Siegel Sez: Not Your Father’s Power Socket
September 3rd, 2021
The Most Important Hotel “Salesperson” Right Now Is Working Behind Your Front Desk
Doug Kennedy | July 22nd, 2020
Why Now Is the Time for Hoteliers to Leverage Channel Manager?
Ahmed Mahmoud | January 23, 2020
By Ahmed Mahmoud Choosing the correct hotel Channel Manager is always a critical decision for hotels. There are many factors can be taken into consideration when you decide which channel manager to select for your hotel, it could be your hotel size, cost, time-saving, ……..etc. If you do not have the right channel manager that distributes your rooms in an organized way, you run the risk of double booking your rooms - resulting in unhappy customers, lost revenue, and even more wasted time trying to rectify the situation. In looking for the right channel manager for your hotel, hoteliers may start to ask themselves the below: ››...
Pop-Up Hotels, Autonomous Vehicle Sightseeing and Other Trends to Watch in 2020 and Beyond
Alan Young | January 8, 2020
By Alan Young Two decades ago, if I were to have asked you what the world would look like in 2020, what would you have said? Would you have anticipated the steady rise of self-service technology, tools allowing for instant gratification across all aspects of our life, and artificial intelligence? The autonomous vehicle? The seemingly endless runway of possibility stretches before us, with the help of cutting-edge platforms that were once merely a futuristic concept? Moreover, what predictions would you have offered up for travel? While our industry is always subject to change and, most would argue, has been on an upward trajectory of te...
New Year’s Reflections: Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Shep Hyken | January 2, 2020
It’s that time of year when we make New Year’s resolutions that, while well-intentioned, we quickly fall short of and often forget in a very short time NEW YEAR’S REFLECTIONS: CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS I’m going to break away from my typical articles about customer service and experience and get personal. It’s that time of year when we make New Year’s resolutions that, while well-intentioned, we quickly fall short of and often forget in a very short time. Personal goals about working out and losing weight seem to be the most popular. Those resolutions can often be frustrating, especially if they become a pattern of fa...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: If You Know How to Do Something
David Lund | January 2, 2020
Lead others on your team to replicate your system but be the one who sets the stage for how you create a diverse, strong and effective team As a leader, it is no surprise to hear someone say that teaching others is one of your core responsibilities. When it comes to delegation it is important to remember there is a big distinction between giving the work you do to someone who you work with and teaching them. Creating a high functioning team is exciting and challenging; it’s also a never-ending project. Your team needs to be continuously cultivated and developed. Do not leave this up to someone else. This is your masterpiece. Lea...
PAR or POR? A Guide to Interpreting Hotel Operational Ratios / Laura Resco
HotStats | December 23, 2019
Hospitality data is only as good as the ratio used to calculate it. Is it better to be on PAR or on POR? We explain the differences between per-available-room and per-occupied-room bases Data is king, but futile if you don’t know how to best interpret the numbers. Asking yourself, “What’s the best way to analyze my data?” is too broad and only adds to the confusion. A better approach is to start by setting goals for your analysis. What specific information do you want to extract from your data? When you have a clear understanding of this, you can choose the most relevant ratios accordingly. The two most popular ways to calculate...
10 Ways Hoteliers Can Achieve Additional LEED Credits
Kacey Bradley | December 19, 2019
By Kacey Bradley Two-thirds of today's travelers want to stay in an eco-friendly hotel, according to a survey by TripAdvisor.com. As such, earning a LEED certification opens the door to a huge group of potential clients who want to stay in green quarters. Of course, becoming a LEED-certified hotel isn't an easy process. Normally, you have to follow three steps: registering your project, presenting your eco-friendly facets and submitting the application. Once you earn your approval, you'll fall under one of four levels to determine the standard of eco-friendliness in your accommodation: LEED-certified: 40 to 49 points Silver: 50...
Boosting Your Career in 2020: Advice for Up-And-Coming Hospitality Players
Thomas Mielke | December 12, 2019
Part of the European Emerging Leaders Network Roundtable Discussion Each individual has the responsibility to take charge of his or her own development and career. Those eager to do this should keep the following in mind: Burst the bubble: It is easy to get comfortable with doing what you know works and looking for the commonplace solution. Operating inside the “bubble” of the known prevents you from driving innovation forward. Investigate cross-department and cross-industry opportunities: Employers today are generally quite open to allowing employees to work for a time in different areas within the company, or even to leave ...
Women in C-Suite: Navigating Invisible Obstacles
Juliette Boone | December 5, 2019
By: Juliette Boone, Boulder “Rather than a glass ceiling, many female executives are forced to navigate an invisible obstacle course of workplace and professional barriers to advance in the industry.” In 2013, some colleagues and I published a research study in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly concerning the lack of advancement of women into the C-Suite in the hospitality industry. Our work was borne out of a curiosity about the reported career obstacles that modern female executives faced. In the present era of “Me Too,” it seems appropriate to revisit that research to shine a light again upon the issues that might hold women ...
