Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has introduced the Sonesta F1RST Meetings Collection, a group of 25 hotels under The Royal Sonesta and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts brands. The properties sit in city centers, resort destinations, and convention markets across the U.S. and Canada. Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Toronto are among the markets included. Each hotel offers between 200 and 500 guest rooms.
The collection targets what the company calls the underserved middle market. Meeting spaces at each property range from 4 to 26 rooms with 10,000 to 65,000 total square feet. Across the full network, the hotels offer a combined 500,000 square feet of event space. Sonesta says the spaces were built for mid-size programs that move between cities.
How the Program Works
Sonesta plans to act as a single coordinated partner across all 25 hotels. A planner running events in several cities would work with one dedicated team of meeting and event professionals rather than separate sales offices. The company says that team focuses on fast decisions and tailored solutions. The aim is to cut down the back-and-forth that often comes with booking multiple properties.
The name F1RST stands for Flexible, Innovative, Reliable, Swift, and Transparent. Sonesta describes the program as a mix of network reach and personal service. Planners also earn Sonesta Travel Pass Planner Perks at a rate of two points for every dollar spent. The hotels offer concession packages that Sonesta says were designed around planner priorities.
“This new program is designed to help planners elevate the meeting experience with Sonesta’s high-touch support, seamless execution, and specially designed packages,” said Jim Mooney, Vice President of Sales for the Managed Portfolio at Sonesta. He added that the goal is to make planning easier. Sonesta says the single-partner setup should appeal to events of all types.
What Planners Can Expect
Sonesta lists several benefits for those who book through the collection:
- A consistent experience across multiple locations
- Flexible options for mid-size and multi-city programs
- Personalized service without the complexity of a large chain
- Incentives and efficiencies that add value
- Simpler planning with less risk for repeat events
The repeat-event angle matters for planners who run the same program in different cities over the course of a year. Using one network can mean the same contacts, the same packages, and the same standards each time. Sonesta says this approach reduces risk.
Sonesta ranks as the eighth-largest hotel company in the U.S., according to Smith Travel Research. It operates roughly 1,100 properties with about 100,000 guest rooms across 13 brands in 11 countries. The company owns, manages, or franchises hotels under names that include The Royal Sonesta, The James, Sonesta Select, Sonesta ES Suites, and Red Lion Hotels. The new meetings collection draws from two of those brands, The Royal Sonesta and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts.
