Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2, 2024
Debunking Common Myths About AI: Why Human Hotel Staff Are Still Irreplaceable
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | September 17, 2024
Operations
ALICE and Vocera Partner to Improve Hotel Communication and Workflows
ALICE | October 13, 2020
Technology integration to help increase safety for employees and guests New York, NY – Oct. 13th, 2020 -- ALICE, a leading hospitality operations and management platform, now integrates with the hands-free Vocera Badge and Vocera Smartbadge from Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), a leader in communication and workflow solutions. Interoperability between ALICE and these intelligent mobile devices enables hotels around the world to improve operational efficiency and increase safety for employees and guests. “Innovative technology is essential for hotels as they adapt to new standards of operating procedures and guest demands in ...
Why Independent Call Centers Often Outshine Hotel Brands
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservation Call Center Services | October 7, 2020
Most hotels have suffered a major decline in sales leads from reliable digital channels. Can the voice channel pick up the slack and drive direct bookings? Doug Kennedy, President of the renowned Kennedy Training Network, certainly believes it can. In the following interview, Kennedy discusses why the voice channel matters more than ever, and how hotels can convert more phone inquiries. He also discusses why well-trained independent call centers often outperform hotel brands. Interviewer: What are the most interesting and rewarding parts of your job? Doug: I would say the most interesting part is that I get to work with an incr...
Does Quality Assurance, as We Know It, Have a Future?
Jochen Ehrhardt | October 6, 2020
By Jochen Ehrhardt Hotel group revenues are down by as much as 90% across the boards for the second quarter of 2020. The third quarter isn't looking much better, with many hotels only re-opening in the fourth quarter. The global demand-reduced crisis is here to stay and any recovery to 2019 levels is expected to take years, not months. As a result, hotels are forced to cut costs wherever possible: Anything that is not considered an essential part of the core business is put to the test. Quality Assurance falls into this category, raising the question whether traditional Quality Assurance hasn't been an anachronism for some time anywa...
A-List Osthoff Resort Positions for Travel Restart; Selects Maestro PMS During Industry Pause for Guest-Focused Mobile Services and Integrated Operati
Maestro | October 6, 2020
Data mining and analytics, touchless operations, and robust third-party integrations are enabling personalized guest service, spa productivity MARKHAM, ONTARIO, OCT. 6, 2020 — The Osthoff Resort is a AAA Four-Diamond stunning year-round resort, spa and event destination in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. The 238-room Resort offers its award winning Aspira Spa, the L'ecole de la Maison cooking school, its family-friendly Pleasures™ Program, gift shops, dining outlets, as well as a fitness center, arcade and outdoor activities venue. Adam Hartenberger, Reservations Sales Manager for The Osthoff Resort, said, “It was the resort’s goal to bring al...
Aptech Offers Hoteliers Six Budgeting Tips for 2021
Aptech Computer Systems Inc. | September 29, 2020
At a time when revenues are at their lowest, it’s critical that operators understand where to trim costs and how to track spending per occupied room using historical drivers PITTSBURGH, Sept. 29, 2020 — With operating budgets thrown out the window by second quarter this year, hoteliers are scrambling to find useful historical data to help guide them through the 2021 budgeting and forecasting process. Aptech, a provider of budgeting and forecasting, enterprise accounting, and business intelligence solutions for hotels, is advising operators to rely on historical drivers rather than bottom line revenues to help them better plan for the d...
Hotel Alhambra Palace Checks In With Infor for World-Class Customer Service
Infor | September 29, 2020
Five-star Spanish hospitality leader set to standardize with Infor Hospitality LONDON — 29 September 2020 — Infor today announced that the five-star, 108-room Hotel Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, has chosen to implement Infor Hospitality Cloud solutions throughout all operations, including front of house, housekeeping, restaurants and conference bookings. Deployed in the cloud, the deal includes Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS), Infor Sales and Catering, and Infor Table Management. Following a thorough review of the market, Hotel Alhambra Palace chose Infor based on its global expertise with elite hospitality establis...
Jonas Chorum Announces Integration With Whistle Guest Messaging Platform
Jonas Chorum | September 22, 2020
Phoenix, Arizona – September 22, 2020 – Jonas Chorum, a suite of streamlined, intuitive, and flexible property management solutions, announces a direct integration with Whistle, the leading hotel and guest messaging platform. With this integration, Jonas Chorum clients will be able to leverage two-way text communication with guests throughout the duration of their stay. “We are delighted to announce this integration with Jonas Chorum, which provides an enhanced and streamlined messaging experience for Chorum clients,” stated Christopher Hovanessian, Co-Founder and CEO of Whistle. “As the importance of mobile communication continu...
The Future of Hotel Call Centers
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservation Call Center Services | September 8, 2020
Why Outsourcing May Be in Your Hotel's Best Interest As hotels slowly reopen in parts of the US, it’s time to question the future role of hotel call centers. In the following interview, we’re speaking with Travel Outlook’s CEO John Smallwood and its Vice President Operations Brett Puffenberger, about the challenge’s hotel-based call centers are facing today and in the coming months and maybe years. Can you talk about the challenges’ hotel-based call centers are facing today? John: A major issue for hotels that are starting to reopen is having enough on-property staff to field incoming calls. A lot of hotels still have employe...
