By Ellis O’Connor, Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows
Photo by Sondra Stocker
Like most Santa Monica businesspeople, I was thrilled to hear recent forecasts of a predicted upswing in international tourism this year. After a two-year decline, the number of travelers from overseas—representing roughly half our visitor population—is expected to tick upward in 2010 and truly rebound in 2011. We love tourists of all stripes in Santa Monica, but visitors from outside the U.S. are especially important to our local economy for three simple reasons. First, they’re not just in for the weekend; most have come quite a ways and tend to stick around for longer than domestic tourists do. Second, if they’re doing well enough to visit from overseas, they often have a little money to spend while they’re here. And three, they don’t bring cars, so they rely more on public transportation. Minimizing traffic helps everyone get around faster.
For hotels like Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, which I represent, international travelers and their extended stays are truly the lifeblood of our business. Though occupancy percentages are still in the high 70’s, Santa Monica hotel revenues are down from 15 to 18 percent compared to 2008. That means it’s essential that we are proactive about making Santa Monica a destination of choice for people in countries including England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau is doing just that. With PR and sales departments based in London and Dublin, SMCVB actively pursues meetings and incentives business from the to promote our city to journalists, tour operators, travel agents, giving influencers plenty to talk about when the subject of Santa Monica arises. The message to the world is, “good business can be done on the beach!”
Back in Santa Monica, we’re keenly aware that the best thing we can do is send our guests home happy. These days, the competition for travelers is fierce, so now more than ever we focus on providing a great guest experience. It seems to be working, as hotel room nights are up so far this year. Exciting pieces of annual business like the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open and the Los Angeles Marathon plus a visit from a large Australian incentive group are making hoteliers like us breathe a little easier. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned since the economic downturn began, it’s that aggressive marketing, and delivering a great product, is the only way to go!
