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
Fairmont Waterfront Welcomes New General Manager, Randall Williams
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts | August 28, 2024
VANCOUVER, BC (August 28, 2024) - Fairmont Waterfront is thrilled to announce the appointment of Randall Z. Williams as General Manager, effective September 3, 2024. Randall brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in the hospitality industry, having most recently served as General Manager of Fairmont Vancouver Airport. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Randall began his hospitality journey at the historical Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia in 1999, where he participated in the Management Development Program. Over the years, he advanced through various food and beverage operational roles, eventually becoming the ...
Navigating the Complex World of Conversational AI – Part 4
John Smallwood | August 28, 2024
Why Hoteliers Can't Afford to Ignore AI: The Impact of Annette, The Virtual Hotel Agent™ By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook August 2024 Over the past couple of months, we've explored the evolving role of conversational AI in hospitality, particularly focusing on Annette, The Virtual Hotel Agent™ by Travel Outlook. This series has highlighted Annette's advanced capabilities, which include handling complex guest requests, personalizing interactions, and providing multilingual support. These features have positioned Annette as a critical asset for hoteliers looking to enhance guest experiences and streamline internal operat...
Collective Hospitality Acquires Trading Assets of Selina Hospitality PLC
Collective Hospitality PTE Ltd | August 28, 2024
London, August 28 2024 — Collective Hospitality Pte Ltd, (”Collective”) a leading hospitality owner and operator based in Singapore, today announced the successful acquisition of the majority of the business of Selina Hospitality PLC (in administration) (“Selina PLC” or the “Company”), a globally recognized lifestyle and experiential hospitality group. This acquisition represents a significant milestone in Collective’s strategic expansion of its lifestyle and experiential travel businesses. This travel segment includes younger nomad workers and leisure travellers favouring properties that offer shared, memorable experiences. ...
Ennismore Signs With Alfasi Group To Develop The Hoxton in Melbourne
Ennismore | August 28, 2024
Ennismore, the fastest-growing lifestyle and leisure hospitality company, and Alfasi Group, a design-driven property developer, are delighted to announce the signing of The Hoxton in Melbourne as part of the Matchworks Precinct located at 560 Church Street, Cremorne. Set to open in 2027, the hotel will bring The Hoxton’s imitable style to Australia for the first time, marking a huge milestone for the brand’s global growth. The hotel will feature 198 guestrooms in the classic Hoxton categories, including Cosy, Roomy, and Biggy. Known for its vibrant, open-door lobbies, the hotel will celebrate its locality through art, design, ret...
New F&B Trends for Fall 2024 Look Back at the Old
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | August 28, 2024
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Heading into Labor Day, it’s time to think about for what will be on the plate for next year’s barbecue to end out the summer. As any hotelier or restaurateur knows, dietary trends ebb and flow, shaping our menus and dining habits over time. Where once low-fat dominated the scene, today’s focus has shifted to low-carb options aimed at managing insulin spikes. Classic continental breakfasts still grace our tables, but they now sit alongside trendy choices like avocado toast, overnight oats, and superfood smoothies. For those less versed in nutritional science, these shifts might seem arbitrary, yet each n...
The Power of Organic Social Media for Hotels: Why It Still Matters
Lodging Interactive | August 28, 2024
One of the most significant advantages of organic social media is its ability to foster genuine, authentic connections with your audience. In today’s fast-paced digital world, social media has become an indispensable tool for hotels to connect with guests, build their brand, and drive bookings. With the increasing focus on paid social media advertising, many hoteliers might wonder if organic social media still holds value, especially when marketing budgets are tight. At Lodging Interactive, we firmly believe that organic social media posting remains a powerful and effective strategy for hotels, regardless of your budget for paid posts. Her...
Historic Emily Morgan Hotel San Antonio To Implement Innovative In-Room Tablets by HCN
The Hotel Communication Network | August 28, 2024
With Navigator 2.0 tablets soon to deploy in all guestrooms, travelers staying at the popular accommodation will have fingertip access to hotel services/amenities and local events — including The Hospitality Show to be held at the Henry B. González Convention Center in October; Visit HCN in Booth 1755 Ottawa, Ontario — August 28, 2024 — The Emily Morgan San Antonio – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel is gearing up to host hoteliers attending The Hospitality Show in October. Located just three blocks from the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, the historic hotel is preparing to install Navigator 2.0 in-room tablets from Hotel Co...
Castle Peak Holdings To Open Trailborn Highlands in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains
Trailborn | August 27, 2024
Highlands, NC (August 27, 2024) – Castle Peak Holdings, the investment and development company behind Trailborn, the first vertically-integrated hospitality brand specializing in designing and operating boutique hotels with full-service restaurants and bars exclusively located in the country’s most extraordinary outdoor destinations, today announced Trailborn Highlands will open on August 29 in downtown Highlands, North Carolina – an enchanting mountain town named for its high elevation. Highlands has long attracted nature seekers with its pristine beauty, temperate climate and prime location – a scenic mountain drive from Asheville a...
