By Bev Fearis, published 1/05/20
Hotels are being urged to roll 2020 corporate rates into 2021 and to postpone the RFP until next year.
Although it doesn’t usually get involved in the RFP process, the Global Business Travel Association said it was making a ‘common-sense intervention’ during these unprecedented times.
A flash poll of travel buyers by the GBTA in April found more than 90% favoured a postponement of the RFP process.
“We got involved at the request of top travel buyers and the top 50 hotel brands,” explained GBTA CEO Scott Solombrino.
“Our hope is that all parties can agree to roll rates for this year and then negotiate new rates in 2021, once we all have a better sense of the pandemic’s longer-term impact on the industry.”
Solombrino said with so many in the industry furloughed or laid off, and with uncertainty about when travel restrictions will be lifted, buyers and sellers have neither the resources nor the knowledge to develop a mutually beneficial Hotel RFP at this time.
“We hope that by pressing the pause button, we can have a more fruitful negotiation in 2021,” he said.