How Corporate Meetings Can Be Comfortable and Stylish
Kacey Bradley | November 5, 2019
By Kacey Bradley Gone are the days where a meeting space featured a table and a set of chairs. Modern companies are looking for ways to offer comfort to employees in a way that is both stylish and functional. The five ideas below can create happy workers more prone to feeling creative and inspired. Whether you want employees to feel at home or able to focus, choose a meeting space style that's conducive to your desired outcome. 1. Aromatic Room Accents Smell is one of the strongest human senses, with smell receptors in the nose that communicate to the same part of the brain where memories are stored. A unique piece of décor paire...
Give Recognition Where It’s Due
Shep Hyken | October 31, 2019
By Shep Hyken There are some pretty important people in your organization, and I bet many of them don’t know just how important they are. Most likely, they aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. I was talking about this concept with my friend, Kent Higginbotham, and he shared a perfect example of this. Kent was in the Navy, and we affectionally nicknamed him “Admiral.” While in the Navy, Kent flew helicopters. Kent mentioned that most people think the pilot and co-pilot are the most important jobs on a helicopter. No doubt, without these two—or at least one of them—the helicopter can’t take off and land. However, Ken...
Why Aren’t Hotels Referring Friends
Larry Mogelonsky | September 11, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Common to modern apps as an incentivization tool for gathering new users, hotels should start to think of ways that they can drum up new business by prompting happy customers to refer their properties to other guests, either through digital or other ‘low tech’ methods. First, though, it’s important to note why these peer-to-peer systems work so well, particularly when deployed in a way that’s convenient for guests – that is, via email or mobile. Via a system of credit reward, you subtly encourage a user to be a brand advocate within his or her social group while also motiv...
Up Closer and More Personal
Roger Wolkoff | August 21, 2019
By Roger Wolkoff I walk into the newest branch of my credit union, and I am immediately drawn to the design. Lots of open space, thick wood beams surrounded by steel, and lots of light thanks to the plethora of glass. Stunning only begins to describe how it looks. Intimate describes how it feels. As I approach the teller area, it becomes apparent that there is something different about this space. There is no wall separating tellers from customers. Camille stands in front of her station with a welcoming smile. She extends her hand to greet me and guides me to the table that juts out from the side of her station. I stand at a 90-degree a...
Why Google Ratings Might Just Be Your Hotel’s Most Important Quality Metric
Daniel E. Craig | June 27, 2019
By Daniel E. Craig, Founder, Reknown Move over, TripAdvisor — there’s a new sheriff in town. Over the past couple of years, Google has revamped its review product, increased review volume exponentially, and made Google ratings more prominent in search, maps and hotel listings. As a result, Google ratings may have emerged as the most important measure of quality for hotels. Here’s why. In Search, Google Reigns Supreme Google’s role as chief gatekeeper to online travel planning difficult to dispute, but does it hold a monopoly on search? While company officials bristle at the suggestion, others aren’t so convinced. “Goo...
Three Reasons Why Training in Hospitality Matters
Jochen de Peuter | June 26, 2019
How two consecutive audits as "mystery shopper" for a hotel company unveiled striking differences in staff performance... and the need to focus on training. By Jochen de Peuter Recently I was assigned to perform quality audits “mystery shopping” for a hotel company. What struck me was how within one company, standards could be exactly similar, yet at the same time very different. If the similarities were mainly in the look and feel of the experience, the differences mainly came from how the staff performed at actually delivering that experience. The need for training in hospitality Research show numerous advantages to invest in ...
Airbnb, Expedia, Google: 4 Lessons the Hotel Industry Can Learn From The Digital Giants
Meng-Mei Maggie Chen | June 24, 2019
By Meng-Mei Maggie Chen 2017 marked the 10th anniversary of Airbnb's creation and the digital giant celebrated its rapid expansion by releasing its strategy roadmap aptly dubbed "Airbnb For Everyone" with a slew of new types of accommodation topping their original offer. Among the new products unveiled were: New property types – Vacation Home, Unique, B&B, and Boutiques: these come in addition to the existing Entire Home, Private Room, and Shared Space filter options. New property tiers – Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb: the Airbnb Plus badge showcasing houses with more than 100 reviews and at least a 4.8 points r...
