Join Small Luxury Hotels of the World™
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Misibis Bay, Philippines
WELCOME | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
A Warm Welcome to Small Luxury Hotels of the Worldtm Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world’s finest small luxury independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts - the breadth and depth of the brand is far reaching. While a hotel undoubtedly enjoys the benefits of being part of a global brand, SLH places enormous emphasis on celebrating the individuality of each hotel. This remains one of our core values and is central to the continued success of the brand. We strongly believe that the strength and credibility of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ brand is dependent on the quality of its individual hotels. Strict controls are applied to ensure that only the very best hotels with the highest standards are accepted into the brand, thus ensuring that the quality of the experience that guests receive is consistent across all SLH properties. To ensure that these exceptional standards of excellence are maintained, SLH has a carefully monitored ‘mystery guest’ programme which relies on valuable reviews from inspectors who importantly are also consumers. Over the last 20 years SLH has been transformed from a Club of hotels to a Club of customers – customers who are loyal to the brand. The luxury hotel market has been fairly resilient to uncertain times that we all have experienced over the years. We all need to be prepared as these times continue, markets shift and competition stiffens. We at SLH endeavour to prepare our hotels to navigate through the shifting markets and respond to the ever changing patterns of customer behaviour. After all, SLH is the champion of the “Small Luxury Independent Hotelier” for the “Independently Minded” customer. We encourage only the very best to apply to join the brand of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ . As soon as you join, you will benefit not only from a wealth of experience, but also from our partnerships with other luxury brands and established names. By being part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ your visibility and profile will be enhanced. Your revenue will be maximised and your independence preserved.
Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer For Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Managed by Hill,Goodridge & Assoc Ltd.
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WELCOME | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
The Benefits of Joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World tm
“To me, being a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ signifies being part of an international network with all the advantages that entails. A raised image for my hotel, professional performances, well tuned partnerships and inspiring, likeminded colleagues; these are the elements I can count on by belonging to this association. They are valuable assets which lift my business, motivate my employees and give us enormous pride to be a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™.” Daniela Sauter, Proprietor, Brandenburger Hof Berlin, Germany
1 - Why join Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldTM? 2 - Worldwide presence and distribution of your hotel 3 - Dedicated support every step of the way 4 - Worldwide exposure through marketing, social media and public relations 5 - Worldwide sales team support and opportunities 6 - Be part of a community of unique independent luxury hotels 7 - A smart investment 8 - How to apply
LEFT: Experience Berlin’s beautiful Brandenburger Hof – right in the heart of the city
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Mukul Luxury Resort & Spa, Nicaragua
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W H y S m A L L L u x u r y H o T E L S o f T H E W o r L D Tm ?
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"Our affiliation with SLH goes back 15 years. SLH has helped us build our image and position the hotels globally, which a small company like ours would have struggled if we were to do it on our own. Many discerning travelers find us through SLH and stay with us thanks to this wonderful network� Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Hotels Ltd
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | WHY SLH?
Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece
W h y S m a l l L u x u r y H o t e l s o f t h e W o r l d tm ? Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is at the forefront of the luxury travel market. We have the experience, resources and strategies to develop the true potential of your hotel. Becoming part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ delivers tangible business benefits and offers real return on investment.
FOCUSED NICHE BRAND
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a unique management structure. It is a non-profit organisation – a mutual company, it has no assets and no employees. It is Hill Goodridge and Associates Limited, the UK based exclusive global management company for Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ with 65 employees based in their three offices in London, New York and Singapore, which formulates and executes the strategy that drives the brand forward.
LEAST EXPENSIVE CHANNEL
We only market small independent luxury hotels. We do not market large hotels, conference hotels or other accommodation types. The average size of hotels is 49 bedrooms. With SLH, you are never a small fish in a big pond.
Our fees are tailored to small independent hoteliers, and we are often the lowest cost of distribution. Our fees are no higher than glossy magazine advertising or employing an international sales manager. We also have our own pre-paid rate programme, to compete with websites such as Expedia and Booking.com, at a lower net rate margin.
S TAY I N D E P E N D E N T Whilst the elected board of directors of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ set the fees and are responsible for accepting and rejecting hotels, it is this unique structure that allows a simple focus on delivery, reservations and maintaining the quality of the brand at minimum cost to the hotels. By being part of the brand, your visibility and profile will be enhanced, your revenue will be maximised and your independence preserved. We are committed to serving the world’s finest small luxury independent hotels and resorts.
We have a ‘soft’ approach to branding. You can maintain your independent ownership but identify with one of the world’s top luxury hotel brands.
ALL INCLUSIVE FEES We include many activities within the annual fee, such as entry in the Be Inspired magazine distributed to 100,000’s consumers worldwide. SLH has innovation at its heart, creating new marketing tools such as our iPhone App, the cost of which is also included in the fees.
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL The brand positioning matches what luxury consumers want nowadays – choice, individuality, memorable experiences and a sense of self identity. Consumers do not want cookie-cutter hotels.
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WHY SLH? | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort, Mauritius
ONE STOP DISTRIBUTION
TRAINED VOICE AGENTS
Our reservation platform can handle all GDS, voice, website, mobile and third party website distribution. Your content, rates and inventory are distributed to the eyes of over 450,000 travel agents worldwide and millions of web users. Our web booking engine can also be used on your own individual website, at a much lower cost than other limited distribution suppliers.
We have a team of reservation agents and VIP desks around the world, fully trained to only sell SLH hotels.
