The Hindu Business Line : Hilton targets corporate clients

IN an effort to further woo the corporate traveller, the international hotel chain, Hilton, is aggressively targeting the corporate sector with mailers and direct sales calls.

"Apart from looking at the companies with whom we have a global tie-up, we are also focussing on local companies. This year alone, we hope to double our sales revenue and increase the number of bookings going through the Hilton reservation centre by two-and-a-half times," the Hilton's Regional Director, Sales and Reservations, India, Mr Christopher C. Doyle, told Business Line. However, officials refused to divulge in monetary terms what the increase in sales revenue had been.

The company is making use of the seven different categories of brands that it has under its umbrella to meet the requirements of the Indian market. Officials indicated that while the availability of apartments for people having to stay for extended periods was popular with the IT professionals going to the US, Indian tourists visiting the UK and Europe preferred to stay in the two and three-star properties that the chain has.

Officials said that apart from the dedicated sales team of the Hilton group in cities such as Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, the group also had sales people from InterGlobe marketing the Hilton hotels in India. However, company officials insisted that the latest move was not aimed at cutting off the travel agents and saving on commissions.

Meanwhile, London receives the maximum number of hotel bookings from India. Besides, the Hilton hotel in Singapore was also popular among the Indian travellers before the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit the island nation. "In terms of countries, the US is the number one choice for people booking with us," officials said.

On the issue of tie-up with any of the local airlines to promote Hilton hotels, officials said that such a venture would have made more sense if they had a property in the country. "If we had a property in India, it would probably have made sense to tie up with either Jet Airways or Air Sahara," officials said.

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