What Hoteliers Can Learn From the Starbucks Roastery Concept
Larry Mogelonsky | June 12, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Howard Schultz of Starbucks fame has often touted the inspiration of his coffee empire stemming from his earlier years traveling through Italy. But until up very recently, the global franchise has had difficulty penetrating this market. The top brass knew that they needed something special to stand apart from the cafés that already dot nearly every corner in every Italian city. Moreover, the senior team knows that resting on your laurels is a death knell and that they needed to start testing the next evolution of the Starbucks brand. The solution was to crank the amp to eleven by l...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Conducting Financial Operations Reviews
David Lund | June 10, 2019
By David Lund Hands down one of the best experiences I ever had in my career was being part of the team that reviewed the financial performance of the hotels in my region. The reason I enjoyed it so much, and have such great memories, is because I learned so much at each one and not only did I learn about the business of hotels, I had a lesson in people. The review team consisted of my boss, the hotel GM, the hotel Controller and me. In addition to the four of us, one by one the other executives or department heads would be in attendance or be called when it was their turn to review their area. The examination was a low-tech event. No P...
Business Travel and Millennials: How We’re Changing the Travel Industry
Hotel Tech Report | June 10, 2019
By Marie Nieves As a millennial and business leader, I can safely say that my travel habits differ vastly from those of my parents, as well as my younger colleagues and friends. This has got me thinking about all of the articles and research I’ve read over the years that deal with the behavioral patterns of millennials within the professional realm, how we combine business and leisure, and how we’re constantly touted as the generation that disrupts the norm and aims to change, well, everything. I’m not at all surprised to say that I agree with that. After all, someone has to disrupt the traditional norms, and who better than a ge...
Evaluating WiFi Service Through The Guest’s POV
Larry Mogelonsky | June 5, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) One can argue that nowadays a good wireless internet connection is as important as to many guests as heating, air conditioning and access to a bathroom with running water. Knowing it's central to a customer's emotional state, why play games? As a reminder of why spotty WiFi reception or attempting to upcharge for premium speeds is bad for your reputation, let's look at the situation from the guest's point of view (POV). I'll start with a personal experience to demonstrate why it's so important to get your WiFi connectivity right these days. I was staying at a southeast flagged prope...
As Restaurants Evolve, The Core Experience Remains
Larry Mogelonsky | May 29, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Up until the hospitality industry started to change over half a century ago, everyone was accustomed to believing that a city's best restaurant would be found at a luxury hotel downtown. Such a property's premier restaurant would often serve as a perennial draw for both out-of-towners as well as locals, with reservations coveted and those seated immediately bestowing status upon their patrons. For today's more spontaneous, less formal, less pretentious, more parsimonious and Google-Yelp-TripAdvisor-driven culture, dining out is as popular as ever but we've blunted the experience in ...
Hotel Design Trends: Adaptation Is Key!
Jennifer Luo | May 28, 2019
From eco-consciousness to wellness and smart-rooms, design is an incredibly powerful tool hoteliers can leverage to differentiate themselves and cater to ever-evolving guest demands. By Jennifer Luo With the growth of private home bookings through a variety of digital platforms, such as Airbnb, hotels face a fierce competition to win customer demand. With a stronger focus on their overall experience, hotel guests today have higher expectations and the ever evolving landscape of travelers have brought about a slew of changes within the hospitality industry. Now, hotels are reshaping the look, feel and appeal of their properties, using ex...
How to Register Your Front Desk Staff to Become “Certified in the Heart of Hospitality”
Kennedy Training Network | May 23, 2019
In the era of online reviews and social media, guest experiences at the front desk impact the financial success of your hotel. First impressions formulated at check-in bias guests' overall opinions, whether for better or for worse. If you're looking to refocus your team on the essentials of hospitality excellence, it's easy to register your staff to become Certified in the Heart of Hospitality. For a fee of just $995 total, you can certify up to 3 managers and 6 front desk colleagues; additional staff can be certified for $99 each at any time. Here's How It Works: First, KTN presents a live "kick-off" webinar f...
A Sense of Place, Welcome and Hospitality
Larry Mogelonsky | May 22, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I recall the last time I stayed at what would categorically be a cookie-cutter hotel. Performing my typical inspection as a casually walked the halls and entered my guestroom, nothing seemed out of place, yet something was still missing. The hotel in question proudly touted its recent renovation for which I can confirm this fact given the scent of fresh paint, glue, wood and new upholstery. The doorman performed in strict accordance with his title while the receptionist at the front desk was upbeat while still remaining matter-of-fact. Arriving after the dinner hour, the corridors w...
RevPAR Is Only One Piece of the Picture
David Eisen | May 17, 2019
By David Eisen Imagine you're scouting a young baseball player or footballer—someone experts have pegged as the next Derek Jeter or Lionel Messi. You can't, however, just take their word for it; you have to see their performance for yourself and also dig into the numbers—into how they rate statistically. Now, imagine you are only allowed to consult one statistic, such as batting average (hits divided by at-bats) or goals scored. Then, imagine that within this context, our Jeter heir apparent is hitting a more-than-respectable .315, and our Messi-to-be is his team's leading goal scorer. Great news, right? Well, yes and no. ...
