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
DMV-Like Experience Leading to 27 Million Skipped Trips, $71 Billion in Lost Travel Spend
U.S. Travel Association | October 5, 2023
Federal government must prioritize improvements across air travel ecosystem to achieve greater growth WASHINGTON (October 4, 2023)—A record-breaking summer of travel demand sharpened the impact of government inefficiencies and hassles across the travel system, potentially resulting in air travelers taking an average of two fewer trips per year at a projected total cost of $71 billion to the U.S. economy—according to a new U.S. Travel survey from Ipsos. “When nearly 60% of recent air travelers find the experience the equivalent or worse than going to the DMV, it is a concerning signal that demands action,” said U.S. Travel Asso...
Nashville and Los Angeles Lead in Year-Over-Year Percent Growth for September
KNOWLAND | October 5, 2023
September event volume increased 21.7 percent compared with last year ARLINGTON, Va. — Oct. 5, 2023 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, reports Nashville has seen the highest percent growth at 30.7 percent, with Los Angeles coming in at 22.3 percent over 2022. For the top five performing markets, National Associations took the lead, with Healthcare, Education, and Weddings leading as top industry growth drivers. This data is sourced from Knowland’s sales intelligence platform designed to help hoteliers build and protect a hotel’s revenue base. Nashvill...
MDO Extends Leadership Position in Hotel Business Intelligence and Back-Office Automation With Acquisition of HelloGM
mdo | October 5, 2023
The acquisition of HelloGM further enables MDO to deliver data-driven solutions for the hospitality industry, equipping hoteliers to operate more efficiently and gain actionable insights from their data. ATLANTA, GA., OCTOBER 5, 2023 – MDO, a hotel data platform that centralizes and operationalizes critical performance and financial data for hotel companies, has bolstered its back-office automation and business intelligence capabilities with the acquisition of HelloGM. HelloGM, a centralized data analytics and automation platform, enables hotel operators to better understand property-level operating performance and automate previously...
Hawkeye Hotels Exits Moxy Omaha at Opening
Hawkeye Hotels | October 4, 2023
Moxy Hotel Celebrates Hotel Completion in Omaha's Vibrant Historic Old Market District Omaha, NE – Despite the challenging financing landscape and concerns about rising interest rates, Hawkeye Hotels not only built the hotel but also sold it at over $200,000 per room. This achievement underscores the resilience of the hotel industry, as well as the presence of eager buyers who are willing to transact. Hawkeye Hotels is proud to announce the highly-anticipated completion of the Moxy Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska's Historic Old Market District. This stylish and innovative addition to the hospitality scene in Omaha promises to redefine the ci...
Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas Opens in Thailand
Anantara | October 4, 2023
Bangkok, October 4, 2023: A secluded hideaway located on an untouched island in the middle of Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas is the latest addition to Anantara’s world-spanning archipelago of hotels and resorts. On the pristine Koh Yao Yai, couples and families will find a nature-ensconced sanctuary to rest, connect and play, with unspoiled beaches, lush jungles, picturesque sunsets, and amazing sea life. Once a coconut palm plantation, the 27-acre site occupied by Anantara Koh Yao Yai is situated between a wooded hill and a turquoise bay dotted with jungle-clad limestone islets that countless b...
How to Understand & Utilize Different Types of Data in Hotel Systems
Sameer Umar | October 4, 2023
By Sameer Umar Does this situation sound familiar? You walk into a meeting with the entire operational team and every department – from Finance to Sales to Revenue Management to Operations – has different figures that they’ve extracted from the system(s) they use for monitoring their progress; in some cases, the same source systems give each department different versions of the truth, in different reports. As I’m sure you’ve experienced many times before, this situation leaves you wondering which department has the most accurate data, resulting in confusion and uncertainty – and makes it almost impossible to make accurate strat...
