During the collective "Switzerland Travel Experience" trip by Switzerland Tourism, Minotel was the only hotel chain among the organizations who, in March, travelled to five Chinese towns:
Hong Kong, Guangzhou (formerly Canton), Chengdu (the country's most populous state), Shanghai and Beijing.

The Swiss delegation of some twenty people was made up mainly of managers of tourist offices and transport organizations. "Representing our 114 establishments in Switzerland and some 700 for Minotel Europe, we are seeking to sell our basic product in this type of emerging market. It's the Minotel-Voucher, exclusively bed and breakfast," explained Marielle Goy, the manager of Minotel Suisse.

Interesting contacts with Chinese journalists and tour operators were made; it should be stressed in this respect that in China, the mechanisms of marketing tourism (technologies of dealing with reservations, methods of payment etc.) are quite different from those practised here... Nevertheless, certain tour operators sometimes come to Europe, just as they can have (screened) access to the Internet.

Chinese people are very upbeat and well connected, particularly in the cities. It is worth pointing out that there are at least 7'000 cyber cafes in Shanghai alone ! Marielle Goy, who was on her second trip to China, notes that Switzerland enjoys a very positive image there: "The urban Chinese, who are environmentally conscious, are astounded by the air and water quality, the beauty of nature and the landscapes of our country".

Of course, the Chinese authorities only authorize travel to the West for professional or quite specific reasons (such as parents visiting their children studying here). However, many Chinese people travel for business reasons, "joint ventures" agreed with European companies, diplomatic trips, company visits; in this regard, one can simply suggest them some activities connected to technical tourism (visiting a chocolate factory or a watchmaking company, for example) to give the trip a professional dimension. On the other hand, thanks to their special status, the residents of Hong Kong don't need a visa to travel to Switzerland. Furthermore, many professionals (artists, chefs etc.) can nowadays more easily leave their country.

This campaign targeted at a selection of travel agents and journalists with the aim of raising awareness of Switzerland as a destination involved the same programme in each town: a presentation of tourism in Switzerland by Switzerland Tourism (which has an office in Beijing), introducing each Swiss participant in Chinese, a question and answer session and a Chinese buffet !

In 2000, Minotel Suisse, which has edited a brochure in Chinese, recorded a total of 3'000 overnight stays from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, compared to 100'000 overnight stays by Chinese guests in Switzerland, an increase of 20% over the previous year.

Head Office:
Minotel Suisse
Chemin Renou 2
CH - 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
Contacts: Pierre or Marielle Goy
e-mail: solutions@minotel.ch

Lausanne, 8 June 2001

The Minotel International hotel consortium, with its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, reported for the past year significant increases in turnover for its member hotels throughout Europe.

The average occupancy rate for the total of 27,300 available rooms of the 700 Minotels in 30 countries rose from 67% in 1999 to 69%. This, coupled with moderate average price increases, proved that the Minotel concept is on the right track to continued success. Summed up, this international cooperation of privately owned, comfortable hotels achieved a turnover of some 800 million euro, which means for the single hotel an average turnover of 1.150 million euro. A workforce of 13,650 employees, i.e. 19.5 per hotel, made the guests feel at home.

Numerous innovative marketing initiatives contributed to attract tourist groups, business travellers and other individual guests to book their rooms at Minotel hotels. This trend was enhanced by improving business conditions in Europe and the comparatively low European currency rates for guests from other continents. According to reliable estimates, the generally increasing tourist and business travel activities will benefit Minotel International also in the current year.

The Internet website www.minotel.com represents the visual evidence how professionally some 700 independent hotel owners display the unique characteristics of their continually modernized hotels and services. The attractiveness of the offers is enhanced by their individuality which, to the benefit of the hotel owner and his guests, is contained within the framework of the name of Minotel and its associated partnership and cooperation concept. This joint marketing effort is strengthened by special actions on the national and international level.

Important parts of these promotional activities are regional gastronomic programmes, special offers for bus tours and travel groups, a steady-customer programme for Austria, Germany, and Italy, or bicycle and motorcycle trips.
The recently introduced Stay for 3 - Pay for 2, programme offers the guest in some 100 hotels attractive reductions after a sojourn of three consecutive nights and more in the same hotel.

Individual guests as well as contract partners can plan their travel online by booking via the Minotel-Voucher programme. The Minotel-Voucher is a method to pay hotel bills which is well liked and consequently highly successful. The vouchers are sold for reasonable prices. In particular for trips abroad, they greatly facilitate travel planning. During the past year a considerable 40% of the total bookings were done with vouchers. In 2000 it was used equally by contract partners from Asia, South America and the USA as well as individual guests worldwide. The trend to use the voucher programme is on the upswing.

