The election to operate as an independent, brand (or re-brand) a hotel or restaurant is an essential decision for an owner. The selection of the brand services & the operator for managing the property are also critical determinations. These each have a lasting impact on value, income, guest experience, and the success of your property.
Find a Hospitality Brand Services & Operator Selection Consultant
Branding Services in the Hotel Industry
Hotel branding makes up a large part of the market value of many successful hotels and restaurants. Relying on an expert in hotel branding, management contracts and negotiations, can be the difference maker between constant struggles in owner/operator/investor relationships and successful long-term relationships that build value and guest loyalty.
If you are developing a new property, wading through the sea of brands and standards required by each is daunting. Or as an independent it is equally daunting to define your brand. Engaging an expert is valuable to analyze the market, competition, and opportunities. These analyses will allow you to capitalize on a particular brand (or soft-brand). Understanding the process of design, technology and operating systems, product and services selections, and procurement partners can make a considerable difference in project costs and timing to opening.
Hotel Brand Standards and Systems Services
Implementing brand standards and systems can be costly to establish and maintain. Cayuga Consultants have the knowledge and experience to:
- Help you to define your goals
- Analyze the cost/benefit of each option
- Help select the right brand for your property
- Guide you through contract negotiations
Hotel Operator Selection Process Services
Equally essential is management of the operation. Will you be choosing a brand that requires brand management of the property? Will you be bringing in a 3rd party franchise or management group to operate? Will you be self-operating? Each comes with advantages and disadvantages. Cayuga’s experts in hotel management companies and negotiating agreements help owners make these vitally important decisions.
Your Hotel and Building Brand Loyalty with Millennials
Millennials have witnessed economic uncertainty and the collapse of the internet bubble, followed by the worst global recession since the Great Depression. When they travel, they want to go local and enjoy the culture of the community they are visiting. Millennials were the first generational cohort to grow up with the internet and are sometimes referred to as digital natives.
Although millennials are brand loyal, they expect immediate recognition from brands. They do not want to stay in a basic room 35 times before they start to get upgrades as a gold member of a loyalty program. They want to be recognized as being important the first time they walk through the door. A challenge for brands is how to maintain their legacy loyalty programs that have been effective with baby boomers while also providing instant benefits for millennials.
Millennials are influence hotel designs, resulting in spaces that enhance social interaction. New brands catering to this youthful generation can indeed design appropriate loyalty programs. Hilton and Marriott now have programs where loyalty members get discounts on hotels as well as free WiFi.
Although millennials are changing the design of hospitality spaces, the format of loyalty programs and employment models, many of these shifts are refreshing and necessary. They can and will enhance the travel experience for not only millennials but also for all the other generations.
