For a good understanding of prices in your event research, you only need a basic understanding of why hotel prices are so difficult to compare. After all, seemingly similar conference packages and general terms and conditions (GTC) often conceal completely different calculation logic and contractual conditions. In order to compare prices and make informed decisions, companies generally need three comparative offers. However, if this basis is not available due to inconsistent flat rates and general terms and conditions, a real price comparison becomes almost impossible and the basis for decision-making is uncertain. A clear understanding of these differences helps to classify offers more realistically.
Companies that regularly plan meetings, seminars or conferences are familiar with the challenge: every hotel works with its own general terms and conditions of business (GTCs), individual cancellation deadlines, different payment terms and often very variable package deals.
While one hotel already includes technology, drinks and room rental in its conference package, the next calculates these items individually and according to its own standards. This makes it almost impossible to compare prices.
This variety makes it difficult for companies to make binding and transparent calculations and it costs time, money and planning security.
Pricing in the hotel industry is a complex mix of fixed and variable costs. Staff costs, energy, cleaning and maintenance are fixed costs. Variable costs, on the other hand, are rates that depend on demand, season and occupancy. This type of pricing is also known as yield management.
MICE guests (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) play a central role here: they are particularly attractive for hotels as they pay around 17.5% more on average than leisure guests. At the same time, regular corporate events and congresses ensure a stable occupancy rate.
For companies, this means that hotel rates are flexible, dynamic and depend on when, how and under what conditions you book.
Digital booking platforms specializing in MICE have established a kind of "marketplace" for users (companies) and providers (hotels and venues) in order to connect them efficiently and in a way that works for both sides. As the pricing and contract logic of the hotel industry is traditionally very individual, platforms such as MICE Portal standardize central elements of the booking process and thus create comparability for companies.
The existing market is reversed: companies no longer have to adapt to hotel conditions, but hotels and locations become comparable based on standardized criteria. This makes the purchase of MICE services secure, transparent and efficient for both parties, from planning to invoicing.
A medium-sized company is planning a three-day sales conference for 60 people.
With a classic direct hotel inquiry: the company receives five offers, each with different content, cancellation rules and price structures. A comparison is hardly possible and the final decision takes weeks for all departments involved.
In comparison, the same process via booking platforms such as MICE Portal only takes a few days:
All offers are structured according to standardized criteria, contain clear flat rates and can be compared directly. The decision is based on comparable data and not on interpretations. This enables quick decisions to be made, which benefits the company just as much as the hotel or location.
For companies, it means considerable time savings thanks to standardized offers, transparent comparability of prices, services and general terms and conditions as well as predictable costs and greater costing certainty. And this is the basis for any standardized process.
On the other hand, hotels and venues benefit from reduced administrative costs for inquiries and bookings, higher occupancy rates thanks to better visibility with companies and lower risks thanks to standardized packages and contract terms. It also opens up the possibility of promoting long-term partnerships without having to respond individually to each inquiry. Overall, platforms such as MICE Portal ensure a more efficient, transparent, secure and mutually beneficial MICE purchasing process.
Pricing in the MICE segment is inherently complex, influenced by criteria such as occupancy, demand, season or target group. However, the real challenge for companies lies in the market itself, where no comparability of hotel and location offers and general terms and conditions is regulated.
Standardized platforms such as MICE Portal provide a remedy here: they enable fair, transparent and comparable conditions for companies as well as hotels or locations and thus fundamentally change the current market logic.