How independent hotels are closing the gap on chains for events

New data from Cvent suggests that independent hotels are closing the gap to large hotel chains as destinations for events. The 2018 Global Planner Sourcing Report included survey responses from nearly 3,000 event planners worldwide, including nearly 300 planners in the UK. It shows that there is a greater desire to deliver a more unique onsite experience for event attendees. Planners are actively looking at a wider variety of venues to host their events, with 25% booking independent hotels compared to 29% booking large chain hotels. Survey results indicated that planners considered unique atmosphere much more important to their venue selection decision than brand or chain affiliation. Among the other findings from the survey was a 10% increase in the number of smaller meetings, featuring between 1 and 100 attendees. 56% of UK planners are organising meetings of this size, while 20% are organising meetings as small as 1-20 attendees. The survey also found that many planners value rapid and complete hotelier response to RFPs. 29% of planners said speed of response was a driving factor in their decision-making process. They also cited peer recommendation and digital sourcing platforms as key when deciding on venues. Chris McAndrews (pictured), vice president of marketing for the Cvent Hospitality Cloud, said: “The Cvent Global Planner Sourcing Report was established to track important trends in the event and hospitality industry, as well as determine the best way venues can meet the requirements of event planners and capitalise on group business opportunities. “This year’s study reveals planners in the UK are increasingly looking for a venue that will make their event stand out and help them deliver an even more memorable and distinct experience for their attendees. “Coupled with the fact that there has been an increase in the number of smaller meetings being organised, its understandable why independent hotels are now competing so effectively for group business.”