How to Equip Staff to Deliver Guest Hospitality (Not Guest Service)
Rohith Kori | October 4, 2023
By Rohith Kori Hotel employees have been trained to focus on "service", but is that enough? Merriam-Webster defines service as the act of serving such as a helpful act, but if that's all staff provide, guests aren't receiving the exceptional experiences that encourage repeat stays and five-star reviews. Properties that view guest service as more than just following standard protocols focus on equipping team members to offer above-and-beyond efforts that make guest experiences exceptional. True "hospitality" goes far beyond guest service in a hotel environment. The goal of providing top-level, hyper-personalized guest experienc...
Stephen Husbands Named General Manager for The Harbor Club, Curio Collection by Hilton in St. Lucia
The Harbor Club | October 4, 2023
GROS ISLET, ST. LUCIA – October 2023 – The Harbor Club, Curio Collection by Hilton is delighted to announce the recent appointment of Stephen Husbands as General Manager. Stephen joins The Harbor Club, bringing with him an impressive track record of success in the hospitality industry. With thirty years’ experience in diverse positions including International Director of Finance of the Golden Tulip Hotel group, Vice President for Operations and Finance at Louvre Hotels, Financial Controller for the Intercontinental Hotel Group in London, he more recently, as General Manager, led success for iconic properties such as Body Holiday Sain...
Valor Hospitality to Operate The Octa Karachi in Pakistan
Valor Hospitality Partners | October 4, 2023
ATLANTA, Oct. 3, 2023 – Industry-leading Valor Hospitality Partners has been named lead operators of a new, multi-use development in Karachi, Pakistan by AAA. The Octa Karachi development consists of 314 commercial, retail and community spaces and will be Valor’s second property in Pakistan. This brings the global brand’s portfolio to more than 6,000 keys—with more than 900 in the Middle East. Valor Hospitality will oversee the 5-star, international property complete with 114 rooms and suites, an airy lobby, more than 32,000 square feet of banqueting space—including a ballroom and meeting rooms—an ‘Executive Club,’ cigar r...
Kimpton Gray Hotel Appoints Luis Silva as New Executive Chef
Kimpton Gray Hotel | October 4, 2023
CHICAGO (Oct. 4, 2023) — The Kimpton Gray Hotel, a luxury lifestyle hotel in the heart of Chicago’s Loop neighborhood, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Executive Chef Luis Silva to the team. “We’re ecstatic to welcome Chef Silva to the food and beverage team at The Gray,” said General Manager Lisa Ares. “Under his leadership, we look forward to reaching new culinary heights and continuing to deliver exceptional dining experiences to our guests throughout the property.” Chef Silva’s love for cooking ignited when he was a young child. He consistently showed interest in his mother’s cooking and she knew there was po...
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans Appoints Nate Ferguson as Director of Marketing
Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans | October 4, 2023
October 4, 2023 (New Orleans, LA) – Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans is pleased to announce the appointment of Nate Ferguson as the property’s new director of marketing. For more than a decade, Ferguson has played integral roles at Four Seasons hotels and resorts across the country, working with award-winning teams in Baltimore, St. Louis, Jackson Hole, Vail, and at One Dalton Street, Boston. His wealth of experience within the Four Seasons brand is invaluable to his new role as director of marketing at Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, where he will drive revenue for Louisiana’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel as they continue to take luxur...
Data Travel Announces Hapi Guest Focus on Salesforce AppExchange, the World’s Leading Enterprise Cloud Marketplace
hapi | October 4, 2023
MIAMI, FL, October 4th, 2023 – Data Travel, LLC today announced it has launched Hapi Guest Focus on Salesforce AppExchange, empowering hotel companies to craft personalized guest check-in experiences and drive upsell opportunities right at the front desk. Hapi Guest Focus is currently available on AppExchange. Hapi Guest Focus Hapi Guest Focus empowers front desk team members to leverage the wealth of guest data residing in Salesforce. By transforming this data into actionable insights, hotels can now curate exceptional guest interactions starting at time of arrival. Through the app, front desk agents can curate the check-in proces...