T R AV E L A G E N C Y F O C U S We can offer unique access to luxury travel agencies worldwide. We have a strong sales team of actual employees, utilising the LX GDS code and one of the most powerful travel trade customer databases in the business and a dedicated website.
POWERFUL ONLINE PRESENCE For direct bookings, our website offers hotels a substantial presence on the web, including multi-image photo tours, special offers, news, reviews by Club members and one of the most powerful internet booking engines available. To complement the success of our website, we have also refreshed our iPhone App which is even more user friendly and faster. Over 70,000 people downloaded the new app in the first two weeks! We have also launched a version of slh.com for iPad users. When using an iPad, the website automatically delivers a version of slh.com with bigger navigation and graphics. Visitor numbers are up 200% since launch!
L O YA LT Y A N D R E C O G N I T I O N Many SLH hotels have been part of the brand for over ten years. In terms of customers of the brand, Club SLH is one of the most powerful hotel recognition programmes, delivering repeat guests at higher ADRs. We now have over 200,000 Club members over three loyalty tiers – Special, Loved and Honoured.
BRAND RECOGNITION We have been consistently voted the number one luxury hotel brand by The Luxury Institute. Our corporate communication programmes and partnership marketing, provides global awareness for your hotel at no extra cost.
Q U A L I T Y, Q U A L I T Y, Q U A L I T Y Each of our hotels is subject to a vigorous inspection process, both before joining the brand and throughout membership. As an extra check, Club members are now able to review hotels, provided they have actually stayed there! This is far more powerful than other review websites.
D E D I C AT E D A C C O U N T M A N A G E M E N T Unlike pure distribution platforms, we have a global team of revenue account managers to support you every step of the way.
D I F F E R E N T I AT E D M A R K E T I N G We recognise that every hotel is different. Every hotel is included in at least one marketing programme, targeted at different market segments such as Gastronomy or Spas or Weekend Country Retreats.
BY HOTELS FOR HOTELS SLH is a mutual organisation with no debt and healthy reserves. It is managed professionally, with a board of hotel representatives elected every year by hotels.
T R U LY G L O B A L . T R U E C H O I C E Over 520 hotels in over 70 countries & 200,000 Club Members in over 150 countries. for more information visit joinslh.com
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The Mirror, Barcelona
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WorLDWiDE PrESEnCE AnD DiSTriBuTion of your HoTEL
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"We have chosen to affiliate three of our privately owned hotels with SLH, starting with ABaC in Barcelona some years ago and more recently The Mirror and Cram. SLH is the perfect brand fit as it helps us reach global markets which we would find hard to do on our own. There are a lot of 'boutique' hotels in Barcelona but the SLH GDS code 'LX' differentiates our hotels – travel agents know we are with Small Luxury Hotels of the World giving them more confidence to book. SLH's own channels, slh.com and the SLH voice centres also deliver direct discerning customers who truly appreciate small, luxury, boutique hotels" Eva de Aurora, Commercial Director for ABaC, mirror and Cram, Barcelona for more information visit joinslh.com
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | DISTRIBUTION
Worldwide Presence and Distribution of your Hotel Joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ can transform the electronic distribution strategy of your property. SLH reservations revenue for the brand in total is $102 million (Year end December 2012). We have also launched a new booking engine ( IBE ) for individual hotel websites, and have seen some great results, some increasing their internet bookings by as much as 77% over their previous booking engine. Our investment of half a million dollars in our own booking engine has certainly paid off, increasing our conversion by 29%. For some hotels, the SLH Reservation System contributes up to 40% of the hotel’s total room revenue. By joining SLH, you will benefit from one ‘command centre’ to manage all of your rates, across all booking channels. Once you have joined SLH, you will be given 24-hour access via Internet (no proprietary hardware to install) to one of the hospitality world’s most powerful Central Reservations Systems (CRS). The CRS grants you and your operational team extraordinary power and flexibility in managing everything related to onward distribution of your hotel rooms, from one system. The sophisticated CRS holds your property descriptions, images and all rates and availability, including any negotiated or consortia rates.
One of the most significant benefits of using the SLH CRS is that your team can be freed from the burden of manually maintaining multiple 3rd party extranets. The SLH CRS can connect you to a wide range of online travel agency websites, seamlessly.
SLH INTERNET BOOKING ENGINE (IBE) By using the SLH IBE (white label booking engine) to power reservations on your property website, you and your team can manage your inventory through just one system. Our IBE is currently one of the most cost-effective booking systems on the market. Additionally it is fully customized to match the look and feel of your website. You can also add amenity upgrades such as champagne or airport pick-up.
UTOPIA Depending on your PMS supplier and specification, you can have a 2-way interface with the SLH CRS. If you also use the SLH IBE, you can gain ‘Utopia’ by having most of your distribution channels managed by one system, making it far easy to manage your rates and control parity.
M U LT I P L E D I S T R I B U T I O N C H A N N E L S
MOBILE DEVICES
SLH provides you with the capability to manage your rates across multiple channels.
To provide customers with as many choices as possible to look and book your hotel, SLH also provides content and reservations on mobile platforms. SLH was one of the first hotel companies to launch an iPhone App and we are constantly developing our mobile strategy, with a new mobile optimised website and booking engine in the pipeline. Many of these advancements would not be possible for an individual hotel.
• our award winning website – www.slh.com • All four (GDS) global distribution systems (Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo & Worldspan) used by over 450,000 business and leisure travel agents in over 90,000 travel agencies worldwide • internet sites powered by the GDS or internet third party sites including channel management via third parties such as RateGain • SLH voice reservation centres • SLH internet booking engine (white label service for your own website) • Mobile devices such as the iPhone Unlike some other distribution options, with SLH you retain control across all distribution channels. No allocation is required, and nothing contractual automatically locks you into supplying a certain number of pre-determined room nights.
