Marriott International is beefing up its meetings staff in an effort to attract more large groups.
Noting weaker demand but higher revenue per room in the U.S. group market, Marriott president and CEO Arne Sorenson said in the company’s second quarter earnings conference call last week that U.S. group demand during the quarter was weak, while transient business was "very strong."
To counter the trend, Marriott will add sales staff to its large hotels to focus on winning and servicing group business, Sorenson said.
Second-quarter group bookings are virtually flat this year, up just 0.6 percent over last year, though overall Marriott’s occupancy rate is up to 78%.
Government group travel in particular is down significantly, from 5% in 2010 to just 2% percent this year. "The only good news about how weak it is, is there’s not much left to give up," Sorenson said.