Mews Acquires Nomi to Accelerate AI Guest Experiences and Personalization
Mews | October 4, 2023
[4th October, Nashville, Tenn.] — Mews, the industry-leading hospitality cloud, has today announced its acquisition of Nomi, a Nashville-based hospitality startup, as it continues focusing on its mission to enable remarkable guest experiences. Nomi will be included within Mews Guest Journey, empowering hoteliers to provide a hyper-personalized experience for guests. Founded in 2021, the Nomi team has developed a local tour guide for travelers, using predictive analytics and AI to respond to recommendation requests while considering the personality type of each user, unique preferences, interests and needs. For hotels, Nomi delivers real-ti...
Converging Factors: Is a Soft Landing Possible?
Aaron Szyf | October 3, 2023
With mixed economic data, economists—for over a year—have been warning of a possible recession sometime in 2023, though they seem to have consistently pushed the can down the road. By Aaron Szyf As we enter the final quarter of the year, is this recession still happening? And what does this mean for travel? Optimism, among some: To the delight of many, in recent weeks, the term “soft landing”—an ideal situation when the Fed can raise interest rates just enough to curb high inflation but without causing a recession—has been gaining traction. In fact, Goldman Sachs has significantly cut their recession odds over the nex...
Lodging Dynamics Selected to Manage Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles/Redondo Beach
Lodging Dynamics | October 3, 2023
PROVO, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 -- Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group (Lodging Dynamics), a leading hotel management company, has been appointed to manage the Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles/Redondo Beach. This hotel is the ninth managed by Lodging Dynamics in Southern California and one of several Southern California Hotels developed and owned by Mogul Capital. Located just off the 405 in the heart of the South Bay, the Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles Redondo Beach is ideally located for leisure and business travelers. Conveniently situated, the hotel is near Redondo Beach Pier, neighboring Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches, and ...
Survey Reveals Consumers Are Splurging on Travel and Experiences Again After Years of Saving
5WPR | October 3, 2023
NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2023 -- 5WPR, one of the largest independently-owned PR Firms in the U.S., reveals that 51% of American consumers tend to splurge and buy the best they can afford when thinking about making travel and experience purchases, compared to 38% of consumers who listed the category as a splurge in the agency's 2022 survey. "Since Q4 2022, consumers have reported a 13% increase in their interest to splurge rather than save on travel and experiences, indicating their appetite for travel has increased over the course of 2023, and going into 2024," said 5WPR Co-CEO, Dara A. Busch. "With travel heavily influenced by external facto...
Central Oregon: Evolution of Trends Post-Pandemic
Hannah Homack | October 3, 2023
By Hannah Homack, Breanna S. Smith Central Oregon is a drive-to destination market situated east of the Cascade Mountain range. Home to twelve cities, this region of Oregon benefits as a popular leisure destination for travelers from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Surrounded by a diverse natural landscape, Central Oregon welcomes nearly four million overnight visitors per year looking to take advantage of all the area has to offer. In recent years, cities throughout the region have seen significant changes in the travel industry as hotels, businesses, and attractions have weathered the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-Pandemic ...
IHG Partners With MMS Land to Debut Vignette Collection in Indonesia
IHG | October 3, 2023
Jakarta, Indonesia – 03 October 2023 – IHG Hotels & Resorts – one of the world’s leading hotel companies with more than 6,000 open hotels across 100 countries – is proud to partner with MMS Land, to debut the first Vignette Collection hotel in Indonesia. Rumah Luwih Bali with its 74 rooms and suites will join the IHG system later this year, before fully converting to a Vignette Collection property in 2024 following an extensive refurbishment. Blending heritage and hospitality, the beachfront luxury colonial-style resort will be refreshed to offer an authentic, experiential, and considerate stay, as part of the growing Vig...
