Hotel Sales Stars: The Ultimate Strategy Playbook

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Amadeus’ "Hotel Sales Stars: The Ultimate Strategy Playbook" outlines six key trends for the hospitality industry in 2024, emphasizing the importance of customer relationships, effective event planning, and new business prospecting. With group travel on the rise, the industry is poised for growth and must adapt to trends such as the resurgence of business travel, popularity of smaller meetings, elevated attendee expectations, sustainability focus, value prioritization, and staffing challenges.

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• Business travel is resurging. Increased bookings and spending signal ongoing growth in corporate travel. Businesses are having to remain vigilant in addressing rising travel costs, economic uncertainties, budget constraints, and travel disruptions to ensure the continued success of their travel programs.
• Smaller meetings are growing more popular. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the average meeting in the U.S. hosted 112 attendees, with 40% having 75 people or fewer. Sales expertise in the small to mid-size market is increasingly required along with the ability for quick decision-making. This poses unique challenges for meeting planners, who must put in as much effort for small events as they would for larger ones.
• Expectations for the attendee experience are elevated. The desire for more thoughtfully curated events – boutique experiences, unique venues, and exclusive spaces within hotels and resorts – is increasing. Smaller cities that can provide attendees with unique, fresh experiences have gained popularity as event locations.
• The level of focus on sustainability has increased. Hotels are increasingly adopting tools and rewards to highlight their strong commitment to sustainability. Forward-looking hotels are also pioneering methods to provide customers with concrete data as to an event’s carbon footprint, focusing on such areas as local sourcing, carbon and resource usage, renewable materials, and community engagement.
• Value is paramount. As organizations seeking to reduce costs in business travel and meetings make cutbacks in the number of off-site activities, food and beverage choices, and number of nights for external events, venues that customize offerings and demonstrate flexibility will stand out.
• Staffing continues to be a challenge. Teams are facing the dual challenge of juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities while continuing to achieve sales targets despite the increasing difficulty in maintaining high service levels due to high staff turnover rates and the loss of institutional knowledge as staff depart. In response, forward-looking organizations are exploring innovative ways to develop the next generation of travel professionals.