MICE Hotels: A complete guide for hotel owners

What is a MICE hotel?

A MICE hotel is a property designed to host Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions—the four pillars of corporate event travel. These hotels offer purpose-built spaces and services that business guests need: conference rooms, breakout areas, event technology like AV systems, and on-site accommodation for attendees. The acronym has nothing to do with unwanted pests.

MICE hotels typically have a strong focus on logistics and operational workflows, to ensure every step of the guest experience and event – check-in, room allocation, session times, socialising, check-out – runs smoothly. They often employ dedicated event coordinators who work closely with organisers, customising room layouts, managing schedules and handling issues as they arise. The segment is represented globally by industry associations that connect venues with event planners and set standards for international meetings. 

Almost any hotel can turn itself into a MICE hotel, and enjoy the extra revenue that a focus on this sector can deliver. Ancillary services and business-friendly extras – event hire, catering, coworking spaces, post-event tours, room service – can make corporate events significant revenue generation opportunities.

But in order to secure this business, you need to create an environment where companies can host productive, high-impact gatherings while giving attendees a comfortable place to stay.

Why is MICE important for hotel revenue?

MICE events generate high-value bookings, fill large room blocks and can drive significant spend on meeting spaces, catering and ancillary services. Corporates often make mid-week and off-peak bookings well in advance, offering MICE hotels enviable financial stability.

For hotels that focus on the space, MICE can contribute 20-30% of total revenue, and in some cases as much as 40%. And over 80% of surveyed hotels in APAC expect MICE revenues to continue to grow.

MICE hotels enjoy a multiplier effect. Events bring together a number of revenue streams: event planning, venue hire, AV equipment, catering, drinks and accommodation. Corporate groups tend to spend more per guest than leisure travellers, especially when events run over several days. And as mentioned above, these valuable bookings are often made mid-week, and aren’t affected by typical seasonality – in fact, they’re more likely to occur during lulls.

MICE bookings can also enhance a hotel’s market visibility, as successfully hosting well-known organisations can help to position your property as a trusted venue for big-name events.

Key takeaways

• MICE delivers high-value advance bookings that can generate significant revenue during otherwise quiet mid-week and off-peak periods.
• Events create multiple revenue streams and boost overall spend.
• Hosting major events enhances a hotel’s MICE reputation and helps to attract more corporate business.

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What are examples of MICE in the hotel industry?

A MICE hotel can host a wide range of business events. It’s all there in the acronym: MICE events include meetings, incentive trips, conferences and exhibitions. Common examples include off-site board meetings, corporate retreats, annual conferences, trade shows and product launches – all events that demand specialised spaces, services, equipment and on-site accommodation.

In practice, MICE can essentially cover any and every event that an organisation might want to hold:

• Meetings: Board meetings, AGMs, strategy sessions, sales meetings, training workshops, stakeholder updates.
• Incentives: Reward trips, team-building retreats, recognition events, hosted VIP experiences, competitive innovation sprints/hackathons.
• Conferences: Annual conferences, industry summits, academic conferences, multi-day seminars, thought leadership events.
• Exhibitions: Trade shows, product showcases, expos, consumer fairs, large-scale industry displays.

MICE events can cover everything from small, one-day meetings to multi-day conventions. The latter will often include a social element, whether simple post-event drinks or a full-blown gala. Add in the need for on-site accommodation, and a hotel is offered a wealth of opportunity to add value to any event it holds, and to generate serious revenue.

Key takeaways

• MICE encompasses a wide range of business events, from simple meetings to large-scale exhibitions.
• Events can vary in size and duration, and often combine work with social or networking activities.
• Understanding the full range of MICE events helps hotels identify which segments suit their facilities, and where to invest in capabilities to capture more corporate business.

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What features does a successful MICE hotel need?

A successful MICE hotel needs flexible event spaces, modern technology, dedicated coordination staff, and seamless operations. These features help hotels win corporate business and deliver events that drive repeat bookings. 

MICE stats that matter

• A global survey found that more than a quarter of all companies allocate over 50% of their travel budget to MICE-related activities.
• How do you win this business? A focus on the meetings element can help, as this represents the most prominent component of MICE, accounting for around 39-45% of total MICE revenue.
• Green venues are now the norm with nearly 60% of MICE event organisers saying sustainability is a priority, and about 78% of MICE venues holding some form of sustainability certification.

