A typical morning at the Swiss hotel buffet: the Müller family with their 3 children meanders past the couple who want to spend their “golden wedding anniversary” in relaxed tranquillity, in between a small child cries incessantly, while the hiking guests from Zurich pack the last bites for their well-deserved snack. The wellness guests are already in their bathing suits, soaking up the warmth in the sun in front of the restaurant.
Swiss hotels do not have a specific enough positioning and do not focus closely enough on one customer segment.
In this respect, Stephan JJ. Maeder from the Hotel Carlton-Europe, who manages one of the only “adults-only” hotels in Switzerland. The Carlton-Europe has focused specifically on an adult clientele, and has not welcomed children under 16 since 2018. Maeder is convinced by this repositioning, which has also been directly reflected in higher booking numbers.
“There is a need for more clearly positioned hotels in Switzerland – why are we, with our hotel, one of the only ones that is clearly positioned on adult guests? How can we improve in this and possibly get more regional choice for this positioning, and thus also attract more attention?” Because according to Stephan JJ. Maeder, foreign hotels, for example in Germany or Austria, are already much more advanced in these areas of clear positioning.
A clear, long-term positioning of one’s own hotel – namely to know who one is, where and what one stands for and what one does not stand for – is absolutely important in times of the almost endless offer of accommodation possibilities. On the one hand, to stand out from the mass of possibilities for the individual guest and to create a contrast, on the other hand, to admit to oneself for which guest segment one is burning as a hotelier and can also receive authentically.
Would you like to discuss the topic of “adults-only” positioning in depth with like-minded people? Then contact us at hospitalitybooster@hotelleriesuisse.ch to receive further information on the topic and to arrange an exchange!