The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4th, 2024
Crafting a Unique Employer Brand for Today’s Talent Market
Veronika Mercier | August 14th, 2024
Guest Experience: Towards Authentic Immersion
EHL | March 25, 2021
What is the importance of guest experience? At the heart of every restaurant's potential for profit and success is the quality and consistency of their guest experience. A consistent, quality guest experience translates into loyal, returning customers and the best advertising of all, positive WOM. What is authentic customer service? Authentic customer service occurs when there is a real culture of 'how can we solve this customer's problem' rather than 'how quickly can I get them off the phone'. ... In short, to have empathy with the customer, provide excellent service and, in turn, build trust in the organization, its produ...
The Most Important Measurement in Business
Shep Hyken | March 24, 2021
By Shep Hyken This is the first of a number of lessons I’ll be sharing from my newest book, I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again. A few years back I wrote about the idea of measuring customer satisfaction versus customer behavior. We’re revisiting that topic with a fresh point of view. Today’s lesson is about the exciting topic of measurement and data. Okay, maybe not that exciting, but how about very important? You know it is! Business management guru Peter Drucker said, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” So, what should we be measuring? What’s the best metric? Why do our custome...
Tips to Help Lodging Providers Prepare for the Return of Travel
Expedia Group | March 24, 2021
Expedia Group today released tips and insights to help lodging providers in the U.S. prepare for the return of travel. Following a sustained period of uncertainty for the travel and hospitality industry, market trends and recent insights from Expedia Group Media Solutions continue to indicate that travelers are anxious to get away – and the majority of those dreaming, planning or booking travel are doing so for the near future. Expedia Group data shows that as of March 1, 2021, the 0–21-day window accounted for more than 50% of global searches, followed by the 31-60-day window at 15%. While it...
‘Upsizing’ Could Be One of the Next Major Travel Trends, Says GlobalData
GlobalData | March 23, 2021
Financial situations worsening for consumers has been widely discussed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many consumers managed to bypass this financial squeeze and have incidentally become efficient savers. This trend should not be overlooked by tourism companies which need to realize that not all travelers will be wanting a budget-friendly option for their next holiday, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. With saved cash that has accumulated during the pandemic, many travelers may be planning to spend more than usual on their next trip. According to GlobalData’s survey, when global respondents were asked if they w...
How Can Your Property Emerge as a Winner In 2021?
Max Starkov | March 22, 2021
By Max Starkov STR just released another set of disturbing hospitality industry data: due to the pandemic, in 2020 hoteliers slashed their marketing spending by 51.5% compared to 2019 (STR, 2021). Sales and Marketing Labor Costs decreased by similar percentage, which indicated an even bigger calamity: not only the property's marketing presence diminished by more than half, but the institutional marketing knowledge and expertise was decimated. Unfortunately, many hoteliers are continuing with similar shortsighted budgeting decisions in 2021, without considering the long-term implications. This year hoteliers must make the hard choice ...
Skyscanner Survey Reveals 2021 Travel Trends for Young Americans
Skyscanner | March 19, 2021
MIAMI, FL - March 19, 2021 - Skyscanner has surveyed over 1000 18–30-year-olds across the US with OnePoll, and can reveal that some interesting trends are beginning to emerge for young US travelers following a quieter than usual spring break. Skyscanner Traveler Expert Gavin Harris commented, "Safety has rightly been the priority for the past year, and we've seen travelers remain engaged with the evolving travel landscape during this time, keen to get away safely and within the rules. With safety increasing and vaccines providing an opportunity to return to travel, young people are keen to reclaim the key experiences they've missed as a...
One Year On: Where Will Hotel Bookings Reset First?
Mike Ford | March 19, 2021
By Mike Ford Although at times it can feel longer, this week marks the one-year anniversary of when hotel bookings most steeply decelerated around the world, as countries closed borders and commercial travel was suspended. On the SiteMinder World Hotel Index, one look at the comparison to last year serves as a reminder of just how rapidly hotel booking momentum ground to a halt only 12 months ago. One year and some 400 million vaccines later, we're now able to reflect on the year that's been, and using the five stages of the hotel booking reset—domestic acceleration, plateauing, flux, embracing, and international acceleration—anal...
Co-Living: Hotel Guest Community Integration
EHL Insights | March 19, 2021
By Youri Sawerschel What is co-living? Co-living is a way to live and share an inhabitable space with other like-minded people. Co-living is fast gaining in popularity across the globe as the younger urban generation increasingly puts more value on flexibility and convenience. It’s important to note that modern co-living comes in all shapes and forms. The term has been used loosely for different kinds of living arrangements: from “big box co-living” buildings with hundreds of small pod-style rooms to family-style apartments turned co-living homes (think of the apartment from the TV series, “Friends”). What all these co-l...
Younger Generations Half as Likely to Travel Before Memorial Day
G/O Media | March 18, 2021
NEW YORK - March 18, 2021 - Today G/O Media, one of the leading digital publishers in the country, released findings from its 2021 Travel Survey - weighing the comfort levels of Americans as vaccine-rollout allows them to consider their next vacation, hotel stay, or air travel. The survey revealed that while younger generations are still uncomfortable planning their next getaway, individuals 45 and older are eager to vacation and are in fact 2x more likely to travel recreationally over the coming weeks. Over 4,000 individuals were surveyed for G/O Media Insights Group's Travel Survey, the first in an ongoing series, representing a str...
Gender Diversity at the Top of the Ladder: Will Hope Become Reality?
