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AAA Hotel Ratings |
E-mail: [email protected] |
Harry Nobles & Cheryl Thompson Griggs, February
2003
Is a hotel�s AAA rating as valuable today as it was in the past?
Has that value been eroded by technology? Your AAA rating may
actually be more important than ever. In the post-9-11 era most properties
have faced tougher competition not just to succeed, but to survive.
Hotels have dealt with this challenge in a variety of ways.
Many hotels, including several of our clients, believe that a high AAA and MOBIL rating can enhance their overall appeal and may give them an additional competitive edge. To this end they have committed to maintaining their current rating or even earning another diamond or star. This goal may be achieved by improved guest service, enhanced physical facilities, or a combination of the two. Obviously a high rating alone is no assurance of success, but it can be one more positive marketing tool. The marketing value of AAA and MOBIL ratings is assured as long as the public�s trust in them continues. All indications are that this trust is still strong and will remain so. Technology already influences how travelers access and use rating information. While the number of Internet inquiries and booking rise steadily, AAA members still use more than 20 million TourBooks annually. One might accurately predict a decrease in the number of TourBook users, but offset by a corresponding increase in Internet users. The format and mode change; the final result does not. As long as the public has trust in ratings, the ratings will have value. In the current period of uncertainty and keen competition, that value may have increased. Harry Nobles & Cheryl Thompson Griggs
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Harry Nobles Hospitality Consulting
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