British hoteliers are "too insular" and need to look outside their own industry to seek ways to improve their businesses, according to a leading hotelier.
Peter Lederer, managing director of Gleneagles hotel, said that the Auchterarder hotel had made a number of improvements after studying the way other businesses operate.
"We tend to get caught up in our own area and benchmark against other hotels. Sometimes you need to expose yourself to other industries," he said.
Lederer cites improved accounts and billing procedures through working with mobile phone company Motorola, and improved marketing strategies by studying systems to monitor buying decisions used by supermarkets.
Responses from feedback cards left in rooms could be misleading, Lederer said.
"A certain type of person fills them in and you only get the best and worst, which is not enough for in-depth research," he said.
Gleneagles employs a market researcher to interview guests for about half-an-hour each month.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 27 January - 2 February 2000