G L O B A L T R AV E L A G E N T S By joining SLH, you will become part of a prestigious global luxury brand, represented internationally to the travel industry by the GDS chain code LX, standing for LuXury. The importance of this immediately identifiable distribution brand, linking your property with a consistent group of luxury hotels to travel agents, cannot be underestimated. Compared to other distribution channels you might be using, global travel agents can be a very cost-effective distribution channel. Some other organisations may try to entice you with the offer of connectivity they claim is similar to us, but they cannot match the power of the strong SLH global brand. Travel agents genuinely recognise the LX code, while some other companies have generic two-letter codes.
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INTERNET
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PEGASUS ONWARD DISTRIBUTION DATABASE (ODD) Alongside the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Reservations System, becoming a part of the brand means that you are automatically loaded into the Pegasus ODD. This is the system used by many top Internet websites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz to provide content and availability. It provides full details of your hotel to these websites making you highly visible to an international audience.
S L H V O I C E R E S E R VAT I O N C E N T R E S Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has dedicated reservation offices covering 18 countries, including China, Russia, UK and USA: offering local language, toll-free hotel information and bookings. SLH has enhanced its telephone reservation offering by employing highly trained in-house executives to take customer calls based in Singapore, London and New York.
S L H O N L I N E D I G I TA L L I B R A R Y Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ provides its hotels with an online central point for maintaining and distributing high resolution digital images. This is an invaluable complimentary service which distributes images to the four GDS and the onward distribution channels. Each SLH property can load over 30 highresolution photographs, providing journalists and other parties with immediate access to images of individual properties
DISTRIBUTION | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS The SLH Reservations System is central to distributing your hotel effectively. It feeds voice centres, travel agents, GDS (Global Distribution System) and internet sites worldwide and has the potential to reach millions of prospective guests. All SLH hotels use the code LX (for LuXury) in all GDS’s. The diagram below shows how the SLH Reservations System links your hotel to the world.
traditional travel agencies GDS L X online travel agencies
slh.com
mobile platforms customer
SLH Hotels hotels own web sites using slh ibe
slh reservations system
slh vip desks
slh call centres
Channel management
online travel agencies
Trust Direct
Pegasus
GDS-Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Worldspan (the systems used by travel agents to book travel arrangements) Pegasus/Online Distributions Database (ODD) (provides content to websites such as Orbitz.com)
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Cameron Highlands Resort, Malaysia
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DEDiCATED SuPPorT EvEry STEP of THE WAy
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“Our Revenue Account Manager offers us an invaluable service – she is very much like a personal trainer helping us sweat the value of our membership with a view to having a healthy return on investment. Together we are focused on achieving the same thing – maximising the marketing opportunities to maximise revenue.” The Capital Hotel & Apartments, London, uK
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | REVENUE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Hoteldorf Grüner Baum, Bad Gastein, Austria
Dedicated Support Every Step of the Way When you join Small Luxury Hotels of the World™, you will be introduced to your dedicated Revenue Account Manager, who will ensure you get the most from your investment. Your Revenue Account Manager can offer advice and assistance on new business opportunities, reservation systems, joint marketing activities and events.
MYSLH.COM Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is far more than a simple reservation channel. We provide you with state of the art tools to help you run your business. When you join, you will be given access to MYSLH.com which is your one-stop shop for all your needs.
CONNECTING TO THE BRAND It is vitally important that your hotel is fully connected to the SLH brand. By actively engaging in the opportunities and initiatives that are offered to you, your hotel will maximise its potential to generate reservations. Hotels that work hard in developing their relationship with SLH do experience a greater return on their membership investment.
REVENUE MANAGEMENT In today’s increasingly competitive hotel industry, it is of critical importance to position your hotel appropriately within your market. SLH will provide you with a comprehensive guide to accurately assessing your hotel’s positioning, pricing and most effective strategies for maximising revenue, using best practice templates from peer hotels.
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MYSLH.com has been built to support the business requirements of individual hotels, and allows you to maximise your partnership with the SLH brand. MYSLH.com is the perfect platform to showcase ideas and initiatives that will help you generate reservations. From MYSLH.com you can access all your monthly reservation reports, which can be downloaded online. You can view your monthly Hotel Business Report showing all your reservations by rate, room type, channel and source. Your Hotel Dashboard gives you an overview of the same data but in a simple graphical format. And your Hotel Overview report gives you a summary of rate plans loaded and other great information for connecting with SLH.
REVENUE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
MYSLH.com is a resource centre that contains information about SLH accounts, distribution, marketing, PR and sales.
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Dedicated space for opportunities which invites you to participate in revenue-building initiatives.
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Detailed information about events and exhibitions with online registration functionality.
The Content Management System is an easy-to-use tool that has been created to enable you to manage your hotel’s information pages on slh.com. You are also able to add special promotional offers, add details about industry awards you may have won, or tell customers about your responsible tourism initiatives.
MYSLH.com is your only gateway to download and manage your SLH reservations.
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Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark
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WorLDWiDE ExPoSurE THrouGH mArKETinG AnD Pr
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"The partnership between Nimb and SLH has proved very successful since joining. SLH markets the SLH brand and by connecting fully to the brand, Nimb welcomes a significant proportion of its guests through the SLH booking channels" nimb Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | MARKETING & PR
Worldwide Exposure through marketing and Pr The marketing team at Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is dedicated to driving reservations to your hotel, and increasing awareness of the brand in key markets. Our marketing and PR activities put your hotel name in front of a global targeted audience of like-minded high net worth consumers, all wanting a unique experience at a small independent luxury hotel.
