HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts is one of the UK’s leading hotel representation companies, dedicated to connecting independent properties with bookers worldwide.
With market-leading sales, marketing and revenue teams, combined with cutting-edge booking engine, distribution and web services technology – including private label GDS chain code solutions – HotelREZ’s mission is to help hoteliers achieve their commercial potential.
The team live and breathe hotels, working with their customers to produce high-rated revenue from the most suitable target markets at an attractive cost of sale. Partnering with over 600 UK independent hotels, apartments and hotel groups including StayCity ApartHotels, Queensway/Point A Group, Champneys, Exclusive Hotels, Hastings Hotels, The Zetter Group, and Marstons Inns, HotelREZ also incorporates two hotel consortia: Best Loved Hotels®, and World Rainbow Hotels®, as well as powering Elegant Hotel Collection®.
Opening the direct and GDS channel
“We want our hotels to have control of their channels and know they are getting the best bookings for the lowest cost they can,” said Daniel Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer at HotelREZ. Through ‘REZbooker’ – the best in class direct booking engine for websites – hotels are able to drive more direct booking and own their guest data. “It’s an area we’ve really focused on for our customers. If hotels can own the booking, they own the entire stay.”
It’s not just direct business where HotelREZ thrives; it has a widely recognised GDS presence, preferred by key TMC and consortia, and is able to offer participation to these programmes on a no risk basis to hotels. They’re the only hotel representation company to do this.
Said Simmons: “Too often independent hoteliers overlook the GDS because it can seem a tough nut to crack! But with HotelREZ, hotels have access to over 500,000 global travel agents and ensure they generate high value business.”
Working with a dedicated revenue manager, whose job is to drive additional incremental income from the GDS, hoteliers can make most of the HotelREZ status as a Sabre Global Partner and drive international corporate business through its global preferred partnership programme, benefiting from a range of core and niche marketing campaigns.
Harnessing technology for additional revenue
HotelREZ has preferred partners with the top main revenue producing consortia & TMC with a no risk model giving their clients access into the programmes, saving a property around £24,000 per annum in participation subscription fees and harnessing increased exposure to the corporate and high end leisure market.
“We know hoteliers are busy. By relying on our team to support them strategically, they are able to save time and focus on the operation. We provide access to all information on a user-friendly portal, including a database of local corporate agreements generating 100s of RFPs each year, with automated CRS rate loading. This helps us give hotels rapid speed direct to the market,” said Simmons.
While the industry bamboozles hoteliers with rafts of new technology, HotelREZ focuses on the platforms which provide exceptional speed to market, ensuring interface connectivity with key hotel systems, be it the PMS, RMS or booking engines. The company also promotes hotels through its leisure subsidiary brands, World Rainbow Hotels and Best Loved Hotels. One of HotelREZ’s strengths is to keep it simple for hoteliers, working on the same technology platforms to generate greater demand and allow them to reach a wider audience.
“We work closely with hoteliers to target good producing corporate travellers and high-end leisure, identifying channels that drive demand at the right price at the right time. With the same technology as brands with global demand partnerships, our clients can compete while maintaining their own individuality,” explains Daniel Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer at HotelREZ.
The challenges hoteliers face
Speed to market is crucial – any delays can weaken the sales potential of a hotel – and this is something that HotelREZ continually strives to improve, utilising technology as an enabler.
But it’s not all computer-driven. Enhancing customer support and service delivery for its hotel clients is important for the business. “When a person on-property has a challenge, it becomes our challenge too and we don’t rest until it’s resolved. While technology should make life easier, we know it can cause challenges too, which is why we keep people at the heart of everything we do. It’s important to know what each hotel is looking to achieve and what it is capable of. It’s a journey – one where in the end we know hoteliers will be working smarter, doing less work for greater results,” commented Simmons.
Advancing opportunities for hoteliers
Independent and small group hotels have struggled to afford tech and have teams that can actually use it. Fortunately, technology is becoming increasingly accessible and user-friendly.
For example, today’s Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs) not only automate guest emails but personalise them, with minimal input from staff. This means hotels can improve marketing exposure and drive more direct bookings at less cost than OTA bookings, without adding to a team’s workload.
In 2024, HotelREZ will be rolling out a newly enhanced WebServices division including a market-changing retail booking engine. This will offer more scope for hotels to retail, moving beyond selling just rooms or F&B to monetise commercial channels perhaps ignored until now, including upgrades, products, in house facilities amenities and external products profitable services such as transfers and tours.
HotelREZ – your hotel partner
Hotels need to generate strong revenue at an attractive cost of sale, but things can change quickly with challenges arising from nowhere, prompting a need to adapt or change strategy. The HotelREZ team has a proven track record of consultative, communicative account management where you can speak with a real person.
The world is at everyone’s fingertips when booking, so you need to be found easily at any time in as many places that work for your target audience. Working with the HotelREZ suite of products, a hotel’s content, images, rates and inventory will be distributed to a global marketplace.
Having the right market share of each distribution channel, and ensuring your property is correctly displayed on all channels including OTA partners and GDS agency platforms,is the way to gain an edge over your competition. Technology is great as long as it’s used well; this is why HotelREZ’s WebServices strategy and expert support allows its customers to thrive in an ever competitive market.
