The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
The Art of a Great Arrival for Luxury Hotels
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | May 22, 2024
Guest Experience
[Infographic] It Pays to Know Your Hotel Guest
SHR | November 1, 2017
In an increasingly competitive hotel market, truly knowing and engaging your guests has never been more important, and that includes understanding their generation. But only one in five guests report being fully engaged. Learn how these low engagement numbers translate into a huge opportunity for hoteliers as SHR walks you through understanding, reaching, and converting more hotel guests from every generation. ...
What to Consider for Your New Hotel Website
Larry Mogelonsky | November 1, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Everyone knows you need a functional website, no matter the business or the locale. For hotels, most of us recognize that often a website may be a customer's first introduction to your property. As such, it should entice, educate and make them want to stay with you. Hence, for many GMs, one of the largest items on the 2017 marketing budget is likely the development of a new website, or at the very least a refurbishment of the current one to show newcomers that there's something new to get excited about. This can come in the form of new interfaces or layout schemes, pages, offers, ev...
Making Sense of the ‘Level Playing Field’ Plea
Larry Mogelonsky | October 25, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I attended an interesting travel panel during the summer in my hometown of Toronto. The topic was the leisure segment, with the panelists all senior members of tourism bureaus and hotel organizations, while their presentations quoted the usual ream of statistical gobbledegook. The mood was rosy as Canadian travel statistics have never been better with the nation approaching its 150th anniversary. The ebullience in the room was so thick that I felt that it couldn't be cut with even the finest Japanese samurai sword. But then I asked the question with a somewhat naïve tone, "Have...
Kennedy Training Network Appoints M. Cathy Cook as Executive Director of Training & Development
Kennedy Training Network | October 24, 2017
Prior to joining KTN, Ms. Cook served for 17 years as a Manager – Development, for the Learning & Development Division of Marriott International Davie, Florida – October 24, 2017 – Kennedy Training Network, Inc., a premier provider of hospitality sales & guest service training for clients throughout North America and Europe, announced the appointment of M. Cathy Cook as Director of Training & Development. Ms. Cook will oversee KTN's existing team of hospitality and sales trainers while also personally delivering KTN's extensive menu of workshop topics. Additionally, Ms. Cook will design new programs to expa...
Intelity Continues Strong Growth Trajectory with New Customers in 2017
Intelity | October 24, 2017
Millennial travel is contributing to the demand for Intelity's technologies [Orlando, Fla. – October 24, 2017] —Intelity, the creator of the world's first and most widely used integrated Guest Services Platform, is announcing continued record-setting performance and growth, deploying its solutions at properties that include hotels, resorts and casinos throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. "There are several factors contributing to the continued growth and success of Intelity, the main one being our commitment to ongoing research and development of new technologies," said David Adelson, Intelity president and...
Your Wine List Is Too Long
Larry Mogelonsky | October 18, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One of the fundamental marketing principles I abide by is: Keep It Simple Stupid. While that fourth word is often incorporated only to make it into a highly memorable acronym (KISS), it is not far from the truth. Perhaps the more apt word is 'busy' in that we are all too rushed and distracted to notice everything that's happening around us. For example, you stand at a busy urban intersection. Have you noted what the make and model of every car that passes by? Have you read every billboard? Do you notice the attention to detail that goes into each person's fashion sense? We have so m...
As Business Centers Remain Required – Space Savings Technologies Provide Innovative Solutions
TTI Technologies | October 18, 2017
October 18, 2017 – New York, NY – What is the current status of the Hotel business Center? "It's evolving," says Steve Blidner CEO of TTI, "Business centers are still a service hotels need to provide, however, environments and guest requirements continue to change. Space has become an issue in many properties which opens the door to utilize new technologies." "One such example" Blidner went on to say is The Americana Inn, In New York. "The property had limited lobby space however their guests still needed to print boarding passes. Also they wanted to provide a concierge, market services and set up a profit center. We worked ...
Guests At The Greenwich Hotel Have A New Way To Get In Touch With The Front Desk
ALICE | October 17, 2017
Luxury NYC boutique hotel reports greater satisfaction among both guests and staff New York, NY, October 18, 2017 – ALICE, the operations platform that empowers hotels to deliver a better guest experience through consistently excellent service, is celebrating a successful year of partnership with New York City's Greenwich Hotel and Alta, the tablet provider that enhances a guest's stay by allowing users to discover and request available goods and services. Through this partnership, guests at The Greenwich Hotel have been requesting services and amenities as well as uncovering the surrounding area, all without having to swing by ...
Why Improved Benefit Engagement Is the Key to Improving Hospitality Retention Rates
Chris Whitlow | October 12, 2017
By Chris Whitlow Many people might assume working in hospitality is less stressful than other industries. While hospitality employees may work in a luxurious environment, surrounded by happy families and individuals on vacation, their jobs can still be extremely stressful. In addition to meeting their managers' high expectations, working long and sometimes non-traditional shifts, and the never-ending needs of new customers every day, hospitality employees are also expected to be helpful, pleasant and friendly to each customer they encounter. This work-related stress is in addition to whatever issues hospitality employees may have going ...
5 Things the Hotel Industry Can Learn from Cruise Lines
Kacey Bradley | October 12, 2017
By Kacey Bradley As an industry, finding useful lessons from other industries that seem completely different may feel impossible. But sometimes that extra effort pays off, because you can make improvements to your own industry that you may not have thought about otherwise. Especially when it comes to customer service that can make or break a business. That's why it's so important to study what cruise lines do to make their customers keep coming back for more to help the hotel industry find the same results. Sometimes brands hit a dead end and customers can sense it, leading to major losses. Fix this problem by focusing on five things th...
Reinvigorate Your Guest Satisfaction Surveys
Larry Mogelonsky | October 11, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Does any hotel still offer customer satisfaction surveys? Do you, as a hotelier, rely upon comment cards as a quality control for your operations? A decade ago, the answer would undoubtedly be yes, but now it isn't so black-and-white. Let's reflect on what's happened, specifically related to the advent of internet-born travel websites. With the success of online review sites, including the behemoth that is TripAdvisor, it's all too easy to surmise that their growth was primarily because of how they aggregated hotels and cross-linked to OTA booking engines. However, we must also stom...
When Guests Complain, Be All EARS!
Doug Kennedy | October 11, 2017
By Doug Kennedy Considering all of the many components of a positive guest experience during even just a 24 hour stay, and how many guests are in a hotel on any given night, it should not be surprising to any hotelier that at some point during a shift every colleague is likely to encounter complaints. Surely we can and should do all that is possible to prevent short comings, but it is also essential to train everyone how to respond in such a way as to not only fix what is broken, but also to show compassion for the guests' inconveniences. To their credit, most hotel operators seem to be working hard to improve the overall quality of the...
The ProSo Method to Achieving Service “Wows”
Jana Love | October 9, 2017
By Jana Love In the hospitality industry "wow factor" is a phrase not only used, but something the industry strives to achieve in the service they provide. There is a short list of companies that are noted and revered for consistently achieving this service level. The challenge often misunderstood is executing and delivering the "wow factor". Here's what I mean, as a consumer, we expect a certain level of good, consistent service and anything above this is a bonus. This isn't close to the level of service we are talking about regarding "wow." Studies show 65% of customers that are "satisfied&qu...
What You Need to Know About Drone Photography for Hotels
Larry Mogelonsky | October 4, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Now imagine what a video says! Last year, some 750,000 drones – known to the professional industry as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and abbreviated as UAVs – were sold through big box retailers, with a forecast of over a million transactions this year. In parallel are frequent stories on the evening news recanting tales of UAVs making close contact with commercial aircraft in tandem with the fitting calls for regulation of this fast-growing, seemingly recreational activity. If you own or operate a large resort, golf cou...
Local Measure Partners with Cisco to Offer a New Social Sign On, Building Richer Customer Experiences, Understanding Guest Behavior, and Gathering Val
Local Measure | October 4, 2017
Through Advanced Wi-Fi Integration, Hotels and Hospitality Providers Can Finally Have a 1:1 Relationship with Guests – While They are on Property Sydney and New York – October 4, 2017 - Local Measure, the leading location-based social intelligence platform for hospitality and tourism, announced a Wi-Fi integration with Cisco that enables hotels and other hospitality providers to identify and connect with guests while they are on property, personalizing the customer's experience while they are at the venue. Leveraging Local Measure's proprietary social intelligence technology, providers deploying Cisco wireless technologies- ...
Never Let Your Breakfast Be Boring
Larry Mogelonsky | September 27, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) It's about time that our chefs in the hotel industry collectively woke up to something different than the same old bacon and eggs or oatmeal and raisins. In this sense, breakfast is another overlooked opportunity to wow your guests and leave a lasting impression. Glass half empty, it's also an instance where you can irk customers by underserving them. Here's a simple test to see if your morning foodservice is staid. Order breakfast in your own restaurant and take a picture of what's served on the plate. Now, go to any Denny's – or any other well-known diner of this ilk –...
Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Centre Selects Eleven and TELUS to Improve Guest Wi-Fi Experience
Eleven | September 27, 2017
The ElevenOS guest Wi-Fi platform and TELUS Pure Fibre™ have greatly improved connectivity and simplified management for Sun Peaks front desk and IT staff 9/27/17, Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, B.C. — Eleven, the cloud-based guest Wi-Fi management leader and TELUS, Canada's fastest growing national telecommunications company announce today that Sun Peaks Grand Hotel & Conference Centre has deployed a solution that leverages the power of the TELUS Pure Fibre network and the simplicity of ElevenOS to optimize the guest Wi-Fi experience everywhere on the property. The IT team at Sun Peaks Grand needed to address multiple co...
Mobile Websites vs. Apps: The Final Showdown – Part One
Mike Murray | September 26, 2017
By Mike Murray As we discussed in our most recent article, "Millennials + Mobile: A Match Made in (Hotelier) Heaven," mobile is the best booking, marketing, and engagement channel available, to reach the world's largest generation – Millennials. So, if your property hasn't already gone mobile, what are you waiting for? Perhaps – as is the case with many hoteliers who haven't – you are wondering whether it is better for you to invest in a mobile website, an app, or both. Today, I'm here to tell you about the benefits and downfalls of each mobile channel; however, because there is just so much important information to co...
Creativity Is a Drug the Hotel Industry Cannot Live Without
Georges Panayotis | September 20, 2017
By Georges Panayotis Enthusiasm lies at the foundation of all progress. Henry Ford, a spearhead of the Industrial Revolution, showed the way to progress more than a century ago with this maxim. Society evolves more and more rapidly; we cannot predict the evolutions that will upset the hotel industry of tomorrow, we can, however, be certain they will happen. We know that new products will be developed, and new procedures and new organizations will come to the fore. Artificial intelligence and automatization will change the role humans play and how they work. They will lighten the cost of operations. Accommodations will be more ecological...
Raising Awareness for the Physical Demands of Being a Housekeeper
Larry Mogelonsky | September 20, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Every hotelier knows that housekeeping is a vital aspect of any property's operations. All it takes is just one look at an online review site to see just how sensitive guests are to errors in this regard. Even though we all know how important the role of the housekeeper is, seldom do we managers know how to actually do what they do so that we can truly empathize with the issues they encounter on a daily basis. I decided to change that by spending a day working alongside (shadowing, really) an experienced team member of a luxury hotel property. I was asked not to reveal the name of t...
Budget Season Has Arrived: Be Smart- Spend Wisely- And Choose Your Business Center Provider Carefully!
TTI Technologies | September 19, 2017
September 19, 2017 – New York, NY – The hospitality industry's offering for Business Centers is changing rapidly. "Let's face facts," Says Steve Blidner CEO of TTI. "Business centers are still a viable commodity. However, the needs of guests have and continue to change. Make sure your provider has the capability to keep up with these changes. Never get locked into a single platform solution." Blidner offers these guidelines for choosing your business center provider: "Research the hardware carefully; make certain you are purchasing a recent model CPU, and not a discontinued one. Consumer equipment is not designed to be o...
Small Brands Are Defined by Big Stories
Michael Tall | September 19, 2017
By Michael Tall The boutique hotel customer is looking for a certain type of experience that transcends a bed in a room. This traveler is looking for a broader experience that is driven by authenticity and discovery. These two aspects directly play into a boutique hotel's story. For a hotel to be authentic, it needs to relate to something real and relevant with significant meaning. This can be achieved through its relevance to the local neighborhood, or its representation of a time period or style—if done correctly and genuinely. Defining a fully-developed story behind the hotel's unique brand identity can convey a greater sense o...
Millennials + Mobile: A Match Made in (Hotelier) Heaven
Mike Murray | September 19, 2017
By Mike Murray Most people today are aware of the HUGE impact that mobile phones have had on our everyday lives; of course, it allows us to communicate at any time via many different messaging mediums, but there is also a significant change in the way mobile has affected business. People no longer have to be at home, sitting in front of a desktop computer, to be an online consumer; today, they're online, on-the-go, 24/7, as the vast majority of people – or at least those in the Baby Boomer generation and younger - have a mobile phone or device of some sort. Heck, even my 91-year old mother has a smart phone – and she can't e...
Angie Hospitality Set to Present Latest Advances in Interactive Guest Room Technology at HTNG North American Insight Summit
Angie Hospitality | September 19, 2017
Company invited to demonstrate how voice-activated Angie platform answers the growing demand for personalized, seamless and instantaneous guest service San Jose, Calif. – September 19, 2017 – Angie Hospitality, creator of the world's first 24-hour interactive guest room assistant, Wi-Fi and room control technology solution purpose-built for hotels and resorts, has been asked to provide insight on its game changing solution at the HTNG North American Insight Summit. The event is scheduled to take place September 26-27 at the Westfields Marriott Hotel in Chantilly, Virginia. Angie Hospitality will present audience members wit...