W O R L D W I D E E X P O S U R E T H R O U G H AW A R D WINNING WEBSITE SLH.COM With over 300,000 visits a month to slh.com, your hotel will soon be on show to the world! With over 10,000 pages of content and 15,000 high-quality images, our website is dedicated to promoting our collection of hotels to luxury customers throughout the globe. Website features include: • Rich hotel content with strong photography including photo gallery • Bespoke, easy-to-use booking engine with live prices and availability • Fully-optimised destination and news pages to drive traffic to hotel pages • Special offers functionality to promote tactical or seasonal rates • Google Maps • Trusted user hotel reviews by Club members
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For your convenience, slh.com is powered by a custom-built content management system which was relaunched in 2012 to make it quicker and easier to use. You can update information on your web pages as often as you like, from promoting a seasonal package to adding information about your hotel’s facilities. When it comes to Google, slh.com does the hard work for you. For a ‘luxury hotels’ search, slh.com has prominent organic and paid listings thanks to ongoing Search Engine Optimisation and global Adwords campaigns.
SLH ONLINE SUCCESS – UP 27% – NOW ALMOST A QUARTER OF OUR BUSINESS The number of reservations made on slh.com has increased by 27% in 2012. This great result was achieved by a number of different factors, including: 1. Timely and targeted marketing emails 2. New pre-paid and flash sale rates 3. Pay per click advertising and improved SEO 4. Focus on the Club of SLH (our guest loyalty programme) and its benefits This online success is matched by a big increase in visits to the site (up 26% in 2012 and averaging over 10,000 per day) and new Club members (up 29%). Our Alexa ranking (a measure of our site’s popularity) has reached 45,000 which is better than our main competitors. We are also the first hotel brand worldwide to have had our website audited by an independent auditor – 'ABC', so all of our figures are authentic. The site has been certified as PCI compliant, meaning our online customers can be confident that their card data is safe.
MARKETING & PR | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
The Racha, near Phuket, Thailand
A WORLD OF CHOICE THROUGH MOBILE With increasing numbers of hotel bookings being made from a mobile device, SLH offers several different ways for users to find and book your hotel. Wherever your potential customers are, and whichever device they use, SLH is there with them. SLH iPhone App The recently-updated iPhone app is free to download and offers users a great way to engage with your hotel. The app is also designed to help drive reservations by making it easy to book using an iPhone. The app has proved a popular tool with over 11,000 active users every month. iPad version of slh.com With a sleek and interactive design and superb large images, the iPad version of slh.com perfectly showcases your hotel and makes booking an even more enjoyable experience. This year slh.com has had 500,000 visits on an iPad, which is a fantastic 168% increase! Mobile version of slh.com Optimised for smart phones, this simplified version of slh.com makes it very quick for users to find and book your hotel when they're on the move.
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | MARKETING & PR
Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang, Vietnam
OF SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD Designed to build brand loyalty, The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World is a guest recognition programme rewarding our most loyal customers within 3 membership tiers: Special, Loved and Honoured. We have over 200,000 Club members. The more a guest stays at any one of the SLH hotels, the more benefits they will enjoy as they move up the tiers to Honoured membership.
There are no costly air miles or points to pay for, and you will be rewarded with high-value reservations. Other than voice reservations, bookings made through The Club generate the highest average room rate and length of stay. In addition, Club members spend more on spas, food and beverage and other incidentals than non-Club members. Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ uses Club member data to execute regular targeted email marketing campaigns to promote the SLH properties and drive reservations. All hoteliers are extended an opportunity to promote their properties by loading a special rate exclusively for Club members, visible on the SLH.com website.
CLUB REVIEWS Only Club members who have stayed at least twice in an SLH hotel in the last 12 months can write a Club Member review of our hotels. Members are either Loved or Honoured. Unlike other hotel review websites, they can only be submitted by Club members who have stayed in your hotel and at least one other, so we know that the reviews can be trusted.
GUEST PROFILE
It will help you identify guests who are loyal to the brand, and respond to their unique needs. By offering tangible benefits and a highly personalised standard of service to these guests, hotels are rewarded with increased repeat business. Participation is an obligation of your membership, and you will be contractually required to deliver the core benefits whenever a Club member books through the SLH channels or via travel agents.
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One word describes the typical guest of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™: discerning. As you would expect of a global brand with a presence in over 70 countries, our customers are international and are distinguished by higher-than-average incomes. As experienced travellers, they have the means to afford the best, they expect the best and most importantly, they are prepared to pay for it. They value the unique character and charm of the SLH brand, choosing individuality over uniformity throughout their travels.
MARKETING & PR | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
PLACE OF RESIDENCE: 33%: Americas 25%: Europe excluding UK 22%: UK 20%: Asia *Data based on the 200,000 members of The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™, the brand’s guest recognition programme.
AGE: 24%: Up to 34 years of age 30%: 35 – 44 years of age 22%: 45 – 54 years of age 15%: 55 – 64 years of age 7%: 65 years +
“I happen to travel very often and thus have membership in different travel related programs. SLH has always been my favourite of all….” Belgian SLH Club member TA R G E T E D M A R K E T I N G C A M P A I G N S Take advantage of being part of a global community of hotels! With over 520 hotels in the collection, Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is able to engage in a series of marketing campaigns that promote hotels by the exceptional experiences they offer. All hotels, where appropriate, can participate in at least one themed programme without charge.
