News Archive: September
Sea Island Appoints Vijay Singh as Managing Director of Resort Operations
Sea Island | September 6, 2018
SEA ISLAND, GA (Sept. 6, 2018) – Sea Island, a Forbes Five-Star resort on the coast of Georgia, is proud to announce the appointment of Vijay Singh as Managing Director of Resort Operations for Sea Island Company. In this role, Singh will lead all aspects of the resort operations including management of department executives. He will work closely with the Strategic Leadership Team and be responsible for overseeing all day-to-day operational aspects of the coveted resort. "Singh is an outstanding hospitality professional with extensive experience, an impressive resume of results, and a keen grasp of how a vibrant and passionate ser...
Generator Appoints Three Key Executives for Leadership Team at the Brand’s Inaugural U.S. Property in Miami Beach
Generator | September 13, 2018
MIAMI BEACH, FL (September 13, 2018) - Award-winning, experience and design-led group Generator today announced three new appointments for its inaugural U.S. property in Miami Beach, including General Manager, Director of Bar & Restaurant Concepts, and Executive Chef. Generator currently operates 13 award-winning properties throughout Europe in cities such as Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, and Stockholm, and officially announced its venture into the States earlier this year. Generator Miami will officially open doors on September 21 and is currently accepting reservations. "Each of these individuals brings extensive industry experience an...
GuestTek Interactive Entertainment Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Nomadix, Inc.
GuestTek | September 10, 2018
GuestTek files lawsuit against Nomadix for patent infringement of proprietary bandwidth solutions GuestTek Interactive Entertainment Ltd., an innovative leader in providing technology solutions for the hospitality industry, announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Nomadix, Inc. for infringement of multiple U.S. patents by, among other things, selling and offering for sale certain Nomadix Access Gateways employing various versions of the Nomadix Service Engine. The complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for Delaware, seeks a permanent injunction, as well as unspecified damages. GuestTek also asks for a ...
Train Your Front Desk Team on the “5 Pillars of Hospitality Excellence”
Doug Kennedy | September 17, 2018
By Doug Kennedy When a guest enters your lobby, chances are they are about to have their first human interaction with your hotel's individual "brand." In the past, most guests called to book by voice and then called back multiple times prior to arrival with questions about driving directions, transportation, area restaurants, hours of operations and the like. These days most guests book online and then Google search for answers to these and other pre-arrival questions. Therefore, while I have always believed that the front desk staff played a critical role, now more than ever they truly are the first impression makers, for better or for...
The Ultimate Guide to TripAdvisor for Hotels
Vikram Singh | September 4, 2018
By Vikram Singh When TripAdvisor was founded in February 2000 in a small office above Kostas Pizza on 315 Chestnut Street in Needham, Massachusetts, I don't think anyone could have predicted the amount of time and energy it would consume, and the strong emotions it would conjure. Since I started my blog in 2013, I have consistently fielded questions about TripAdvisor. Looking back at the sheer volume of time I spent answering these complex emails, I think it's time to for me aggregate my knowledge, experience and advice in one place. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions, along with my responses. Is my competition trying ...
Are Hotel Front Desks a Thing of the Past?
Dean Minett | September 10, 2018
By Dean Minett De-cluttering is a big business. Successful books like The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo demonstrate the world's appetite for simplified living, while consultants have popped up all over Australia to help the people get rid of what they don't need. Similar thinking has found its way into business and technology. The Economist ran a piece in 2014 called "De-Cluttering the Company" in which the costly entrapments of bureaucracy are discussed. Eliminating clutter is also a hallmark of commercial technology. Disk drives and cable ports on laptop computers are becoming extinct as data is transferred increasi...
The Sarasota Modern Appoints John Markunas as General Manager and Paul Romero as Director of Sales and Marketing
The Sarasota Modern | September 18, 2018
SARASOTA, Fla. – Sept. 18, 2018 - The Sarasota Modern - A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, part of Marriott International, Inc., set to debut in late 2018 – proudly announces the appointment of luxury hospitality leaders, John Markunas as general manager and Paul Romero as director of sales and marketing. "We couldn't be more honored to welcome John and Paul into The Sarasota Modern family," said Jason Cincotta, hotel developer and president of Cincotta Co. "With their level of luxury expertise and passionate drive, there was no question when it came to filling these roles. Bringing them onto our team ensures the bar has been raised...
Hotel Marketing Budgets: How Much Is Actually Enough?
Tambourine | September 19, 2018
According to a recent study, Booking.com and Expedia return $16 for every dollar spent on marketing. This looks great on paper, but the reality is that over the last decade OTAs' return on marketing investment decreased by 15%. This explains why Booking.com dramatically decreased its advertising spend. The same story is playing out across the hotel marketing landscape… cost-per-acquisition is soaring, and if the Goliaths of the industry had to change their strategies, it's probably time to sit down and address the elephant-in-the-room: how much should you be spending on marketing? First: What's in the Marketing Budget? Allocation...
