What kind of hotels do MBB consultants usually stay in?

Hi,

Interesting question. MBBs typically stay in 5 star hotel chains. Each firm will have their corporate tie-ups and approved rates with hotel chains, and whenever you are staffed in a new location/city, there will be a list of approved hotels you can book and stay at.

But as others have mentioned, it really depends on the case and location. I once stayed in a 2 star hotel equivalent, in the middle of Sri Lanka, and on the hotel door there was a sign that said “please do not open the windows because monkeys will come in”. So, YMMV :)

Benefits depend a bit on the case. In general MBB (vs competitors) won't budge too much on their policy as a negotiating tactic with clients. 

Generally, expect "normal" five star hotels - e.g. Sheraton, Westin. However, this varies massively. I know of a case in a small town in England where they had to stay in what was basically a B&B (only hotel around). Also know of cases in the middle east where they stay at the Ritz/Four seasons, or at the W in Barcelona. Keep in mind that even if you're staying in a glamorous five star hotel, it probably won't matter much as you won't be able to use much of the amenities. Biggest differentiating factor is service - very accommodating front desk staff, helpful concierge, etc.

Other of these types of perks/benefits are broad but include

• getting status with airlines & hotel chains and collecting airmiles/hotel points (which you can then use to finance very nice holidays)
• Credit card points (depending on choice of credit card) through high spend (on a normal travel case you can spend anywhere from 1k-3k a week depending on cost of flights and hotels)
• Expensing nice meals every week (not just on travel cases for dinner, but also team lunch in the office, etc.). You also save a significant amount of money on food this way
• In some cases, doing laundry at the hotel (usually cases that require more than a week at client site)

Over time, I have stopped thinking of these as perks of the job that are desirable. I think of them more as ways to partly compensate me for having to be away from home 3-4 days a week.

MBB stay at high-end SPG properties (well now Marriott). Where there is no SPG in town they stay at 4-5 star hotels. The reason for staying at big chain hotel is:

• From consultancy point of view: they usually get discount vs "regular" (not rack) rate of 20-50% and have ability to offer a perk to their staff in terms of ability to collect points to spend in their private life
• From consultant point of view: you get points to spend during your free time and get consistency of hotel chain hard and soft product across properties

Andrea

Hi,

Usually, you stay in the hotels of popular networks to collect the points. Check CPG and W.

There is no official limit, so you can expect the hotels of the very decent quality

Best