We promote the campaigns via our Club members as well as through various media in our top international source markets. The principal objective is to engage our audience and generate reservations. Rates can be booked through slh.com, all of the GDS channels and SLH voice centres. To further strengthen our focus on the experiences that our hotels offer, we have designed and produced a bi-annual magazine called Be Inspired. This editorial brochure is packed full of beautiful imagery, holiday ideas and articles featuring a number of different properties along with the variety of experiences a guest can enjoy when they book with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. SLH marketing campaigns include City Sanctuaries, Gourmet, Spa, Beach Escapes, Country Retreats, Golf and Ski.
G I F T C E R T I F I C AT E S Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Gift Certificates not only come beautifully wrapped but are available in a variety of types, tailored specially to those who enjoy a spa experience, a gourmet retreat, luxurious honeymoon or more simply a 1, 2 or 3 night escape. Certificates are also available in monetary values (50,100,500) available in three currencies (Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars). This offers lucky recipients the chance to pick from a wide range of destinations at a time and place that is best for them. They are a great way to celebrate special occasions; to say ‘thank you’; to impress important clients, and to motivate key staff.
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | MARKETING & PR
have our world to yourself
PARTNERSHIP MARKETING Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ seeks to develop strong and meaningful marketing partnerships with like-minded brands and organisations around the world. Working closely with several luxury partners on a variety of marketing and promotional activities enables Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to raise brand awareness, generate reservations and grow our customer database for The Club. Key joint marketing activity with like-minded brands helps to reinforce Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s luxury brand positioning – current partners include American Express, A Small World, Cathay Pacific, Land Rover, Porsche Club, Mercedes-Benz, Oyster Marine, Ettinger and Roeckl in EMEA; Mastercard, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Audi, Saks, Mountain Living, AFAR and Price Waterhouse Coopers in the Americas; and Citigold Singapore, Bluebell Group, The Law Society of Singapore, HSBC, UOB, ANZ, Singapore Yacht Show, La Perla, Diners Club and SKII in APAC.
AMERICAN EXPRESS Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ also has a long standing partnership with American Express which includes preferred partner status with the Platinum and Centurion programmes. ‘Platinum members are affluent high net worth professionals, decision-makers and frequent travellers, who are used to the finer things in life and enjoy treating themselves. American Express Platinum Card is more than just a card: it unites a community of cosmopolitan, family-orientated men and women, who travel widely for both business and pleasure’. (American Express) ‘Centurion members are super-affluent high net worth individuals on a continual quest for the best and most exclusive. They own companies and frequently travel; they define success. Exceptionally discerning and style-conscious, Centurion readers are global players who gain truly worldwide access to the inaccessible. They do not compromise and expect only the highest level of personal commitment from those around them: individually tailored service, unlimited financial power, exclusive travel benefits, global access and influence. Centurion is a global community of the highest earners and spenders on the market’. (American Express)
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Over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries American Express Centurion members can expect more: priority room upgrade, late check-out and daily continental breakfast for two*. To find out more visit slh.com/amexcenturion We invite you to join our world at the Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. * Priority room upgrade and late check out are subject to availability at check-in. For a full list of terms and conditions please contact your Centurion Concierge. Small Luxury Hotels of the World Ltd.
For more information or to make a booking, contact your Centurion Concierge on 0808 100 50 50
SLH has created dedicated websites for its Platinum and Centurion card members. The websites can be viewed at: www.slh.com/amexplatinum www.slh.com/amexcenturion The websites showcase all hotels in the SLH portfolio. As part of this programme, SLH hotels are contractually obliged to promote a value-added offer to these customers – you will be rewarded with high-value reservations. Platinum and Centurion card members will spend significantly on food and beverage and spa treatments when they stay at your hotel. As an additional benefit of membership, SLH hotels also receive discounted American Express credit card fees – this represents a significant cost saving opportunity. This is called the American Express Affiliate Agreement and all new members will be asked to sign this contract upon joining. The participation of all hotels provides SLH with a marketing allowance funded by American Express, enabling the opportunity to actively promote the brand through their marketing channels.
E-MARKETING | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
CastaDiva Resort & Spa, Lake Como, Italy
E-marketing CLUB NEWSLETTER In each newsletter, we promote a number of special offers from different hotels and regions around the world. We also give coverage to new hotels and highlight important news from our properties. The aim of this newsletter is to inform our Club members about hotels and keep the SLH brand at the forefront of their minds when booking their next stay.
TA C T I C A L P R O M O T I O N S V I A E M A I L Each month, according to relevant time periods, market requirements and hotel needs, we send specialist marketing emails to support tactical offers and seasonally inspired or regional travel opportunities with our hotels. We have an excellent database of SLH Club members which we segment and target to match the member's needs with our hotel objectives. This represents a good sales opportunity for hotels, particularly during off peak/shoulder seasons. We also create bespoke e-mails to support our specialist marketing programmes or events during key periods in the year.
T R AV E L A G E N T S N E W S L E T T E R Should you offer either an agent rate or commission offer, SLH can include a mention in the travel agents news email that is sent bi-weekly to a database of 26,000 highly qualified high-end luxury travel bookers such as agents within the Virtuoso and Signature networks. for more information visit joinslh.com
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | MARKETING & PR
SPREADING THE WORD – SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?