Given the insights above, how do you turn your property into a compelling MICE proposition for corporate clients looking for somewhere to hold their next event? The following features are a great place to start.

1. Flexible spaces

Successful MICE hotels offer adaptable meeting and event spaces that can be reconfigured easily. Movable partitions, modular furniture and multi-purpose rooms allow your venue to host anything from small workshops to large conferences. By breaking up the space you can even hold multiple events at the same time.

2. Modern technology rooms

High-quality audiovisual systems, fast and reliable Wi-Fi, and advanced presentation tools are essential features of MICE hotels. Technology-equipped rooms need to be able to support hybrid meetings, live streaming and interactive sessions. Your AV systems can also double as entertainment when work is traded for play at the end of an event day.

3. Events team

A dedicated events team helps clients plan, coordinate and execute their events successfully. By offering your expertise in logistics, design, scheduling and problem-solving, you ensure the event goes off without a hitch, ensuring the business books with you for their next event. You also generate extra revenue through a valuable ancillary service.

4. Food & beverage for events

Tailored catering options, from coffee breaks to gala dinners, offer your clients a convenient way to enhance the event experience for attendees, and offer your hotel an opportunity to make more money. Menus should be diverse and adaptable, able to accommodate whatever dietary requirements attendees might have.

5. Pricing packages

Transparent, flexible and complete event packages can seriously simplify budgeting for your corporate clients. By bundling room hire, AV equipment, catering and accommodation into a range of event package options, you make your hotel more attractive for organisers.

6. Room blocks for delegates/organisers

Room allocation is key to a successful event, particularly if you’re hosting non-event guests alongside the corporates. Reserved room blocks should group attendee accommodation together, and be conveniently positioned close to key event spaces.

7. Sustainability credentials

Corporate clients increasingly require venues to demonstrate environmental responsibility. Green certifications, waste reduction programmes, and sustainable catering options are becoming baseline expectations rather than differentiators, particularly for large organisations with ESG reporting requirements.

Key takeaways

• Flexible, technology-equipped spaces are essential for hosting MICE events.
• Event planning services, flexible catering options, clear package pricing and room blocks make your hotel a tempting choice.
• Meetings are the most common ‘MICE’ event, and sustainability is becoming an increasing focus for corporate clients.

“Thanks to SiteMinder, we are now working much more efficiently. I have seen an increase in direct bookings, the revenue has increased, and it has reduced human error. Doing my job is now more enjoyable and easier.”

Kris Vanaerschot,

Chief Commercial Officer

Helios Hotels

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What software helps MICE hotels manage events?

Event management systems and property management platforms are the core software categories MICE hotels use to coordinate complex events. These tools centralise event planning, room blocks, catering, AV coordination, and scheduling—streamlining client communication and providing real-time visibility across all moving parts.

They help to streamline processes, reduce errors and improve the client experience. They free hotel staff from much of the low value busywork to focus on delivering a seamless event.

Another type of tool is used to win MICE business. SiteMinder, for example, allows a hotel to connect with the GDSs and corporate travel managers that form the main sources of new business clients. As a total property management platform, SiteMinder also helps you to deliver the sort of event experience that will have corporate clients returning for their next event.

For hotel groups managing MICE across multiple properties, centralised technology becomes even more critical. A platform like SiteMinder allows operators to coordinate availability, pricing, and distribution strategies across their portfolio—deploying rate plans and campaigns to all properties simultaneously while maintaining visibility through unified reporting. SiteMinder’s GDS connectivity also ensures your entire portfolio is visible to the travel agents and corporate bookers who source accommodation for group and event business.

Frequently asked questions about MICE hotel

What are examples of MICE tourism?

Examples of MICE tourism include corporate conferences, incentive reward trips, trade shows, product launches, and team-building retreats. These events combine business objectives with travel, often requiring dedicated venues, accommodation blocks, and event services.

Who attends MICE events?

MICE events are typically attended by employees, industry professionals, corporate stakeholders, exhibitors, and invited partners. Attendee numbers can range from a dozen participants at a board meeting to thousands at a major trade exhibition.

Why are MICE important in the hospitality industry?

MICE events deliver high-value bookings during typically quiet periods—mid-week stays and low-season dates that leisure travel rarely fills. They also generate multiple revenue streams from a single client: accommodation, venue hire, catering, and AV services.