Alt Hotel: A Game Changing Concept for the Hospitality Industry?

At a recent MPI Toronto event I ran into Jodi Spivak, a fellow event professional I’d met on Twitter last year.  Jodi now works with Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square and she was eagerly telling us about the new hotel project she is also involved with at Pearson Airport.

From what I can tell, Alt Hotel is a game changing concept in the North American hospitality industry: they charge only ONE rate.  You read correctly – one rate, for every single room, every night of the year.  No volume discounts, no group discounts.

Jodi was telling me this in front of a Starwood Hotels director of sales, whose jaw dropped.  Imagine not having to play the negotiation game?  It’s ONE rate.  And not having to run to a revenue manager to haggle for a discount for a client who has more business down the road?  How refreshing!

Apparently there the Alt Hotel breaks a few more rules.  Employees can wear jeans on the job.  And they run a $1 per night contest where a guest who has reserved online wins one night of their stay for a buck!  I have not witnessed this new concept myself, but I sure will the next time my travels take me to the Montreal south shore.

The Germain Group first came up with the idea with their property in Brossard, QC.  They opened a second hotel in Québec City, and the Toronto property is slated to open in April 2012.

How soon before the copycats follow?  Judging from the face of that Starwood DOS, I say this is certain to be a game changer.