Social media allows SLH to communicate information instantly and have conversations with our community in an informal manner. Not only does it allow people to share real experiences and inspire others, it has also brought people together who share common interests. As part of our communication mix it is important to ensure our customers receive the latest news from SLH. This helps raise awareness of the SLH brand, drives customers to www.slh.com, and ultimately, generates reservations for your hotel. We continue to push content through our social media platforms, with nearly 60,000 fans on Facebook and almost 15,000 followers on Twitter. (Jan 2013)
• We can promote news, special offers, incentives, interesting facts, videos and more through our social media channels and share this with our community • We have social media guidelines which will help you create a presence for your hotel in the social networks • We can help you reach wider audiences and raise awareness of your hotel • Our platforms allow us to listen to what people have to say, which we will happily report back to you through your dedicated SLH Revenue Account Manager • We can reinforce key messages through our channels and complement other communication channels Why not join us on: • facebook.com/smallluxuryhotelsoftheworld • twitter.com/SLHLuxuryHotels • pinterest.com/SLHLuxuryHotels • plus.google.com/+slh/posts • blog.slh.com • weibo.com/smallluxuryhotels We have expanded our social media presence into China, and we are growing at a strong rate on the Sina Weibo network, China's equivalent to Facebook. Having a strong network in this region allows your hotel to reach a new audience and capture new customers. To note, we are the first luxury hotel group of our kind to have a social media presence in China.
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for more information visit joinslh.com
MARKETING & PR | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Nira Caledonia, Edinburgh, Scotland
SPREADING THE WORD P R C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
• Pitching of story angles to key luxury high-end media, with the aim of communicating the diversity of the SLH brand and its individual properties
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a dedicated team of public relations professionals who, through an integrated global communications plan, are responsible for raising the awareness of the brand amongst high-end consumers and travel agents. With in-house PR teams in New York, London and Singapore as well as working with outsourced agencies in key markets, the geographic reach and exposure of the SLH brand is extensive.
• Provision of a dedicated press site (http://www.slh.com/press-releases/slh-news/) which serves as a reliable resource centre for international media
Having an experienced team of PR professionals in our key source markets is incredibly valuable as it means that as a brand Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has a sound understanding of the local market and the media that operates within it. In addition to the benefit of local knowledge, Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s global PR network provides your hotel with the potential to be exposed to an extensive database of international media and PR opportunities, which you may not otherwise have access to.
• Building mutually beneficial relationships with luxury high end media through regular one-to-one meetings
Our global PR strategy includes a number of core activities that are designed to directly benefit SLH hotels:
• Clipping service of all Brand coverage and individual hotel coverage posted on http://www.myslh.com/my-resourceslanding/pr/ and emailed to relevant hotel.
• Mini-press releases for new joiners featured on slh.com's media section on the slh.com homepage • Strategic messaging in consumer and trade press through the regular creation and distribution of press releases to international media
• Provision of downloadable high-resolution images via www.slhimages.com to ensure the media have immediate access to high quality images of individual properties • Distribution of a series of monthly electronic newsletters to a continually expanding database of consumers, travel trade and media
• Creating a publicity buzz through compelling and exciting competitions and campaigns designed to drive traffic to slh.com and your hotels pages • Quarterly brand news/updates include a feature on new hotels joining in that quarter • Dedicated hotel PR list to communicate ad-hoc opportunities hotels can contribute to, also posted on http://www.myslh.com/my-resources-landing/pr/
All PR activity that is undertaken by Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s public relations team is designed to strengthen the SLH brand and to drive reservations.
for more information visit joinslh.com
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Huvafen Fushi, Maldives
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WorLDWiDE SALES TEAm SuPPorT AnD oPPorTuniTiES
for more information visit joinslh.com
“Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is a preferred supplier of Valerie Wilson Travel because of its commitment to sales and representing a wonderful collection of hotels worldwide. In addition, it is their dedication to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ reservations centre, using an 800 number, which provides accurate information to our travel consultants.” valerie Wilson, valerie Wilson Travel, new york City, uSA
for more information visit joinslh.com
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | SALES
Regalia Resort and Spa Nanjing, China
Worldwide Sales Team Support and opportunities Our specialist sales professionals have developed close relationships with the travel trade to raise awareness of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ brand and reinforce the status of the exclusive LX GDS code.
C O N S O R T I A A N D T R AV E L T R A D E E X P O S U R E Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s partnerships with all major consortia, multiple-outlet agencies, business travel specialists and global corporations will drive further business to your property. As part of our corporate sales strategy, Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ works with the online RFP submission tool, Lanyon, enabling hotels to submit consortia and corporate RFP’s at once. There are close to 20 consortia programmes to choose from including ABC, CCRA, Radius, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, BCD and HRG Worldwide.
SHOWCASE EVENTS AND ROADSHOWS As a Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ property, you will be invited to join us on a series of events and roadshows designed to give you the opportunity to meet some of the most influential luxury travel planners, bookers and key media partners globally. These agencies are not usually accessible to non-affiliated hotels. However, becoming part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ brand will unlock the doors to these highly productive suppliers.
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The events and road shows are hosted worldwide and take place in key source cities including London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, Moscow, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong and many more. There is also the unique opportunity to participate in American Express Centurion showcases in England, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore and many more.
TRADE EXHIBITIONS In addition to our own events and road shows, you will also be invited to take part in a number of global trade and consumer events including ILTM Americas and Asia, Pure in Morocco and the new Limited Edition in Miami. You will have the opportunity to participate on Small Luxury Hotels of the World's impressive corporate stand always located in premium positions. Collectively welcoming over 200,000 visitors per year, these events raise brand awareness and generate new business opportunities for your hotel.
