HotelSwaps is Gold Sponsor for Boutique Hotel Summit 2013

Boutique Hotel Summit, Europe's only b2b boutique and lifestyle hotel conference, is delighted to announce that HotelSwaps is a Gold Sponsor for the 2013 event, which is being held at the Montcalm Hotel on May 22nd and 23rd.

Event organiser Piers Brown said: “We’re very pleased to welcome HotelSwaps as a sponsor for 2013. HotelSwaps is a great idea, which allows member hotels to put unusedold room inventory to good use, while improving staff retention and training. Any initiative which helps to raise the service excellence of our industry through developing the quality of hotel staff is to be applauded, and we are pleased to be working with an exciting venture like HotelSwaps.”

Preben Vestdam, founder and managing director of HotelSwaps, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsors and supporters of such an informative industry gathering. Boutique Hotel Summit has really found a great niche in the hospitality conferencing sector and has created a valuable forum for this unique part of the hospitality industry. We are really looking forward to the event, and to meeting hoteliers from around the world.”

Vestdam continued: “HotelSwaps (www.hotelswaps.com) is a new innovative hotel room bartering programme which launched in January this year. The programme allows hotel owners to exchange their unused hotel rooms based on a points currency which ensures a fair and flexible exchange between hotel members. It is the first in the world of its kind.”

For more information, and for speaker and sponsorship enquiries for the 2013 Boutique Hotel Summit, contact Piers Brown: [email protected], +44 (0)208 340 7989

Notes to editors

About Boutique Hotel Summit

Boutique Hotel Summit is Europe's only b2b conference for the booming international boutique and lifestyle hotel sector. Both small independents and large multi-nationals are investing heavily to establish a presence in this exciting market and hotels tailored to this sector are opening at an ever-increasing rate, defying tough economic conditions. Discover what makes this vibrant sector of the hospitality industry tick and learn from the experts at Boutique Hotel Summit 2013. With a comprehensive seminar and networking programme and a stellar cast of international speakers, this is a truly unmissable conference

www.boutiquehotelsummit.com

About HotelSwaps

HotelSwaps is a global hotel membership network which allows hotel owners and managers to exchange their unused hotel rooms with other hotel members around the world for staff reward, incentive and training purposes. Hotels deposit room nights during periods of their choice in exchange for points. These points can be transferred to high-performing employees who can in turn exchange these for free hotel stays at other member hotels. The programme has been created to make the most of the huge inventory of unused hotel rooms (over 700 million room nights were left unoccupied in the European Union alone in 20091) in order to help hoteliers better reward their staff.

HotelSwaps has identified four key areas where hoteliers can benefit from the programme:

• Employee retention: an attractive employee incentive plan can prevent staff from searching alternative employment.

• Employee training: HotelSwaps is a great way to expose key staff to a wide range of hotel properties, styles and offers.

• Revenue opportunities: whilst the deposited rooms may be offered free of charge, hotels will see an increase in food & beverage revenues as well as in leisure services during periods of lower occupancy.

• Cost savings: hotel managers can use HotelSwaps points to book hotel accommodation for their business travel and hereby save significantly on the travel expense budget.

Hotels pay an annual membership fee to HotelSwaps, starting at £395 for a hotel with less than 25 rooms and rising to £1,950 for a hotel of over 100 rooms. to the guest regardless of the length of the stay. Once a member, a hotel can start depositing rooms, in return for points. Points are valued based on the seasonality and quality of the hotel to ensure a fair exchange between hotel members. Deposited rooms are held in an online inventory pool from which hotel employees, who have been rewarded with points, can make their reservations.

For more information see: www.hotelswaps.com