The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4th, 2024
Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2nd, 2024
CoMMingle Provides Total Customer Engagement Services to Hotels, Restaurants, and Spas
Lodging Interactive | July 11, 2022
Lodging Interactive, award-winning digital marketing, reputation management, and social media marketing agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry since 2001, today announced the launch of its updated CoMMingle services. CoMMingle provides enhanced guest review reputation management and social media marketing services to hotels, restaurants, and spas. "Over the past six months we’ve invested heavily in ‘rebooting’ CoMMingle to ensure we continue to address the ever-changing technology landscape and the needs of our hospitality customers,” said DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive’s Founder and CEO. “Since 2006 we have wr...
Seven Tips to Stop Associate Churn
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | July 6, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Staffing, staffing, staffing. It’s a constant challenge, and a demoralizing one when you think about all the training that goes into a new hire only for them to leave a month after onboarding. The churn and retention rate problems at the associate level aren’t going away; we could get into the macroeconomic forces contributing to this, but let’s just say that hotels must find non-wage incentives to keep employees from hopping over to a competitor or leaving the industry altogether. The scary part is that this churn isn’t only at the associate level, as the term ‘the Great Resignation’ encapsulate...
5 Telltale Signs It’s Time to Change Your S&C System and Why It’s Quicker and Easier Than You Might Think
Ryan Hamilton | July 6, 2022
By Ryan Hamilton, Co-Founder, SalesAndCatering.com and Bluebuzzard Technology Group Within the hospitality space, groups and events represent a profitable business segment. From events to group bookings and corporate meetings, the sales and catering software hotels have in place will ultimately make or break a hotel’s ability to attract high-ticket group business. With this in mind, many hotels (independent properties and chains alike) have begun seeking more modern, cloud-based S&C platforms that provide their teams with the tools needed to attract group business and, more importantly, ‘wow’ event planners and attendees. Hotelie...
Maestro All-In-One PMS Solution Provider Rolls Out the Red Carpet at HITEC
Maestro | June 28, 2022
Web browser-based cloud and on-premises PMS provider giving hoteliers the VIP treatment in Booth 1325 as they showcase their All-In-One PMS suite of modules and latest innovations in their Mobile Guest Engagement and Mobile Staff Operations Line, a NEW Frontline User Tablet Application, and NEW Integrated Technologies Orlando, June 28, 2022 — Today at HITEC Orlando, Maestro will roll out the red carpet to tradeshow attendees looking to see the latest in cloud and on-premises Web browser property-management systems. On display in Booth 1325 at the Orange County Convention Center will be the complete line of Maestro PMS mobile, tablet and ...
Stayntouch and the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality US Traveler Sentiment Report Indicates: Hotels’ Tr
Stayntouch | June 28, 2022
Leader in guest-centric technology and NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality unveil results of proprietary report of Attribute-Based Shopping at HITEC 2022 [Orlando, Fla. | Tuesday, June 28] Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems and guest-centric technology, and the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, today released the results of a study on U.S. traveler sentiments on attribute-based shopping. The report concluded that moving from Traditional Hotel Shopping (THS) to Attribute Based Shopping (ABS) is likely to increase traveler value, price transparency, and satisfaction,— critical ...
Ten Tips to Maintain Hotel Restaurant Margins During Ongoing Inflation
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | June 22, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky First it was the initial COVID-19 disruptions and the knock-on effects of inflationary money printing. Now it’s the war in Ukraine and the next round of lockdowns in China affecting shipping out of Shanghai, Shenzhen or Ningbo. And then there are all the forces preventing your restaurants from properly staffing up. Such macroeconomic supply shocks will continue to plague your F&B operations for the rest of the year and (our prediction at least) for the better half of the decade ahead. How do you adjust? There are steps you must take in the immediate term to maintain profitability but, importantly, thes...
Nomadix Launches Staff Panic Button and Wi-Fi Quality Analysis Solution
Nomadix | June 21, 2022
Technology Acquisition Accelerates Delivery of Nomadix Alerts LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 21, 2022 — Nomadix® Inc., a technology leader in hospitality and multi-tenant industries, today announced its new product line, Nomadix Alerts. This solution includes a smart badge, a cloud-based incident and analytics dashboard, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. Nomadix Alerts helps safeguard isolated hotel staff from threats and harassment and offers built-in fall detection. The device also monitors, alerts, and reports on the quality and security of the hotel’s Wi-Fi network. Nomadix will showcase the new solution at HITEC Orlando, J...
SHR, Stayntouch Launch Timely Resource to Help Hoteliers Improve Guest Experience While Automating Operations
Stayntouch | June 21, 2022
Industry experts contributed to “The Hotelier's Playbook to Amplifying Revenue and Engagement Across the Guest Journey,” available free online and at HITEC 2022 BETHESDA, Md. — June 21, 2022 — Sceptre Hospitality Resources, which offers a suite of solutions to help hoteliers improve the guest experience and drive revenue at each touchpoint along the guest journey, in collaboration with Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems and guest-centric technology, has published a whitepaper that gives hoteliers the tools they need to improve the guest experience and maximize revenue at every stage of the guest ...