PwC’s Manhattan Lodging Index: Q2 2024
PwC’s Manhattan lodging index | August 27, 2024
Manhattan Lodging Overview The rate of growth in occupancy, average daily rate (“ADR”) and revenue per available room (“RevPAR”), while robust, continued to decelerate. Luxury hotel occupancy benefitted from increased demand, while ADR growth levels for lower priced properties continued to show significant improvements. For the overall Manhattan hotel market, Q1 RevPAR increased 9.4 percent while Q2 increased 6.8 percent, from the same respective periods in 2023. "The Manhattan hotel market averaged an occupancy level of 87.2 percent in Q2 2024, solidifying a return to stabilized pre-covid levels. While RevPAR growth decelerated sig...
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Welcomes William Stout as Director of Food & Beverage
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino | August 27, 2024
Incline Village (August 27, 2024) – Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, a spacious resort nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on the shore of Lake Tahoe, announces William Stout as director of food and beverage. In his new role, Stout will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the resort’s food and beverage department, ensuring that guests enjoy exceptional dining experiences across the property’s diverse on-site restaurants. “We are thrilled to welcome William Stout as director of food and beverage,” said Andrew De Lapp, resort manager at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino. “William’s ex...
Schwartz Completes Purchase of Leura Gardens Resort in the New South Wales Blue Mountains
Schwartz Family Company | August 27, 2024
27 August 2024: The Schwartz Family Company has completed the acquisition of the established Leura Gardens Resort in the New South Wales Blue Mountains. Leura Gardens Resort consolidates the Schwartz Family Company presence in the Blue Mountains, joining the award-winning Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains and Leura Golf Club, all within a few minutes' drive of each other. Leura Gardens Resort is the 15th hotel in the Schwartz hotel network and will be managed by Trilogy Hotels. The hotel opened in 1970, but its famed gardens were created in the 1920s by Lady Mabel Fairfax and her gardener Hector Hood. The gardens remain a feature of the...
Highgate Appoints Nicholas Kuhns as General Manager of Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows
Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows | August 27, 2024
KAANAPALI, MAUI - [August 27, 2024] – Highgate, a leading real estate and hospitality management company, has appointed Nicholas Kuhns as General Manager of Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows. In his new role, Kuhns will be responsible for overseeing all operations, ensuring that the historic property continues to offer unparalleled experiences to guests while maintaining its legacy on the world-renowned Ka’anapali Beach. “We are excited to embark on a new chapter for Royal Lahaina Resort under Nicholas' leadership,” said Kelly Sanders, President of Highgate Hawaii. “His extensive knowledge of Maui, combined with his impres...
Sustainable Technologies: How Smart Hotels Reduce Environmental Impact
EHL | August 27, 2024
Given the immense climatic challenges we currently face and the growing consumer demand for more sustainable products and services, businesses in every sector are starting to take their environmental impact seriously. In hospitality, the situation is no different. Energy consumption in the industry is high, with cooling, lighting, heating, and ventilation responsible for up to 60% of a hotel’s CO2 emissions. Energy-intensive extras such as heated swimming pools, excessive water and plastic use, and food waste also contribute to the industry’s environmental impacts. Given these unavoidable energy requirements and resource needs,...
Choice Hotels Awards First Contract Under Recently Reintroduced SOAR Program to Support Hotel Ownership Opportunities for Historically Underrepresente
Suburban Studios | August 27, 2024
Conversion Agreement Signed with Choice's Suburban Studios Extended Stay Brand NORTH BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 27, 2024-- Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world's largest hotel companies, announced its first contract under the recently reintroduced SOAR (Supporting Ownership Access and Representation) program, designed to create hotel ownership opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Damon Healey of Eternal Companies, a real estate investment and asset management firm, executed a contract to convert two hotels in Georgia to Suburban Studios, one of Choice's four extended stay brands. The pair of properties opened on May 30....
Hyatt Place Rouen Celebrates Official Opening in Northern France
Hyatt Place | August 27, 2024
CHICAGO (August 27, 2024) - Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announces the opening of Hyatt Place Rouen, expanding the Hyatt Place brand’s global footprint in markets that matter most to guests and World of Hyatt members. Combining style, innovation and 24/7 convenience, the new hotel features a modern design, casual atmosphere, and practical amenities, such as three meeting rooms, a restaurant with French regional cuisine, onsite spa with a heated pool and treatment rooms, and state-of-the-art fitness centre. Hyatt Place Rouen is conveniently situated in the heart of Rouen, a pleasant stroll from iconic sites such as the Musee des Bea...
What Is Corporate Performance Management in Hospitality?
Vic Chynoweth | August 27, 2024
With the right methodologies and metrics, hospitality companies can implement Corporate Performance Management strategies to drive operational efficiency, enhanced guest experiences, and financial success. By Vic Chynoweth Corporate Performance Management (CPM) refers to the processes and systems used by organizations to monitor, manage, and improve their business performance. CPM encompasses a wide range of activities, including planning, budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and analysis. It helps organizations align their resources and strategies with their goals, measure progress, and adjust tactics to optimize outcomes. Speci...
