An update on a rapidly evolving industry

The past decade has been a roller coaster ride for the meetings industry, with enough highs and lows to satisfy any thrill-seeking teen. And, like petulant adolescents faced with the reality of the adult world, some good has come of the turmoil: The industry has grown up.
A decade ago, many Americans thought of meetings and conventions as nothing more than giant parties rife with freebies for attendees. While that was far from the truth, not many steps were taken to overcome that perception. It took the sobering after-effects of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the economic meltdown that began in 2008 to create partnerships between meeting planners, travel planners and hoteliers to justify meetings to an increasingly critical public.

“I can’t ever recall a time when this business was more scrutinized,” says Larry Luteran, senior vice president of group sales and industry relations for Hilton Worldwide. Luteran says the upside is the opportunity to elevate the meeting profession and get planners a seat at the executive table. “We want to make sure we don’t lose this opportunity while we have the face time,” he says.

Today’s meetings industry is more professional, more mature and more dedicated in its pursuit of demonstrating value to the business community. Now the emphasis for planners is on value for the dollars invested in the program and a desire to emphasize the serious nature of meetings while still including some tasteful downtime fun. They want local flair, personalized service, flexible contract options and partnerships that enable them to give back to the communities where they meet. They also want to be conscious of their impact on the environment.

“People attending have to have something that’s compelling and has a different look and feel,” says Kevin Kirby, senior director of sales for Orlando-based Hard Rock Hotels International.

All of that adds up to the need for hoteliers to clearly demonstrate their own brand values and personality to attract business. Hoteliers are taking the opportunity to re-examine exactly who they are and how they want to represent themselves to this more mature, serious industry. They’re reinventing their brands to reflect understated elegance, local ambience, environmental sensitivity and their ability to accommodate a meeting group’s needs. “It’s all about ROI and what we can do to get better bang for the buck,” Luteran says.

Hoteliers are optimistic about business for 2011 and beyond, saying that business is picking up, though booking windows are still very short-term. Tom Faust, vice president of sales for Omni Hotels, says healthcare, finance and government meetings are strong, while technology groups are on the rebound.

“We’re glad 2009 is behind us,” says Todd Gagnon, director of sales, East Coast Region for Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s. “Trends in 2010 indicate the glass is now half full,” he says. That makes hoteliers even more eager to make sure their brands are fairly represented in the marketplace. Following are some highlights of what you can expect from a number of major hotel brands in the coming year.

Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
fairmont.com

Headquarters: Toronto

Brands: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts

Brand Makeover: In response to a focus group of 25 top planners, Fairmont upgraded healthy banquet options.

2010/2011 Initiatives: Within North America, Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver opened for the Winter Olympics and Fairmont Pittsburgh opened in March. Overseas, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai reopened in August and the Savoy in London reopens this month.

Meetings Packages:

• Customized by property to maximize each hotel’s ability to reflect its individual community.
• Brand-wide contracts that can be customized for each property used.

Green Initiatives:

• Eco-Meet programs enable planners to maximize waste diversion and create awareness of their footprint in any or all of four areas: accommodations, cuisine, service and programming. A planner might choose linen recycling, edible centerpieces, local seafood and learning about local wildlife on the golf course. Fairmont also has brand-wide green operations initiatives.
  
  “We have a long-standing focus on green at our hotels,” says Mark Sergot, vice president of global sales. Most new green initiatives come from dedicated employee “green teams,” he says.

   Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, B.C.

Hard Rock International
hardrockhotels.com

Headquarters: Orlando, Fla.

Brands: Hard Rock Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Cafes

Brand Makeover: “Our focus is to make sure what we have will be successful,” says Kevin Kirby, senior director of sales. The emphasis is on the best value and service possible at centrally located hotels. Kirby believes Hard Rock has an edge in today’s economy because it isn’t perceived as a premium brand.

2010/2011 Initiatives: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) will debut this fall in partnership with Palace Resorts. It will be the first all-inclusive resort in the Hard Rock portfolio.

Meetings Packages:

• Property-specific special themed events offered to all groups. In Orlando, that might be a private event in the John Lennon room with docents who explain the memorabilia. In San Diego, that event could be in the Black Eyed Peas-designed room.
• “Pinktober” packages provide the option of pink room amenities with a portion of room proceeds going to breast cancer awareness.

