Four Trends for Beyond Revenge Travel 2.0
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | March 2, 2022
Although Pre-Pandemic Profitability Will Remain Elusive, the Industry Will Make Strides Toward Recovery in 2022
Fran Worrall | January 5, 2022
Coronavirus
Change Is on the Horizon: What’s Next for Marketing in a Post-Pandemic World
Alan Young | July 9, 2020
It is time to shift from "here's why you should buy this service/product" to "here's how we can help" By Alan E. Young Around the world and across industries, marketers now face arguably one of the toughest challenges of their careers. There is, after all, no universally established gold-standard for marketing during a wide-spread pandemic, because a global crisis of this magnitude is hardly ‘textbook’. As the media coverage so often reiterates, we now find ourselves in uncharted territory. Although the importance of brand agility and frequent innovation is well-understood by business owners and B2B marketers, the coronavirus pan...
Hotel Operators Must Be flexible, Be Lean and React Quickly to Change, Says HVS Webinar Panellists
HVS | July 9, 2020
09 July 2020, London: Financing the cost of re-opening the hotel sector was the hot topic tackled in the second hotel webinar organised by global hotel consultancy HVS, legal firm Bird & Bird, EP Hospitality and AlixPartners, which was held yesterday [8th July]. The seminar, with nearly 350 industry executives attending, kicked off with an overview from EP Hospitality chief executive Chris Sheppardson, who said that Covid-19 was “the greatest catalyst for change for the last 60 years”. It’s vital, he said, to share information and communicate as noone has ever experienced anything with such a far-reaching impact.AlixPartners’ m...
Impacts of COVID-19 on the Boston and Cambridge Hotel Industry
July 8, 2020
By RKG Associates and Pinnacle Advisory Group For 2019, Pinnacle Advisory Group estimated that Boston and Cambridge hotels generated nearly $2 billion in rooms revenue, based on a total supply of nearly 25,700 rooms, an average occupancy of 81.4 percent and an average daily rate (ADR) of $259. Over 13,300 people are employed in the hotel industry sector in Boston and Cambridge. Due to the pandemic and the stay-at-home requirements starting in March of this year, demand for hotel rooms has dropped precipitously. On March 31, Governor Baker began a provision of lodging that was defined as a COVID-19 Essential Service, allowing hotels in th...
Hotel Marketing in the Summer of Covid
Larry Mogelonsky | July 8, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) With a vaccine far off, the balance of 2020 and some of 2021 will find us working under a powerful Covid cloud. Marketing is still needed, though, as it’s the lifeblood for driving awareness and generating demand. The summer months and early stretch of fall are critical for maintaining your current audience as well as finding new ones closer to home. While each property will have its own unique circumstances, there are some generalities that you can use to guide your budget planning. Below is a guide, not in any particular order of priority, split into those programs you should av...
Metro Detroit’s Hospitality Industry Employment Hits Record Highs Before COVID-19
The Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) | July 8, 2020
DETROIT, July 8, 2020 - Metro Detroit's tourism and hospitality employment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic reached record levels in 2020 and it was ranked as one of the largest industries in the region and statewide, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau said today. A study by the Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) and commissioned by the DMCVB in February, found that before the pandemic hit, tourism and hospitality contributed 463,840 direct jobs to the metro Detroit economy. Additionally, another 23,000 indirect jobs were tied to hospitality. In a normal year, tourism and hospitality make up about 25 percent of all metr...
Hotel Sentiment Survey Results: What Does Re-Opening Look Like During a Pandemic?
Nicki Graham | July 8, 2020
By Nicki Graham In a recent survey conducted at Cendyn, we spoke with hoteliers from across the globe and asked them how they are managing their re-opening strategy during a global pandemic. As a reminder to all, hotels are in different situations across the globe – not every hotel is closed right now but many were closed for a significant time and are just re-opening or planning to re-open, albeit at a limited capacity. There are also a number of hotels that are closed for the foreseeable future. This survey is focused on re-opening strategies for hotels across the globe and what their priorities are during this uncertain time. We look ...
Covid Uncertainty Does Not Discourage European Hoteliers
Thomas Mielke | July 8, 2020
By Thomas Mielke As the UK prepares for reopening the hospitality industry, AETHOS sought to get a clearer picture of the sentiment amongst branded as well as independent hotel operators. The idea – to contrast the mood of the British hospitality industry with that of a country where hoteliers have already had a little ‘head start’ due to the earlier lifting of restrictions. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Unsurprisingly, with UK hospitality businesses still in lock down at the time of writing, operators felt little sense of control of the situation at hand. Unclear policies and regulations, and questions around the timing...
The Shorter The Better: ‘Quickie Trips’ Are Trending as a Majority of Americans Look to Travel This Summer With Added Precautions
Hotwire | July 8, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2020 - After months of quarantine, Americans are reporting feelings of isolation, burnout and that they are in need of a break, but have yet to take one. A new survey* conducted by online travel site Hotwire® reveals 62% of Americans haven't taken a vacation day since the start of COVID but interest in local travel and shorter trips is rapidly growing. In fact, 72% of Americans are still planning or are interested in summer travel this year, despite taking added precautions to stay healthy. As people slowly look to test the travel waters, Hotwire has teamed up with brain-health expert and New York Times Best Selling A...
