News Top: 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...
THE SALES PROCESS: Step One THE OPENING
ProSolutions | September 11, 2018
By Jana Love Let's get knee deep into the fundamentals of the Sales Process. This new blog series will take the components of the sales process a little deeper; each component gives structure to the sales process. The sales process, in the basic form, is: The Opening, Advancing the Call, and Gaining their Commitment. So let's get started... There are so many aspects to successful selling, but there is nothing more important to the beginning of a great sales experience than a polished Opening, which is why we begin there! Here are the elements of the Opening that need to be mastered: Building Rapport ~ When you begin a sales or...
BENCHMARK® Announces the Top Ten Dining Trends for 2019
September 12, 2018
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, September 2018… BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, with three distinctive brand portfolios, including Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, Gemstone Collection and the London-based etc.venues, has just released its Top Ten Dining Trends for 2019. The trends were observed by Benchmark's executive chefs and culinary experts at the company's 80 luxury hotels, resorts and restaurants coast to coast, off shore and in Europe. "Food and Beverage is an ever-evolving realm of experiences," says Patrick Berwald, Benchmark's vice president food and beverage. "The opportunity for us is not only to be ahea...
Rosewood Hotel Group Appoints Joe Chang as Chief Financial Officer and Hakan Akgun as Vice President of Engineering, Sustainability and Security
Rosewood Hotel Group | September 20, 2018
Rosewood Hotel Group has appointed four new key leadership positions to support its dynamic global growth and rapid Asia expansion. Mr. Joe Chang has been appointed chief financial officer for the group; Mr. Hakan Akgun has been appointed vice president for engineering, sustainability and security for the group; Mr. Marc Handl has been promoted to regional vice president, in addition to his current role as managing director of Rosewood Beijing; and Mr. Andrew Turner has been promoted to regional vice president, in addition to his current role as managing director of Rosewood Phuket. Mr. Chang brings to his role 20 years' experience in f...
Why Asset Managers and Owners Should View Hotel Maintenance as a Revenue Opportunity
Guestware | September 24, 2018
By Mike Benjamin Hotel Preventive Maintenance (PM) has long been viewed as a necessary hotel engineering function and best practice. Most owners assume the management team is doing proper maintenance to achieve the useful life of assets (equipment, guest rooms and public spaces) and to avoid costly premature failures or replacements. Both owners and operators want to know PM's are getting done, but few prioritize and monitor maintenance as a key performance metric like they do with revenue. Research shows strong hotel maintenance is a revenue opportunity. Hotel guest satisfaction research has shown for years that guests are less likely ...
Dirty Rooms, Check-In Delays, Managers Changing the Sheets: Downtown Chicago Strike Puts Hotels in a Bind
September 11, 2018
Sept. 11--As a strike against 25 downtown Chicago hotels entered its fourth day on Monday, managers at some locations were scrambling to keep operations running and guests were complaining about dirty rooms and check-in delays. Kristian Hulgard, in town from Dallas for the International Manufacturing Technology Show, said it took him eight hours to check into his room at the Palmer House Hilton. The hotel offered free drinks and food to compensate for the trouble, but once he did get in, around midnight, he discovered the room had not been cleaned. "All in all, it's not that big a deal," Hulgard said Monday morning as he w...
Tambourine: Do You Know Your Hotel’s Optimal Business Mix?
Tambourine | September 7, 2018
As the number of hotel distribution channels, marketing tools and rate types increase—and the cost for each booking varies—so does the need for determining a hotel's optimal business mix (OBM). But with so much data to process and analyze, coming from multiple sources, the challenge is to maintain a high-level perspective on the hotel's overall revenue goals and needs. That's where the art and science of determining a hotel's OBM come into play. To put it simply, finding a hotel's OBM is the process of finding which sales channels, demand segments and rates work best for the property, factoring in the cost of each customer, ...
Cornell Center for Hospitality Research Publishes Hotel Brand Reputation Analysis
the Center for Hospitality Research | September 17, 2018
Ithaca, NY, September 17, 2018 - Cornell University's Center for Hospitality Research has released an index and analysis of hotel brand reputation in the United States and Canada, revealing important insights into the role played by brands in the hotel industry today. The first of its kind in terms of the scale of the reputation data analyzed, the report analyzes over 30 million reviews of more than 30,000 branded hotels posted to 47 review sites between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018. The report categorizes brands according to the six segments identified in STR's chain scale report and ranks them using ReviewPro's Global Review Ind...
Blurred Lines Between Hotels and Airbnb
Luigi Major | September 20, 2018
By Luigi Major In this new day in age, the meaning of travel has taken an interesting turn in terms of what is driving consumers away from home. The generation of material pleasantries has come and gone, and what people are really looking for these days are new and engaging experiences. Curiosity is driving interest away from the status quo. While the necessities, like having a great location, providing safety and security while keeping a high standard for quality, will always hold value, consumers are seeking ways to leverage their travel by experiencing and becoming one with the surrounding environment. A new fine line has been create...