McLaren Technologies Leads Forward-Thinking, Tech-Driven Strategy at the Iconic Byron at Byron
McLaren Technologies | September 2, 2020
Is this Australia’s most luxurious contactless check-in experience? Three reasons why Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, will reopen as Australia’s most luxe post-pandemic hotel haven this spring AUSTRALIA, 02 September 2020 – As Australia moves into post-pandemic travel territory, several progressive hotels and resorts are adapting quickly to meet the changing demands of travelers in 2020. One property leading the charge (and change) is the iconic Byron at Byron, set to reopen its doors to the world (well, perhaps just Australia for the short term) as a Crystalbrook Collection Resort on 1 September 2020. Fresh ...
Hotel Operations Have Changed, But the Importance of Communication Has Not
Andrada Paraschiv | September 1, 2020
Conversations become digitalized and streamlined as hotel operators continue to find new ways to communicate with employees while working around COVID-19 By Andrada Paraschiv There is a radical change in the way the hospitality industry is operating compared to the last decade. From shifting guests away from the front desk and favoring mobile check-in to new sanitization regulations that call for constant vigilance, it can be a lot for any organization to process and maintain consistency ― particularly right now as guidelines and state regulations are subject to abrupt changes. The need for communications is increasing tenfold between...
ALICE Creates Free Digital Hotel Operations Checklists for Hoteliers
ALICE | September 1, 2020
New York, NY - ALICE, the hospitality industry’s leading hotel management and operations platform, has just published the Ultimate COVID-19 Hotel Operations Digital Checklist for hoteliers. With more than 15 checklists available, hoteliers can download and start using them immediately. The checklists are fully customizable; hoteliers can add, delete, or edit specific tasks, as well whole checklists. The comprehensive document includes checklists specific to the Housekeeping Department, Maintenance Department, and Guest Services Teams. With many hotels operating with a lean staff and an “all hands-on deck” attitude, the checklists ...
Maestro PMS Offers 24/7 Guest Engagement and Outreach With Integration to Fetch Feedback App
Maestro PMS | September 1, 2020
Leader in hospitality property-management systems teams up with guest-engagement innovator to empower hotel-to-guest and internal staff communication and analytics while disrupting bad reviews MARKHAM, Ontario and TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2020 — To create instant and ongoing communication between hoteliers and travelers, as well as internal staff operations, Maestro PMS, the leader in cloud and on-premise property-management system solutions for independent hotels and luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups, has partnered with Fetch to provide a digital hub to enhance guest engagement, communication, an...
What Does a Restaurant Manager Do?
EHL | August 31, 2020
One job, many hats Restaurant Managers ensure restaurants run smoothly and efficiently. They seek to provide customers with pleasant dining experiences that live up to brand standards. Their efforts, which include effectively managing employees, are ultimately geared towards safeguarding the profitability of the restaurant. In effect, an RM embodies general management, administration, customer services, human resources, supply chain & procurement, health and safety, compliance, accounting & marketing – all rolled into one. This is particularly true for those working in smaller establishments, who are in frequent contact with bot...
Improving Hotel ROI – Thinking Out of Box From Design to Operations
Ajay Mehtani | August 31, 2020
By Ajay Mehtani As an industry there is a need to make hotels more viable. The pandemic has taught us to rethink in this direction and develop hotel assets that can drive higher ROI. It can only be done when we look at making changes from Design to Operations. Ideally, we should make changes to the industry status, compliance cost and interest cost, however, as these are policy matters, we cannot do much ourselves. Meanwhile, cost of construction, cost of operations i.e. the largest expenses related to utilities and manpower, are aspects that can be controlled by the hotel investors, brands and operating teams effectively. Below are a f...
ProfitSword and Infor Partner to Provide Hoteliers With Enhanced Business Intelligence Insight Into Group Room, Banquet and Catering Revenue Performan
ProfitSword | August 27, 2020
Integration between ProfitSword’s range of business intelligence solutions and the Infor Sales & Catering platform can offer real-time visibility into meeting group-related sales goals while working to ensure full operational efficiency regardless of labor resource levels. ORLANDO, Fla. – (August 27, 2020) – ProfitSword, a premier developer of hospitality-related business intelligence and data integration software, has partnered with Infor, a leading provider of global cloud business software, to equip hoteliers with the latest in group room, banquet and catering business performance analysis technology. Via the integration of Pr...
Aspire’s Winning Virtual Learning Innovation
Aspire | August 26, 2020
August 26, 2020. "Overwhelmed, afraid, and confused," are some of the emotions employees are feeling as they venture back to work. "I want to do a good job, and so many protocols and expectations have changed. It makes me feel incompetent." This perspective is rampant. Training has never been more critical as employees feel overwhelmed at work and home, lack clarity on how to deliver on their ever-changing job expectations, all combined with the COVID impact on guest delivery. "Aspire was on a mission to solve this problem honoring our clients' realities, our inability to travel, and the fact that our clients around the world neede...