Millennial Influencers Will Be Indispensable in Travel Sector Recovery, Says GlobalData
GlobalData | July 6, 2020
Elite and young independent travelers are crucial to the recovery of the travel sector as they are likely to be the first tourists to embark on international travel, however according to a survey by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, *35% of Gen Z and *48% of Gen Y are still extremely concerned about COVID-19. Many travel and tourism influencers are drawn from this traveler group, and what they think of and write about in their travel experiences can be highly useful to travel marketing and so they will be indispensable for destination recovery if utilized effectively. Johanna Bonhill-Smith, Travel & Tourism Analyst...
WTTC Cautiously Welcomes Government’s Decision to Re-Open England’s Borders
July 6, 2020
Gloria Guevara, World Travel & Tourism Council President & CEO, said: “WTTC cautiously welcomes the government’s decision to relax the international arrival rules on July 10 to enable travellers and holidaymakers to travel again. Consumers and those who work within the Travel & Tourism sector have been eagerly awaiting this news. “However, there has been a disappointing lack of co-ordination to ensure the same rules apply at the same time across the whole of the UK. We have learned from the past that a lack of coordination between governments and with the private sector causes long-lasting travel disruption, higher costs ...
Global DMC Partners Shares Insights From Virtual Industry Panel on the ‘New Normal’ for Meetings and Incentives
Global DMC Partners | July 6, 2020
Washington, D.C. – July 6, 2020 – Global DMC Partners (GDP), the leading global network of independently owned destination management companies (DMCs) and creative event experts, held a virtual open forum on Wednesday, June 24. Facilitated by GDP President and CEO Catherine Chaulet, the panel discussion, The Meeting Planner’s New Reality in the “New Normal,” addressed the new challenges that planners face due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s short- and long-term effects on the meetings and events industry. The featured panelists included Becky Cavanaugh, Associate Director, Medical Meetings and Events, Syneos Health; Elliott Grant, Dire...
Data Shows Negative Hotel Guest Reviews Increase During Pandemic
Lodging Interactive and Commingle:Engage | July 6, 2020
PARSIPPANY, NJ – July 6, 2020 - Lodging Interactive, a full-service digital marketing, social media engagement, and reputation management agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry shares its findings on guest reputation management during the COVID-19 pandemic and the results show negative guest reviews are on the rise. “As leisure travelers kick off their summer vacations, we thought it would be useful for hotel operators to consider the guest review data we’re seeing come through our Commigle:Engage reputation management services,” said DJ Vallauri, Founder, President and CEO of Lodging Interactive. “We looked at 100 c...
Safety, Communication, and Sensitivity
The Penn State School of Hospitality Management | July 2, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The COVID-19 pandemic has put intense pressure on the economy, but it has hit businesses in the hospitality sector especially hard. Though these times are unprecedented, hospitality operators have faced a series of crises this century including terrorist attacks, power-grid failures, financial crises, and other epidemics. What can be learned from industry responses to these crises that can inform how to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and unforeseen, future problems? To answer that question, Penn State School of Hospitality Management doctoral student Anqi Luo and Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Asher Director and a...
Benchmarking Can Help Restructure Debt, Avoid Closures
STR | July 2, 2020
During a recent webinar on the impacts of COVID-19 on European hotels, STR Managing Director Robin Rossmann drew on his experience at Deloitte and shared with viewers an important practical application of benchmarking. No hotel has escaped the COVID-19 pandemic unscathed, which may make performance benchmarking appear less important. Rossmann warned against such complacency, reminding listeners, “that day will come” when lenders and lessors undertake restructuring analyses. When that happens, benchmarking will be more important than ever. Downturns cause financial distress Downturns of any nature can cause hotels or hot...
Unconstrained Voices – Staying Positive in the Face of Adversity
Klaus Kohlmayr | July 2, 2020
By Klaus Kohlmayr For everyone whose lifeblood is the hotel industry, the last few months have been heartbreaking. Of course, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc and unimaginable pain and hardship for countless people around the world, but we could never have imagined seeing the entire world stop traveling completely. I experienced this disruption firsthand while on vacation in New Zealand, having to scramble to find a safe place to “shelter” for an extended period of time, with travel restrictions and flights changing literally by the hour. Despite being trapped Down Under—mind you, I can think of far worse places to be stuck in limbo—m...
