News for the Hospitality Executive |
throughout Asia-Pacific Region Research identifies issues in responsiveness, service and follow-up |
Horsham,
PA/Singapore; 12 March 2013 - LRA Worldwide, Inc.,
the leading provider of customer
experience management consulting and research services to the global
hospitality industry, recently published the results of its 2012 MICE
Performance Indicator (MPI) Study conducted throughout Asia-Pacific. The study, which tested the effectiveness of
the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events) sales staff at 51
properties in 10 key markets, revealed startling deficiencies in even
the most
basic elements of the sales process.
"The
results are certainly eye-opening, but not totally surprising given the
challenges that sales managers in the region face in building and
cultivating a
professional sales staff," said Ben Flournoy, Vice President of
Asia-Pacific for LRA. "But the
increased emphasis of MICE business as a revenue source for hotels in
the
region and the pending influx of product in the development pipeline
will
punish those properties who continue to leave revenue on the table." A
recent study by American Express on meeting planners indicated that
87-percent
expected to maintain or increase their business in the region. Likewise, a CBRE Asia Pacific 2012 Market
View reported that an estimated 375,000 hotel rooms, most of them in
the luxury
and upscale market segments, will enter the Asian hotel market over the
next
two years. The hotels that are best
equipped to handle the resulting increase in enquiry volume will be
best
positioned to reap the benefits of this growth. Another
trend identified in the data was in an area that should be core to the
industry
– hospitality. Overall, the enquiries
lacked a personal touch, with 75-percent of the initial responses
taking place
by email, limiting the sales associate's ability to qualify the lead,
understand the needs of the client and personalize the interaction and
proposal. Not surprisingly, this led to
poor scores across all service elements – professionalism,
friendliness,
helpfulness and knowledge, among others. "The
overall trend in the hotel industry, especially in the luxury and
upscale
markets, is towards seeking every opportunity to make a personal
connection
with the guest," Flournoy explained. "This
mindset has not effectively spread to the sales
operations at
many hotels." Methodology: The LRA Worldwide 2012 MPI Study
for Asia-Pacific was conducted out of LRA's Singapore office at 51
hotels
representing 21 different luxury and upscale hotel brands in the
following
markets: Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Saigon,
Shanghai,
Shenzhen, Singapore and Taipei. The LRA
MICE Consultants conducting the study made enquiries into each hotel
via three
channels – phone, email and web portal – and evaluated the performance
of the
sales office and associate from the initial enquiry through the
submission of
the proposal, follow-up and attempt to close the business against LRA's
best of
breed industry standards for MICE sales. The
LRA MICE Consultants were equipped with market- and
hotel-appropriate event scenarios, with live "potential client"
websites and email addresses to ensure the enquiry appeared legitimate.
For a
copy of the full report, link HERE. LRA Worldwide is a leading research and consulting company in the emerging discipline of Customer Experience Management (CEM). We work with our clients to help them design and deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences in order to drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy, and company growth and profitability. In LRA’s 30-year history, we have grown from a provider of customized quality assurance evaluation programs for the hospitality industry, to a leading CEM consulting company offering a variety of client solutions. The evolution has been driven by our clients asking us one question – "How do we get better?" In response, we have built a range of performance measurement, research, training and consulting solutions to help them do so. Today, we are a growing company operating in more than 120 countries throughout the world, helping clients such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Hyatt Hotels International, Anantara Hotels & Resorts and InterContinental Hotels Group deliver exceptional customer experiences. Every touch. Every time. For more information, visit us at www.LRAworldwide.com. |
Contact:
Zach Conen Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing +1.215.449.0304 [email protected] Ben Flournoy Vice President, Asia-Pacific +65.6646.3053 [email protected] |