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
Hotel GMs Share What They Are Doing to Welcome Guests Back Safely and Comfortably
David Berger | July 23, 2020
By David Berger As the hospitality industry realigns to new guest requirements it begins the process of reopening hotels across the U.S. While each of their situations are unique, hoteliers are navigating similar economic and environmental challenges. Now is the time for hotel operators to learn from one another while formulating and sticking to a selection of best practices to ensure guests feel as confident checking in now as they did one year ago. To take the pulse of the industry, I spoke with four hoteliers to better understand their reopening plans. The Gale South Beach aspires to open its doors to the public on October 16th. Whil...
Radisson Partners With Cycas Hospitality for Radisson Hotel & Suites Amsterdam South
Radisson Hotel Group | July 22, 2020
Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce the launch of a strategic collaboration with Cycas Hospitality, who will operate the Radisson Hotel & Suites Amsterdam South under a lease agreement with ECHO Partners, who recently acquired the hotel for its ECHO Fund. Cycas Hospitality has signed a lease agreement with ECHO Partners to operate the all-suite property. Opening in early 2021, the 227-suite Amsterdam aparthotel will become the first serviced apartments product to operate under the upscale Radisson brand in Western Europe. The new property brings the group´s portfolio in The Netherlands to six properties in operation and under de...
Maestro Asks: ‘How Serious Is Your PMS Provider About Service?’
Maestro PMS | July 22, 2020
Client-first, all-inclusive philosophy is the standard by which all property-management system suppliers should be measured; Maestro PMS is leading the way Markham, Ontario, July 22, 2020 — As independent hoteliers work diligently to prepare for reopening, many are struggling to get the support they need to ensure their property-management systems and integrated solutions are ready for guests’ return. Those who are dissatisfied with their provider’s lack of customer service are turning to Maestro, known industrywide for its Diamond Plus service. The cloud and on-premise PMS provider offers a comprehensive suite of services and tools ...
Genuine Hospitality, LLC to Operate the Tru by Hilton – Naperville, IL
Genuine Hospitality, LLC | July 21, 2020
SAINT LOUIS, IL, July 21, 2020 – St. Louis, MO based hotel operator, Genuine Hospitality selected to operate the 121-room Tru by Hilton - Naperville, IL. Located at 1850 Diehl Road, Naperville IL 60563, the hotel is ideally located at the southwest corner of I-88 and Route 59, 6-miles northeast of downtown Naperville, IL and 33-miles west of downtown Chicago. The Tru by Hilton - Naperville, IL will open Spring, 2021 boasting the Build Your Own ‘Top It’ breakfast, more modern, and efficiently designed guestrooms with oversized windows for natural light; a multifunctional fitness center; and fast Wi-Fi. Premium snacks, light meal optio...
The Game-Changing Rules Around Revenue Optimization
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservations Call Center Services | July 15, 2020
Maximizing Revenue While Adhering to New Service Standards The global pandemic has turned everything on its head, with the hospitality industry hit particularly hard. As hotels slowly reopen, they must adjust their revenue strategies to ensure they drive demand while being careful with their pricing decisions. In such challenging times, it’s tempting to drop room rates to stimulate bookings. But for many travelers, the priority will not be price, but safety. A $100 discount on the room rate is unlikely to tempt the decision-making of many but could end up harming a hotel’s profitability if there’s very little demand to drive in th...
Going Cashless Without Phone Transactions
Larry Mogelonsky | July 15, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The physical distancing and work-from-home orders put in place have brought to light numerous inefficiencies in how we manage hotel operations. These will all need to be addressed as we open our doors while keeping a leaner team, and today’s pain point relates to automating credit card transactions taken over the phone. Namely, still accepting this information via phone is an ineffective use of your front desk’s time while it also isn’t fully PCI compliant and creates a jumble of paper-based work for your accounting team which needs to post everything to the proper ledger. Plu...
COVID 19: Making Your Hotel Business Future-Ready
| July 14, 2020
Travel and hotel trade professionals are just beginning to find their feet after the unprecedented effects of almost zero global demand due to COVID-19. One thing is certain: an altered lifestyle will emerge as a result of this crisis. Businesses will either be sold, shut, hived off and in some cases thrive exponentially. The key to survive and subsequently thrive depends on many factors such as cash in bank, demand, debt ratio, liabilities both external and internal, flexibility and a robust plan to see through this period. Whilst some factors are beyond a hotel's control and not all issues can be rectified now, there are however key cor...
Train Your Hotel Staff to Show Hospitality When Enforcing Mask Requirements
Doug Kennedy | July 14, 2020
By Doug Kennedy With most hotels around the globe requiring guests to wear facemasks in all public areas these days, it has fallen upon the frontline hospitality staff to enforce this policy, which in many cases is also municipal ordinance or decree. Although most guests comply voluntarily, a small minority are voicing their displeasure but still complying. An even smaller, but very vocal minority of hotel guests are challenging our staff’s authority to require compliance in a way that is confrontational and often demeaning. From what I am hearing, it’s the front desk staff who are most often the receptors of a verbal barrage, as th...
