Hotel concepts in good times of change

Good times are the best times for change. If there is a good economic situation, it is time to plan and to implement the next changes. In good economic times, there is a search for niches, the big ones become even bigger, the brave ones become even more successful. Back to Darwin is evident even today: Large and financially strong companies are not especially successful, successful are the ones, which adapt. The entrepreneurs, who see today what they have to deliver tomorrow, implement these concepts quickly and decisively.

The biggest challenge is: In ever-shorter times, proven concepts from the past are not only questioned, but also are completely overturned.

Are you ready for a few examples from the national and international hotel market?

• Best Western services are also now available without the drastic brand management, for example as a member of the BW Premier Collection. This strategy is actually very similar to an idea of Accor, to open the digital marketplaces for independent hotels. New framework conditions require simply new concepts.
• Hotel corporations like ACCOR open their reservation systems for non-branded hotels and others, like Marriott, are developing from a proprietor of boring conference rooms to the all inclusive event service provider.

• The boundaries between hotel rooms, private rooms, and holiday apartments are disappearing. Not only by the distribution channels (and convictions) like AirBnB, but also by the rapid conversion of the distribution channels for holiday apartments. Travel giants like Priceline / Booking see their growth market in holiday apartments. Choice Hotels offer quickly a new brand (and distribution channels) for owners of holiday apartments and Long Stay offers and numerous software vendors offer interfaces to these sales portals, like Fewo-direkt, e-Domizil and Casamundo. The hotel industry or the providers of private rooms become service providers for temporary living and they meet on the same distribution platforms and mix their range of services. Who offers something fashionable, finds in any case the appropriate distribution channels. The sale is often faster than the bed supplier is.

• In just two years, it became clear that also in other areas the impact of digitalization would change dramatically all the market segments. Pushed by the new software with real time booking of complete conferences by Expedia and the rapid adaptation of numerous highly productive conference agents (such as Meetago or Book2Meet), change in the shortest time the request-offer process and thus the usual job descriptions of thousands of conference sellers (and buyers).

Hotel concepts from yesterday are mega-out!

Who is planning today a new hotel or wants to make considerable investments in existing businesses, should not only take into consideration the proven concepts of the past decade. Who wants to conquer successfully this saturated market, will not succeed in doing so with beliefs and concepts of yesterday. There are enough of those already.

The hotel concepts of RHC Real Hotel Consulting bet on the future

• They take into account the requirements of the guests of today and tomorrow. They create operational concepts to meet the individualization of guest wishes. They answer questions such as “when and how are food and beverage offerings available also in inexpensive hotels”? Which leisure activities guests pursue in their hotel rooms and how does the film stream of a guest account show up on the hotel TV?”

• Thereby, it has to be fully determined to take into account the increasing difficulty to find well-trained staff. What makes sense to automate must be automated. The few, well trained employees require new ways of working and must be used selectively, where creativity and personal service are necessary and appropriate. New locking systems, the wise use of beacons, the measurable and results-oriented design of the marketing and sales strategies and smart product and pricing must also be able to be controlled by external service providers.

• Specialization and simultaneous quick adaptability support each other. The knowledge of the exact requirements of the guests of tomorrow, the decision whether the brand connection or going on your own is the right way, requires in-depth knowledge of the market and many years of experience in combination with great open mindedness for the new.

• Only what can be measured, can be controlled. The gigantic data – and knowledge gaps of the privately run hotel industry must be closed, the requirements of the management and the software provider increases quickly and must end in clever job profiles and skillful tenders.

Modern feasibility studies with hotel business concepts should not only describe the initial situation, they need to see the future. The modern hotel concept is a risk and opportunity assessment and those who only build what is already there, exclude the famous USP (unique selling proposition) from the start.

Experienced hotel architects, hotel managers, marketing and technology experts assess the initial situation, the possibilities of the operators and combine these with the existing and future requirements; thus, creating feasible and successful hotel concepts for the future.

Contact us about your project. Feasibility study, market analysis, business concept with construction costs and profitability assessment, are RHC competences.

Marcus Becks is your first point of contact for a free introductory conversation.