Lisa Potts
The Trump Hotel Collection in August named former Starwood
Hotels and Resorts regional vice president of sales Lisa Potts as its new
senior vice president of sales and marketing. In that role, the 25-year hospitality
industry veteran will lead sales efforts, marketing strategies and global
growth for the six-year-old Trump Hotel Collection. Potts spoke recently with Business Travel News lodging editor
Michael B. Baker about corporate and group demand, upcoming openings and her new
role.
How is transient corporate demand trending at your hotels?
Business travel in particular has remained really strong, and it continues to grow in the key business markets. I look closely at New York, Chicago and Toronto—markets where we have hotels that really benefit and work with this type of business. Even in August, which is typically slower in this segment, our volume is steady or slightly higher than last year. We expect it to stay strong. We're pacing well to the fall. We should be at or exceeding last year's volume in the fall.
Do you expect that to give you leverage on rates in upcoming negotiations?
I'm sure all the travel buyers are looking at that as well, and we take into consideration all kinds of factors when it comes to pricing. Each market is different, in terms of supply and demand, but overall, it's a very healthy, robust segment for us right now.
How is the group side of the business faring?
The group lead volume with Trump has remained very strong. As our whole industry has experienced for many months, the booking window is very short-term. The average group size is smaller than it was, and that's been going on for quite some time. One of the offerings I really like is the Trump Express Meetings. It's like a menu of affordable meeting packages tailored to small groups—off the shelf, very quick and easy, seamless to book. That's to adapt to the smaller groups and the short-term nature and quick turnaround that's needed. We have seen an uptick in opportunities for 2014, which is promising, because that's a little further out. Our clients do like a lot of the unique spaces in our hotels. Many of them have incredible views, the finishes are terrific and the furnishings are very rich. These contribute to a memorable meeting or event, and we're seeing a lot of demand and interest because of the type of space we have.
Have you seen much impact from government business cutbacks?
Our brand isn't as dependent on government, but it can affect other group business as well, if there's a government contingent. We watch that trend, but it doesn't seem to be impacting us at the moment.
What's the growth plan for the Trump Collection?
There is a lot in the works, and we are looking to expand globally in a large way. In the near term, one of the properties in our pipeline is the property in Washington, D.C., the Old Post Office acquisition. It's a very exciting project. We also have a project in Vancouver. Getting into D.C. is really critical, particularly for business travel. The Trump family is very involved in that, and it took a lot of work, because it's important to retain the historical significance of that building. We're still looking at a lot of opportunities domestically as well as internationally, in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, you name it.
Does the company ever plan to enter the upscale or midprice tiers?
We're staying really true to the vision that the Trump family has for the brand. This is personal to them. It's their name, and it's a very clear vision. It's luxury, and we have to be in the right locations. We don't want to go into a market that's saturated with luxury. We want to be successful in our deals, and they invest directly in many of these deals, and they put their personal stamp on them. They're very involved in design elements and quality. I don't see us branching into other categories of hotels. We would not go into upper upscale or anything below that either. At this stage, it's pure luxury and a very consistent direction there.
What are your goals in your new position?
In broad terms, my role is to evolve our sales and marketing organization. The Trump Hotel Collection is growing, and we're expanding into new markets both domestically and globally. During this process of growth, we have to remain really close to our customers, and one of my roles is to make sure we have a forum to listen and engage with our customers. That way, we can ensure all our hotel programming, brand initiatives, etc., adapt to their needs and the needs of their travelers. Whether it's through marketing channels, direct sales or educational platforms, we need to continue to build on the great reputation and recognition of the Trump name as we grow into these new markets. It's important we continue to educate our potential guests on what they can expect from a Trump hotel experience, and that we deliver on this and continue to earn their trust and build loyalty.
Will you be looking to increase corporate negotiated business at your hotels in negotiations this year?
My first order of business was to make sure I still went to [the Global Business Travel Association convention] this year. I want to stay very close to that customer segment, because we are in that critical season. As I've gotten more ingrained with the brand, I see our hotels really value this business. This year, we'll continue to see growing interest and more opportunities to work with more managed travel programs. That's in part because people are experiencing our brands in key business markets, and our portfolio continues to expand.