2013 GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE

1. Select Service Sales - Group Forecasting 2013 GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE

2. Select Service Sales - Group Forecasting - Agenda • The Importance of Accurate forecasting • Sales Responsibilities • Current Processes • New Processes • Table Exercise • Terms and Definitions • Quiz review 2013 GM Conference

3. Forecasting Quiz Please complete the quiz Individual exercise Take 3 minutes to complete We will refer to the answers at the end of the Session

4. The importance of accurate Forecasting Accurate Forecasting equals stronger Market Share Owners rely on accurate data to conduct business with investors White Lodging makes strategic decisions based on forecasted information Hotel Operation Teams plan based on forecasted information White Lodging is creating tools that use forecasting data to help us make better decisions (AMP, BE, GRC, etc)

5. Sales Responsibilities “Just get Delphi right” – This the existing mantra However, Sales Leaders have more responsibility to Forecasting than simply getting Delphi populated Sales has an increasingly important role in ensuring we forecast accurately

6. Current Process Current State: Sales Leaders are populating Delphi with group information Agreed Blocked Forecast Pickup Process does not address items such as: PMS symmetry, Frequency of Forecast update, and “Scrub Meeting” expectations

7. Delphi Management Agreed: Rooms entered in the Agreed section should reflect the number of rooms in the signed Group contract. The number of rooms entered into the Agreed section will automatically populate with that same number in the Forecast and Blocked sections.  The Blocked and Forecast sections must then be updated as outlined below. The Agreed number never changes unless there is a contractual or addendum change to the contract. Blocked: When applicable, gather historical information and any other data for all groups that will allow you to most accurately estimate what the group will actually pick up. The Blocked number should be based on history or attrition, whichever is greater. In the absence of history or attrition or if the Group is new, use the following guidelines to establish your Blocked number: Social and government groups netted back 25 - 50% from the original Agreed group room block. Corporate or Association groups netted back 10% - 20% from the original Agreed group room block. These group numbers should be entered into the Blocked section of the booking in Delphi when the block is first built.

8. Delphi Management Forecast: The initial entry for the Forecast section should match the Blocked field. Beyond that, the Forecast should be updated during maintenance. Run a group pick up report from the property management system or reservations system. Use this information to forecast how many rooms you anticipate the block will actualize and update the Forecast section accordingly. This process of “scrubbing” or “washing” should be completed once a week until the group arrival. Additionally, the Forecast section will be extracted by Revenue Management and be used in the yield management system and total hotel forecast. Pickup After the group checks out, you must enter how many group rooms actually picked up in the group. This information should be entered into the Pick Up section. This ensures accurate information for future business and provides an accurate pace.

9. New Processes Group Booking Process – identifies specific timelines for Sales Leader to meet in order to ensure proper Group management Weekly GM Sales Accountability enhancement – Incorporates designated time to “scrub” your forecast for near and long term

10. Group Booking Process Identical Forecast Group numbers are entered in the Property Management System and in the Delphi Forecast field. These updates are continuous until the Arrival Date. Please use the sliding scale below for frequency of contact with the customer: 360+ days prior to Arrival Date, discussions with customer every 60 days to discuss pick up 180+ days prior to Arrival Date, discussions with customer every 45 days to discuss pick up 90+ days prior to Arrival Date, discussions with customer every 30 days to discuss pick up 30+ days prior to Arrival Date, discussions with customer every 14 days to discuss pick up > After each customer conversation, the Group anticipated pickup should be updated in the Forecast field in Delphi and the Property Management System.

11. Table Exercise Continuous conversations with the customer Identify questions to ask the customer to gain an understanding of their anticipated pick up. Please take 5-7 minutes to discuss and right down ideas for sharing Please write legibly as I will be collecting these at the end

12. Group Booking Process Sales Team Member to release unused rooms in the block to general inventory per the Cutoff Date in the Contract. Requests by the customer for additional rooms at the Group’s contracted rate are granted at the discretion of the hoteland are not guaranteed after the Cutoff date has passed.

13. Delphi Autotraces

14. Weekly GM/Sales Accountability Enhancement Forecasting The Group Forecast numbers should be reviewed and applicable changes should be made in TM1 Weekly – General Manager and Sales Team should be reviewing and changing the next 90 days in the future Monthly – General Manager and Sales Team should be reviewing and changing the next 18 months. This review must take place prior to the 7th of each month One Yield will be updated by Revenue Manager

17. Table Exercise Identify additional factors to analyze or consider that impact your To-Be’s during your weekly “scrub”? Please take 5-7 minutes to discuss and right down ideas for sharing Please write legibly as I will be collecting these at the end

18. Quiz Answers Let’s take a few minutes to review the answers to our Quiz!

19. Thank you 2013 GENERAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE