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
Getting Creative With How You Use Your Guestroom TVs
Larry Mogelonsky | April 26, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) It's going to take a long time to dispel our belief that televisions are meant solely for a viewing experience while situated on a comfortable chair, sofa or bed, but the seeds are indeed already well-planted. The TV that is front and center in every guestroom is due for a 'smart' upgrade, but that's not the becoming for how screens can serve to heighten the guest experience. In fact, the future of screen technology is everywhere, pervading every point of interaction that a consumer has with your hotel. And the more you work to undo the antiquated notion that TVs are only for bedroo...
PressReader and Marriott International Partner to Redefine the Stay Experience
PressReader | April 19, 2017
PressReader is bringing more than 6,000 newspapers and magazines to every Marriott International and Marriott-owned hotel room in Europe. Guests can now download titles like The Guardian, Le Monde, Corriere della Serra, the Washington Post, Vogue, GQ and thousands more to their smartphones, tablets, or laptops without any subscription. They'll also receive extended access to the entire PressReader library for up to 48 hours after checking out. Simply visit the desktop platform or download the app using hotel Wifi to start reading. "We're reimagining how newspaper and magazine content is distributed to our guests. Through PressReader, we...
How Alternative Lodgings Affect Entry-Level Hotel Jobs
Larry Mogelonsky | April 19, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Raising the argument that Airbnb's business model does not directly support the local economy is not anything new for the hospitality industry, and even more so for real estate. However, there appears to be an additional impact on hotels, one that requires a bit of explaining. (Before we get underway, know this Airbnb is simply the largest of these alternate lodging accommodation companies. Its namesake in this article is used as shorthand to represent all others in this category and that Airbnb is not to be singled out in any way.) A hotel represents the combination of both a physi...
Angie Hospitality Brings Voice-Based Guestroom Technology to Forefront of Industry as Winner of HTNG’s 2017 TechOvation Award
Angie Hospitality | April 13, 2017
World's first proprietary voice-activated guestroom assistant, secure Wi-Fi access point and integrated room control device wins prestigious industry accolade during official unveiling at HT-NEXT San Jose, CA – April 13, 2017 – Angie Hospitality, the creator of Angie, a revolutionary voice-based hotel guestroom technology solution, is excited to announce that it has been awarded the 2017 TechOvation Award by HTNG during HT-NEXT in Orlando, Florida. A revolutionary technology platform designed to take the hotel guest experience to the next level, while enhancing operational efficiency and revenue, Angie was officially launche...
Trump Hotels Names Suzie Mills New Area Managing Director of Trump Hotels in New York
Doug Kennedy | April 12, 2017
NEW YORK – April 12, 2017 – Trump HotelsTM, a global luxury hotel enterprise with an unparalleled history of providing extraordinary customer experiences, is delighted to announce that company veteran, Suzie Mills, has been named as new Area Managing Director for Trump Hotels in New York region: Trump International Hotel & Tower® New York (Central Park) and Trump SoHoÒ New York. With an accolade-filled career spanning two decades – much of it at Trump Central Park – Ms. Mills will be now responsible for the high-level operations, performance, and strategic direction of both hotels, and also the day...
What Hoteliers Need To Know About Indonesia
Larry Mogelonsky | April 12, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Right now, we are all still talking about the rapid growth of China and to a lesser extend India, Russia and Brazil under the collective banner of BRIC. Their evolution into capitalistic territories has presented countless lucrative prospects for hospitality organizations both big and small. But there should be a fifth name in this acronym which is often overshadowed despite what's happening on the ground and despite it being the fourth most populous country in the world. From what I've read of recent, the archipelago nation of Indonesia has as many opportunities for the hotel indus...
Severe shortage of skilled tourism workers in Vietnam creating huge challenge to growing sector
Larry Mogelonsky | April 11, 2017
April 11--The severe shortage of qualified workers is a huge challenge to the rapidly growing tourism sector, experts warn. The sector is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 7 per cent in 2016-20, and as a result the total demand for direct human resources is expected to be a whopping 870,000 by 2020, according to the Institute for Tourism Development Research. The sector's demand for human resources will be two or three times the number needed by other major sectors such as education, health and finance. In HCM City alone, around 21,600 workers are needed every year until 2020, or 8 per cent of the total workforce, accord...
The Importance Of How You Address Senior Hoteliers
Larry Mogelonsky | April 5, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The workplace today is vastly different than it was 50 or even 20 years ago. Organizations have a flat structure, people opt to work from home, attire is far more casual and we've all but stopped addressing our superiors by their formal titles. While most of these progressions are indeed progress and advantageous for productivity, employee happiness and innovation, it's the latter one that may cause some problems specific to the hospitality industry. As a cross example, the phasing out of the necktie for front desk staffers (for the men at least) will likewise change guests' percept...
