Independence empowered
Being independent doesn’t mean going it alone, our mission is to empower quality independent hotels to compete on an equal footing with the major hotel chains and consortia. We provide the sales, marketing, distribution and technology solutions, coupled with exceptional levels of customer service delivered by our team of industry professionals. So whatever your measure of success as a commercially-minded hotelier is, we’re here to help deliver results that surpass the expectations of each and every hotel member.
Global Distribution System GDS
World-class distribution technology at your fingertips
Reach new customers and drive incremental revenue by connecting your hotel via our GDS representation solution to bookers that would otherwise not have access to your hotels rates and availability.
500,000 travel agencies and TMCs…
Choosing GDS distribution with Classic British Hotels you’ll unlock access to 500,000 travel agencies and TMCs worldwide, all of whom shop one of the top 4 Global Distribution Systems (GDS) – Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, and Wordspan.
Alternative Distribution Systems…
You’ll also unlock the door to millions of bookers who use websites, or internet distribution sites, powered by DHISCO. These sites include long-tail distribution with highly specific audience appeal such as niche-interest and high-end leisure channels.
600+ tour operators and DMCs…
Further, you’ll get access to an extra 600+ global and regional tour operators and DMCs via tour manager (iWTX), including distribution channels in new markets and territories (Asia, the Middle East, etc.).
Channel Connects….
We can also provide you with Channel manager distribution, allowing instant access to major demand travel partners and OTA providers.
Fully managed seamless distribution…
Working in partnership with you, we’ll put your property’s best foot forward. Uniquely, we provide fully managed content writing, image distribution, rate loading, and room rate mapping for the GDS, adhering to current best practices and drawing upon our depth of knowledge and expertise in both the industry and our individual disciplines.
Boost your GDS reservations…..
With world-class distribution technology at our disposal, as a Global partner of Sabre Hospitality Solutions we’ll connect people with your hotel in real time to deliver the right rates and inventory to your guests wherever they shop.
Drive new business opportunities
Global partnerships that profitably grow your business
World-class distribution, however, is only one side of our sales solution. The other side, of equal importance, is our strategic and our preferred agency partners covering corporate, TMC (Travel Management Companies) & Consortia.
Strategic agency partnerships…
These high-profile partnerships ensure that our hoteliers benefit from enhanced placement and business opportunity. Our partnerships include: Amex GBT, Clarity Business Travel, CWT, Calder to name but just a few…..
National sales team activity…
Even so, our national sales team champions the collection to keep your hotel front of mind with our strategic and preferred partners, as well as over a hundred other smaller travel agencies throughout the UK. To this end, we organise and run regular on-site appointments, FAM trips, office visits and online presentations to get you out in front of people who place room nights into your location.
Pay on performance Consortia
We partner with the leading global consortia partners to deliver business opportunities to our hotels. Our pay on performance model means that hotels are able to participate without annual fees for participation.
Fully managed RFP’s …
Further, processing thousands of RFPs across the collection – from new solicited bids, to qualified unsolicited bids and renewals – we’ll review declined RFPs and investigate outcomes to provide you with the guidance and support you need to maximise your hotel’s acceptance rate and win business from your competitor set.
Find out how we can profitably grow your business >>
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions
Grow you MICE business with CB
The global strategic agency agreements we have in place, backed by our national sales team, unlock opportunities for your hotel with the major international and UK-based corporate event management companies.
Dedicated meetings desk…
What’s more, we have established relationships with many of the smaller regional corporate event agencies, too, which book via our dedicated meetings desk.
Sales distribution network…
Upon joining, we’ll actively promote your hotel to tens of thousands of agents booking meetings and events in the UK. Our sales distribution network and digital marketing team work together to ensure your hotel stays front of mind with bookers.
On-site immersion weeks…
Immersion weeks (agency office takeovers), networking sessions and on-site visits (in-person presentations) are also pivotal in building awareness and consideration of your property.
Direct Corporate Clients…
We have a portfolio of direct corporate clients who trust us as their go-to business partner to place their next meeting and event. And, of course, as an integral part of membership we’ll champion your hotel at the industry’s leading networking events and exhibitions throughout the year.
Drive Direct Bookings
Booking Engine & Digital Marketing
In today’s fast-moving, technology-led market, it’s imperative you stay at least one step ahead of your competition and keep pace with consumers’ evolving expectations and (online) behaviour.
