SLH continues its outstanding success in 2013 with steady business growth – an increase of 6% year on year in room nights booked, despite the average rate falling by 4% year on year to $330.

Our customers continue to watch their pennies and cents and are always looking for ‘value for money'. Following the best year in 2012, not only has SLH seen exciting new properties from around the world join the portfolio, there has also been fantastic growth in Club Membership and we are anticipating the launch of a new Chinese website which will serve to increase Club Members further.

"In 2012 we had a lot to talk about – to have our most successful year to date in the middle of a global recession is no small feat. The team this year has lofty goals, and that is to build on the success of 2012. Fortunately we are reaching those goals and the main reason is our guest recognition club. Our Club, with a 3 tier structure including Special, Loved and Honoured levels, gives members fantastic benefits the more they stay with us. We have welcomed over 19,000 Club Members in Q1 this year; that is a 52% increase on last year bringing us to a grand total of over 216,000 Club Members. Also, reservations from members have grown by 11% from last year, which is remarkable," comments Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer for SLH.

11 New Properties Join the SLH Family

Between January and March 2013, 11 new properties have joined the SLH brand; this includes 6 properties in Europe, 1 in the Americas and 3 in the Asia Pacific region.

There has been significant demand and growth in Switzerland and Italy with properties such as the Grand Hotel Waldhaus and sister property Villa Silvana in Switzerland as well as Hotel Ai Reali and Magna Pars Suites joining the SLH portfolio in Italy.

Other new properties include: Torrablenc and Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Spain, Hotel Ella in Texas, Pangulasian Island Resort in the Philippines, Pins De La Brume in China and Jungle Beach in Sri Lanka. SLH is also excited about EMEA hotel openings this year in Tel Aviv and Nairobi as well hotels across the Americas including: Nicaragua, Martinique, New York, The Galapagos Islands, Colombia and Hawaii.

Unfulfilled Searches

SLH monitors all unfulfilled searches on SLH.com. "This is when a customer searches for a hotel in a country or city where we do not have a hotel. With over 4 million visits to SLH.com last year, this is a good indication of which areas would be interesting for us to explore further. We've seen the results change over the years as we add new hotels. Our number one result, which has been the case for the entirety of 2012, is Hawaii. That is why we are so excited to announce our new hotel in Hawaii which will open in September. Following Hawaii, in order of most sought after destinations, we see Ibiza, Las Vegas, Bahamas, Bermuda, Tokyo, Sydney, Washington, Fiji and Montreal. In many of these locations we do not have a hotel in the brand because we won't add a hotel just for the sake of it. Our brand depends on us choosing only the finest, small, independent hotels around the world, and we are exploring these destinations at present," explains Paul Kerr.