Oliver Hospitality Appoints Leadership for DoubleTree by Hilton Clarksville Riverview Ahead of Late 2024 Opening
DoubleTree by Hilton | October 3, 2023
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (October 3, 2023) – Today, Oliver Hospitality’s DoubleTree by Hilton Clarksville Riverview, the soon-to-be 4-acre mixed-use destination announces Jeffrey Pavone and Ginger Young as the team’s General Manager and Director of Sales, respectively. With decades of experience, the management team at Clarksville’s newest hotel is comprised of exceptional hospitality associates equipped with a distinctive blend of expertise, resources, and relationships focusing on delivering personalized hospitality experiences to both locals and visitors. These leaders will oversee the hotel, helping to enhance downtown Clarksville with ...
Tanque Verde Ranch Appoints McKenzie O’Leary as Executive Chef
Tanque Verde Ranch | October 3, 2023
TUCSON, ARIZ. (October 2023) – Tanque Verde Ranch, a historic dude ranch owned by Cote Family Destinations, announces the appointment of McKenzie O’Leary as executive chef. A 15-year veteran of the culinary industry and a 16-year Tucson resident, Chef O’Leary joins Tanque Verde Ranch from Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, where she served as chef de cuisine. At Miraval, Chef O’Leary learned extensively about the intentionality behind food, including its nutritional value to the body and the benefits of anti-inflammatory, plant based, and gluten free diets. Prior to Miraval, Chef O’Leary has held various roles in the Tucson culin...
WaterWalk Unveils LIVE | STAY Property in Jacksonville, Florida
WaterWalk | October 3, 2023
WICHITA, Kan. – October 3, 2023 – Lodging industry innovator WaterWalk opened the doors of its newest property under the brand’s Gen 2.0 model, WaterWalk Jacksonville, on October 2. Located at 8895 Perimeter Park Blvd. in Jacksonville, the property blends the best of an upscale extended-stay hotel and home with fully furnished ‘STAY’ units and ready-to-furnish ‘LIVE’ units. "Jacksonville is a hub for travel, business, education and everywhere in between,” said Mimi Oliver, CEO of WaterWalk. “Whether providing flexible accommodations for University of North Florida visitors, military families of the nearby Jacksonville N...
Aligned Hospitality Management Adds Two Arizona Properties to Portfolio
Aligned Hospitality Management | October 3, 2023
PHOENIX, AZ — October 3, 2023 — Aligned Hospitality Management has expanded its presence in Arizona and continued its rapid growth by adding two properties to its portfolio. This expansion not only underlines the company's growing footprint in the Arizona market but also underscores the continued trust owners have in Aligned's expertise and third-party management capabilities. With these portfolio additions, Aligned manages nearly 20 properties across various markets. The first property, Wingate by Wyndham Chandler/Phoenix in Chandler, AZ, has 64 keys and is situated just minutes from the renowned Tempe Diablo Stadium, the spring ...
POLL: Union’s Proposed Homeless Policy Will Deter 72% of Americans From Booking LA Hotel Rooms
AHLA | October 3, 2023
More than 70% concerned about safety of hotel employees and guests WASHINGTON (Oct. 3, 2023) – More than seven in ten Americans would be deterred from booking a hotel room in Los Angeles if hotels there are forced to house homeless people next to paying guests. That’s according to a new national poll commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and conducted by Morning Consult. Los Angeles residents are set to vote in March 2024 on whether to require all local hotels to house homeless people next to paying guests as part of a ballot initiative proposed by Unite Here, a labor union that represents LA-area hotel wo...
Moonstar Hospitality Acquires Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Phoenix Midtown for $18 Million
Cushman & Wakefield | October 3, 2023
PHOENIX, Ariz. – October 3, 2023 – Cushman & Wakefield announced the firm has brokered the sale of a 107-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott hotel asset in Phoenix, Arizona. Located at 2520 N Central Ave, the property sold to Salt Lake City, UT-based Moonstar Hospitality LLC for $18 million. Bill Murney with Cushman & Wakefield’s Hospitality team in Phoenix represented the seller, MIG Real Estate, in the transactions. MIG Real Estate, a real estate investment company with assets across the Western U.S. and Sun Belt states, is actively seeking opportunities to expand its portfolio. “The buyer now owns a great...