Tourism Tidbits: Fundamental Questions to Ask When Developing a Tourism Business Plan in an Age of Pandemics
Dr. Peter Tarlow | July 2, 2020
By Dr. Peter Tarlow Traditionally, the summer months are a great time to see where one’s business is headed and what future challenges it will have. In this period of rebuilding after so much of the tourism has closed down, the need for a new and updated business plan is more important than ever. Perhaps the number one reason why a tourism business fails be that business a place of lodging, an attraction, a place of dinning, or a form of transportation, is the lack of a well thought through business plan. All business ventures are risky, but as we have seen in this period of pandemics, tourism businesses often have special challeng...
Do Not Let Covid Infect Your Brand
Keith Kefgen | July 1, 2020
By Keith Kefgen The first thing that came to mind when Marriott International furloughed two-thirds of its corporate and property staff was – Is this going to severely impact the Marriott brand and the relationship with their most important asset: PEOPLE. Many blue-chip companies in hospitality, gaming and travel followed suit. These same companies have spent untold millions over the past decade building both a customer and an employment brand. Would their reputation be severely impacted in ninety days? I sought the expertise of my friend Anshuma Lal, founder of branding agency Human Made NY, to weigh in on the issue. Here is what she ha...
“Travel, As We Knew It, Is Over,” But There Are Hopes Still
Linchi Kwok | July 1, 2020
By Linchi Kwok Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky talked about the future of travel in a CNBC interview last week. He stated: “Travel, as we knew it, is over. It doesn’t mean travel is over, just the travel we knew is over, and it’s never coming back. It’s just not.” His statement made headlines last week, but he also suggested in the same interview: “… travel is going to come back. It’s just going to take a lot longer than, you know, we would have thought, and it’s going to be different.” What do you think? Will people travel again? The glass is half empty Some places saw a spark of confirmed infected c...
Ten Covid Features for Hotel Management Software
Larry Mogelonsky | July 1, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The necessary response to the new viral sanitization guidelines stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic affect every department in a hotel. As you look to ramp up occupancy over the summer, incorporating all these new procedures without significantly increasing the cost of labor will require some major updates to your management software so that automation can handle much of the ‘grunt work’. Moreover, you want your teams to be able to get up to speed as quickly as possible and without any fears for their own safety or demoralization from all the new steps they have to remember. Fro...
U.S. Travel Strongly Encourages Mask Usage, Healthy Travel Practices
The U.S. Travel Association | July 1, 2020
WASHINGTON (July 1, 2020)—U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on the importance of mask wearing and adhering to healthy travel practices at the forefront of the Fourth of July holiday and throughout the summer travel season: "While Americans move about certain regions of the country, we are keenly aware of the increase in cases as we head into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, traditionally a busy period for travel. The travel community strongly urges visitors and residents alike to wear masks and adhere to all healthy practices, such as physical distancing, frequent hand washing and remai...
Leading Hoteliers Share Their Strategies for Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic
David Berger | July 1, 2020
Hotel operators from coast to coast discuss how they’re employing new procedures and cutting-edge technologies to serve their guests safely during the COVID-19 pandemic By David Berger As I’ve reviewed the “Commitment to Cleanliness” tomes released by major hotel brands and management groups over the past month, I’ve been impressed by the dedication and attention to detail from the teams’ that put each together. Operating under extreme pressure as many of their colleagues faced furlough, they’ve outlined cleaning solutions and processes that will indeed make their guests feel more comfortable and mitigate risks to the heal...
Hotel Industry Facing Massive Foreclosures of Thousands of Hotel Properties
AHLA | June 30, 2020
AMERICAN HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND CEO CHIP ROGERS: - “With a sharp decline in travel demand, nine times worse than September 11 and with lower room occupancy than during the Great Depression, our small business owners are struggling to survive. The human toll on our industry has been equally as devastating. Right now, many hotels are struggling to service their debt and keep their lights on, especially those with Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) loans as they have been unable to obtain urgently-needed debt relief. Without action to shore up commercial debt, especially CMBS loans, the hotel in...
The Importance of Sporting Events for the Las Vegas Market
Shannon Okada | June 30, 2020
By the time Nevada’s Governor Sisolak ordered the closure of Nevada’s non-essential businesses and urged residents to implement social-distancing measures to reduce the spreading of COVID-19 on March 17, 2020, the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA)had suspended their 2019-20 regular seasons, and Major League Baseball (MLB) had suspended its Spring Training and delayed the start of the 2020 regular season. In addition, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, commonly known as March Madness, and the National Football League (NFL)’s plans to hold its ...
‘New World, New Employee Safety Culture’ Webcast Series Launching from React Mobile
React Mobile | June 30, 2020
Hoteliers and technology advisors discuss top-of-mind employee safety issues as properties reopen post pandemic; Fast-paced weekly episodes start mid-July and tackle workforce retention, service delivery, brand reputation, technology implementation and more Seattle, June 30, 2020 — Even before COVID-19, a new safety culture began emerging in hospitality that placed employee protection at the core of operations. As hoteliers readied to meet legislative mandates or honor commitments to the American Hotel & Lodging Assn.’s 5 Star Promise, the 2020 pandemic hit. Now, as properties prepare to reopen, operators are asking: How do we get...
