Accra
The Accra Beach Hotel Case
The sales manager for a Caribbean hotel wonders whether to accept a large block booking at a discount rate from a group participating in an international sporting events. The Accra Beach Hotel is 141-bedroom Hotel on the Caribbean Island Barbados. It is optimally located directly on the beach in a tropical environment, offering rooms with panoramic views, a large swimming pool, gardens, a fully equipped gym, restaurants, bars, big banquet and conference facilities and easy access to the closely located Golf Club. All the rooms in the Hotel are on a very high standard, including TV, Air-conditioning balconies and fully equipped bathrooms in all the rooms. The hotel was originally meant to be resort destination for individual travellers and was also working closely together with tour operators. Tourists were mainly from Britain and Canada.
Do the promised publicity benefits justify the risk of turning away guests for higher paying segments?
KEY ANTECEDENTS OF THE CASE
• The request from the West Indies Cricket Board was about 6 months ahead.
• Cherita Howard, sales manager for the Accra Beach Hotel was debating what to do about a request from the West Indies cricket band.
• The Board wanted to book a large block of rooms during several of the hotel’s busiest time and was asking for a discount.
• In return, the board promised to promote the Accra Beach in all advertising materials and television broadcast as the host hotel for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Sereis, an important international sporting event.
• The Accra Beach enjoyed a relatively high occupancy rate, with the highest occupancy being achieved from January trough March and the lowest during the summer.
• The highest room rated are ($150-$170), the lowest are ($120)
• The WICB wanted 50 rooms (including two suites at no additional cost) throughout each part of the series and was willing to pay US $130 per night per room, inclusive of both breakfast and VAT
The sales manager for a Caribbean hotel wonders whether to accept a large block booking at a discount rate from a group participating in an international sporting events. The Accra Beach Hotel is 141-bedroom Hotel on the Caribbean Island Barbados. It is optimally located directly on the beach in a tropical environment, offering rooms with panoramic views, a large swimming pool, gardens, a fully equipped gym, restaurants, bars, big banquet and conference facilities and easy access to the closely located Golf Club. All the rooms in the Hotel are on a very high standard, including TV, Air-conditioning balconies and fully equipped bathrooms in all the rooms. The hotel was originally meant to be resort destination for individual travellers and was also working closely together with tour operators. Tourists were mainly from Britain and Canada.
Do the promised publicity benefits justify the risk of turning away guests for higher paying segments?
KEY ANTECEDENTS OF THE CASE
• The request from the West Indies Cricket Board was about 6 months ahead.
• Cherita Howard, sales manager for the Accra Beach Hotel was debating what to do about a request from the West Indies cricket band.
• The Board wanted to book a large block of rooms during several of the hotel’s busiest time and was asking for a discount.
• In return, the board promised to promote the Accra Beach in all advertising materials and television broadcast as the host hotel for the upcoming West Indies Cricket Sereis, an important international sporting event.
• The Accra Beach enjoyed a relatively high occupancy rate, with the highest occupancy being achieved from January trough March and the lowest during the summer.
• The highest room rated are ($150-$170), the lowest are ($120)
• The WICB wanted 50 rooms (including two suites at no additional cost) throughout each part of the series and was willing to pay US $130 per night per room, inclusive of both breakfast and VAT
Bibliography: See: http://www.visitbarbados.org/pressroom/news.aspx?newsid=799E6517-3899-4658-9D47-D9E37593A21D (last access: 07.03.2008) See: http://www.barmot.gov.bb/reports/Statistical%20Digest2003_4.pdf (last access: 07.03.2008)