People with Passion
Richard Hyde, Chief Operating Officer Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has been a prominent player in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, and Richard Hyde has been part of this unique community of small independent hotels for more than half that time. Recently, SLH made headlines worldwide with its collaboration with global hotel giant Hilton. In an exclusive interview with LuxusInsider, Hyde shares whether this was a good move, the trends he is observing, and the future steps for SLH.
People with Passion
Richard Hyde Chief Operating Officer · Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has been a prominent player in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, and Richard Hyde has been part of this unique community of small independent hotels for more than half that time. Recently, SLH made headlines worldwide with its collaboration with global hotel giant Hilton. In an exclusive interview with LuxusInsider, Hyde shares whether this was a good move, the trends he is observing, and the future steps for SLH.
About SLH's Philosophy
All our members are small, independent, and family-owned hotels. SLH itself is family-owned, with the owners also running ten hotels, so they understand the business intimately. Our biggest USP is our vibrant community of hoteliers: they meet regularly to exchange news, share stories, and even indulge in some gossip. Hotels join us for a variety of reasons, and one of them is our successful loyalty program, 'Invited.'"
About the New Cooperation with Hilton "We launched this cooperation on July 9th. Already, 300 of our members are live, with 100 more set to go live imminently. This is more than we had during our successful five-year partnership with Hyatt. Members of the Hilton Honors loyalty program can now earn and redeem points at our member hotels, offering them a much greater choice. The past two weeks have been crazy – we've had a huge surge in reservations! This is probably the biggest success we've ever had."
About Current Challenges
"Recruiting is incredibly difficult at the moment. After the pandemic, many people no longer accept the working hours and conditions of the hospitality industry. As a London-based company, Brexit makes it even more challenging for us. I am also worried about global crises like the war in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, and the upcoming US elections. In the long term, sustainability is another topic that will continue to challenge us. These are many concerns, but we need to keep going."
About Source Markets "Our three biggest source markets are the U.S., the UK, and Germany. If you combine Germany, Austria and Switzerland, they might even rank second. We would love to have more member hotels in Germany, but finding family-owned boutique hotels there is quite a challenge. Approximately 70% of our bookings from Germany come through travel advisors."
About Sustainability
"Our Considerate Collection now consists of 60 hotels. The standards they meet closely align with those set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). We want more of our hotels to join, but we also aim to keep the standards high, so we expand the collection slowly and carefully. Our Considerate Collection hotels inspire the rest of our portfolio. The topic of sustainability resonates with travel advisors because their clients are increasingly asking for more sustainable options. Some of our partners, like American Express, even insist that the hotels they sell take sustainability measures."
About the Latest Trends "We are observing that people are traveling less frequently but staying longer, which also contributes to sustainability. Our average length of stay across all members has increased from two days to two and a half days. This might not sound like much, but it makes a huge difference. Another trend we're noticing is that the hotels applying for membership are getting smaller and smaller – and our average number of rooms is already only 48! Additionally, more non-hotel accommodations, such as yachts or glamping suppliers, are applying for membership."
About the Next Steps "We now have 579 members, and reaching 600 will be a significant milestone for us, which should happen next year. We also aim to consolidate our partnership with Hilton. Additionally, we are working on developing a wellbeing sub-brand to meet the growing demand for slow travel. People want to unwind, disconnect, and perhaps even unplug for a while – time has become a luxury. Hotels that wish to join this collection will need to have certain facilities and a corresponding mindset."
About SLH's Philosophy
All our members are small, independent, and family-owned hotels. SLH itself is family-owned, with the owners also running ten hotels, so they understand the business intimately. Our biggest USP is our vibrant community of hoteliers: they meet regularly to exchange news, share stories, and even indulge in some gossip. Hotels join us for a variety of reasons, and one of them is our successful loyalty program, 'Invited.'"