Benchmark Hospitality Internationalwhich operates 35 award-winning hotels, resorts, and conference centers coast to coast and off shore, announces its "Top Ten Meeting Trends for 2012" as observed by its properties.Trend #1 - Luxury is Back! Cautiously back. Luxury resorts are no longer a pariah, but corporate accountants learned a thing or two over the past couple of years and their memory is long. They are watching the meeting budget as closely as if it were 2008!
Trend #2 - At Last, meeting demand is growing and is the strongest it’s been since 2008. This is so acrossall industry segments, from telecommunications, education and insurance to healthcare, energy and beyond. Booking pace remains short-term, but the “meeting sale” is over. To quote the great Etta James, At last!
Trend #3 - Meeting Size is Trending Up and Space is at a Premium. As the business climate continues to strengthen, for the first time in a long time, hotels and resorts are being more selective with the bookings they take, electing to fill their properties with larger meetings at a higher rate. Customers are finding the “no vacancy” sign posted once again for preferred space booked short term, and the flexibility of many hotels and resorts is waning with the strengthening of demand. No longer can planners expect to book a meeting 30 days out and receive premium space at bargain prices.
Continue Reading...
No comments:
Post a Comment