TTD: ‘Wrong kind of guests’ attracted by internet to top hotels
Europe’s best hotels must prevent the internet from filling them with ‘the wrong kind of guests’.
The call came from Supranational Hotels managing director Niels Pedersen, who urged properties to maintain the highest possible prices this summer.
He warned that regular clients accustomed to top four- and five-star hotels are bound to be “a touch snobbish towards cut-price customers who can be socially out of their depth, and may be badly behaved”.
Pedersen said: “For high net-worth individuals the status of fellow guests matters as much as the décor or cuisine.
“Once superior hotels reduce their standard tariffs below 30% – and many cut them to 50% in a panic bid to fill their rooms – the clientele they attract via web portals can do harm to the image of the property.
“Hoteliers sometimes make the mistake of thinking it is about dress code, whereas in reality it is about a person’s inner values of self-esteem and self-confidence. The key test for the wealthy is whether their children will meet the right kind of people.”
The guests most likely to be disillusioned in this way are from style-conscious countries in Southern Europe, whilst those from the Nordic countries will not care as much, Pedersen claimed.
Approximately 40 of the representation/reservations company’s hotels are five-star, and 300 are described as being a good four-star in standard.
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026