Competition amongst hotels in the UK is higher than anywhere else in Europe, with nearly half of all hotel construction occurring in the UK1. With the sector more competitive than ever, hotel owners need to be mindful of how they can stand out from the crowd and develop their hotels to meet the rapidly evolving demands of their guests.
In this installment of the Mille Club column, we are going to address some of the little things that differentiate your property. To recap, membership qualification for the Mille Club is simple: offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. If you’re already there (or very close), or aspire to this lofty room rate level, you’re in!
Mitsis Group, Greece's largest privately-owned hotel chain, is proudly launching its new brand identity, marking a significant milestone in its history. With a steadfast commitment to reinventing the travel experience, offering beyond all-inclusive services and an unwavering dedication to exceeding guest expectations, MITSIS is set to redefine modern luxury and hospitality.
As Lui Chun boarded his Heathrow-bound plane in Hong Kong this month his fellow business-class passengers probably didn’t pay much attention to the unassuming gent in casual black suit and Nike trainers. How were they to know that the opening of London’s first billion-pound hotel rested on his say-so?
For those who haven’t read the first few editions of this Mille Club series, membership qualification is simple: offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. If you’re already there (or very close), or aspire to this lofty room rate level, please read on.
Data released today by Airbnb shows a significant increase in interest in the Paris Region ahead of Paris 2024 from both international and French guests, with listings available throughout the Games in the Paris region being viewed over 100 times more1 than the same time last year – that’s an astonishing 10,000% increase.
Sometimes when explaining a concept, it’s best to look at the numbers. Before going straight into using hotel rates, we’re going to start small with a bottle of run-of-the-mill wine, a product that’s also dear to our hearts and many other hoteliers.
Mar-Bella Collection, a family-owned Greek luxury hospitality brand, is delighted to announce the launch of its new branding and website. With a remarkable legacy spanning three generations, Mar-Bella Collection remains dedicated to providing unparalleled holiday experiences for its guests.
Choice Hotels EMEA, the 100% franchise focused hotel company and Borealis Hotel Group (“Borealis”), a European hospitality company, have signed a strategic partnership agreement to expand their European portfolios. Through this agreement, Borealis will have the ability to franchise upscale and midscale hotels from the Choice Hotels EMEA portfolio of brands, across the territories they currently operate including The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Denmark and look for new opportunities in other European countries. All hotels under Choice Hotels EMEA participate in the Choice Privileges loyalty program, enabling travellers to earn and redeem points for Rewards nights stays at more than 7,500 hotels around the world.
For those who haven’t read the first two editions of this Mille Club series, membership qualification is simple: just offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. Whereas American Express since 1987 espoused the selling line, “Membership has its Privileges™,” the opposite applies to your property if it wants to uphold four-figure nightly rates. Aptly expressed, as a member of the Mille Club, “Membership has its Responsibilities.”
IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hospitality companies, introduces Vignette Collection to the UK with the signing of The Halyard at Ropewalks Liverpool, Vignette Collection in partnership with Molo Hotels.
We’re seeing a trend in post-pandemic luxury – the mantle of attaining then surpassing a thousand dollars per night per room. This is what we have dubbed the ‘Mille Club’ after the Italian for said four-digit number. If your average daily rate has pushed into the four-figure range or thereabouts, congratulations and welcome. But know that this is something that must be earned because of the psychology that comes with paying above this threshold and because luxury guests have plenty of options nowadays.
The Business Travel Association (BTA) today releases a careers brochure titled ‘Your Career Can Travel’ to target those looking to start or return to a career in the business travel industry.
It has been a torrid few years for hospitality, battling Brexit-driven staff shortages, the pandemic, and now spiraling business costs.
Over the past year, we’ve bolted out from the gates in the aftermath of the pandemic, staying at multiple properties with daily rates in excess of 1,000 dollars, euros or pounds as part of our consultancy work auditing luxury hotels to improve their topline performance. The fact is that any four-figure guest daily hit propels your property into a new snack bracket, and one that plays by a slightly different set of service and amenity requirements. There’s prestige, but much, much higher expectations that you must surpass each and every day.
IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, is delighted to formally open its new global headquarters in Windsor, UK. Having started life as FTSE-listed company in Windsor in 2003, IHG returns to the historic town for its next chapter after being based for the past 15 years in Denham, Buckinghamshire.
With the acquisition of the successful Mercure Hotel Berlin Mitte, the hotel operating company Primestar expands its hotel portfolio in the German capital to 3 hotels. The hotel with 120 rooms near Potsdamer Platz and Gleisdreieck is the first joint franchise project with Accor and the first hotel of the Primestar Group operated under Mercure brand.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues apace, and the value of pound remains low, affordable staycations are back on the agenda with people choosing to holiday near UK tourist hotspots, instead of taking trips abroad. With this in mind, AGO Hotels is looking at what this means for its own business and the wider UK hospitality market.
In a presentation to the UK House of Lords last June, we raised the alarm that the UK independent hotelier share of market was declining rapidly, falling from 78% in 2010 to a projected 22% by 2026.
In the latest episode of the new season of Accor’s industry leading podcast, Heart of Hospitality, Duncan O’Rourke, host and CEO Accor Northern Europe, speaks to Kate Nicholls, CEO UKHospitality. They discuss UKHospitality’s role championing the hospitality sector in the UK and lobbying the Government for positive action and change, including the impact a VAT cut and greater training flexibility would have on the sector.