RezRecover by CartStack Solves $10B Problem for Hotels, Resorts: Booking Abandonment
RezRecover by CartStack | June 21, 2022
Leveraging great success in the eCommerce space, CartStack enters the hospitality industry in full force to offer best in class booking recovery solution RezRecover MINNEAPOLIS, MIN (June 21, 2022) – Hospitality and travel companies across the globe are wrestling with the multibillion-dollar issue of booking abandonment, also called reservation abandonment. Founded in 2013, the leading eCommerce sales recovery platform, CartStack, has developed RezRecover to solve this costly problem for operators of hotels, resorts, and multi-property groups. The travel industry has seen a notoriously high rate of shopping cart abandonment. Data fr...
Sonesta Resorts Sint Maarten Select STS Cloud, ProposalPath and e-Signature to Enhance Group Business Across Oceanfront Properties
SalesAndCatering.com | June 14, 2022
Sonesta Resorts features a duo of stunning oceanfront properties that have experienced great success leveraging SalesAndCatering.com’s suite of hotel sales solutions to drive group business and growth Charleston, SC – (June 14, 2022) - Sonesta Resorts in Sint Maarten has partnered with SalesAndCatering.com to equip their luxury properties with best-in-class sales and catering technology. When considering ways to scale and enhance their industry-leading brand and support growth across both oceanfront properties, Sonesta Resorts selected STS Cloud, ProposalPath, and e-Signature as their platforms of choice. “When vetting prospective...
Four Seasons Resort Langkawi Welcomes New General Manager Ivan Giles
June 13, 2022
From Mexico and Hawaii to Maldives and Malaysia, Ivan Giles brings a wealth of experience in luxury resorts to his new role as General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Langkawi. His international sensibility is complemented by a genuine passion for Langkawi’s unique offerings, making him ideally positioned to reintroduce this one-of-a-kind destination to travellers as Malaysia reopens its borders after nearly two years. Arriving at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi is something of a homecoming for Ivan, who served as the property’s Resort Manager from 2015 to 2017. Now at the helm of this jungle-cloaked hideaway, he is excited for guests t...
Embracing the Efficiency of AI Powered Tech
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | June 9, 2022
How AI Can Facilitate Better Interactions Between Hotel Guests and Employees By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook June 2022 Whether management likes to admit it or not, hotels are riddled with inefficiencies. Hotel staff and guests’ interactions are vital in the hospitality industry. Premium service must be hands-on, friendly, and executed with a personal touch. But at times, these interactions can slow down or hinder guests during their stay. Front desk staff may be doing their best to focus on the guests in front of them, but when the phone rings, they must show the caller the same level of service and respect that they...
Why Hotels Must Pay Attention to the Longevity Revolution
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | June 8, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Behind stagflation, crypto collapses and Ukraine, this news story may not have reached your ears, but it represents one of the most lucrative opportunities to expand your business. Without getting into the science of it, let’s just say that there is a multitude of humble and supremely intelligent doctors around the globe who are working on various life-extension procedures, many of which can find a suitable place in your hotel to offer guests a profound reason to visit as well as a veritable profit center. This has already started with the traditional spa evolving into a wellness center. As these advanced ...
The Dewberry Charleston Sees Monumental ADR Growth & Time-Savings With IDeaS: A Case Study
IDeaS | June 8, 2022
Inside and out, The Dewberry Charleston is a manifestation of founder John Dewberry’s vision of “Southern Reimagined™.” The 155-room independent hotel was brought to life by a team of architects and designers who shared Dewberry’s mission to present Charleston, South Carolina from a uniquely personal perspective. The result is a thoughtfully imagined juxtaposition of past and present that redefines what is possible when historic preservation is paramount. A Revenue-Minded GM Dewberry’s general manager Kristie Rasheed originally joined the property as director of revenue & profit optimization during the hotel’s pre-open...
Hotel Sales: When Product, Process, Place, and Price Are the Same, People Make the Difference
Doug Kennedy | June 7, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Despite the efforts of brand leaders to create meaningful differentiation of hotel flags, when I speak with both professional and social meeting planners, they generally express seeing very little difference, at least within any given market segment. In other words, a core branded Marriott feels an awful lot like a Hilton, Hyatt, or Intercontinental. A Ritz-Carlton seems very similar to a Fairmont or Four Seasons. A Hilton Garden Inn mirrors a Courtyard or Hyatt Place, and a Home2Suites, Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites don’t feel that much different either. It is not just the rooms. When it comes to amenities and s...
