Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

134 CHAPTER 5: RESERVATIONSand conventions. Usually these associations organize conventions of their own by workingwith various hotels, tourist attractions, and travel and promotion associations in thepublic sector that supply facilities and points of interest to the group traveler. Throughthe monthly publications of these associations, members can remain current on the travelindustry. The lodging operation that advertises in these publications will reach a marketthat is looking to add variety to a group tour.Travel directories, organized listings of hotel reservation access methods and hotelgeographic and specific accommodations information, also provide the group travel plannerwith the opportunity to match facilities with the needs of the group. The most commonof these directories is the Hotel & Travel Index. Other directories include the following:AAA Tour Books and Travel GuidesConsortium GuideDestination-specific DirectoryMichelin GuideMobil Travel GuidesOAG Business Travel PlannerOAG GazettersOfficial Hotel GuideOfficial Meeting Facilities Guide North AmericaPremierStar ServiceThe Hotel Guide (THG)Weissmann Travel Reports 6These valuable publications enable the planner to check the features of different lodgingproperties with great ease.Working with a hotel representative, a member of the hotel’s marketing and salesdepartment who actively seeks out group activities planners, is another method the groupplanner may find quite appropriate. Armed with the details about the lodging facility,points of interest in the area, and community background, the hotel representative canprepare a package deal for the planner. This active solicitation of group business canprove to be very profitable for a hotel.Another type of active solicitation for group travelers is done by the hotel broker. Thisis the person who sells hotel room prize packages to corporations, sweepstakes promoters,game shows, and other sponsors. By booking reservations in volume, a hotel brokerobtains a discount for the organization that wants to offer a hotel visit as a prize. Chainand referral organizations usually have people in their corporate marketing and salesdivisions who contact various organized groups or brokers to sell the hotel rooms andfacilities.As mentioned earlier, the key to securing the business of group travelers is to developa structured access system that assists the planner in meeting the needs of the group. TheTLFeBOOK