Luxury Hotels Consider Losing Stars to Stimulate Business
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
While budget-conscious travelers book up great deals and packages on luxury hotel stays during these tough economic times, some analysts are pointing to a new trend that may be keeping luxury hotels afloat – giving up their stars. According to a recent report in Bloomberg, luxury hoteliers such as Starwood Hotels, Hilton Hotel Group and InterContinental Hotels are eliminating the extra amenities that they were once famous for in hopes of cutting rates and stimulating business.
Many luxury hotels offer deluxe amenities including complimentary breakfasts, free wireless Internet access, town car access and complimentary access to an onsite fitness center. Other luxuries may include turndown service, in-room massage services and resort credits for certain guests. However, these amenities and services are often rolled into the high price of the overnight stay, and during the slumping economy, only some travelers are willing to pay extra for the deluxe services.
Hotels are hoping to slash prices to encourage more business, but can only do so by cutting back on previously-complimentary services and amenities. This could mean that many high-profile hotels could lose their star rating because travelers will soon find that they are getting three- or four-star service at a previously five-star hotel. Still, many hotels are willing to take the risk just to appeal to the budget-conscious traveler. Travelers that still want to enjoy premium and deluxe services may need to pay extra fees or enjoy a previous level of service with add-ons and packages.
Breaking Travel News (BTN) reports that this repositioning by the major brands will start to happen in the next few months, and many luxury hotels will start to market their rooms at a much lower price point than previous years. Travelers that don’t want to compromise on their favorite services can still reserve deluxe rooms and purchase add-on services for a more customized experience.
