Phoenix Releases the 2015 US Hotel SCORES™ Meeting Planners Study, Revealing Meeting Planner Reward Programs Lack the Broad Awareness that Frequent Guest Programs Have

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Phoenix Marketing International

May 14, 2015, 11:45 ET


Rhinebeck, NY (PRWEB) May 14, 2015 -- Phoenix Marketing International, a global marketing services firm, today released the 2015 US Hotel SCORES™ Meeting Planners Study. The study reveals that Meeting Planner Reward (MPR) programs lack the same broad awareness prevalent amongst many popular Frequent Guest Programs (FGP). With 95% of meeting planner respondents actively participating in FGPs, only 65% of the same audience are members of MPR programs, and many are not taking advantage of the programs’ benefits.

“While rules around the use of rewards points varies from company to company, it is clear that meeting planners value and have more awareness around FGP more so than MPR programs,” said John Antonello, Managing Director, Travel, Leisure & Entertainment Group. “Hotel companies have gone to great lengths to create these programs, and our research tells us that they need to actively work on creating more awareness around their value and how meeting planners can benefit and reap rewards from membership and accruing points.”

According to the research, Hilton HHonors Event Planner Bonus Program (66%) and Marriott Rewarding Events (63%) have the greatest level of awareness. Loews MVP (11%) and Starwood Preferred Guest Pro (6%) fall to the bottom of the pack with the least amount of awareness. The research also found that the offerings from Hilton and Marriott are the biggest threats to most MPR programs. If a meeting planner belongs to other MPR programs, it is highly likely that they are also a member in either the Hilton or Marriott programs.

Other key findings include:

  • 60% of meeting planners are members of BOTH a MPR and FGP.
  • Among current MPR members who booked one or more meeting events at a hotel, 53% earned MPR points, 42% earned FGP points and 5% did not earn any points at all.
  • More than one-third of meeting planners chose to earn points with a consumer FGP because they are allowed to earn points and use them for company rewards (37%) and are able to use the points for personal travel (36%).
  • Although MPR members tend to concentrate their meetings/events within their active programs, the brands associated with meeting planner programs from Hilton and Marriott come in as a secondary choice for many members.

Methodology:
The 2015 US Hotel SCORES™ Meeting Planners study was fielded on March 10, 2015 and the last interview was completed on March 15, 2015. The study was conducted online with 1001 active members in hotel meeting planner reward (MPR) and hotel frequent guest programs (FGP). This report contains the 1,001 active member interviews: 648 MPR members; 952 FGP members. These individuals represent 1,423 hotel MPR memberships and 2,679 hotel FGP memberships.

To schedule a call with the researchers and learn more about the US Hotel SCORES™ Meeting Planners Study contact Marisa Katz (Marisa(at)larkinvolpatt(dot)com).

About Phoenix Marketing International
Phoenix Marketing International is a premier global marketing services firm providing its clients with tailored, unique insight into their customers and markets via a wealth of existing proprietary data. Coupled with custom research products and the latest qualitative and quantitative techniques, Phoenix has extensive research experience across the Automotive, Financial Services, Healthcare, Converged Technology and Media, Restaurant, and Travel/Leisure sectors. From the strategic definition of consumer needs to effective marketing program implementation, PMI provides profit-driven market solutions and is committed to maximizing a client’s Return on Marketing Investment (ROM by leveraging the ability to attract and retain new business through cost efficient data acquisition and statistical modeling techniques. Founded in 1999 by Chairman and CEO, Allen R. DeCotiis and President, Martha Rea, Phoenix Marketing International has established its global presence with offices in major locations such as New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Detroit, and London.

Kristin Johnson, Phoenix Marketing International, +1 845-876-8228 Ext: 308, [email protected]