NBTA Adds Green, Dynamic Pricing Questions To 2009 Season RFP

The National Business Travel Association today announced that its hotel committee has added a series of environmental questions and altered the pricing grid to support dynamic pricing requests in its Modular Hotel RFP for the 2008-2009 hotel negotiating season. While green questions have entered the requests-for-proposals arena, some travel management consultants said the subject is not yet a tipping point in travel buying decisions.

The environmental questions address hotel carbon-offset programs, environmental certification programs, recycling and water conservation initiatives, as well as the communication of such programs to hotel guests. In addition, the RFP now includes questions addressing the needs of the physically challenged, such as handicapped parking.

Taking into consideration dynamic pricing questions, the RFP's pricing matrix now also reflects cap/ceiling rates and the percent discount taken from best available and corporate rates.

The appearance of green questions on RFPs shows increasing buyer sensitivity to environmental issues, but it still has not become a factor in selecting suppliers, said consultant John Caldwell, president of Caldwell Associates. "So far, there is a growing interest with fair amount of talk, but not as much walk as there is in Europe," he said.

Consultant Carol Ann Salcito, president of Management Alternatives, said she has not seen any buyers use green questions as a dealmaker or breaker. "All corporations are trying to step up to the plate and we at Management Alternatives have not seen a big impact yet," Salcito said. "I am certain that if there was a corporation where everything is equal with rates and amenities and one hotel has a better green initiative than another, then it would be kind of crazy if they didn't go with them, but we just haven't seen that apples-to-apples scenario yet."