ALICE Releases Free Hotel Preventative Maintenance Checklist
ALICE | August 25, 2020
New York, NY - ALICE, the hospitality industry’s leading hotel management and operations platform, has just published a free hotel preventative maintenance checklist for hoteliers. With more than 15 checklists in the downloadable document, hoteliers can easily print and start using them today. The comprehensive document, the second in a series of hotel checklists, includes preventative maintenance checklists for daily walk-throughs, guest rooms, public areas, and large pieces of equipment (elevators, HVAC systems, fitness equipment, etc.). As hotels resume operations after periods of low occupancy or temporary closures, saving on capital...
Carver Hotel Group Announces New Staffing Alternative to Help Clients Impacted by J-1 and H2B Visa Changes
The Carver Companies | August 20, 2020
ATLANTA, GA – August 20, 2020 – Carver Hotel Group (CHG), a division of The Carver Companies, will now offer preferred clients SWATkeepers and SWATservers as alternatives to J-1 and H2B visa staffing. “CHG has always been a leading Task Force agency that works quickly to create solutions for our clients’ changing needs. As our industry begins to recover from COVID-19 impacts, we receive daily inquiries from clients asking if we could help replace the void left by J-1 and H2B visa team members,” said Chief Development Officer Charlene "Charley" Carter. “This new level of Task Force services will help address the issue for our ...
How to Stay Safe While Staying Open
Christopher Horn | August 18, 2020
Six best practices for protecting your people and those you serve By Christopher Horn Deciding to close or remain open during a pandemic can be one of the most difficult decisions a hotel company will ever have to make, especially if multiple assets are involved. Many factors need to be analyzed, including the financial, brand, and human resources sides of the business to determine which action is the most fiscally responsible. At Sixty Hotels, we are “Always Open” to show our customers that we are there for them in good times and bad, no matter what. This is especially challenging considering that our hotels are in the heavily pop...
Maestro PMS Helps Keep Hotel Workers Safe Via a ‘Use Your Own Device’ Guest Digitalization Strategy
Maestro PMS | August 18, 2020
Leader in hospitality property-management systems identifies five ways hoteliers can provide a high-quality guest experience while simultaneously protecting their people MARKHAM, ONTARIO, August 18, 2020 — Safety and security are top of mind for hotel operators as they strive to protect their staff amidst today’s challenging and ever-changing travel landscape. Maestro PMS, hospitality’s leading provider of cloud hosted, private cloud and on-premise property-management systems for independent and luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups, is enabling guests to self-serve from their phone, tablet o...
The Carver Companies Announce Expanded Perks Program for Consultants
The Carver Companies | August 13, 2020
ATLANTA, GA – August 13, 2020 – In response to the current environment’s impact on hospitality professionals, hospitality infrastructure powerhouse, The Carver Companies launched CarverPerks, a program designed to help their consultants with some of their most significant needs. “We wanted to find ways to help our consultants with their health and financial needs, and while we recognize they are independent contractors, our goal is to broaden the advantages that we can offer them above other Task Force companies,” said The Carver Companies CEO Joel Carver. “And to also give them the very best package of perks in the industry....
The Changing Landscape of the Recruitment World
Shalloo Dhillon | August 4, 2020
COVID-19 has changed the Corporate World as we knew it in more ways than one, and recruiting is no different as the hiring process has changed significantly. Read our latest article to know more. By Shalloo Dhillon I have been a part of Human Resources and the recruitment world for over a decade now and can surely say that the COVID-19 has changed the very nature of recruitment just like it has impacted other businesses. As per our discussions with key industry stalwarts, companies are now adding new dimensions to executive profile while hiring, including a paradigm shift in the leadership profile. They are now looking out for executive...
Communication Agility Is Key to MOHG’s Ability to Continue to Deliver Superior Service Amidst COVID-19
Andrada Paraschiv | July 30, 2020
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s Group Director of Rooms and Quality Anja Luthje shares share how the Beekeeper employee communication platform is helping this iconic hotel chain to engage and motivate its colleagues on the road to re-opening By Andrada Paraschiv With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in many parts of the world, hoteliers need to be more agile today than ever before. As newly crafted safety and operating protocols continue to evolve, hoteliers must react quickly to ensure that changes are carried out effectively by their frontline employees. In a recent webinar titled “Communicating for Agility,” Anja Luthje, Gr...
Advantage Reserve Announces Collaboration With Kennedy Training Network to Optimize Reservations Sales
Advantage Reserve | July 29, 2020
Fort Lauderdale, FL, July 29, 2020 — Advantage Reserve, the leading provider of high-quality central reservations services to the hospitality industry, has announced the launch of a new sales training partnership with Kennedy Training Network (KTN), the lodging industry’s best source for hotel training programs. This collaboration will enhance the guest experience, improve performance levels, and increase reservations conversions for Advantage Reserve’s diverse customer base of luxury hotels and resorts. During this unique period across the world in 2020, the hospitality industry faces a crucial time for reservations sales, and the v...