Onyx CenterSource Announces Global Partnership With WEX to Expand Digitized Payments Options
Onyx CenterSource | July 14, 2020
DALLAS (July 14, 2020) – Onyx CenterSource, a leading global provider of B2B payments and business intelligence to the hospitality industry, today announced a new partnership with WEX Inc., a leading financial technology service provider, to streamline payments to travel agency partners. The partnership will focus on virtual payments methods for different transaction types across the hospitality industry. As companies continue to focus on digitizing payments, virtual methods will be integral to industry partners and will allow a more secure payments process, in this case benefiting both hotels and travel companies, said Mark Dubrow, Onyx...
As Visibility of Essential Workers Surges, Frontline Communications and Operations Platform Beekeeper Closes $10 Million Series B Extension
Beekeeper | July 13, 2020
Investors say Beekeeper is setting the standard for how the modern frontline workforce operates and communicates OAKLAND, CALIF., AND ZURICH, July 13, 2020 — Beekeeper - the first communication and operations platform designed specifically for frontline workers - announced a $10 million extension on their series B round today. The extension brings the round’s total to $60 million. The extension was led by Chicago-based Energize Ventures, with investment from HighSage Ventures, SwissCanto, Thayer, Swisscom, Investiere, Alpana Ventures, and Swiss Post. The funding comes as companies across all sectors of the economy have embrace...
CLEANtracker Technology Gives Hotel Guests Confidence With Certainty of Cleanliness via Dynamic Visual Proof in the Palm of Their Hands
Creating Revolutions | June 24, 2020
Fear instinctually diminishes trust. For hotels striving to implement hygiene initiatives to protect guests, that fear, unfortunately, requires an additional step in proof of their promises. Miami Beach, FLORIDA (June 24, 2020) – A psychological point demonstrated in most horror films, is that fear exacerbates distrust in others. Although the hotel industry is striving to implement stringent hygiene initiatives to protect guests, it is the diminished trust caused by fear of an invisible virus that is the final challenge hotels face in cementing guest confidence. Guests want certainty that their room is being precisely cleaned and sanitiz...
Impact of COVID-19 on Hotel Insurance Premiums: Are Refunds Possible?
June 23, 2020
Much has already been written about insurance issues arising from the Covid19 virus. With many hotels closed throughout the world, it’s inevitable that hotel owners/investors are looking to their insurance policies for compensation under the Business Interruption section. But, sadly, for almost all hotels the probability is that their Business Interruption wording will not provide any protection for hotel owners or operators. There may be a few policies out there where the wording will allow a claim but they will be very few, and if cover exists for a particular hotel or group, it may well be under a Business Interruption extension worde...
Cybersecurity Guidelines: Protect Your Business When Working Remotely
Alex Sogno | June 22, 2020
By Alex Sogno In the first half of 2020, Marriott International announced they had experienced a data breach, putting the personal data of 5.2 million guests at risk1. While this number dwarfs in comparison to the data breach of the 500 million Marriott and Starwood guests in late 20182, the message is clear: Hotels are a target for threats and need to focus on protecting their employees and guest data. With the advent of COVID-19, your company’s cybersecurity is at higher risk. As employees worldwide switch to working from home, the dangers associated with mobile devices, remote access to core business systems and poor online practic...
RingMD and PROVision Partners Bringing Integrated Telemedicine Platform to Hotel and Cruise Industries
RingMD USA Inc. | June 18, 2020
Globally deployed platform ensures an exceptional guest/passenger experience while providing a contactless medical outreach solution essential in today’s travel environment BOSTON AND NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA, JUNE 18, 2020 — As hoteliers and cruise operators prepare for reopening, virtually all brands are deploying heightened sanitation practices, social distancing processes, and other health safety programs to protect travelers as part of today’s “new normal.” But to go a crucial step further and provide last-mile assurances that travel is safe, RingMD USA Inc. has partnered with PROVision Partners International to bring trust...
Preparing the Year Ahead for Post-Covid Hotel Luxury
Larry Mogelsonsky | June 17, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) As hoteliers work tirelessly to reopen their properties in an uncertain world and with many new Covid policies that must be implemented, who has the time to look ahead at what will be required for the rest of the calendar year and into 2021? Particularly at the luxury end where close contact is a hallmark of great guest service, changing rapidly takes a sound mind to steer the ship as the hospitality world ebbs and flows through the post-pandemic cycle. To help understand where this segment is headed, I’ve recruited four veteran GMs: Franck X. Arnold, General Manager of the R...
