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
Top 5 Things You Need to Know Now in Hotel Digital Marketing: May Edition
Margaret Mastrogiacomo | May 19, 2020
By Margaret Mastrogiacomo As we prepare for the rebound in travel demand, it’s important to keep a pulse on the latest digital innovations you can leverage across channels to make a greater impact on performance. This month, Google rolled out a major core algorithm update, LinkedIn added new company targeting capabilities, and TV streaming ads rose in popularity. From SEO to Social Media and Design, here are the top 5 things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing. 1. SEO: Google rolls out May 2020 core algorithm update. On May 4th, Google began rolling out the May 2020 core update, which is reported to be a larger, broade...
3 Reasons to Turn to Benchmarking in the COVID-19 Era
HotStats | May 19, 2020
By Laura Resco You wouldn’t trust a doctor’s mere intuition with your health, right? Of course not. You’d require testing and data. Operational benchmarking is the hotel industry’s electrocardiogram (EKG), MRI, X-ray and ultrasound — the instruments that provide the cold hard facts. Isn’t your bottom line worth it? Among industries, the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry has been especially injurious: halting travel in its tracks, postponing conferences and gatherings and precipitating the furloughs and layoffs of thousands of employees within the space. The unprecedented nature of the disease has rendered obs...
Nobody Asked Me But… No. 231: Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, Colorado
Stanley Turkel | May 19, 2020
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Brown Palace Hotel, (479 rooms) The Brown Palace Hotel opened in 1892 with an eight-story atrium designed by architect Frank E. Edbrooke (1840-1921). More than 400 wrought iron grillwork panels ring the lobby from the third through the seventh floors. Two of them are upside down, one to serve the tradition that man is imperfect; the other sneaked in by a disgruntled workman. The Brown Palace was built on a cow pasture by Henry Cordes Brown, a carpenter who had driven an oxcart across the country and arrived at Cherry Creek in Kansas territory in 1860. By the late 1880s, Brown owned much of the f...
5 Insights Into the Changing Landscapes of Hospitality and Higher Education
Achim Schmitt | May 18, 2020
By Achim Schmitt Successful hospitality professionals know that the difference between success and failure often depends on how we deal with challenges and difficulties. In fact, this mindset aligns very well with the etymological roots of the word “crisis”. Whereas we generally use the word to describe times of difficulty and distress, the original Greek word “krísis” described “decisions”, significant “turning points” for better or worse, and/or a “decisive stage” in the context of a decision-making. Hence, what are the “turning points” and “insights” that we, as institutions of higher education, are currentl...
HITEC North America, HFTP Annual Conference and Club Forum Consolidate to Become “The Best of HFTP”
May 18, 2020
A Focus on Health & Safety While Leading the Return to In-Person Events By Geneva Rinehart May 18, 2020 - Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) announced last Wednesday during a press conference to industry media that the organization will consolidate its three major annual events to one location over a four-day period in October, and will call it, “The Best of HFTP.” Health and safety will take center stage, as the organization plans to set an example on how the industry will return to face-to-face conventions and networking in a responsible way. HFTP’s three annual...
Coronavirus May Kill the Airbnb Super Host
Larry Mogelonsky | April 29, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) All of travel is taking a beating from the pandemic. None are excluded and the situation will continue to play out over the next two years as some organizations adapt while, unfortunately, others die out. Looking at the sharing economy, though, there are some interesting side effects from this crisis that might be advantageous for traditional hoteliers. Initially (late February), right as social distancing, lockdowns, flight restrictions and quarantines were being issued throughout Europe and North America, I had thought that COVID-19 would favor these alternate lodging providers. T...
Six Actions Taken by Chinese Hoteliers as Immediate Remedies for the Coronavirus Crisis
Global Asset Solutions | April 22, 2020
“Cities in China are carefully easing strict prevention measures and access restrictions based on advancements in local public health conditions”. This is the message that citizens have recently shared on their social media profiles. The hospitality sector has been one of the hardest-hit industries in these times. Hoteliers in China have demonstrated resilience and creativity through their countering measures towards the Covid-19 crisis. Today, as hoteliers from all over the globe are facing a similar unprecedented situation, it has become ever-more crucial to pass on the experience to design new scenarios, post-COVID19. We have gat...
Beekeeper Continues COVID-19 Webinar Series: ‘Communicating With Furloughed Employees —Getting It Right’ on Thursday, April 23
Beekeeper | April 20, 2020
Led by the Director of the Cornell Institute for Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations, participants from Marriott International, Jones Day, and Beekeeper will discuss how to best communicate with a remote workforce and prepare them for success when things start to turn around. San Francisco, April 20, 2020 — How do furloughed employees stay in the know with what is going on at the hotel? How are hoteliers communicating unemployment insurance benefits? What will happen when things start to turn around and properties need to begin planning for reopening? On Thursday, Beekeeper, a mobile-first communication platform for ...