How Concierge Technology Helps a Standout Concierge Team “Iron Out the Kinks”
ALICE | April 3, 2017
The three-person concierge team at SIXTY SoHo uses ALICE to speed up their work and improve the guest experience New York, NY -- The highly-rated concierge team at SIXTY SoHo is using ALICE's concierge task management software, ALICE Concierge, to improve team coordination and efficiency on the job. The team have been using ALICE Concierge since June of 2016. They were previously using another concierge system. SIXTY LES and SIXTY Beverly Hills are also improving their concierge operations with ALICE. Tom Bell, Chef Concierge at SIXTY SoHo says ALICE's functionality sets it apart from other concierge technologies he's used. He particula...
TTI Technologies Reports Four ways Hotels Produce Profits with Free Usage Business Centers
TTI Technologies | March 30, 2017
March 30, 2017 – New York, NY – TTI Technologies, best known for their beautiful customized Hospitality Business Center software that is safe and secure for guests, consistently receives high accolades for the service of its TTI Business Center Solution. "Our hotels asked and we listened", says TTI CEO Steve Blidner, to provide a new look at alternatives to the traditional Business Center and other ways to meet the technology needs of their guests. "We have been providing Hospitality Technology since 1991 and embrace the advent of tablets, cell phones and all the devices that have changed our daily work life" said Blidner. "...
5 Ways Concierge Technology Has Changed How This NYC Concierge Team Does Their Work
ALICE | March 29, 2017
By Noah Lemaich, Head Concierge, SIXTY Hotels. Changes to websites bring out the best and the worst in people. A small change in how Facebook looks incites both rage and high praise from the internet masses. SIXTY LES has worked with ALICE since October 2014; the launch was initially met with apathetic resistance "Another Hotel Vendor?! We have too many systems already!". Now, my team searches me out to ask "When will ALICE start doing ____?" or "Can we drop ____ and start using ALICE instead"? We decided to look back at the changes and additions made in last year with ALICE. ALICE identified these needs through *many* meetings with our...
Happy Customers = Increased Sales
Katie Scheer | March 29, 2017
by Katie Scheer You don't want your customers to ever look like this when they are dealing with your company. Frustration = Lost Sales. And what's more is that lost sales equates to lots of poor publicity. Don't forget that negative news gets posted and talked about more than the good news, so do your best to create positive situations that result in that rare, good press. We have some tips and suggestions for you that come from this simple, yet thorough, infographic from Provide Support , a company that is all about creating better customer accessibility and experiences. This infographic will teach you the 20 customer servi...
Wine Is A Story About People
Larry Mogelonsky | March 29, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) You drink wine. You have a fondness for white or red. You have your favorite producing countries, regions, varietals, blends, vineyards and wineries. Then you can also take into account terroir, age of the vines, vintage, aging process and yearly climatic fluctuations. There's a reason why good sommeliers must go to school to perfect their expertise. Wine is a complex story with many layers to regale the novice to even the most veteran drinker. Increasingly, though, it's becoming a story about people above all else. It doesn't matter about country of origin, the prestige of the winery, micr...
Why Hotels are Charging Up for Electric Vehicles
JLL Real Views | March 28, 2017
An award-winning bar, exclusive spa, and … electric vehicle charging stations? For some major hotel chains, power points that enable guests to recharge their cars on the premises are a new perk. In the United States, sales of electric vehicles soared in 2016, showing a 70 percent year-over-year increase in monthly sales. For consumers, the choice is bigger than ever; by the end of 2016, automakers were offering about 30 electric models to choose from, such as the Tesla Model S, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf. And even more are on the way, with Ford's plans to create 13 EV models by 2020, Mercedes saying it will produce 10 by 2025, a...
The Solution To Industry Stagnation Is Innovation
Larry Mogelonsky | March 22, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) During the 2008-2009 economic downturn, even though the future of most hotels was uncertain, the corrective actions for such times of hardship were not. Properties across the board responded to the lower occupancies and tightening of travelers' purse strings by cutting costs in whichever way would balance the budget. Now, however, it would seem as though we are confronted with a mercurial problem, that of a flattening of pace. Whereas the calamitous events of just shy of a decade ago hit us like an exploding hot lava volcano, this present day 'flattening of pace' is not nearly as visceral. ...
Courtyard by Marriott Earns Top Customer Experience Ratings for Hotels, in Temkin Group’s Annual Survey
Temkin Group | March 20, 2017
WABAN, Mass., March, 20 2017 -- Courtyard by Marriott delivers the best customer experience in the Hotels industry, according to the 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual customer experience ranking of companies based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers. Courtyard by Marriott took the top spot out of the 23 hotels included in this year's ratings, earning a score of 77% and coming in 38th place overall out of 331 companies across 20 industries. Fairfield Inn, Marriott, and Radisson all tied for second place, each with a rating of 76% and a rank of 47th overall. The ratings of all the category called "Hotels & Rooms"...