“We consider Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to be one of the best sources of luxury hotels for our clients” reed & mackay, Prestigious independent Business Travel Agency, London
SALES | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
An exclusive resource for Travel Agents agents.slh.com
T R AV E L A G E N T W E B S I T E
• It provides access to all AMEX owned travel offices
SLH recognise that travel agents are critical to the success of the brand and we continue to identify and implement new initiatives that provide agents with the tools to sell the SLH brand as effectively and seamlessly as possible. SLH is proud to offer a dedicated website especially for these specialists in the luxury travel business. This new website provides travel agents with extensive travel and hotel information, as well as fantastic opportunities that will support their daily business activities.
• Access to Corporate Meetings Solutions for group and incentive business
A M E R I C A N E X P R E S S B U S I N E S S T R AV E L
Different to the Amex Platinum and Centurion leisure programme, the AMEX Preferred Supplier Status is for business travel. The focus is on educating AMEX Call Centre consultants and implants on SLH hotels, so they can sell better to their corporate clients. AMEX uses all the GDS systems and will favour participating SLH hotels in those channels. Currently AMEX agents only have the ability to book SLH hotels that participate in corporate negotiated programmes run by AMEX i.e. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America etc. Participation in this programme may provide you with the opportunity to be selected in the AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts programme as well by increasing the AMEX card spend at your property.
American Express Business Travel is the largest wholly owned global travel network with over 2,200 travel services locations in over 140 countries and manages the travel arrangements of 70% of Fortune 500 companies. SLH is extending you an opportunity to partner with American Express Business Travel Network globally, better known as the AMEX Preferred Supplier Programme. The partnership will cover the United States, Canada, Japan, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. This opportunity is not available to individual hotels contracting with AMEX directly.
W H AT I S T H I S P R O G R A M M E ?
• Participation in incentives, familiarisation trips and miscellaneous promotions • AMEX Preferred Extras Hotel Programme • Client and employee business meetings and forums • Ongoing communications to the AMEX Network for new hotels, offers, service enhancements etc
N.B There is an annual fee to participate in this programme
• It provides hotels with AMEX Preferred Supplier Status globally, including premium exposure through GDS which preferences and highlights preferred AMEX suppliers
for more information visit joinslh.com
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BE PArT of A CommuniTy of uniquE inDEPEnDEnT Luxury HoTELS
for more information visit joinslh.com
Aleenta Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand
“Joining SLH has been rewarding for us as a small hotels owner, as the brand puts us on par with the world's largest brands. We view SLH as our approval stamp of quality as well as our international marketing arm, to provide the market reach where we cannot afford to go ourselves and as a booster to those markets where we are strong in. SLH also helps us keep ahead of competition in terms of technology and industry standards.� Anchalika Kijkanakorn, managing Director, Aleenta resort and Spa, Thailand
for more information visit joinslh.com
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | JOINING SLH
Canaves Oia Hotel, Santorini, Greece
Be Part of a Community of unique independent Luxury Hotels J O I N I N G C R I T E R I A & Q U A L I T Y S TA N D A R D S The strength and credibility of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is dependent on the quality of its individual hotels. Strict controls are applied to ensure that only the very best hotels with the highest standards are accepted, and to ensure that Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties continue to uphold these standards. In assessing a hotel’s suitability for joining the brand, we believe that the totality of the guest experience is as important as anything else.
NEW BUILD HOTELS & REFURBISHMENTS OF EXISTING PROPERTY We also invite hotels to join us at any stage of the development process, whether it is a complete new-build on a green-field site or a conversion and remodelling of an old building. Hill, Goodridge & Associates Ltd is the home of the small independent hotelier operating both the global brand of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ and specialist luxury boutique operator, Luxury Hotel Partners Ltd.
INSPECTION PROGRAMME Maintaining the quality of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ properties by way of regular inspection is of paramount importance to the individual client, the travel trade, the media and most importantly to you, the hotelier. The integrity of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ must be preserved and maintained worldwide, because all our hotels will be judged on the quality of the others. Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ runs an invisible guest perception inspection programme at no cost to you other than accommodation, food and beverage charges incurred at your property by the inspector. These inspections are carried out at least once every two years, and after each visit you will receive a report outlining the results of the inspection. All inspectors are qualified luxury hotel guests who pay and stay at luxury hotels all over the world.
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for more information visit joinslh.com
As specialists in the international boutique hotel sector, providing a comprehensive range of hotel services, Luxury Hotel Partners can provide Technical and Pre-opening services during the process of development. Their input will ensure that the hotel is optimally designed and that the operation commences and flows efficiently with luxury standards of service from the outset. They will provide direction and advice on architectural plans and interior design to ensure the hotel will have the potential to be a financial success.
HOTEL MANAGEMENT Luxury Hotel Partners operates hotels that either are, or, will become part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™. LHP manages hotels for owners, investors and absentee landlords. Hotels range from the Mallorcan fortress of Cap Rocat, the award winning Chromata in Santorini to a Chinese noble residence in Beijing — Hans Royal Garden.
