Following the addition of 45 new properties to its global portfolio so far this year, Worldhotels now has more than 100,000 rooms worldwide. At the same time, business has been surging for one of the world’s leading groups of independent hotels, with Worldhotels reporting double digit growth in room nights and revenue for the first eight months of 2010.

In figures just released, the group reports total room night production up 34 per cent for the first eight months of 2010, compared to the same period last year. At the same time, gross room revenue (EUR) grew by 49 per cent. Even compared to the first eight months of 2008, the year before the recession hit, the group gained 18 per cent in room nights and 15 per cent in gross room revenue.

‘The year got off to a flying start and simply carried on from there,’ said Worldhotels Managing Director Robert Hornman. ‘We are greatly encouraged that all our efforts on sales, marketing and e-commerce are paying off and reflected in a very strong set of results for the first half of the year.’

Worldhotels’ proactive business-driving initiative, launched at the beginning of the year under the banner HIGH 5, has also been rated a success and a key element behind the positive results.

The Global Corporate Value Programme, guaranteeing discounts on worldwide room rates, led to a doubling of corporate bookings. HIGH 5 also incorporated gaining Platinum Hotel Status with American Express travel agencies, resulting in 22 per cent extra rooms booked through Amex. And the consumer promotion ‘Two nights and more’ generated 40,000 additional room nights, worth more than EUR 5.5 million.

In addition, the HIGH 5 MICE incentive – offering bookers gift vouchers for every EUR 5,000-worth of business – increased sales leads by 25 per cent. As a result of this success, the MICE incentive is being continued until the end of 2010. MICE agents can now not only receive gift vouchers but can also opt for donating to the humanitarian organization CARE.

Worldhotels’ new charity incentive benefiting CARE was welcomed by the group’s MICE clients. ‘With this initiative we can combine a trusted partnership with contributing to a good cause’, says for example Mathias Kirchgässner, Managing Director of the events agency all about livecom.