Why We Made Package Management a Distinct Component of Our Concierge Technology
ALICE | March 19, 2017
Most front of house hotel systems do not consider package management an important toolset for the concierge and front desk, but they should. ______________ As the number of packages we receive continues to break new records year over year, many of those packages are finding their way to your hotel. Maintaining a real-time, easily accessible log of guest items, like packages, is therefore of increasing importance to the front desk and concierge roles. And guest items aren't just restricted to packages. Hotels are often responsible for storing lost and found items, amenities for use, like umbrellas, adapters, and extra guest beds, and gue...
Hotel Sales: “Why Do Our Rates Change? We Discount When It’s Slower!”
Doug Kennedy | March 17, 2017
By Doug Kennedy Every day your hotel sales, reservations and front desk colleagues are fielding questions from both prospects and guests regarding why it is that the rates are so much higher during certain periods as compared to other dates. For convention hotels, the question might be "Why are the rates so much higher in mid-October than July?" For the catering sales manager the question is: "Why is the F&B minimum spend for my wedding so much higher on a Saturday in May or June?" For beach resorts the rate objection is "Why are rates higher for July 4th?" At mountain ski resorts it's the opposite, as most rate objections occur for...
InFISHigate This Underrated Menu Choice
Larry Mogelonsky | March 15, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) As health eating takes the world by storm, many people are adopting strict or esoteric diets that are becoming commonplace in any urban area. Vegetarians, vegans, paleo, raw diet – all must be appeased. As a staunch meat-lover, I can't fully grasp those who stave off cow and lamb entirely. But if I had to, I could give up red meat and poultry, but never fish. There are so many regional varieties and flavors of fish that I simply couldn't go without getting my krill fill each and every week. It's a fantastic protein compromise on the spectrum of striploin to tempeh. Smack full of omega...
Would You Buy From You?
Jana Love | March 15, 2017
By Jana Love I challenge all of you sales people out there to answer one question ~ honestly. Would you buy from you? Consider all you bring to your sales table, your approach, the words you choose, your voice, your appearance, and mannerisms. Would you get the attention of the perspective buyer, or would they continue their search? The sales person, in the beginning, is the initial attraction to the product being sold. The importance of this moment in the sales process can't be overlooked or underestimated. If the perspective buyer can't connect with the sales person, they often won't even consider what is being sold. Over ...
“There Are Only So Many Outlook Calendar Notifications You Can Send Yourself”
ALICE | March 13, 2017
How the Front Desk Team at The Ludlow Hotel New York Uses Purpose-Built Technology for the Transparency and Accountability A Shared Email Inbox Can't Provide New York, NY -- The front desk at The Ludlow Hotel New York is using ALICE's Front Office software, ALICE Concierge, to improve their management of guest requests across the 10-person team. The Ludlow Hotel, a BD Hotels property and 175-room boutique in New York's trendy Lower East Side neighborhood, has seen a significant drop in guest complaints since migrating their concierge operations to the ALICE platform in June 2016. Prior to using ALICE, Ludlow's front desk managed concier...
ProfitSword Partners with Formula 4 Racing Team
ProfitSword | March 13, 2017
Orlando, FL – March 13, 2017 – ProfitSword has taken a giant step outside the box by sponsoring Blake Mount and his Formula 4 racing team for the 2017 season. The continued rapid growth and expansion of ProfitSword's offerings has illuminated a multitude of new possibilities for the leading hospitality B.I. solutions provider. With the goal of reaching out to new markets, ProfitSword believes the exposure to a new audience can only have positive ramifications. According to Tili Findley, co-owner of ProfitSword, the sponsorship of Blake Mount's car is a great way to reach a huge audience of prospective business owners in indu...
How Hotels are Using Art to Attract Experiential Guests
Ron Tully | March 9, 2017
By Ron Tully A decade and a few years after the new millennium, the tourism and hospitality industry have become witness of the rise of the newest breed of tourists and travelers alike, who are slowly dominating the globetrotting population. 'Millenials', as they are collectively called are individuals who are described as attention-seekers, modern and those who crave for learning while they travel. Fortunately, one of the newest and booming trends in hospitality and tourism is arts to quench their thirst. In previous years, hotel across the world have started to adapt the newest trend in the industry. Today, art is no longer merely for...
Looking Ahead Nine Months For Hotel Technology
Larry Mogelonsky | March 8, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) When it comes to technology, hotels are often seen as laggards to adoption, but I don't see this as the case. Quite the opposite in fact, with our resources and the diverse range of operations, the next nine months of 2017 should prove to be exciting times for new hardware and software installations, but only if you have vision. To help you stay on the forefront of what's available to help grow your business, here are five industry trends as well as a few companies that I consider to be game-changers for the remainder of the calendar year. 1. Energy efficiency everywhere. Whether or not you...
