Six Continents Taps Porter For N.A. Prez

Thirty-year industry veteran Stevan Porter this month was named president of the Americas for Six Continents Hotels, whose brands include Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites.

Similar to other multi-brand companies, Six Continents has experienced "downward pressure on occupancy and rates this year," Porter said. "The top 25 U.S. markets have been among those most affected by the downturn, particularly regarding transient business travel, and we have a significant presence in those markets."

On the positive side, however, such brands as Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express have considerable distribution in secondary and tertiary destinations. "The drive-to market has proven to be a real blessing. In fact, our non-airport and non-urban locations generally have performed quite well this year."

Another plus has been the performance of the extended stay segment. "Occupancies at our Staybridge Suites extended stay brand have remained vibrant as companies have resisted cutting back on their extended stay needs for things like training programs. Then too these properties tend to be in suburban locations, Alpharetta, Ga., for example, rather than Atlanta," Porter said. He joined Six Continents in October as COO of the Americas after a long career at Promus Hotel Corp., which was acquired by Hilton Hotels Corp. in 1999. When he left Hilton last year, Porter was executive vice president of hotel operations.

Assessing the industry outlook for the remainder of the year and into 2003—particularly his sense of when business travel might return to previous levels—Porter said, was like "trying to see through a thunderstorm in a crystal ball." Complicating the matter is that "lead times for booking both transient travel and group meetings have gotten extremely short, which makes predictions even harder."

Porter expressed confidence, however, that Six Continents is well-positioned to weather further uncertainty in the market. "We're fortunate to have different brands suited for business trips with different purposes, budgets and locations," he said. "For one trip, Inter-Continental might make the most sense, but on another trip the same traveler might do better opting for Crowne Plaza or Holiday Inn. This isn't a negative. Rather, it's just the reality of the marketplace."

Similarly, the would-be trend of corporate accounts' trading down from one brand to another is less of an issue for multi-brand companies. "Buyers are always sampling different brands within the same hotel company as their requirements change. In the same way, the Nordstrom customer might sample Target Stores on certain occasions," he said.

As the bidding season for 2003 rates gets underway, Six Continents will be stressing the long-term value of its client relationships. "In many ways, Sept. 11 was like a wake-up call for the industry. It was a painful pause for everyone. What's become clear though is that we need to be flexible in working with our key clients. Communication is critical as we try to understand their priorities and, accordingly, set priorities of our own," he said. "That's why we're going to have an especially large presence at the National Business Travel Association meeting this week."