Stayntouch PMS Integrates With GoTab POS, Delivering Enhanced Dining Experience for Guests and Increased Revenue for Hotels
Stayntouch | June 7, 2022
Integrated mobile PMS and POS delivers a personalized, flexible and contactless guest experience for hotel guests BETHESDA, Md. — June 7, 2022 — Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and guest-centric technology, announced a partnership and direct integration with GoTab, an innovative cloud-based platform that helps savvy hoteliers optimize their food and beverage operations using cost-effective, agile and contactless technology. GoTab allows hotels to optimize their dining operations, reduce operating costs and drive incremental F&B revenues. Whether they use GoTab for in-room service or o...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 266: Hotel History: The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, California
Stanley Turkel | June 1, 2022
by Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: The Palace Hotel (1909), San Francisco, Ca (556 rooms) San Francisco and the Palace Hotel have shared a common heritage for more than 140 years. Inspired by a visionary developer, William Chapman Ralston, the Palace Hotel was known as the “Grande Dame of the West”, a hotel of timeless elegance and unprecedented opulence. It was designed by architect John P. Gaynor as the largest, costliest and most luxurious hotel in the world. To finance its $5 million cost, Ralston exhausted his Bank of California which collapsed in late August 1875. Soon thereafter, Ralston’s body was found floating in San...
The Carver Companies Launches Industry First, CARVER the App
Carver Companies | May 25, 2022
ATLANTA, GA – May 25, 2022 – Carver Hotel Group and the Carver Companies, the hospitality infrastructure powerhouse with more than 3,500 task force consultants, is the first in the hospitality world to provide an all-inclusive app designed to support both clients and consultants. CARVER the app will be available for download to both Apple and Android devices beginning May 25, 2022. The first launch of CARVER the app will focus on consultants and will help them easily manage their schedules, update their profiles and present current information to numerous hospitality clients. With this tool, consultants can also efficiently submit invo...
Strength in Average Daily Rate Now Expected to Drive 2022 RevPAR Above 2019 Levels
PwC Hospitality Directions | May 23, 2022
Despite an initial pullback in the recovery timeline caused by a surge in infections from a new omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in December and January, continued improvement in top-line metrics for US hotels is expected for the remainder of this year and next. While leisure travel continued to drive much of lodging’s demand in Q1, individual business travel and group business have started to emerge as we head into the warmer months. Strong leisure business is expected to cause demand compression over the summer, driving room rates and resultant RevPAR levels to new highs. If tensions ease in Ukraine and immunity levels continue to in...
Guest Loyalty Is Not Dead – It’s Just Really Boring
Ellis Connolly | May 19, 2022
Hey Siri… play Loyalty by Kendrick Lamar By Ellis Connolly Let’s talk about loyalty. We write songs about it; we study it; we try to identify it in friends, potential suitors, colleagues, and customers – loyalty is an omnipresent force in our lives, whether it exists in abundance or, in some cases, is perceivably lacking. Specifically, loyalty has gleaned no shortage of attention over the last few years in the business world. Across industries, marketers and business owners find themselves ruminating over the same question – is loyalty dead? Are modern customers incapable of exhibiting loyalty to the brands they purchase from? I...
Before Covid and After Covid
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | May 18, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky The terms BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) define the numerical labels of the Gregorian Calendar that is in use in most of the Western World. For hoteliers, we need to adapt this approach to the world of ‘Before Covid’, which ended in 2019, and ‘After Covid’ which is unfurling before our eyes right now in 2022. The effects of the pandemic were of such significance that making comparisons of AC business to BC results are almost irrelevant. Given that the effects of the coronavirus can be seen as a direct result of the increasing globalization of the world, travel, hotels, restaurants, cruises a...
High Standards: Why Independent Hoteliers Need a PMS Tech Partner That Matches Their Service Culture
Warren Dehan | May 17, 2022
Growing importance of hospitality technology is extending the service culture reach beyond the front desk By Warren Dehan Hospitality is just not like other industries when it comes to giving and receiving customer service. This is a business that is built on patience and understanding, as well as an unwillingness to compromise on quality and effort. These elements are the secret sauce that make hospitality so profitable and rewarding, and it’s why hotels thrive when they share a service culture with like-minded partners. When it comes to technology partnerships, independent hoteliers often lack a safety net when providers fail to ...
Nomadix Appoints Mike Womack VP of Partner Sales, the Americas
Nomadix | May 17, 2022
Expert in wireless technology and customer engagement solutions, Womack will work with distributors and strategic business partners to bring the expansive Nomadix product line across multiple markets LOS ANGELES, Calif. – May 17, 2022 — Nomadix® Inc., a technology leader in the hospitality and multi-tenant industries, today announced the appointment of Mike Womack as vice president of partner sales, the Americas. He brings more than 25 years of sales management and business development experience in the wireless technology solutions and services space. He also has a comprehensive technology background that will enable the company to g...
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $50,000,000 of First Mortgage Financing for the Cliffs Hotel & Spa, Pismo Beach, California
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company | May 11, 2022
Beverly Hills, CA – May 11, 2022 – Sonnenblick-Eichner Company has arranged $50 million of long term fixed rate first mortgage financing for the Cliffs Hotel & Spa, a 162-room, full-service, luxury boutique hotel located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Pismo Beach, California. The non-recourse loan was funded by an investment bank and priced at 4.8 percent with interest-only payments for the entire term of the loan. Proceeds from the loan provided for a return of equity to the Borrower in order to purchase a partnership interest. Located along California’s central coast, the Cliffs Hotel & Spa features direct...