JOINING SLH | DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE
Cour des Loges, Lyon, France
CRITERIA
C O N T R A C T U A L & O P E R AT I O N A L O B L I G AT I O N S
To be considered, applicants should meet the following broad criteria:
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• The hotel must be recognised as one of the best, if not the best, in the locality • The market positioning of the applicant should be consistent with the overall aims of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ • The hotel must move its GDS representation to LX • Operational management must be of the highest standard at all times • Service should be personal, efficient, prompt and friendly • Food and wine must be of the highest quality, properly presented and expertly served • The hotel must provide room service with limited items available, 24 hours a day • Decor must be of the very highest quality and well maintained with a good general ambience providing a feeling of comfort and attention to detail • The hotel will join for a compulsory minimum period of three years in order for its affiliation with Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to fully permeate the market • The hotel must offer a luxury experience to its guests • The hotel must demonstrate a commitment to Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s Caring Luxury programme
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Implementation begins when the contract is signed and fees are paid Joining fee is due with the contract Terms of contract is a minimum of three years All contracts are standard and signed by each hotel, changes to the contract will not be made Annual fees are due by August 1st of each year Monthly reservations fees are due within 30 days Hotel must accept the American Express Card, participate in the American Express commission programme and American Express Platinum/Centurion benefits programmes GDS must transfer to LX within six months of signing the contract Hotel must accept Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Gift Certificates and account for them in the correct manner Travel Agent’s commissions must be paid within 45 days of departure via the Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Global Payment System or by the hotel directly Biennial inspection programme, reimbursed by the property Hotel must participate in regional meetings Immediate response to inquiries or requests from Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ offices is required Hotels must review www.myslh.com for pertinent information A minimum of 16 hi-resolution photographs must be supplied for use by Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ with authorisation to publish
for more information visit joinslh.com
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DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | JOINING SLH
Mukul Luxury Resort & Spa, Nicaragua
COSTS The following schedule of costs applies to the period August 2013 to July 2014.
INSPECTION DEPOSIT A (non-refundable) deposit of £1,000 is payable before the initial inspection visit. This is credited against the first-year fees for successful applicants.
V O I C E R E S E R VAT I O N S 10% of net room revenue.
BARTER ROOMS
This fee is payable once only in the first year and is due at the time of contract. Currently, the initial fee for each hotel regardless of size is GBP £15,000.
Each year, every hotel gives complimentary accommodation to SLH to be used in barter arrangements which SLH uses for various activities. These rooms are for accommodation only and are strictly subject to availability. Currently, for hotels up to 50 rooms, it is 15 barter room nights per year, and for hotels with over 50 rooms, the allocation is 20 barter room nights per year.
ANNUAL BRAND MARKETING FEE
T R AV E L A G E N T C O M M I S S I O N S
JOINING FEE
This fee is charged annually and is payable by 31st July of each year. Currently, the annual fees are based on the number of rooms, up to a maximum of 150 rooms, as follows:
For the first 20 rooms: GBP £13,150. For each room over 20 rooms: GBP £160 per room
GDS AND INTERNET (INCLUDES SLH.COM) 6% of net room revenue. A GBP £2.20 charge will be processed for each GDS/Internet reservation. A database fee of GBP £140 is charged per month.
SLH INTERNET BOOKING ENGINE (IBE) By using the SLH IBE (white label booking engine) to power reservations on your property website, you and your team can manage your inventory through just one system. Our IBE is currently one of the most cost-effective booking systems on the market at £5 per booking only.
Travel agents commissions are not invoiced by SLH. These are payable directly by the hotel to the agency via the SLH centralized commission payment system.
R E S E R VAT I O N F E E S Reservation commissions (on room revenue only) are charged monthly per net reservation for all bookings processed through the SLH reservation system. Commission levels applicable to SLH vary depending on whether the reservation was generated from SLH’s voice reservation service, via the LX code on the GDS or online.
PRE-OPENING HOTELS An additional inspection fee of GBP £2,000 is payable on joining for pre-opening hotels. This is to cover the cost of a professional inspection within the first six months of opening.
Please note: All costs are set by the Board of Directors, quoted in British Pounds Sterling and may alter at any time. The initial contract is for a minimum of a three year term.
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Hotel Éclat Beijing
DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE | JOINING SLH
T O A P P LY There are five stages in applying and the timing is critical: Stage 1 – A formal application letter together with the printed application forms for hotel and “Contracting Party Details” must be sent to the Development Director, Small Luxury Hotels of the World™, 3rd Floor, Portland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5BH, United Kingdom, enclosing copies of all brochures, marketing collateral and tariff sheet. Stage 2 – Once your application has been reviewed, successful hotels will be asked for a non-refundable deposit of GBP£1,000 which is required before the assessment visit. This amount is credited against the initial fee if the application is successful. Stage 3 – Upon receipt of the application form and deposit an initial visit and inspection will be arranged. The visit enables you to discuss the benefits of joining and determine the potential return on investment. It also enables Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ to assess whether the hotel meets the criteria and standards. Stage 4 – The report generated from the visit along with the application is reviewed by the joint Managing Directors of Hill Goodridge and Associates. If they consider the hotel will add value to Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ and Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ will add value to the hotel taking into account the location, standard and management of the hotel then they will be recommended to the Regional Director and then to the Chairman for it to be accepted. Stage 5 – Successful applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance, contract to sign and a secure login to our website content management system to supply all necessary information on the hotel. The contract is standard for all hotels and states all terms and conditions of joining SLH. The process is completed when the signed contract is returned together with the payment of the initial joining fee.
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La Sultana Marrakech Hotel & Spa
Experience another World
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HOTELS IN MORE THAN Contact us Daniel Luddington Director of Development For Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ Managed by Hill, Goodridge & Associates Ltd. 3rd Floor, Portland House Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5BH, United Kingdom Tel: Main + 44 (0) 207 802 3400 Direct + 44 (0) 207 802 3431 Fax: + 44 (0) 207 828 0826 Email: Daniel.luddington@slh.com
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COUNTRIES