Boom times propel Marco Polo towards corporates

Marco Polo Hotels is weaning itself “a little bit” from travel agents and going more for corporate accounts, said general manager and area director, John Girard. The trend is particularly pronounced in its properties in Hong Kong, where the economy is in a very healthy state.



Girard said that Hong Kong’s hotel industry is “booming”, comparing it to the heydays of 1996.

“There was a build-up towards 1997, when all the overseas agents were saying ‘Come to Hong Kong before 1997, when it will go back to China, blah, blah, blah.’ So it was packed. Rates went up. Occupancy went up,” he said. He believes that period is resurfacing but for different reasons. “The market is truly, truly robust,” he said.



Marco Polo began leaning towards the corporates three years ago and, with the current economy’s shape and ensuing demand for meetings, it has began to be more aggressive.



He stressed that while they are weaning away from the travel agents, agents are “important” to them.



Rates are the main reason for concentrating on corporates, followed by being able to control the room inventory.



“The less we give allotments, the more we can control our inventory,” he said.



Location has always been Marco Polo’s strength in Hong Kong. “We have the best location in town. Literally no one can say that they have a better location that we have. We are conveniently located while everyone else is inconveniently located,” he said with a smile.



For corporates-focused offers, there are year-round rates and tiered rates for different number of production. Corporate meeting packages are in place.



Just as Marco Polo is bullish on Hong Kong, Girard said that opportunities for growth abound all over Asia. Of course, the growth area is led by China, where the hotel group is scheduled to open its newest property in December. This will be the sixth in the country and second in Beijing.



It is still several months into that opening date and yet the negotiation for the third Beijing hotel is already on-going. “The opportunities are unlimited,” he said, saying that it is just a matter of finding the right partner in the right city.



Outside of China, Marco Polo is looking at “all the CBDs in Asia”, specially Seoul Manila and Bangkok.



“In the Philippines, we have two hotels in Davao and Cebu. It is a matter of finding the right partner. If we find the right partner, we will be in Manila tomorrow and it has become a seriously important market for us. Other than China, the Philippines has become our second biggest market,“ he said.