - Friday, 16 January 2009