Published in Hosteltur , 07 - April , 2021 Franchises from abroad

In the search for effective allies, embracing a hotel franchise is one of the options with the longest journey at the moment and one of the most demanded. The advantages are very diverse but that cannot lead the hotelier to choose without making a very thorough analysis or even considering whether it is appropriate, despite these uncertain times, for their specific type of establishment. One of the main advantages of joining a brand through the franchise is that it allows the hotelier to maintain control of the operation of the establishment, while, at the same time, enjoying the marketing platform offered by the franchise and the latest technology, areas in which making an individual investment can be more expensive. It must also be appreciated, at a time when online marketing is growing in importance, that franchises have powerful sales engines. Therefore, the hotelier must assess to what extent the different fees and fees that must be paid to the brand compensate for the savings generated in these aspects. Another advantage to take into account is the value of the franchise to attract customers to whom the hotel has more difficult access, which includes the possibility of achieving better occupations for what is the usual low season of the hotel, both in the case from the urban hotel -capturing weekend clients- as vacation -except for the classic periods of greatest occupancy-. And in general, attract new customer segments. Among the aspects that can be vital at this time is that the franchise can promote access to financing and attract a more diverse target of clients or more difficult to attract by the establishment individually. Although it is necessary to have an initial and constant expense throughout the years to which the hotel is committed, it is also true that the conditions of the contracts are evolving towards greater flexibility in many aspects, including from the so-called protection zones to the different programs.