-
The oddity of big chain higher brands (Waldorf/RC/St Regis) often being more expensive than Mandarin/Peninsula/Kempinski etc. remains.
Is that because travellers are more brand conscious? Easier to boast about American brands than others? Or just hotel status benefits pushing customers to bigger chains?
Always thought these brands could do much better with a bigger chain like Hyatt.I think it must be that travellers, US ones in particular, sticking to big ‘safe’ brands and wanting to earn points and wave their status. In Beijing, the Waldorf Astoria is more or less opposite The Peninsula. There is simply no comparison in terms of service, public areas, rooms etc. yet the WA is systematically a lot more expensive. The WA in Shanghai is similarly overpriced against much better hotels (but not usually vs the Peninsula there).
I’m pleased to be able to pick the right hotel wherever I am without being tied to any brand. It would appear also that the mass market chain groups are encouraging their hotels to increase pricing quite aggressively.
Chain hotels dominate the North American market where every small town has some kind of Marriott, Best Western, Hilton, etc, and the alternatives are often miserable affairs. Americans mistakenly think that the rest of the world is the same, even though Europe, in particular, has a long and proud tradition of family-owned hotels that offer superior quality and personal service at all price points.
Yes, all of this is exactly correct from what I’ve observed.
Although it doesn’t always quite work that way. “Boutique” B&Bs are one thing, but Premier Inn will trash your typical value-priced Englsh seaside B&B or small hotel for example 😀
Chain hotels dominate the North American market where every small town has some kind of Marriott, Best Western, Hilton, etc, and the alternatives are often miserable affairs. Americans mistakenly think that the rest of the world is the same, even though Europe, in particular, has a long and proud tradition of family-owned hotels that offer superior quality and personal service at all price points.
Yes, all of this is exactly correct from what I’ve observed.
Although it doesn’t always quite work that way. “Boutique” B&Bs are one thing, but Premier Inn will trash your typical value-priced Englsh seaside B&B or small hotel for example 😀
You are quite right. I was thinking of continental Europe rather than these windswept shores, so I didn’t really have a B&B in a declining English seaside town in mind.
You can go to any town in the Alps and find any number of beautiful hotels where the proud owner will be conducting affairs from behind the reception desk, and chain hotels are pretty rare in these places as no-one really wants the bland dross that they produce. It always makes me smile when I read North American travel bloggers talking about their ski trips and the wonderful status rewards of free breakfast buffet in the sole Marriott/Hyatt/IHG/Hilton for 150km when the hotel next door is far superior and wouldn’t dream of ever charging any guest for breakfast.
Continuing the theme, how are hotel prices in Mauritius and Seychelles now compared to the pre-Covid era?
These days it might be cheaper to stay over with a lady of the night, elite members might even get extra perks.
😂 made me laugh, username checks out too.
Couple of months since I last looked at this, but I’ve been getting itchy feet of the long haul variety. Looking East towards Tokyo and other cities in the region? Flights expensive/hotels reasonable. Looking West (LA for the first time in a long time)? Flights not bad at all/hotels ludicrous. And I’m not really a luxury traveller these days, so looking at Holiday Inn Express, Homewood Suites and similar. No idea what happens when long haul business travel re-starts later this year but let’s just say the current bonus structure strongly encourages not knowing your Claret from your Beaujolais.
Can we have the old world back?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
