Guidebook fears over relais plans
Moves by hotel marketing consortium Relais & Chateaux to stop its members belonging to any other marketing organisation may prevent hotels appearing in more than one guidebook.
Relais has already written to its 410 member hotels around the world and aims to have changes to its rules approved at a members' conference at the end of next month.
To ensure its rule change is legal under European Union competition law, Relais approached the European Commission (EC)for clearance.
"We have applied for an exemption so we can impose single membership," said Franáois Laustriat, the administration manager at Relais's Paris headquarters.
The aim was to clarify the position both for member hotels and their guests, he claimed. "It's too confusing for the guests of a hotel to find the same hotel promoted by lots of organisations."
But the approach to the EC has led to fears among guide publishers that Relais members may be barred from appearing in guidebooks other than those published by Relais.
Andrew Warren, managing director at Johansens, said: "The definition of a marketing group is very loose and may apply to published guides."
He has written to the EC seeking clarification as to whether this ruling, if approved, would affect independent publishers such as Johansens.
Willy Hélin, a spokesman for the EC competition directorate, told Caterer: "From a first check it appears that the so-called exclusivity rule does not apply to guides published by others."
However, to discuss this and other matters surrounding Relais's application, a meeting of representatives of Relais, the EC and other interested third parties is scheduled for November.
Relais's proposal has also come under fire for being "anti-competitive". Rival hotel consortium Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLHW) has condemned the attempt to exclude all other marketing groups.
"Marketing groups such as us and Relais provide options for small independent hotels," said Andrew Mackenzie, director of SLHW's management company Hill, Goodridge & Associates.