WISCO Hotel Group Elevates Operational Efficiency and Maximizes Revenue With STS Cloud, ProposalPath, and Visrez Solutions Across 14 Properties
SalesAndCatering.com | August 27, 2024
The industry’s most trusted sales and catering solution helps busy hospitality teams of all sizes and service levels efficiently sell, organize, and deliver exceptional end-to-end event experiences. Charleston, SC – (AUG 27, 2024) –WISCO Hotel Group has made a strategic leap forward in enhancing efficiency and maximizing event revenue by incorporating cutting-edge technology from SalesAndCatering.com. The prominent Wisconsin-based hospitality company has successfully transitioned to the STS Cloud platform, incorporating advanced e-signature capabilities, ProposalPath proposal tools, and Visrez 3D table diagramming to enhance even...
Why Smart Hospitality Companies Are Accelerating CapEx Digital Transformation
Johannes Vocke | August 27, 2024
How modern capital expenditure solutions lead to efficiency, savings and long-term growth By Johannes Vocke, FutureLog Chief Financial Officer Historically, hospitality professionals have viewed procurement as a cost centre. But now, after years of social, economic, and political upheaval, procurement is evolving into a strategic function that helps hospitality organisations realise their broader business goals. Look no further than CapEx- Capital Expenditures, funds used to obtain or maintain assets with a useful lifespan exceeding one year. According to McKinsey research, strategic CapEx management can reduce overall capital spen...
Cash in Hand: Examining the Role Hotel PMS Plays in Digital Tipping and Employee Rewards
Warren Dehan | August 27, 2024
Hotel companies must consider the impact of digital tipping trends on employee satisfaction as we trend toward a cashless society By Warren Dehan Tipping is an integral part of North American service culture, but it has always had challenges in hospitality. Travelers today carry fewer cash bills than ever, with a recent study showing that just 16 percent of all transactions today are handled using cash. More businesses are turning to digital tipping solutions to adapt to this shift in consumer behavior, but common barriers exist in the hotel tech stack that prevent some independent hoteliers from quickly offering digital tipping. Tipping is...
Valencia Hotel Group Breaks Ground on Caravan Court, By Valencia Hotel Collection, Coming to Arlington, Texas in 2026
Valencia Hotel Collection | August 26, 2024
HOUSTON, TX – Valencia Hotel Group is thrilled to announce that construction is underway for the development of Caravan Court, the eighth property in the Valencia Hotel Collection, set to debut in Arlington, Texas in 2026. Featuring 145 rooms and 7 suites, Caravan Court will be a modern reinvention of the classic motor court hotel, blending mid-century aesthetics with contemporary luxury. Valencia Hotel Group, in partnership with Sam Mahrouq and Walid Joulani of Division Hotel Management LLC, will build the Caravan Court Property on the site of the former Caravan Motel and Dollar Car Sales. Located on the historic Division Street, the Carav...
White Lodging Set to Open Kimpton Santo in San Antonio, Texas
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | August 26, 2024
SAN ANTONIO, TX (August 26, 2024) – White Lodging and Kimpton Santo, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio, are thrilled to announce Kimpton Santo will open on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Kimpton Santo is located at 431 S. Alamo and stands at the forefront of a new wave of hospitality destinations in the city, offering a truly exceptional luxury lifestyle hotel experience. The property, complete with four luxe food and beverage outlets, creates a new culinary destination alongside the 347 luxury guest rooms and suites that melds the rich history of the area with premier service and modern amenities. Kimpton San...
How Much Wellness Actually Impacts Hotel Revenue
Book4Time Inc. | August 26, 2024
With wellness tourism booming and more hotels and resorts implementing wellness programs, what does it all mean in terms of hotel revenue? The Wellness Real Estate Report 2024 by RLA Global, with statistical support from HotStats, offers some answers to this question. The report evaluates hotel performance in 2023 using data from P&L benchmarking company HotStats, which covers more than 11,000 hotels worldwide. Hotels are broken down into three categories: Major wellness: annual wellness and leisure revenue exceeds US$1 million or more than 10% of total hotel revenues. Minor wellness: annual wellness and leisure revenue is l...
USALI 12th Revised Edition, Deep Dive: Part II All-Inclusive Hotels
HFTP | August 26, 2024
Just released, the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) 12th Revised Edition has been meticulously updated by the Global Finance Committee (GFC) with guiding principles to enhance transparency in reporting, broaden data sets to better inform decision-making, and align with contemporary practices. To support its release, GFC members are also presenting a series of webinars. Be sure to register for the monthly “USALI 12th Revised Edition, Deep Dive” webinars running through September 2024. Accompanying the webinars are correlating blog posts, including this one for the webinar “USALI 12th Revised Edition Deep D...
Transforming Hotel Front Desk Services for a Better Guest Experience
EHL | August 26, 2024
In this blog, we’ll explore how the front desk is adapting to meet modern guest expectations. You'll also learn about the essential duties of a front desk receptionist, the challenges they face, and innovative solutions that are redefining their role. By the end of this post, you'll have a deeper understanding of how these changes are shaping the future of the hospitality industry. The changing face of the hospitality industry The hospitality industry is undergoing rapid change, driven by technology and shifting customer expectations. Today, successful hotels prioritize creating great guest experiences over simply providing a place to s...
