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Hilton Hotels Corporation is proud to announce its top hotel performance award winners for 2004
Award recipients chosen from the brand`s more than 230 full-service hotels across the U.S., Canada and Mexico were
determined through key areas within the brand`s Balanced Scorecard rating system -- customer loyalty,
brand consistency, quality assurance and customer satisfaction ratings - as well as exemplary efforts in
hotel renovation and diversity projects. Each hotel received a trophy and individual recognition at specially planned
celebratory receptions during the conference.
"Each of the winners of this year`s Hilton Performance Awards leads the way in their commitment to the
fundamentals of guest service, while at the same time using innovative and forward-thinking practices to go beyond
what`s expected," said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, Brand Management and Marketing, Hilton Hotels Corporation.
"These award winners represent the very best of what we have to offer, representing strengths and talents that truly
make them masters of the art of hospitality."
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE
The Connie Awards - Named in honor of company founder Conrad Hilton, these awards are presented to the top
airport, commercial and resort hotels with the highest overall hotel performance scores.
AIRPORT: Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, Texas
COMMERCIAL: Hilton Lac-Leamy, Quebec
RESORT: Hilton Cancun Beach & Golf Resort
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AWARD
Awarded to the top airport, commercial and resort hotels with the highest marked improvement in overall hotel
performance scores from 2003 to 2004.
AIRPORT: Hilton Palm Beach Airport
COMMERCIAL: Hilton Knoxville
RESORT: Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
GUEST ASSISTANCE AWARD
Awarded to hotels for outstanding handling of guest concerns/requests.
Under 500 Rooms: Hilton Guadalajara
Over 500 Rooms: Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre & Spa
GUEST LOYALTY AWARD
Awarded to hotels with the highest annual customer loyalty scores.
Under 500 Rooms: Hilton Inn at Penn
Over 500 Rooms: Millenium Hilton, NYC
The best online hotel prices aren't always where you think they are:
Ask 10 business travellers a good website for booking travel and, chances are, they will give you 10 different answers.
In fact, many will name several sites, splitting their bookings for short-haul and long-haul flights, accommodation and
even car hire. They may have originally chosen these sites for their prices, but once they are registered and have
become accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of the booking engine, they will probably stay with those sites.
Yet things are changing so quickly in the travel industry - and particularly on travel websites -
that there's likely to be a better deal elsewhere.
To understand why, it's a good idea to look at what travel agents are doing and why.
Much has changed for them in
recent years. Go back just a few years, and there were frequent predictions of their demise.
How could they compete with increasing numbers of travellers using the web to book their travel?
How they coped was by offering their services on the web
in an easy-to-use format. In many cases, they also undercut the prices that were available directly from the
hotels and airlines and, as a result, they thrived.
Yet just in the last few months, things have changed again. Airlines have cut commission payments to agents from
10–15% down to 1% or even zero. By contrast, hotels pay anything from 8% to 30% commission depending on
the volume of business.
As a result, website agents are now aggressively promoting hotel rooms, which have become the products with
the largest mark-up.
However, the same might not be true of their accommodation requirements
(although in many cases, large travel management companies make their money in the -
form of an annual flat-rate management fee from large companies, rather than agency commission).
If you are booking your travel individually - or you work for a smaller firm - you will lack clout,
so where are the bargains? In the past, many travellers turned to online agents like Expedia, Travelocity or
Lastminute.com.
What has changed recently is the attitude of the hotel chains to these online agents. Many hotels have shaken up
their booking systems to price according to market demand, rather than merely quoting unrealistically
high rack or full-price rates. As a result, individual travellers can often now find comparable, rates on a hotel's own website.
To give some examples, Marriott has adopted "rational" pricing on its website, while InterContinental and Hilton offer
"best price" guarantees. A spokesperson for US chain Marriott said: "The only time you will find a better rate
[than is available on the hotel's own website] is when it's an exclusively negotiated one [like a corporate deal] or
where it's a wholesale rate [like those granted to tour operators]." Chains like Radisson SAS, InterContinental and
Sofitel can offer Apex (advance purchase) rates at slack times
Global chains were forced to act because the online agents negotiated overly generous commission payments in the days
following September 11, when hotels were desperate for business. Said a Marriott spokesperson:
"The online agents wanted really low rates for rooms, which they then sold off at ridiculously high prices."
In addition, the online agents didn't make it clear which rates included taxes and which did not. They also imposed heavy
cancellation and amendment fees (up to 100% for all nights booked),
Finally, at times of high demand, the big online operators often showed a hotel as being fully booked,
when in fact the site had merely sold its allocation of merchant hotel rooms
(ie, those bought at wholesale price from the hotel, then marked up for sale on the site).
With business now looking up, hotels are increasingly calling time on these deals. InterContinental recently went as far as
to sever its ties with online agent Expedia. According to an InterContinental spokesperson:
"We will only work with partners who do not engage in confusing and potentially unclear marketing practices."
The hotel chains don't want to turn their backs on the big online agents completely
. They find that they reach a different sector
of the business and leisure market - that is, those of us who have grown used to using the sites.
But now with business travel returning to pre-September 11 levels, the boot is on the other foot. Christian Ruge,
business development manager of the Accor group's new first class Sofitel Bayerpost in Munich, said:
"Major hotels were paying a lot of commission to online agents in the past. But we've had a good couple of years so now
they have to deal on our terms. If they don't like it, then it's goodbye."
The lesson for those of us using the web to book our accommodation is to shop around, and to make sure that
whichever hotel we choose to stay at, we check the price on that hotel's website before we start typing in credit card details.
It can be a complex search to find a real bargain.
Or you could leave it all to Travel Link Co-ordinators.co.uk
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