Hotel Marketing and Revenue Management in the Time of Pandemic
Vikram Singh | April 13, 2020
By Vikram Singh As I write my first article during a global pandemic, my title inspiration comes from the Columbian literary superstar, Gabriel García Márquez. COVID-19 has rapidly decimated the industry I have worked in for over 20 years. There have been hardships before, but this one seems darker and more insidious than anything we have seen before. Nobody knows exactly what lies ahead, but the current reality is that thousands of our hospitality industry colleagues – many in my own personal network – have lost their livelihood or taken huge cutbacks in compensation and benefits. March was a month filled with bad news that was s...
Quore Helps Hotel Properties Transition to Isolation Wards for COVID-19 Patient Overflow
Quore | April 7, 2020
Operations management platform enables hotels to support health and safety compliance for those looking to help communities in need Franklin, Tenn. - (April 7, 2020) - Quore, the leading provider of workflow management and productivity tools for hotels, today announced its Quore Aid Program for any hotel converting its property into a COVID-19 isolation ward or temporary medical facility. Quore has adapted its suite of solutions to allow for adherence to local and national healthcare guidelines to support housing facilities as they determine the right precautions each hotel isolation ward should follow in order to ensure the health and sa...
HFTP to Host Series of Hangouts to Bring Hospitality Professionals Together Online
HFTP | April 6, 2020
HFTP will go live on Zoom three times a week throughout April for a new series of virtual networking opportunities called "HFTP Hangouts." All HFTP members, stakeholders and hospitality professionals are invited to attend. These collaborative, online sessions will begin on Tuesday, April 7 and will take place every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2:00 p.m. CT for the remainder of the month. Each day will focus its discussion on a particular segment of the hospitality industry. The Hangouts will be moderated by a sector expert who will begin with a brief informational presentation and then turn over the meeting for discussion amongst par...
An Initial Checklist for Temporary Hotel Closures
Alex Sogno | April 6, 2020
By Alex Sogno During the COVID-19 crisis, many hotels will unfortunately have to stop their operations and close temporarily. This can be out of necessity if your forecasts suggest the losses experienced at these low occupancy levels are not sustainable. While closing down several floors could have saved enough variable costs in the past, the introduction of systems such as LED lights have made these savings minimal and insufficient in the current crisis. In many European countries, such as the Czech Republic and Spain, all hotels have been ordered to close by their governments. While companies like Marriott and IHG have already reopen...
Forward-Thinking Hotels and Casinos Take Control of the Silver Lining During Uncertain Times
Robb Monkmann | April 2, 2020
By Robb Monkmann Let’s face it, the countless 2020 industry predictions we read in December 2019 did not prepare us for this. Business school, quite frankly, couldn’t prepare us for this. Hoteliers, a few mere months ago, found themselves facing the year ahead with unbridled optimism. We relished in the promise of continued innovation, while hotels were poised to welcome an influx of eager travelers, and revenue projections boasted an upward trajectory. And now? We find ourselves in uncharted territory, facing — arguably — more uncertainty than we ever have before. Not to say COVID-19 is the first pandemic to impact the hospital...
The Relevance of Brand Relevance
Kimberly Yoong | April 2, 2020
By Kimberly Yoong iPhone, iPad, iEverything – the world of Apple has become a prime case study for brand marketers, as they continue to boast legions of fans around the world; many of whom would willingly brave the elements in a bid to emerge victorious with the latest iPhone in hand. But what’s in a brand? Quality, consistency, and now – an ideology. CitizenM seeks to “inspire a new generation of modern travelers”, affectionately referring to its guests as citizens, while Aman’s discreet, exclusive luxury has enthralled more than its fair share of Aman junkies. As consumers continue to seek the novel and unique, the attracti...
COVID-19 and the Chinese Hotel Sector
Caroline Zhang | March 31, 2020
By Caroline Zhang, Chang Xu, Rachel Cui From the beginning of 2020, Covid-19 spread in China and escalated into a global pandemic, impacting the travel, hotel, and catering industries. HVS Shenzhen Office combined existing market information and our own survey results, as well as the historical data, to determine the impact and provide an outlook on the Chinese hotel industry. View report...
Covid-19: What Should Hoteliers Keep in Mind In the Midst of the Current Crisis
Pierre Verbeke | March 27, 2020
Even during some of the worst crisis in the past, hotels or restaurants have not been forced to close. We are in uncharted waters: what should hoteliers keep in mind to navigate the current crisis? By Pierre Verbeke We are reading a lot these days about this unprecedented crisis and the profound impact this has and will have on our business. Stock exchange wealth has been wiped away, thousands of hotels have had to close and many of our employees are affected and are assigned to residence. Never before have we seen mandatory hotel or restaurant closures on a scale as today. Even during some of the worst crisis in the past, hotels or r...