Green Initiatives:

• Save the Planet theme began in 1971; now Clean the World programs also are included.
• Specific programs vary by property.

Hilton Worldwide
hilton.com

Headquarters: McLean, Va.

Brands: Conrad, Doubletree Hotels, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations, Hilton Hotels, Home2Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Waldorf Astoria

Brand Makeover: Hilton aims to move from a brand of the past to a brand of the future, particularly for international markets, where boutique lifestyle hotels are gaining ground. Hilton’s airport hotels have moved away from all-business-all-the-time austere to hotels with pools, spas and other leisure amenities that acknowledge the blurring line between business and pleasure.

2010/2011 Initiatives: In the U.S., Hilton opened a luxurious airport hotel in Rosemont, near O’Hare International Airport, along with 17 new Hampton Inn hotels in places such as Birmingham, Ala.; Pampas, Texas; Jekyll Island, Ga.; Pueblo, Colo.; and Aberdeen, S.D. Recent U.S. makeovers include the Hilton Atlanta and Palmer House in Chicago. Overseas, Hilton Hotels are opening in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Luxury resorts in China and Thailand are well underway.

Meetings Packages:

• In an effort to better customize packages, the Book Now and Save package allows planners to choose a perk, such as comp rooms, Hilton HHonors points, comp meals, rebates or attrition concessions based on the size of the meeting.
• Multiple-year contracts for recurring meetings.
• Simultaneous booking for multiple meetings to save money. One pharmaceutical company used this offer to book 100 meetings at once, Luteran says.

Green Initiatives:

• New sustainability tracking system called Light Stay that will achieve cost-saving improvements is in the works.
• Meeting impact calculator for planners is also in the works.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation
hyatt.com

Headquarters: Chicago

Brands: Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Hotels, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Resorts, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hyatt Vacation Club, Park Hyatt

Brand Makeover: Efforts are focused on promoting Hyatt Place, Summerfield Suites and the Andaz brands, with the emphasis on creating destination experiences that are locally inspired and having a presence in every business-traveler market. A member of the family that built the Hyatt brand purchased a majority stake in Joie de Vivre Hotels this year through a private equity investment firm.

2010/2011 Initiatives: New properties include the Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina and the Park Hyatt rebranding of the Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad, Calif. Next year, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans will reopen—more than five years after Hurricane Katrina. Renovations include the Grand Hyatt New York, San Francisco and Atlanta. The goal is to ensure that the No. 1 hotel in each gateway city is a brand leader.

Meetings Packages:

• Next year, there are plans to target nonprofessional associations, as well as professional groups, by including secondary hotels along with primary hotels in regional markets to reach a broader audience.

Green Initiatives:

• Just launched Meet and Be Green, a partnership program that’s part of Hyatt’s overall conservation effort called Hyatt Earth. Planners can choose elements including seasonal banquet menus, eliminating paper handouts or cutting out bottled water to get a 3% rebate off the master account.

InterContinental Hotels Group
ihgplc.com

Headquarters: Buckinghamshire, U.K.; Americas Region: Atlanta

Brands: Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels, Staybridge Suites

Brand Makeover: The company invested $1 billion relaunching the Holiday Inn brand in 2009 in an effort to improve quality and drive consistency on things that guests said mattered most to them. The brand’s new tagline is “Stay Real.”

2010/2011 Initiatives: Hotels newly opened this year include an Indigo on Long Island, N.Y., a Holiday Inn Express in both Houston and New York City, and an InterContinental Hotel at Times Square in New York. The company goal is to increase market share in a rising market.

Meetings Packages:

• Meetings Options, launched in 2009, includes an attrition allowance, room upgrades, a free reception and the ability to donate 1% of room revenue toward creating a sustainable destination.

Green Initiatives:

• Companywide effort to seek energy savings of 6–10% per room per night through 2012.
• Green Engage is a group-wide, online sustainable management tool that compares a property against similar properties worldwide to see where improvements can be made.
• In the U.K., Crowne Plaza hotels are using green grass instead of carpet in conference rooms.
• A local effort in San Antonio features a rooftop herb garden at a Holiday Inn Select.
   

Joie de Vivre Hospitality
jdvhotels.com

Headquarters: San Francisco

Brands: Joie de Vivre Hotels, restaurants and spas

Brand Makeover: When Joie de Vivre expanded into Southern California in 2009, it wanted to showcase the unique personality of each beach town where hotels are located. Has extended its efforts with one-of-a-kind experiences at hotels that reflect guests’ personalities.

