TEMPE, Arizona — As economy hotels still struggle disproportionately compared to the rest of the hotel industry, they need to focus on how to set themselves apart from the competition.
On the latest episode of the Hotel News Now podcast, Horwath HTL managing director and digital marketing expert Dorothy Dowling said hoteliers must emphasize what make their properties unique to stand out from the pack. While distinction may not come from high-end amenities or experiences, lower-end hotels do have unique selling points.
"I think you have to always understand the market for the individual product and the individual geographic area, and then you have to build out a very realistic plan," she said, while speaking with HNN at the ALIS Summer Update conference in Tempe, Arizona.
Keeping it simple, zeroing in on your audience and then "giving them a reason to come" to your hotel is key, she added.
There should be reasons right now for optimism for economy and midscale hotels as consumers continue to feel cost pressures, Dowling said.
"I've always believed that in the economy [hotel segment] and in the middle market, it is a market that always does fairly well because, as the market continues to evolve, there's going to be a trade-down effect, and we're going to see that in business travel and commercial travel," she said. "I think when we see a lot of the infrastructure spend that I think [just] 8% of that has actually hit the market fully in terms of the investment, a lot of that is going to fall into the economy and middle market. So there's still a lot of growth, but it's understanding where those opportunities are and how you're going to compete effectively against other suppliers in the market."
For more of HNN's conversation with Horwath HTL's Dorothy Dowling, covering topics like gauging return on investment for experiences, where hoteliers can focus on investing today and the evolution of commercial strategy across the hotel industry, listen to the podcast above.