Raffles Hotels Looks To Stamp Its Brand On Key Destinations

Source : The Business Times, November 1, 2007

RAFFLES Hotels & Resort is present in 19 locations, including Paris, Macau, Dubai and Beverly Hills. And the hotel group is looking at more destinations to stamp the Raffles brand, recognised worldwide as 'a promise to provide the very best', says Diana Ee-Tan, the group's managing director.

Raffles Dubai: Besides the key consumer markets of US, UK, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, Raffles is also gaining more visibility in Russia, China and the Middle East

'Our priority markets would be world destinations most sought after by travellers,' she says. 'In the US, luxury hotels in key gateway destinations on the East and West coast remain in demand. Representation in these cities - like New York, Washington DC and San Francisco - will afford us brand extension and ability to tap into these markets to provide guests for our hotels in Asia.'

At the same time, Mrs Ee-Tan says Raffles will also consider Asian gateways like Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. In Europe, the obvious targets are London, Moscow, Prague and St Petersburg.

Currently, she says Raffles has 'tremendous appeal' in the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan and the group's sales are diversified evenly across North America, Europe and Asia.

'These have traditionally been the key consumer markets for Raffles and we are also gaining more visibility in Russia, China and the Middle East,' Mrs Ee-Tan says. 'We have also seen increasing demand from Latin American countries.'

On the push to venture abroad, she says: 'One of our goals is to have our brand represented in key gateway destinations and capital cities around the world. Our management strength and expertise in Singapore provides a solid base for regional and international expansion.'

Expanding overseas will help to broaden Raffles' customer base and spread out its earnings base.

'Having a diversified geographical base limits our exposure to the vagaries of being in just one geographic region as economic downturn in one area can be mitigated by upturn in another,' Mrs Ee-Tan says.

But she says that in building hotels abroad, Raffles has to be sensitive to the political, social and cultural milieu of the host country. 'Having a global portfolio means we need to adopt a 'Think Global, Act Local' management approach and behave sensitively in the destinations that we operate in.'

Yet it is critical that Raffles can replicate its DNA when it sets up shop overseas. 'We are mindful that brand building is not simply about putting a name to a building,' Mrs Ee-Tan says. 'It is therefore a priority for us, whenever we expand into a new market, to adhere to our brand standards in design and service, and operationalise our brand standards effectively.'

Raffles, started in 1989, has grown from a hotel group of 600 staff to 3,000, half of them based outside Singapore.

'In five years' time, we expect the staff strength to more than triple to 11,000 employees globally,' Mrs Ee-Tan says.