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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.