Hihotels by Hospitality International brought franchisees together last week for two Regional Conferences centered on owner feedback, operational performance and systemwide collaboration. The company expects insights from these franchisees to help the company enhance several support initiatives.
Held at Topgolf locations in Edison, N.J., and Spring, Texas, the Northeast and South-Central conferences followed the theme “Moving Up the Leaderboard.” The events included interactive discussions, personalized coaching, and peer-to-peer exchanges focused on practical ways to improve revenue, guest satisfaction and property performance across hihotels’ five economy brands.
During the “On the Fairway” session, franchisees engaged directly with hihotels leadership to discuss current programs and offer input on future brand initiatives.
“We listen closely to our franchisees because they are the people running these businesses every day,” Chris Guimbellot, president and CEO of hihotels, said in a statement. “These conferences give us an opportunity to hear what is working, what isn't, and where we can do more to help owners succeed.”
Based on discussions at the conferences, hihotels aims to further strengthen several key initiatives that support franchisees and elevate the performance of the entire system, including:
- Sales and operations education to help owners improve performance.
- Individualized property support focused on increasing revenue and controlling costs.
- Peer-to-peer communication through hihotels WhatsApp, where franchisees share successful strategies.
- The referral program to help expand the hihotels system.
- Ongoing collaboration between franchisees, the hihotels team, and the Franchisee Advisory Council.
The company also recognized the Legacy Circle franchisees who have been part of the hihotels family for more than 30 years, noting that it has a 97 percent retention rate and nearly 20 percent of owners have been in its in the system for three decades or more.
“That level of longevity is something we're extremely proud of,” Guimbellot said. “Our goal is to build relationships that work for both the hotel owner and hihotels for the long term.”