Which Representation Company to work with?

For independent leisure hotels wishing to open up sales in new markets, there is the constant balance of "how much resources do I need" against "will I get a return on my investment"?

As an independent hotelier, the cost of employing someone full time plus the cost of their travel to overseas markets can make the investment prohibitive.

One common solution is to work with a representation company or sales & marketing company in the source market that you are trying to grow sales in. But how to choose a good one?

Below we list the 3 key steps to help you decide what are your goals and how this can help your decision of which representation company to choose.

1) Do you want someone to present your hotel to tour operators? Or travel agents? Or both?

- Different segments within the market require different strategies. Do your potential partners recognise this and propose promotion ideas for hotels that vary depending on the distribution partner?

2) Do you want someone to work for you exclusively? Or are you happy to share your potential partner's time with other hotels?

- In an ideal world, every hotel would have someone working for them exclusively, but this would in effect mean that you need to pay someone for that exclusivity. Ask if the potential partner only wants part-time work, which could mean they are exclusive for you. Or, if not, ensure that other partner hotels that they are working with are not direct competitors.

3) Do you want to work with someone that can work with you on hotel marketing strategies in their source markets?

- As with point 1, different approaches require different skill sets. If your chosen partner can present cost-effective hotel marketing solutions based on their experience it will make your partnership much more productive from day 1.

At Intelligent Travel Solutions, we have developed over the years proven, cost-effective hotel representation, marketing and sales techniques to open up the UK (and other) markets for independent leisure hotels.

By using a combination of successful partner marketing strategies with B2B sales techniques, we can build a tailor-made solution to help you increase your hotel’s sales and revenues in the UK market.

For more information please visit - www.intelligenttravelsolutions.co.uk/hotel-and-tourism-market-growth or send us an email for a free, no obligation, discussion.