2010/2011 Initiatives: A new partnership with Geolo Capital, the private investment arm of the John A. Pritzker family, as well as a partnership with Virgin America, have led Joie de Vivre to explore expansion to other gateway cities in the U.S. Pete Gamez, vice president of sales, says cross-promoting properties also is successful for the brand, particularly with San Diego, Palm Springs, Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz.

Meetings Packages:

• Quarterly seasonal packages serve as an incentive to book and rebook properties.
• Meetings Made Easy package, available through March 2011 at five hotels in Southern California, includes comp room rental on breakout rooms;10% off food and beverage pricing; 15% off in-house audio/video services; one comp room per night for every 35 booked; comp in-room high-speed Internet; and comp “creative juices” sessions. Meetings must be booked by December 31, 2010.

Green Initiatives:

• The green meetings program includes standards such as recycling bins, china and glassware usage, recycled paper, energy-efficient lighting and local foods, among other items. These can be enhanced with custom items specific to each hotel. “It’s almost a given that you should have something green for the brand,” Gamez says.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group
kimptonhotels.com

Headquarters: San Francisco

Brands: Hotel Palomar, Hotel Monaco, individually named one-of-a-kind hotels

Brand Makeover: Pioneered the idea of hospitality with personality and now embraces travelers’ desire for one-of-a-kind experiences, life-enriching amenities and fun-meets-function touches. Kimpton is thriving in cities where it’s already established, and is steadily expanding into major urban markets and resort destinations across North America. Each hotel is designed to reflect a distinct style, location and guest experience.

2010/2011 Initiatives: This year, Kimpton opened Eventi and Ink48 in New York City; a Palomar in Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta; a Monaco in Baltimore; Lorien in Alexandria; Epic in Miami; and Vero Beach Hotel & Spa in Florida. Next up: Palomar Phoenix. The company is actively seeking opportunities in 25 markets in the U.S. and Canada.

Meetings Packages:

• Signature meetings include themes such as wellness, fun, earth care and discovery.
• Planners have a pick-your-perks option that redirects a portion of the meeting’s revenue to a Kimpton charity.

Green Initiatives:

• Kimpton Hotels has a national partnership with The Nature Conservancy to support its Plant a Billion Trees campaign that will help remove 10-million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
• Kimpton was the first company to be 100% Green Seal certified.
• Kimpton has taken 12 eco-friendly practices national and made them mandatory for every event at every Kimpton hotel.

   Erwin Hotel, Venice Beach, Calif.

Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants
larkspurhotels.com

Headquarters: Larkspur, Calif.

Brands: Larkspur Hotels, Larkspur Landing, The Larkspur Collection

Brand Makeover: Considering expansion to new markets such as Phoenix, Denver and some on the East Coast. The company also may launch a new brand.

2010/2011 Initiatives: Company goal is to reach 50 hotels within five years. Renovations included a $3-million makeover of a former Holiday Inn Express that is now the Hotel Mill Valley in Northern California and a renovation of the Best Western Truckee Tahoe Lodge in Truckee, Calif.

Meetings Packages:

• Small companies that need 50–200 rooms per year get a discount on their programs, free business centers near the meeting rooms and free Wi-Fi.

Green Initiatives:

• Larkspur has focused on energy efficiency for the last 20 years, and uses bamboo flooring and low- VOC paints.
• Current goal is to reduce waste and water usage in 2010.

Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment
harrahs.com/groups-meetings/las-vegas

Headquarters: Las Vegas

Brands: Bally’s Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino

Brand Makeover: Group strategy is to stay the course and stick to what they do best. Because this partnership already encompasses a variety of hotels, the company is happy with its diversity. “It’s no cookie-cutter approach,” says Amy Dosa, group marketing manager. “We ask customers what they want and then we deliver.”

2010/2011 Initiatives: The group added Planet Hollywood this year. This provides eight Las Vegas properties that planners can mix and match any way they choose, and still have only one contract and one point of contact for activities across all properties.

Meetings Packages:

• The group approach already offers planners flexibility. “We take one hotel and make it eight,” says Todd Gagnon, director of sales, East Coast Region.
• Attendees can dine anywhere among the various hotels and charge it back to the master account.
• Under the “diamond badge” program, all attendees get VIP service in taxi, meal and registration lines.
• Express sales staff are dedicated to handling small groups.

