Simon Wakefield
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How has the year panned out in terms of occupancies, guests’ numbers?
Occupancy levels at The Halkin by COMO are consistent throughout the year. As most luxury London hotels, The Halkin enjoys periods of high demand during summer months when we receive enquiries from Middle Eastern travellers who particularly prefer privacy of the hotel, but want to be in walking distance to all the major attractions such as Knightsbridge and Sloane Street.
What was your initial target in terms of occupancies and guests numbers for 2013?
Our target is to run the hotel at high occupancy throughout the year. With 41 bedrooms, it’s important for us to manage our room inventory in the most effective way.
Are you looking at new target markets?
We aim to have a healthy mix of key feeder markets at our property throughout the year. Of course there are some markets we target more than others and new target markets are always on the agenda as we aim to identify arrival trends as early as possible.
Which markets currently form your strong guest base?
It is definitely UK, US, Europe and UAE.
What new strategies are being adopted to attract guests in your property?
One of our group-wide initiatives is to bring guests closer to the destination and let them immerge into the surroundings of the hotel. Today’s luxury traveller is keen to experience what the locals do and they want to eat, shop and sightsee away from the masses. The Halkin can provide guests with a number of experiences.
What is the unique selling proposition of your properties?
This year’s opening of our New Basque Cuisine restaurant Ametsa with Arzak Instructions and the award of a Michelin Star after being open for just six months certainly helped to draw in new guests. However, and beyond this The Halkin’s unique selling proposition is service, home away from home feel and a location.
There is growing competition with regards to new hotels, how do you manage to stay ahead of the game?
To stay ahead of the game you have to innovate and consistently look into ways to improve the guest experience. When The Halkin opened in 1991, it was seen as the first design-led boutique hotel and today guests and locals are still considering The Halkin as an innovator in its field.
Could you elaborate on the key segmentation?
Mid-week a majority of our guests are business travellers. The weekends enjoy more leisure guests which include families with children. The Halkin offers a variety of packages that cater for these markets and their needs.
Any innovative strategies that being adopted to target the business segment or growing MICE guests?
The Halkin has always had a very flexible approach to customer demands. This enables us to attract the smaller group incentive market who wishes for a private and tailor-made experience. Our private dining room is well-equipped for meeting during the day and then able to cater for a group dinner of up to 28 people.
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