Travel agents looking for something new should look to something old, according to Michael DiRienzo, director-sales and development, for Historic Hotels of America. With so many clients now looking for a different kind of trip, HHA and its sister organization, Historic Hotels Worldwide, he said, are in the right place at the right time.
While HHA is a marketing organization and does not have direct relationships with agents or agent groups, many member hotels are preferred suppliers, according to DiRienzo. "Our hotels," he said, "are their own primary brand and we are a supplemental brand to help deliver to them the cultural and heritage traveler."
DiRienzo pointed out that all agency consortia and networks websites ask consumers about their preferences - and those choices always include history, historic sites, archaeology and art. The consortia understand, he said, that "this is a viable and hot topic area. They then seek out our hotels to fulfill those niche experiences."
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While the 300 members of HHA offer good possibilities for history and culture-loving clients, Historic Hotels Worldwide adds another dimension of opportunities because it involves international travel and all the potential additional spending that brings. "When clients are not as comfortable internationally but still want a different kind of experience," said DiRienzo, "we can introduce them to our international properties."
To be a member of HHA, a hotel has to be 50 years old, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has to maintain some sense of architectural integrity (Members of Historic Hotels Worldwide need to be 75 years old.). Not all members have always been hotels as the organization is keen on "adaptive reuse" of factories, banks, churches and other structures. "HHA likes to give new life to historic buildings," said DiRienzo.
Member hotels range from luxury to "rustic," said DiRienzo, though all must meet certain standards. The common thread is not a price category but historic authenticity. HHA, in fact, is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation which launched the program in 1989 to save these treasures. There are regular, two-part inspections - with part one looking at the guest experience and part two at how historically authentic a hotel is and how well it interprets its history. Many properties are either near UNESCO World Heritage sites or are heritage sites themselves.
HHA uses a "metal" rating system - with platinum being the equivalent of a Forbes Five Star or AAA Five Diamond level and Gold a Forbes Four Star or AAA Four Diamond.
Travelers who really want to experience a destination, said DiRienzo, and not stay in a generic big box hotel, will be the best prospects for agents, because HHA members are part of the history of the area. "It's more than just a place to stay, more than a bedroom and a bathroom," he said. "In some places, the hotel is the destination itself. People don't say we're going to Colorado Springs. They say we're going to The Broadmoor."
All of the hotels use their history to the utmost in creating an atmosphere, for instance creating cocktails reminiscent of the former use of the property. "It can really be a lot of fun interpreting the history," said DiRienzo.
The Agent Connection
All member hotels pay commission and almost all are available through their own brand GDS or through HHA's HE code (for Historic Experience). Being easily bookable is a requirement. A few small hotels are not available through GDS but, said DiRienzo, would love to talk to any agents and help them plan a trip. Since these hotels are so different and have so many room types, he said, it's often a good idea to talk.
Some clients, said DiRienzo, would love to stay in a haunted room or in another hotel that has a significant history. Millennials and other younger travelers really enjoy connecting with history, he said, because it grounds them.
These hotels, said DiRienzo, "truly look at agents as partners, as extension of their own sales teams," especially the smaller hotels. They are looking for an extended sales force in the form of a travel partner and have no problem paying those partners.
And the opportunities are multiplying as HHA is growing rapidly - increasing in membership from under 100 in 1995 to 300 now - and with the addition of the global group more than 600 internationally.
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