Green Initiatives:

• A new program on the horizon is a green meetings professional certification program geared to hotel sales and convention services staff to help them provide better guidance to planners.

Marriott International Inc.
marriott.com

Headquarters: Bethesda, Md.

Brands: Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Edition, ExecuStay by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Renaissance Hotels, Residence Inn by Marriott, Springhill Suites, TownePlace Suites by Marriott

Brand Makeover: This year launched the Edition brand as a unique, sophisticated lifestyle hotel in conjunction with Ian Schrager hotels. Five Editions have opened; another has just debuted in Hawaii and a Mexico City Edition is planned.

2010/2011 Initiatives: The JW Marriott brand is most in the news with new hotels in Miami, Chicago, downtown Los Angeles and San Antonio. Abroad, JW Marriott is slated for China, Colombia, India and Turkey.

Meeting Packages:

• Choose Your Rewards plan through which planners earn points for every dollar spent.
• Meetings Matter includes a free event calculator, online checklists and an on-site event coordinator at all locations.

Green Initiatives:

• 275 Marriott Hotels are Energy Star-certified.
• The first LEED-certified new hotel by Marriott is in Arlington, Va.
• The company included reef restoration with the renovation of the Marriott on Grand Cayman Island.
• Sustainable efforts also include green key cards made of recycled material, eco-pillows, earth-friendly towels, recycled pens and biodegradable laundry bags.
• The Spirit to Preserve the Rain Forest program enables planners with 10 rooms or more to donate 5% of the room cost to rain forest restoration.

Omni Hotels & Resorts
omnihotels.com

Headquarters: Irving, Texas

Brands: Through the Global Hotel Alliance: Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, First Hotels, Kempinski Hotels, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, Marco Polo Hotels, Mirvac Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts, ParkRoyal Hotels & Resorts, Shaza Hotels, The Doyle Collection and Tivoli Hotels & Resorts

Brand Makeover: Omni Hotels aims to provide an authentic guest experience at luxury hotels that showcase the flavor of the destination. The goal is “to awaken the spirit of adventure and usher in a new age of travel by exceeding guest expectations through innovation and exemplary service.”

2010/2011 Initiatives: Omni Hotels broke ground on the Omni Dallas, a convention center hotel expected to open in 2012. The company also partnered with MPI Foundation to help fund the development of strategic meeting design content and quality education about current and future trends in this sector.

Meeting Packages: The only brand to offer zero attrition across the board for up to 200 rooms on peak night—a program that will continue through 2011. “That’s our most compelling story,” says Tom Faust, vice president of sales.

• Sensational Summer Meetings annually offer savings on master accounts, summer getaways and other seasonal rewards for meetings of $25,000 or more held between May 1 and September 30.

Green Initiatives:

• Leads by example in environmental stewardship to demonstrate to communities what corporate social responsibility looks like, and provides opportunities for guests to take part in conserving valuable resources.
• The Omni Dallas is being built to earn a LEED Silver-certification.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
starwoodhotels.com

Headquarters: White Plains, NY

Brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, Element

Brand Makeover: More than 200 new hotels are in the pipeline, including some in the new Element brand that focuses on eco-chic features and LEED certification. A $6-billion renovation of the Sheraton brand is focused on creating socially driven and designed spaces and amenities, and the tagline “Rediscover Sheraton.”

   2010/2011 Initiatives: Starwood plans to open 80–100 hotels this year, focusing on Aloft, Element and Sheraton. The Westin spa brand will expand into Latin America, while the St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico also will open.

Meeting Packages:

• The Starwood Convention Collection is a network of some of Starwood’s finest large hotels in top resorts and destinations. Planners can choose from 33 hotels and have just one point of contact to handle all aspects of their meeting. Starwood Meeting Service Standards ensure consistent paperwork and standards across all properties. It also includes using one master contract for multiple meetings.

Green Initiatives:

• New Sustainable Meeting guidelines for all North American Hotels will begin in 2011 and formalize environmental practices that Starwood has implemented at various properties. There are 18 core components that range from sustainable menu choices to energy-efficient digital signage and potted plants instead of fresh flowers.
• An internal, online Meeting Impact Report summarizes a meeting’s impact on the environment.

Sandi Cain is a freelance business and travel writer, and a frequent contributor to Smart Meetings magazine.