The guidebook business isn’t much of a standalone one these days, as any publisher will tell you. It takes multiple revenue streams beyond the bookshelf: from licensing to coffee table books to direct bookings.
Mr & Mrs Smith co-founders Tamara Heber-Percy and James Lohan know this last part well. They turned their best-selling hotel guide into a booking site before the publishing side became unsustainable on its own. “Publishing was even tougher and harder than the travel agency business because the books were on a downward trajectory,” Lohan told the audience at Skift Forum Europe earlier this month.
The spark of the idea came not from a smart publisher, but from a hotelier who casually mentioned to Heber-Percy that “you’re 40% of my booking business.”
In their discussion with Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte they discuss the competitive marketplace, hotel loyalty, and what couples really want when they get away for the weekend.
You can watch the full discussion below.
Read more coverage of Skift Forum Europe 2017.
At this year’s inaugural Skift Forum Europe in London, travel leaders from around the world gathered for a days of inspiration, information, and conversation on the future of travel.
Visit our Skift Global Forum site for more details about 2017 events, including our New York City event September 26-27.
Subscribe to Skift Pro to get unlimited access to stories like these
{{monthly_count}} of {{monthly_limit}} Free Stories Read
Subscribe NowAlready a member? Sign in here
Subscribe to Skift Pro to get unlimited access to stories like these
Your story count resets on {{monthly_reset}}
Already a member? Sign in here
Subscribe to Skift Pro to get unlimited access to stories like these
Already a member? Sign in here