The Global Business Travel Association has said it will
endorse the postponement of the 2020 hotel RFP until 2021 due to the
coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the business travel industry.
The association said it made the decision based on
discussions among its US and European accommodations committees, travel buyers,
suppliers and more than 50 hotel companies. According to a poll of its buyer
members, more than 90 per cent favoured holding off on negotiations because so
many key individuals had been displaced by the outbreak of Covid-19. Along with
the RFP postponement, the GBTA is calling on hotels to roll all 2020 rates into
2021.
CEO Scott Solombrino commented: “GBTA usually does not get
involved in the hotel RFP process, but we made a special exception this year in
light of the widespread effects of the pandemic. We got involved at the request
of top travel buyers and the top 50 hotel brands. Our hope is that all parties
can agree to roll rates for this year and then negotiate new rates in 2021 once
we all have a better sense of the pandemic’s longer-term impact on the
industry.
“With so many people furloughed or laid off, and with so
much uncertainty about when travel can truly re-start, buyers and sellers have
neither the resources nor the knowledge right now to develop a mutually
beneficial hotel RFP. We hope that by pressing the pause button we can have a
more fruitful negotiation in 2021.”