Trending Stories
The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2, 2024
CATEGORY NAME
The Real Effect of COVID-19
H. Keith Thompson | May 7, 2020
Public interviews versus private interviews By H. Keith Thompson, Principal Avison Young Hospitality Group Publicly accessible interviews seldom tell the real story. The real story is only garnered through private conversations that are kept confidential. The reason is simple; no CEO wants to discuss publicly the real time performance, cash position, losses and contingency plans inherent in their company’s strategy. They have peers, competitors, investors and lenders who simply do not want this level of confidential information available for public consumption. Their public message is one of hope and optimism, but more times than not
INTELITY and JOINGO Partner to Drive Contactless Engagement for Casino-Resorts
INTELITY | May 7, 2020
The two industry leaders team up to help gaming resorts minimize physical touch while maximizing guest engagement Los Angeles, CA (May 7, 2020) - INTELITY®, the provider of the travel industry’s most comprehensive guest engagement and staff management platform, announced today a new partnership with JOINGO, a leading-edge mobile technology provider for the gaming industry. The integration streamlines and connects every part of the casino-resort experience, empowering properties to future-proof their business by limiting physical contact while still engaging visitors as both a guest and player. “The value of creating seamless, touch
Following the Theme Park Model for Covid Safety
Larry Mogelonsky | May 6, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) We all know that the COVID-19 will stipulate a holistic rethink of hospitality cleaning SOPs and how we accommodate new (and possibly permanent) social distancing or contactless regulations. When travel restrictions start to relax, though, how can a hotel decide which procedures to implement onsite so as to find a harmony between staying wholeheartedly welcoming like before and not turning a property into a lifeless dystopian hellscape? This balance will take lots of planning and training, so the time to start discussing it is now, especially given that we have the time to put in
Tourism Tidbits: After the Virus Passes: Travel Tips for Tourism Professionals
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow | May 6, 2020
By Dr. Peter Tarlow During the last three months, tourism has basically come to a halt. Organizations and business cancelled meetings one after another, hotels suffered from low to no occupancy, airlines faced their biggest challenge ever, and trade show ceased to exist. Yet despite the hardships of the last few months, slowly but surely tourism will be reborn and its leaders will once again have to create new ways not only for the pubic to travel but to lead by example and travel. Remember that the word hospitality is related to the word for hospital. A hospital takes care of our bodies and hospitality addresses the soul. Both are essenti
The District of Columbia, Destination DC and Tourism Partners Discuss Importance of Recovery Plans Once Travel Is Safe
Destination DC | May 6, 2020
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2020 - Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for DC, and partners today announced the current impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry and steps toward recovery once travel is safe. Muriel E. Bowser, mayor of the District of Columbia, joined DDC President and CEO Elliott L. Ferguson, II today for the update. "When the time comes and we are able to safely reopen our city, I know our community will be eager to support the businesses, sites and restaurants that have made DC one of the top destinations in the world," said Mayor Muriel Bowser. "The reopening of our city won't all ha
STR: U.S. Hotel Results for Week Ending 2 May
STR | May 6, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—STR data for 26 April through 2 May 2020 showed slightly higher U.S. hotel occupancy compared with previous weeks, but the same significant level of year-over-year decline in the three key performance metrics. In comparison with the week of 28 April through 4 May 2019, the industry recorded the following: Occupancy: -58.5% to 28.6% Average daily rate (ADR): -44.0% to US$74.72 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -76.8% to US$21.39 Previous weekly U.S. absolute occupancy: April 19-25 2020: 26.0% April 12-18 2020: 23.4% April 5-11 2020: 21.0% “Week-to-week comparisons showed a third
STR: Florida, Texas Lead Weekend Hotel Occupancy Gains
STR | May 6, 2020
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—Led by Florida and Texas, 13 STR-defined submarkets showed greater than 10-point weekend vs. weekday occupancy gains for the week ending 2 May, according to data from STR. “The first ‘real weekend’ with eased COVID-19 restrictions showed an obvious jump in hotel demand, especially in popular, warm-weather leisure spots,” said Jan Freitag, STR’s senior VP of lodging insights. “Whether or not this becomes a trend remains to be seen, but the fact that there were people instantly willing to head out for leisure activity and stay in hotels is a positive sign for the industry. We have maintained througho
Don’t Let Your Customers Fall in the Expected Experiences Gap
Shep Hyken | May 6, 2020
By Shep Hyken I’ve written about the concept of a “gap” a number of times over the years. Each time, the gap was different. The first time, I shared Dan Sullivan’s principle about the gap between the goal you wanted to achieve and your actual results, if you didn’t hit the goal. The difference was the gap. Another time I wrote about the competitive gap, which is about the gap or distance you put between you and your competition. The bigger the gap, the bigger your advantage. Then there was the gap between the service you want the customer to experience and the actual service they receive. Often when leader