Extending the Covid Summer Into Fall
Larry Mogelonsky | June 15, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Data from numerous sources supports the notion that people are eager to start exploring the world once more. However, with travel restrictions still in effect for international flights, many won’t be able to take advantage of the regular summer season vacation, and this may result in numerous travelers holding out until autumn when more freedoms are restored. Firstly, a gradual rollout of ending the lockdown means that the start of the post-pandemic revival will come from drive markets or regional air travel. By now, this should be pretty obvious. In other words, don’t expect in...
Planning the Aftermath of Post-Covid Hotel Luxury
Larry Mogelonsky | June 10, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The challenges facing hotels in the post-Covid environment are massive. Old planning guidelines are irrelevant. For hotels in the luxury segment, where close contact with guests was almost literally mandated, it will be particularly pressing to find new ways to meet these time-honored standards. To help navigate the immediate challenges of reopening a luxury property amidst so much fear, uncertainty and new policy requirements, I’ve recruited four veteran GMs to demonstrate how leaders from across North American are tackling the problem: Franck X. Arnold, General Manager of t...
The Imminent Influx of Call Volume
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservations Call Center Services | June 9, 2020
Get the Most Revenue from Each Call The hospitality industry has never faced a challenge quite like this. COVID-19 has brought the industry to its knees, and despite lockdown measures being steadily eased, it’s clearly going to take time for the hospitality sector to recover. Yet travel demand will inevitably grow (as we’re now seeing in our call volume at Travel Outlook), which means US hotels need to capitalize on all new reservation inquiries. But will hotels have enough onsite staff to pick up the phone? Reassuring guests in uncertain times Some US hotels have already started reopening their doors, but occupancy levels remai...
ALICE Launches an eBook to Address Post COVID-19 Hotel Operations
ALICE | June 4, 2020
NEW YORK, New York - ALICE, the hospitality industry's leading operations technology company, has launched an eBook titled “Post COVID-19 Hotel Operations: How Technology Helps Deliver Contactless Hospitality with a Lean Staff.” More than 2,500 hotels around the world have chosen ALICE to streamline operations and communication with a single platform. There are many clear and useful guidelines that have been written about post COVID-19 hotel operations, and while there seems to be a fair consensus on what to do, what’s missing for hotel managers is the “how.” That is why this eBook has been created. “Hoteliers need actionabl...
Building Your Post-Covid Welcome Back Package
Larry Mogelonsky | June 3, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The hospitality world will reopen, but it will do so in a staggered manner. This means that once dates are given by governmental authorities, properties will all be scrambling for revenue from customers who now have a markedly different set of demands for their hotel experiences. So, while many are expecting a surge in bookings upon the announcement of a reopening, the competition will still be there, and you will nevertheless need ways to differentiate your hotel. One thought to help spur more initial reservations is the creation of the welcome back package that is bespoke to what ...
The Beginning Is Near… Time to Get Back to Hospitality
Aspire | June 2, 2020
Aspire announces The Art of Hospitality, a new and highly relevant service delivery training program to support the hospitality industry as they re-open and re-enter their respective markets. “The challenges our tourism community faces are significant and complex. Guest service delivery needs to be re-thought, re-processed and team members need to be re-trained as we get back to work.”, says JC Thompson, Aspire’s Chief Operating Officer. Over the past 25 years Aspire’s research based and strategic approach to culture driven guest service training has allowed us to position the guest experience as a true competitive advantage and se...
How COVID-19 Can Stimulate Healthier Hospitality Leadership
Petra Deuter | May 28, 2020
By Petra Deuter Much has already been written about how travel and tourism will be irrevocably changed by the coronavirus pandemic. Optimists and realists alike are focusing on more environmentally friendly ways of reaching our chosen destinations, more sensitive ways of considering local culture and more sustainable, ethical methods of sharing and distributing the financial benefits of tourism. But what about the hospitality and in particular the hotel industry itself? If there was ever a time for us to engage in honest, unflinching self-reflection, this is it. As travelers and vacationers are ready and willing to change their habits, ...
Utility Players as a Way to Save Hotels on Staffing
Larry Mogelonsky | May 27, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) The post-Covid recovery will not mirror the initial reactions to the global lockdown for the hospitality industry. Namely, with hotels shutting down and laying employees off in droves, most properties will be reluctant to rehire all those previously let go because occupancies will take a long time to get to their pre-pandemic levels, thus not necessitating full staffing and recruitment. This can have a harmful impact on service delivery where much more is required from a leaner team, especially with the upgraded cleaning and sanitization protocols mandated by the new normal to make ...
The Myth of ‘Crisis Leadership’
Keith Kefgen | May 27, 2020
By: Keith Kefgen Google the phrase “crisis leadership,” and you get over half a billion (yes, with a “b”) entries. It is one of the hot topics on social media now, with new entries appearing daily. Everyone in the business world is talking about it, and they all seem to characterize it the same way: that crisis leadership reflects a highly specialized skill set or psychometric profile that is significantly different than “everyday” leadership. The spirit or intent of these articles is certainly commendable. Indeed, leadership development remains as much an art as a science, and so data-driven guidance is critically important...
