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| MINOTEL focuses on quality |
The spectacular development of the internet has thoroughly
changed the way customers make reservations. To remain useful, co-
operative chains need to develop new assets.
Worldwide business operations have been conducted from the Lausanne
headquarters since Minotel took over
Minotel International in 2005. The number of members has decreased
quantity-wise on a national and
international level (currently 200 hotels in 25 countries). The
group is actively involved in drumming up new
members while focusing on the quality of its offer and the
attractiveness of its products. Intended for hotel
entrepreneurs outside Europe, Minotel’s 2008 Hotel Guide dedicates
a full page to presenting the chain’s
franchising system.
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Top-class hotels in today’s key strategic tourist locations joined
Minotel such as Istanbul (Hotel Pierre Loti),
Tunis, Douala in Cameroon (Hotel Vallée des Princes), Tokyo (Green
Korakuen) as well as Canton, Beijing and
Shanghai. China promising excellent prospects, a Chinese staff
member is assigned full-time to this market.
Individual customers more and more using the internet resulted in a
cutback in staff at Minotel Central
Reservations to 6 from 12. This notably induced a drop in
membership fees of 15% (costs are between
CHF 10 and 30 per day). The company’s powerful web site
www.minotel.com is an important
asset for
members. It triggered the increase in room reservations for member
hotels. Their yearly average doubled
from 250 in 2000 to 500 (i.e. 1000 overnight stays) in 2007. This
figure increases when factoring in a
comparable number of reservations made directly with the hotel’s
front desk by customers who rely on the
Minotel brand image, the distribution of the yearly hotel guide and
word-of-mouth advertising. In conclusion,
the Minotel turnovers take the elevator up while the general
expenses take the stairs.
Minotel is managed by its President Pierre Goy and its managing
director Marielle Goy. The annual
Assembly was held in Lausanne on 11 June. Pierre-André Pannatier of
Minotel Alpenblick in Zermatt
elected as a new Board member. This hotelier is also president of
the Valais Hotel Association.
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| Legend of the above picture : The MINOTEL Board from left to
right : Pierre-André Pannatier from Zermatt, Giancarlo Torriani
from Bivio, Lilian Perriard from Biasca, Pierre Goy and Marielle
Goy from Lausanne.
Press contact :
MINOTEL
Chemin Renou 2
CH - 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
Tel. +41 (0)21 310 0 800
Fax +41 (0)21 323 59 38
Pierre Goy or Marielle Goy
info@minotel.com
Lausanne, 11 June 2008
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| The MINOTEL chain on the upswing |
All of the hotel group’s activities henceforth controlled by the
Lausanne based head office – web-site sales boosted by leading-edge
technology – launching of new products – the international hotel
network emphasizing quality – upcoming change of management at the
Purchasing Office.
The association’s good results were recently approved in Aarau by a
satisfied Minotel General Assembly. The takeover of Minotel
International by Minotel Suisse having weighed on the 2005
financial year, business definitely returned back to normal with
increased performance throughout the chain’s different divisions.
Brand image, hotel network, reservation system and Internet server
are henceforth controlled by the Lausanne based head office.
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Booming Internet Reservations
The company web-site www.minotel.com that was also
acquired from Minotel International is thriving in line with a
spectacular growth rate of electronic portals (virtual tour
operators). The most important internet wholesalers welcomed
Minotel on board. This can be seen as a result of the group’s ever
more performing technology and web server both of which prevailed
in strict, international tests. At the Minotel head office, based
in Chemin Renou in Lausanne, a staff of 5 out of 23 is dedicated
full-time to the electronic distributors.
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Launching new products
A new bargain price that applies to the family segment, namely to
the constellation one adult / one child (under 12), is announced
for 1 January 2008. The new price is part of a strategy related to
the chain’s motto „moderate first-class hotels“.
Launching the Electronic Minotel-Voucher, is another example of the
group’s innovation capacity. This voucher includes the same
services as does the paper version, i.e. accommodation, breakfast,
taxes and service. The big difference is that one single Electronic
Minotel-Voucher, regardless of the number of booked nights, may
also include the reservation of one, two or three room types
(single, double or triple).
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| Reservation Boost for the First Half Year
The strong increase in room reservations ending 30 June 2007
primarily reflects an overall prosperous economic situation as well
as the company’s important electronic assets. Minotel reservations
are up 15.2% on the first half year 2006 and up 45.3% compared to
2005. As to Switzerland, the group so far booked an average 414
rooms per hotel in 2007. This figure increases when factoring in
the reservations received directly by the hotels.
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| A Network Undergoing Major Changes
Minotel is committed in improving its performance per hotel. Over
the years, the group put greater emphasis on the quality of its
hotel network rather than settling for a mere expansion strategy.
The Swiss chain, which has a capacity of 60 hotels, is now ready to
reinforce its offer. The international network counts worldwide 250
hotels in 30 countries. The group’s 2008 hotel guide will feature
25 new addresses in Germany as well as new hotels in Quebec,
Cameroon, Tokyo and in the very heart of Canton (China).
Furthermore, Minotel has secured an important agreement with
Booking.com, the biggest room supplier in the world (30'000 hotels,
8'000 destinations).
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| Purchasing Office : Pleasing Results and a Change of Management
Some 300 members are affiliated to the Minotel Purchasing Office,
also based in Lausanne. In 2006, they realized a turnover of 47
million Swiss Franks, a 0.8 million Swiss Franks more than during
the previous year. With the Purchasing Office’s current director,
Claude Marty, retiring, Roger Zimet will take over from 1 August
2007 on.
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Press contact :
MINOTEL
Chemin Renou 2
CH - 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
Tel. +41 (0)21 310 0 800
Fax +41 (0)21 323 59 38
Pierre Goy or Marielle Goy
info@minotel.com
Lausanne, 11 July 2007
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| Press Releases |
Online Press Releases in English are also available on the Minotel
website
www.minotel.com.
Should you wish to receive specific information about Minotel, you
are welcome to send us an e-
mail. We will be pleased to get back to you shortly.
Please find hereafter some pictures relating to Minotel events. You
can use them to illustrate your next article as they are copyright
free. Simply click on the picture to open it in printing quality
and save it on your hard disk.
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First hotel of the Minotel group in Asia, the Minotel Sino-
Swiss - very nice 4-star property - has the only outdoor pool in
Beijing. More information on
www.minotel.com/cn101.
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On request, the Minotel AlaGare serves a copious Chinese
breakfast buffet in its lovely "Swiss Chalet" dining room (from 6
persons). More information on
www.minotel.com/ch144.
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| Minotel Hotel Guide Switzerland with 80 carefully selected
hotels
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Fam trip
Minotel welcomes some professionals of America
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«My holidays this winter ? Several times Switzerland with Minotel»
Offer for winter 2003-04 valid in more than 60 Minotels
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«My 2003 holidays ? Several times Switzerland with Minotel»
Offer valid in 56 Minotels spread throughout the country
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| Minotel Suisse Hotel Guide 2003 with 107 carefully selected hotels
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| Minotel Suisse President 2003, Gaby Taugwalder (Zermatt)
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| Instant payment of travel agent commissions (10%)
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| Cycling Trails with transport of your luggage from hotel to hotel
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| Minotel Suisse Hotel Guide 2002 with 110 carefully selected hotels
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| Minotel Suisse President 2002, Giancarlo Torriani (Bivio GR)
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| Giancarlo Torriani, his team & Michael Schumacher
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