Historic Hotels Sees Agents As Natural Channel For Bookings
by Harvey Chipkin /Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.
At a time when experiences and memories seem to be the highest priorities for leisure travel, a hotel with a history is an ideal choice for clients, said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America, a group of almost 300 properties in the United States.
Speaking to TMR before an event in New York, Lawrence said “clients want to come home from a vacation with a memory they can talk about,” and so the company works with agents to “show clients that its hotels offer a bucket list experience.”
Fairmont Hotels recently did a study showing the strong emotional connection between a historic hotel and its guests, he noted, be it high tea at the Broadmoor; sitting in the lobby of the Willard Hotel in Washington where the word “lobbyist” was invented; or a drink at the bar at the Drake in Chicago where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio carved their initials. And they are a particularly good fit for weddings, anniversaries and special events, as they have a strong romantic connotation.
“The market is growing for our kind of product,” he said. “For travel agents, seeing our logo on a hotel’s website or collateral is an easy way to recognize that this is an authentically historic hotel.”
Historic Hotels of America is an arm of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. As a result of a deal made in 2008, HHA is managed by the Preferred Hotels organization. In recent years, HHA has grown significantly, partly because it has encouraged membership of hotels that are branded or members of other collections. As a result, HHA now includes hotels that are also part of more than 30 different brands and collections, including: Leading Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels, Fairmont, Luxury Collection, Curio, Marriott and Hilton.
To become a member of HHA, a hotel must these requirements: be at least 50 years old, either be eligible for or actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and have some kind of historical distinction -- for example being the former home of a historical figure or the venue for the signing of a treaty.
Horwitz said agents should also be aware of Historic Hotels Worldwide, which was formed four years ago to include properties outside of the country; these hotels must be at least 75 years old because there are so many old properties outside of the U.S. Horwitz said the oldest hotel in HHA is El Convento in San Juan, which is 366 years old; the oldest member of Historic Hotels Worldwide is Dromoland Castle in Ireland, which dates to the eleventh century.
Most HHA members are in the three-to-four diamond category while a number are five-diamond properties. Horwitz said that HHA’s quality assurance focus is on “how the hotel celebrates its history. We will visit and ask staff members about the history of the property. They should be aware of and knowledgeable about that history.”
“Historic hotels are not only fun but provide an education to guests, especially children,” Horwitz said. “We like to say that a historic hotel is a school where you can sleep through your class.”