About Ben
Ben started his hotel career in 2008 working in the global sales offices for large global chains like Starwood Hotels and Hyatt Hotels. After working as a DOSM at 2 hotels he decided to start 8th Floor in 2018 with 2 industry friends. 8th Floor is a global hotel representation company offering sales, marketing and consultancy services to their hotel clients. 8th Floor now represent 40 global properties from USA, UK, Europe & Beyond.
Ben Couldridge
Managing Partner at 8th Floor
About 8th Floor
What does a hotel representation company do? Why should hotels and corporate clients use one?
We act as a global sales office for independent hotels/chains that are not part of large global hotel brands, so clients can come to us for any of their global hotel needs and we are their one-stop-shop to help with any questions, proposals, sales activities and events to promote our properties to the UK market.
What makes 8th Floor different from other representation companies?
8th Floor only works with hotels that have a story to tell, are properties we have tried & tested, and would want to stay in ourselves. Each has something special to offer and complements our brand in the luxury lifestyle space. Apart from the incredible hotel brands we work with, what really sets us apart is our team is based in UK, Italy and Switzerland, offering representation in UK & Europe. Plus, we cover all market segments (MICE, Leisure, Corporate, Entertainment & Sports) whereas most representation companies are UK only and work solely in the MICE or Leisure segment.
What are clients looking for in 2024/2025? Have you been seeing any trends?
Experience is key! Gone are the days when a meeting room and a DDR lunch would suffice, people want to feel something and have their team connect. Clients are looking for new locations & destinations with more to offer from team activities, to out of the box setups or retreat destinations. We are seeing more demand for secondary cities/locations and also somewhere they have not been before or for a long time.
The top 5 destinations we are asked for are;
- London – we have 10 London properties in our portfolio, all very different
- Mallorca – the new Ibiza for 2024/2025
- Barcelona – always a great option
- Lisbon – coastal Lisbon is popular
- Prague – people have not been for years, so time to go back
What are your plans for the future?
We are looking to grow our team in UK & Europe add a few new key European destinations to our portfolio like Rome, Amsterdam and Madrid as see there is a lot of demand and also more exotic locations like Iceland, Dubai and USA.
If you were to pick a few properties to highlight, which would it be?
- Kimpton Aysla Mallorca – a refreshing take on resort life
- W Costa Navarino – an unparalleled experience of exclusivity
- The Broadwick Soho – characterful as its storied neighbourhood
- TOO Hotel Paris – a cloud-nine experience over Paris
Want to organise an event at one of Ben’s properties? Get in touch with us.