Attend HFTP Townhall With CEO Frank Wolfe on April 2
March 26, 2020
HFTP Townhall with CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE, FIH: How the HFTP Network Can Help You Navigate the Impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic Every one of us across the globe are feeling the professional and personal impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. At HFTP Global, we have evaluated our collection of resources and educational offerings that will best support our members in the current business climate. Please join HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe as he discusses what the association has been doing to respond and adapt to the current business climate. Frank will draw from his communications with allied industry associations and leading hospitality organization...
Radisson Hotel Group Signs With Silver Beach Hotel for First Beach Resort in Dubai
Radisson | March 24, 2020
Brussels/Dubai - March 24, 2020 - Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce the signing of the Radisson Resort Dubai Palm Jumeirah, its first beach resort in Dubai and third Radisson hotel in the United Arab Emirates, bringing its UAE portfolio to 23 hotels in operation and under development. Home to some of Dubai's top resorts, the Palm Jumeirah is built from reclaimed land in a series of artificial archipelagos and shaped like a palm tree when viewed from above. Located on the Jumeirah shoreline, Radisson’s latest resort is perfect for both leisure and business travelers and is ideally located, providing travelers with easy access to th...
Fuel Launches ‘Crisis Management Resources for Hotels’ Master List to Help Hoteliers Navigate the Coronavirus Pandemic and Other Adverse M
Fuel | March 23, 2020
New comprehensive resource guide provides hoteliers with up-to-date information, tips and strategies during times of adversity and economic uncertainty Myrtle Beach, SC – March 23, 2020 – Fuel, the premier provider of hotel marketing software and digital agency services for the hospitality sector, announced the launch of a new online resource to benefit the hospitality industry as it works to combat the effects of the COVID-19 virus, titled the “Crisis Management Resources for Hotels” Master List. This newly created resource is an aggregated collection of crisis management tools, information and best-practice tips from organiza...
Who Not to Be in Hotel Leadership
Larry Mogelonsky | March 18, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Can you change a hotel’s culture without a change at the top? Think about this long and hard as it is very rare that the answer is a ‘yes’. Instead, my hope is to present four potential pratfalls to avoid so as to offer some perspective on how these senior executive behaviors may trickle down to hinder your hotel’s culture from achieving maximum productivity. In many ways, it’s a process of elimination, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun in the process! The General Numbers Manager These individual bases everything that he or she does off of data and...
RPHS Launches The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji, a New Bleisure Hotel in Osaka’s Business Area
Royal Park Hotels and Resorts Company, Ltd. | March 17, 2020
OSAKA, Japan--March 17, 2020--On March 16th, 2020, Royal Park Hotels and Resorts Company, Ltd. (hereafter RPHS) launches The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji, its second hotel in Osaka, bringing together Japanese charm and modern design elements. Over the next 5 years, RPHS plans to open six more hotels in Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, and Tokyo. The new hotel forms part of the ICONIC brand, the flagship line of RPHS’ “THE” series for premium limited service hotels. Targeting business and bleisure travelers the hotel features a total of 352 rooms including two executive floors with 48 rooms, restaurants, two gyms, English-speaking guest...
Crisis Management: Preparing Your Hotel for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
NextGuest | March 11, 2020
By Margaret Mastrogiacomo, EVP Strategy Crisis Management is a critical component of any successful digital strategy. During times of crisis, hotels need to thoughtfully and swiftly develop a prevention plan, communicate to employees and guests, and make critical shifts to revenue management and digital strategies to ensure success. With Coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to spread, it’s important for hotels to have an action plan in place that addresses both the current state and the potential future impact if the situation continues to worsen. Overall, your hotel should arm itself with an internal Coronavirus response ...
10 Ideas to Improve Booking Performance During the Crisis
Milestone Inc. | March 10, 2020
By Dev Kurbur, SVP of Global Customer Success “Some companies will emerge stronger than before” – Andy Grove Intel’s Andy Grove had a lot to say about how to react to downturns and setbacks. Here are just a few of his insights and maxims: 1) The first rule is that economic downturns always end. 2) Some companies emerge from recessions stronger than before. 3) You can’t save your way out of a recession. 4) The future favors the optimist.* Milestone, Inc. has dozens of hospitality clients, so we decided to put together some recommendations for where to invest time and focus during the crisis and here we share them with ...
Stop Calling Them Food Wines
Larry Mogelonsky | March 4, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) How often have you heard this term? A bottle is jammy, tight or otherwise barely palatable and the excuse – nay, the explanation – is that it’s a ‘great food wine’. I’ve seen this witty marketing retort creep into our collective dining culture over the past decade, and now I fear that it has run its course lest it do damage to your restaurant. My issue is that this two-word buzz phrase has now become the de rigueur excuse for allowing any piece of plonk on the wine list – promotional puffery at its finest. Think about it for a moment: name one wine that doesn’t pa...
