Meeting planners trying to book their first-choice international venues at the right price will find that doing their homework will pay off, according to global meetings expert Terri Woodin, CMP. In a recent MeetingsNet webinar, she explained that international hotels are not used to hosting the large conferences seen in the U.S. and can be suspicious of unknown companies and associations. Venues outside the U.S. may need reassurance on everything from the room block to F&B minimums. By doing some research and including the right information in the RFP, planners can often avoid hearing “non” or “nein,” and instead hear, “willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!”
History
International hotels may need assurances that your group can fill the rooms. Provide a history of where you have stayed and what percentage of the room block was filled each time. However, Woodin said that in-demand hotels will analyze your past bookings to see if your group fits in. She said, “I once had an RFP turned down because the hotel said my group couldn’t afford it. They saw that we had stayed in a five-star hotel in 2009, but we got a great rate because of the crash.” Hotels will look at the quality of lodgings your group typically books and consider whether you took advantage of a cancellation or if you can really afford it.
Timing Is Everything
Woodin said that, just as in the U.S., business travelers pay higher rates than groups for Tuesday through Thursday nights, so if you are booking in a first-tier city and you don’t have any flexibility on the dates put that in the RFP or it will be the first question they ask. A resort location will want you to arrive on a Wednesday and check out on Sunday morning so that the next group can stay Sunday night through Wednesday morning. If you can move your event so that you can hit those arrival and departure patterns, the resort will be much more interested in accommodating you. Woodin also advised planners to do some research on their selected destinations. Your dates may be in the offseason in the U.S., but elsewhere that might be peak tourist season. Bank holidays and saints’ days can also make your dates problematic for a hotel with higher labor costs.
Don’t Be a Space Hog
Calculate your rooms-to-space ratio based on square footage needs for the heaviest day but know that an international hotel will often have less meeting space than one in the U.S., and it may want you to share the space with another group if you book too few rooms. Woodin advised being flexible if this happens; she said, “You may have to double up on meeting rooms, for example, hosting lunch in the plenary room or having a room ready for setup at 3 p.m. instead of 8 a.m.”
Know Your Spend
Industry profit margins for an average chain or independent hotel are approximately:
Rooms: 77 percent
Group F&B: 38 percent
F&B outlets: 19 percent
Recreation/spa: 15 percent
Retail/miscellaneous: 15 percent
Although many groups like to go offsite for meals to explore the new destination, Woodin suggested offering an additional evening reception or working lunch for your group to increase the venue’s F&B profit to make your group more attractive. She advised planners to always track attendees’ total spend in every destination you visit. For example, how many stay a few days before or after a conference for vacation time? How many used the spa or other hotel services? The more data you can gather from local tourist agencies and past hotels, the more attractive you can make your business to the next hotel.
More tips from the Woodin’s webinar: International Meetings—Strategies for Top Planner Challenges.