Drive direct bookings…
With CB Unite, we work alongside you to drive more business direct to your property. Harnessing our team’s experience and expertise (and that of our business partners, too), we help level the playing field through access to, and execution of, best-in-class technologies.
AI booking platform…
At the coalface of our CB Unite solution is the Allora.ai booking platform, fully managed and optimised by our in-house ecommerce team.
Digital marketing solutions…
Our single booking platform is then supported by number of tactical levers – our digital marketing activity driving visitors direct to your website and shoppers into your booking engine. These include search (metasearch, PPC & SEO), social (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and database (email & SMS), as well as promotional planning, enhanced account management and support on an ongoing basis.
The evolving search landscape…
Search engine marketing is rapidly evolving and can be a difficult landscape to navigate – with an ever-increasing emphasis placed on integrating AI-powered features. As an integral part of CB Unite, we can protect your hotel’s brand name with Google Ad’s keyword-based responsive search ads and their more recent Performance Max campaigns.
Further, we can ensure you directly appear alongside the OTAs in the aggregator results for real-time rate comparisons with a paid metasearch listing via Google Hotel Ads. By adopting the latest paid search and social commerce tactics, we’ll drive more bookings direct to your website at a low cost per action or acquisition.
Group Marketing Campaigns
Reach new audiences
In addition to working with you to build your direct business and improve your channel mix, you can also plug in to our group marketing campaigns and promotions running throughout the year.
Seasonal campaigns and one-off promotions…
From tactical seasonal campaigns designed to address your key need or low occupancy periods (winter sparkle and stay, for example), through to promotions to mark special occasions (the King’s Coronation, etc.), and always-on crowd-pleasers that help to stimulate demand and increase your incremental revenue.
Premium brand partnerships…
You’ll also get unrivalled access to our brand and media partnerships, which to date have included team-ups with premium British fashion brands (Barbour, Turnbull & Asser, Fairfax & Favor, etc), affinity lifestyle publications, multi-national travel companies, film and TV studios (The Crown, The BFG, Paddington 2, etc.) and book publishers (Penguin, Harper Collins, Hachette, etc.).
Strategic closed-user-groups…
Brand and affiliate marketing partnerships range from social-first promotions with Twinings and Bettys (what could be more classically British than tea?), through to iconic British institutions which put your property on the map – in front of multi-million-strong membership audiences who are in the mindset to book their next UK domestic break.
Testimonials
A hotelier’s view
GDS
“Classic British Hotels takes ownership of your distribution strategy – making decisions in partnership with you to increase your exposure to target markets and segments where there is the potential to make a real difference to your business.”
Tim Boyd
General Manager
Ramside Estates
Promotional Planning
“Working closely in this way under the CB Unite banner has meant that we’re always looking at least three months ahead. This is how it should be given our average lead time of around 50 days, with as much as a sixth of bookings made over 91 days out.”
Graham McGregor
General Manager
Hintlesham Hall Hotel
Database Marketing
“Classic provides the support we need, when we need it, reacting to a very changeable marketplace. With soaring energy bills, we needed last year’s winter offer to really work hard for us, and it did – bringing in over £100k led by our email marketing.”
Nick Gauntlett
Managing Director
Hythe Imperial Hotel
Be Part Of More…
Individuality required
At Classic British Hotels, quality is timeless. We understand that high standards are essential for building trust with our guests, and we take pride in upholding that promise.
We focus on exceptional 3 and 4-star hotels. To ensure a consistently high standard, we go beyond star ratings. Every hotel we partner with undergoes a thorough inspection by our team, and we leverage industry-leading online reputation tools to gain a deeper understanding of guest experiences. This combination of expert insight and real-world guest feedback allows us to assign a quality grade within each star rating category, giving you the most comprehensive picture possible.
A partnership is a two-way street, and one we take seriously. We work hand-in-hand with general managers, owners and hotel teams to surpass your expectations. Independent hotels that meet our quality criteria are invited to join a community of forward-thinking hoteliers who want the keys to profitable business and new technologies. As a member of Classic British Hotels, you’re in exceptionally good company.
Discover more
We’d love to discuss your requirements and share our success story.
Contact our development team:
Phill Allsopp
Managing Director
+44 (0)7593 446656
[email protected]
Liz Gibbon
Business Development Manager
+44 (0)7784 196508
[email protected]