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Appoints Massimo Falsini as Executive Chef for Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito
Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito | September 13, 2018
Massimo Falsini has been appointed executive chef for Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito, which will open in late 2018 as the ultra-luxury collection's third property in California. In this role, Massimo will be responsible for providing strategic direction to the culinary team and overseeing the hotel's six restaurants and bars. Massimo joins Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito with more than 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry working in top restaurants in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Most recently, Massimo served as the executive chef at the Solage, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection in Napa Valley,...
Hilton Announces 2017 Development Award Winners in the Caribbean and Latin America
HIlton | September 19, 2018
MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today recognized some of its top owners/developers in the Caribbean and Latin America. The Development Awards recognize the passion, creativity and innovative spirit of Hilton developers that are committed to quality projects, meet or exceed brand standards and have a positive impact on the local community. Today, our team is excited to recognize those who went above and beyond last year, worked on innovative projects that created an everlasting impact on our guests, communities and the hospitality industry," said Bill Fortier, senior vice president, development, Americas. "We are proud to celebrate our ...
Millennials: Changing Preferences & Priorities of Hotel F&B
Lori Crowley | September 6, 2018
By Lori Crowley Coming up as a Boomer, we simply did not have many choices when it came to what (and even where) we ate. For most of us, dinner was on the table every night, and there was a structure and familiarity to the ritual-not to mention the menu-that was very different than today. Boomers grew up in a time when life for most families was more structured and regimented, (usually) with more limited funds to devote to food shopping, and a budget that made eating out a relative rarity. And yes, of course, that's a generalization, if not a stereotype, but it's an anecdotal observation that's been backed by some convincing...
Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resort to add third 14-story tower with 349 guest rooms
September 9, 2018
Sept. 10--The planned third tower at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort will include 14 stories, with 349 guest rooms and more than 21,000 square feet of meeting space, and is scheduled for completion in 2020, according to resort owners Tishman and MetLife Investment Management. Set on the current site of tennis courts next to the Swan, work is expected to begin early this fall on the tower, with new renderings showing an angular exterior distinct from the Swan and Dolphin towers -- with mainly glass facades and a visible, covered rooftop terrace. The new tower is designed to provide guests with a "best-in-class experience&q...
What Do Hotel Guests Really Want? Anticipated Versus Actual Use of Amenities
Chekitan S. Dev | September 25, 2018
by Chekitan S. Dev, Rebecca W. Hamilton, Roland T. Rust, and Matthew V. Valenti Abstract: Hotels provide a lengthy menu of amenities based on the (largely accurate) perception that guests want those amenities and claim they will use them. While many guests do exactly that, a substantial percentage will "overpredict" which amenities they will use. This study of fifty hotel-wide and in-room amenities details both the overpredictions and, in some cases, underpredictions of amenity use by 724 guests in thirty-three hotels operated by six hotel brands—one upscale, two upper upscale, and three luxury—belonging to one hotel company...
Hospitality Education of the Future
September 18, 2018
Have you noticed that currently many CEOs of the most important hotel chains are not hoteliers? Will this mean that in the future hospitality education will not be worthwhile? On one hand, we have the current CEOs coming from the world of business, law, finance and marketing. On the other hand, majority of today's graduates of top hotels schools in the world do not go into hotel operations. Instead, they aspire for more attractive positions in sectors such as banking, luxury, healthcare, consulting, retail and lately, start-ups. Therefore the question, why will hospitality education still be needed in the future? Why young graduates, th...
Marty Martin Joins HP Hotels as Corporate Director of Business Systems and Analysis
HP Hotels Management | September 14, 2018
Alpharetta, Georgia, September 17, 2018 - HP Hotels, a full-service third-party hotel management company, announced today that it has hired Marty Martin to serve in the company's newly created role of Corporate Director of Business Systems and Analysis. HP Hotels' President and CEO Charles Oswald, made the announcement. Marty joined the hospitality industry when he was recruited to be a Finance Manager with IHG. In this role, he was responsible for collaborating with global leadership to provide strategic guidance and financial support. Marty was then promoted to Manager of Strategy, Planning and Operations for Revenue Management and Di...
Cornell Hospitality Research Shares Index and Analysis on Hotel Brand Reputation in U.S. and Canada
Chris K. Anderson, Ph.D. | September 26, 2018
Chris K. Anderson, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration Saram Han, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration Abstract Using monthly online reputation data from 2016 through to the first quarter of 2018, we index major hotel brands in the United States. This analysis of online reputation for branded properties yields three major conclusions: (1) the variation in reputation across brands is four times larger than the variation across chain scales; (2) online reputation is mainly a function of brand and sub brand rather than segment or hotel location; and (3) variability in reputation across hotels within a brand is gr...
Interstate Hotels & Resorts Completes $25 Million Renovation of Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, Calif.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts | September 5, 2018
ARLINGTON, Va. – September 5, 2018 – Interstate Hotels & Resorts, a leading powerhouse in third-party hotel and resort management, announces the completion of a $25 million renovation of the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, California. The project includes a complete rooms makeover, and the introduction of an exciting new food and beverage concept, Outer Reef, from Chef John Tesar, a four-time James Beard nominated chef, and a two-time contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef," currently slated to open first quarter of 2019. "Interstate has the depth to handle multidimensional development projects like Lagun...