The resulting options offered by Minotel guides, participation in fairs and Internet allow the national hotel owner to present the attractive features of his hotel globally and to generate simultaneously bookings via the World Wide Web or the Global Reservation Systems.
All Minotels are present in the Minotel Internet system and rooms can be booked instantly via the Minotel-web pages. A further benefit for the guest travelling through several countries is the customary referal from Minotel to Minotel which for many years has already become a matter of course.

The commercial strategy of Minotel International, long centred around its burgeoning relationship with the Travel Trade, is now being expanded to embrace the needs of the individual client. In addition to this, much work has been undertaken in respect of strategy and marketing to raise both the image of the brand and its awareness in the market place. Examples of this are the recent change of Logo, and the development of the International and National Chain Guides in common format. Where guest expectation is raised, Minotel regularly reaches forward to match them with increased offers of service and quality.

Each national Chain creates its own national products supported by a sales structure with highly active staff penetrating their own national markets. The longest established product of the Group is the Minotel Voucher which is valid in all of the 700 member Hotels, and is inclusive of Breakfast. In some Hotels, and at certain times of the year there is either a Complimentary Service (reduction in price by individual special offer) or a Local Adjustment (supplement). This is usually receivable, or payable, directly to, or at, the individual Hotel.

In Switzerland, where 109 hotels are geographically spread throughout the linguistic regions, the national Minotel chain there has created, with various partners, several specific products : cycling and walking tours, and stays based on adventure sports. Minotel Suisse has its own Purchasing Office with 100 affiliated suppliers whose products are carefully selected, before being promoted to their membership. All other national Chains have similar Purchasing Offices.

The spirit of Minotel can best be summed up in its attitude to client reservations. Minotel (with its international central reservations centre based in Blackpool, England, at the Head Office of Minotel Great Britain) is at the cutting edge of reservations technology with its own fully developed Internet site for instant on-line reservations upon request of either Tour Operator or individual client. Clients travelling on a GAYP basis may ask their current Hotel to make a free onward booking on their behalf.

Pierre Goy, currently Executive Vice President of Minotel Switzerland, has recently been elected President of Minotel International, the chain that brings together 700 Hotels in 30 countries. His election took place at the General Assembly of Minotel International in Miltenberg (Germany), near Frankfurt on 12th June 1999.

Pierre Goy can be credited with the vision and foresight to create such an international group, whose base and Head Office is in his home town of Lausanne in Switzerland. Pierre Goy is also Executive Vice President of the Swiss Chain and, at Head Office, there are currently 30 staff, only 15 of which are Swiss, the remainder representing 10 other nationalities, working in 7 different languages, all promoting the great cause of Minotel. The average age of the team is just under 30.

At 60, the new President of Minotel International will have been an Hotelier for 40 years, having created the Swiss chain in 1981 and the European group in 1983. Close attention to detail is his watchword, particularly in respect of computerisation, finances and, of course, the new Internet system.

The experience of Minotel Europe (700 hotels in 30 countries), with its headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland) which has been dealing in euro, has been rewarded by spectacular results : an increase of 129 % in the number of bookings compared to the same period last year. This increase coincides with the relative recovery of the European economy, and a large growth in overseas sales. The stability of the euro versus the Dollar is responsible, to a great extent, for the real progress of the European chain during the first part of this year. These results exceed those of the last record year by one third , with 8 out of 10 bookings being for double rooms.

Head Office in Lausanne reports that, with 109 hotels representing 14% of the total European hotel stock, Minotel Switzerland accounts for 20% of the bookings on all markets. For the first time, there is real progress on the Japanese market, the only country in Asia to still enjoy a positive trend in spite of the monetary crisis, possibly signalling a regaining of interest by the Japanese in the market for 2 and 3 star Hotels. With 40% of the total increase, the United States remains the prime overseas market for Minotel. The majority of reservations relate to the summer period.

The Swiss chain continues to progress steadily. As in the other chains, an aggressive sales policy, pricing in euro and an interactive system on the Internet, a fully computerised operation, as well as a team of motivated and qualified personnel (7 languages are spoken in the Lausanne Office !), are all contributing factors to the very healthy status of this chain of small and medium size hotels.

With 700 hotels in 30 countries, Minotel International is proud to present an important network of Hotels in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The leading hotel of the European chain in (ex) Russia is however situated in St.Petersburg (Russia). It is the Hotel Sovetskaya, with 1'100 rooms, and is without doubt the largest unit in membership of Minotel. The countries bordering the Baltic Sea and Russia form a tourist region that is progressing strongly and Minotel has therefore devoted some efforts to set up, in those countries, a network of cosy family-run hotels, generally of 3-star standard. Minotel is also present in Cyprus at the heart of a special winter offer with Malta and Sicily. It has also reinforced its network in Italy, and now offers 60 destinations there and maintains its position in most other European countries, apart from Scandinavia, where the Minotel presence is due to be reinforced.