27th January 2014
Helder Pereira, Chairman of RBH, outlines his vision to make his company the stand-out performer in the competitive hotel management sector.
RBH is now the UK's largest independent hotel management company. How did it arrive at that position?
In May 2013, BDL Management and Redefine Hotels merged, combining the financial strength and operational experience of Redefine Hotels with the hotel management and development expertise of BDL.
What was the aim of the merger?
It was primarily a strategic move that was designed to help both companies grow at a faster rate. We view it as an extremely positive move that will enable us to be one step ahead of the trend for consolidation in Europe. Our vision is to make RedefineIBDL the leading European hotel management company.
We now see significant opportunities to grow our business, both through acquiring new contracts, and by partnering with owners and developers to deliver optimum performance from their assets, helping them to realise their full potential.
What are your future plans for expansion?
We want to set a new standard in the industry and maintain it through the delivery of true excellence at all levels, constant analysis of the customer experience, and primarily, the development of relationship-based trust that endures.
What is the broader strategy for RBH?
We now have huge depth within our management team that emphasises sustainability of human resources. We want to make RBH a major player, and maintaining the major infusion of investors that we have seen across the past decade will help us maintain that trajectory. That's why we are not afraid to invest in the best people and the best technology to back up our aims.
Most franchised hotels are managed by independent companies in the likes of the US, this trend has not yet materialised in the UK and Europe, meaning there is huge growth potential in the region, so we are confident of our projections.
How does your management stand out from the crowd?
We believe that the basis of good business is operational excellence, focus on performance and the management of key relationships, and that all else follows.
Certainly, we have pushed occupancy up while maximising profitability, optimising the owner's investment at every turn, through strict KPIs. We understand the requirements and are experienced at feeding back efficiently with information through a highly accountable, transparent system that emphasises live data analysis. RBH understands what the market wants and has the experience and knowledge to deliver it.