websites*. In order to preserve their standards of excellence, most of these extraordinary retreats will only deal with preferred travel agencies or their valued guests (you), directly. The core focus of the hotels listed in our special selection appears to be a priority to provide the highest customer service standards for their guests – which is another of the reasons they might prefer to work independently rather than with third- party booking groups. A spokesperson from The Peninsula House in the Dominican Republic said that many of these bulk sites tend to provide no contact information for booked guests. “We prefer to have direct contact with guests because it allows us to have a better understanding of the guests’ wants for their vacation. It also allows us to control many of the variables (car rentals, hotel transfers, excursions etc) that can affect a guest’s stay. This is especially important in the Caribbean where customer service/timeliness is variable – as well as using service providers whom we trust.” In Norway, the owners of Juvet said they felt they “didn’t belong” in those marketplaces where people were merely searching for a place to sleep. “We want to be in contact by mail and by phone with our guests. It is important for us that the clients really have decided to come and stay at the Juvet and that is what they want – and the mail contact gives us and them a feeling that we know each other before arrival. Visiting the Juvet was the reason many of our guests came to Norway.” If you’re looking for something really special, by all means check out the mainstream booking sites and hotel comparison sites, which often have incredible deals; but don’t stop there. Instead, why not dream a little grander, dig a little deeper, stick to our magazine and think before you leave your trusty travel agent out in the cold? If you do, you just might just find that little piece of wonderful you’ve been fantasizing about, like we did. HERE ARE OUR HIDDEN TREASURES.
user-friendly online booking systems, each with alluring photographs and compelling user reviews. Hotel operators seized the opportunity to cut out the travel agency middleman (and his commission) and lower their rates: many offering lowest rate guarantees for those who book directly through the hotel’s own website, but also seizing the opportunity for a new kind of mass distribution in online booking engines and comparison sites: a new breed of internet-based wholesalers. Much of how each site functions, the deals they’ve negotiated and with whom, isn’t public knowledge, but what is clear, is that properties seeking this kind of mass marketing often subscribe to these sites by paying fees for the advertising and services provided, or by offering lower than ever net rates to online wholesalers, thus undercutting traditional channels. If the gamble works, the hotel sells a bunch of rooms and profits go up. If it doesn’t, they lose out on the fees they’ve had to pay and discounts on room rates they’ve had to offer, or they’ve indiscriminately filled their rooms in a way that detracts from the ambience they sought to provide. These key factors explain why some hotels do not favor this particular way of generating business. Travel agents generally receive a small commission for every room they book, whether through the GDS or a wholesaler. Without sales commissions, it’s increasingly difficult for travel agencies and retail wholesalers to stay afloat. The rise of the internet-wholesaler has caused a decline in the number of retail agencies. A sense of loyalty to these agencies who’ve been integral to the success of their businesses in the past, and a desire to maintain as much control over pricing and their target guest market as possible, are other reasons certain hotels won’t be found on these sites. The special properties that follow are examples of this kind of exclusive hotel. At the time of publication, our researchers were unable to find a single one of these beautiful properties available to book on any of the top online wholesalers or comparison
To help you on your way to uncovering some of the planet’s most unique and inspiring hotel experiences, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite luxury properties that you won’t be able to book on most comparison websites. Each of the properties we’ve selected represents the best of the best, consistently maintaining that wonderful sense of privacy, exclusivity and allure: qualities all too often lost when a property signs up for the kind of mass distribution that hotel comparison sites attract. We think it’s disappointing for those who shell out for a luxury holiday only to find their promise of paradise crammed with kids and families also lured by what seemed like a great online deal or, less appealing still, tour groups, wedding parties or convention-goers. Before we spill the beans on what’s hot, let’s take a brief look at how these sites work and why some of the most luxurious and unique properties are not management, marketing and pricing is a complex one and it’s often kept under wraps from the uninitiated. We’ll touch on some of the lesser-known facts about the hotel trade below. Hotels have two key sources of revenue generation: room sales, and food and beverage. They need to have people in their rooms and spending in their bars and banquet halls to make money. Empty beds mean smaller profits. They fill their rooms using a variety of distribution channels. Historically, travel agents, making bookings through multi- national subscriber networks known as GDSs (global distribution systems) were the primary source of promoting and selling hotels and resorts. The GDS links in directly with each property’s live inventory and rate categories in real time. Travel agents also function as the public face of travel wholesalers, who “bulk-buy” inventory chunks of thousands of properties at significantly discounted rates. Based on complex contract negotiations, wholesalers pre- purchase a dynamic allotment of rooms that are resold at whatever nightly room rate they decide. sold through these channels. The world of hotel inventory In the last decade, the growth of the internet spawned a plethora of
169
Powered by FlippingBook