HB ON THE SCENE: Vantage Hospitality Focusing on India, Mobile Tech

Posted 12/5/2012 - 8:39:17 PM

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LAS VEGAS—At the annual Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. conference being held here, VanMYT Hospitality, a partnership between Vantage Hospitality, Mukesh Mowji, Yogesh Patel and Tarun Patel, offered members the opportunity to become owners in that company as it prepares to launch its brands—Value Inn Worldwide, Value Inn Signature Worldwide and Value Hotel Worldwide—in India.

According to the company’s research, the vast majority of travel in India comes from domestic travelers who are looking for the equivalent of two- and three-star hotels. Roger Bloss, CEO/president of Vantage Hospitality and chairman of VanMYT, said there are approximately 3,000 existing independent hotels that would fit into the company's brands. He added if a dozen hotels each year over the next few years were reflagged, it would be considered a success.

Bloss said if there’s any measure he’d like the membership community to vote on at the annual meeting December 6, it’s the search engine optimization fund, which requires members to spend $1 per room, per month.

“They cannot afford not to vote for it,” he explained, reiterating a sentiment expressed throughout the conference that Internet marketing is key. At its general session Vantage said visits from mobile devices were up 500% since 2010, which is why it is launching a mobile app with iTunes later this month and one with Android next year.

In addition, Vantage touted some large growth numbers. The company, which has 1,091 properties worldwide, told its members that reservations were up 14% from last year and website visits were up 35%. With its combined media mix, Vantage reached 160 million consumers, a 50% increase over last year, according to the company.