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Photo Credit: BWH Hotel Group Central Europe

The Covid-19 crisis has severely affected and changed the meetings and events industry at the same time. For the ongoing restart, new trends and demands have emerged. At Conventa 2021 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the team of BWH Hotel Group Central Europe was present with its three brand families and took the chance to exchange ideas and opinions with their partners. This year, new destinations and technologies were in the focus at the renowned MICE trade fair.

The hotel business is people’s business: This was the overall consent at this year’s Conventa 2021 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where many more trends and demands of the meetings and events industry in the “New Normal” were discussed. The team of BWH Hotel Group Central Europe attended the renowned MICE trade fair in the region “New Europe” for the fifth time already and presented their extensive MICE portfolio of three brand families Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels Collection and SureStay Hotel Group. Appointments were made with selected hosted buyers from Germany, France, USA, Poland, and Hungary in face to face as well as virtual meetings throughout the three days of the fair from August 24 to 27. Conventa 2021 was also a great opportunity to get insights of the latest trends and demands in the meetings and event industry.

best_western_hotels
Photo Credit: BWH Hotel Group Central Europe

“Our business is a people’s business and the wish to meet is higher than ever before. Destinations outside the major capitals are particularly requested. Here, we can pick up with the offers from our over 200 convention and business hotels,” says Sabatina Schmitt, Director Sales Corporate and MICE BWH Hotel Group Central Europe.

Safety Is Still A Priority

The overall consent of the attendees of Conventa 2021 was that smaller meetings and incentives are trending again after the long pause due to the Covid-19 crisis. But most event planners are looking for venues in their own country, given the experiences from the past months. “We can score in this segment as we are representing many hotels in small to medium-sized cities across the region of Central Europe. We offer experiences in more unexplored destinations as well as hotels surrounded by nature and with generous meeting facilities. Along with our improved state-of-the-art technology offers, this gives our partners and customers many great advantages while booking with us”, Schmitt further explains.

Highlights of the hotel group’s product portfolio include various offers which were carefully adapted to the altered meeting and event market such as hybrid meeting options, new technology partners as well as the MICE Guide which has also been fully digitalized to meet today’s needs. Many hotels of the group’s portfolio are situated in hidden destinations as Zagreb, Croatia, Ljubljana, Slovenia, or in various smaller cities in Austria and Germany, which are sought after by event planners and agencies as they offer more space and activities in the surroundings off the beaten path.

Lifestyle Concepts and Authentic Experiences

Another significant topic is new and modern hotel concepts. Again, modernization and digitalization are coming into focus here. Business travellers are looking for a smart boutique and lifestyle hotel concept during their stay and are longing for authentic experiences in the city they visit. Here, BWH Hotel Group Central Europe has also extended its portfolio in the last years and offers a new and hip lifestyle brand: Aiden by Best Western. The new brand premiered in Germany with the Aiden by Best Western @ Biberach in Biberach, Baden-Wuerttemberg. Only in July 2021, the brand launched in Austria as well. Now, Aiden by Best Western @ Stadtgut Hotel Steyr opened its doors and welcomes guests in the well-connected city in Upper Austria.

Besides this, technical innovations and smart concepts are in the focus, also in regard to touchless solutions and the likes. Safety and hygiene are still key after the experiences of the past months. In regard to this, BWH Hotel Group implemented the worldwide We Care Clean program in all hotels. “In this context, we have noted a great understanding of our partners for adjustments in pricing – furthermore confirming, that the demand for safety and also for new technology is high and adapted products are very much sought for and appreciated”, concludes Schmitt.

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