Dr. Cédric Poretti | March 18, 2021
By Dr. Cédric Poretti An article that raises the question: If women are receiving more higher education than men, then why don't we see more of them in top management positions? Universities are educating more and more women Education is a major factor enhancing development and quality of life. As highlighted by the United Nations, it has become a priority in international development goals. In recent decades, the share of young adults (25-34 year-olds) reaching tertiary education [1] across all OECD countries increased to 44%, which is significantly higher than the 27% for their 55-64 year-old counterparts (OECD, 2019). In Switzerlan...
Is This the Lean Hotel of the Future?
David Eisen | March 18, 2021
By David Eisen In one of many entertaining scenes from the 1981 war comedy “Stripes,” peak Bill Murray cajoles peak John Candy to mud wrestle a trio of scantily clad women in a bar. You can imagine what ensues, and if you can’t, the internet does. It’s a sexist cinematic trope to be sure (hey, it was the ‘80s), but during the scene, Murray’s character inflates the ego of Candy’s character by calling him a “lean, mean, fighting machine.” A lie, yes (Candy was rotund and not nimble), but it did the trick, leading to an unctuous Candy tussling in a pool of mud. What does this have to do with the hotel industry? Murray...
Will Covid Make Hospitality Stronger?
Craig Jacobs | March 18, 2021
By Craig Jacobs Profound change in the Meetings and Hospitality Industries is on the verge. Hybrid conferences, food and beverage offerings and new cleanliness and service protocols will scramble current standard operating procedures, profit and loss statements, staffing, pricing and the definition of Luxury. While change is difficult, the final outcome is going to be an improvement for clients, staff and ownership. Values like quality, efficiency, productivity, and profitability are never-ending quests and the pandemic has provided us with a clean slate to start from scratch. The following list is just the beginning: Worth ...
Women in Hospitality
Olympia Hotel Management | March 16, 2021
5 Questions for Sara Masterson, President of Olympia Hotel Management March 16, 2021. Portland, ME — Women’s History Month is a reminder that more women are needed in the top echelons of the hotel industry. Women held just 12 percent of hospitality industry leadership positions in 2019, according to the “2020 Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership" report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women professionals in hospitality. A new generation of women hospitality leaders is emerging and among them is Sara Masterson, President of Olympia Hotel Management, one of the relative...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Shift Your Thinking Part 2
David Lund | March 15, 2021
By David Lund I like to talk to my workshop participants about this important view of their world before we begin. I know that most have come to my workshop thinking we are going to talk about accounting and for most people, that’s comparable to a dentist appointment. I mean, who would knowingly and enthusiastically show up for a workshop on accounting if it’s not your thing and be excited? But I want them to see the other side. The side that gets them excited about what’s possible. You see, the participants don’t yet know that they are in for a treat. An unexpected bonus for life. An awakening to their personal power and the po...
Rethinking Hotel Distribution Channels
EHL Insights | March 11, 2021
What is hotel distribution? A hotel distribution strategy is a plan of action for selling rooms profitably through a variety of channels. Hotel distribution channels A mix of direct channels, such as a hotel's website, and indirect channels such as online travel agents (OTAs), Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and wholesalers are typically used. Rethinking hotel distribution When online travel agencies (OTAs) arrived at the turn of the millennium, they levelled the playing field between big global brands and local hoteliers. A 3-room B&B in the Alps or a family-run Italian osteria could enjoy the same online visibility as a M...
Culture Is Contagious
Shep Hyken | March 11, 2021
By Shep Hyken I was recently interviewed by Yigal Adato for his mastermind group, all entrepreneurs and owners of pawnshops. We were discussing how important it is to “bake” customer service into the culture. It’s leadership’s job to define the customer service vision, ensure it’s communicated, and be the role models demonstrating how customers and employees are to be treated. In addition, leadership and management must defend the culture. If any part of the team isn’t in alignment with the customer service vision, be it an individual or a department – or even an entire region for larger companies – they need to be...
BENCHMARK’s New “Meeting the Moment” Initiative Offers a Vision for Meetings in 2021
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company | March 11, 2021
Expert Team of Leaders Offer Personalized Solutions for Planners The Woodlands, Houston, Texas - March 11, 2021 - As the meetings industry continues to confront the profound changes and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, is launching a visionary new educational initiative to help meeting planning professionals. “Meeting the Moment” is a strategic initiative designed to address today’s issues while laying the foundation for safer, healthier and more productive meetings in 2021. The program provides customized information and solutions to help planners deal with the complexities ...
Amadeus Data Alert: Top U.S. Destinations for Spring Break by Hotel Occupancy and Air Travel Booking Volumes
Amadeus | March 11, 2021
Spring Break is here and whether due to the need to get a break from cold winter temperatures, or the excitement to travel again following recent vaccinations, or both, it seems there is an increased interest to travel. Amadeus, a global leader in travel technology, with its unique ability to track forward-looking occupancy in major markets around the world, is seeing a positive trend in U.S. hotel bookings during the month of March. Overall hotel occupancy remains below 2019 levels, however the number of markets with over 50% occupancy has tripled since November 2020 with 33 for spring break 2021 compared with only 10 for the Thanksgiving...
The Importance of Diversity at All Levels of the Hospitality Industry
Glenn Skolnick | March 8, 2021
By Glenn Skolnick As our world becomes increasingly diverse, the hospitality industry recognizes the need to reflect this in the way it operates. The multicultural and multinational market would benefit from hotels and leisure properties appointing diverse management teams that understand their backgrounds, needs, and desires, and can effectively reach a diverse target market. This trend is getting support from an increasing number of directions including the Nasdaq, which recently filed a proposal to adopt new listing rules related to board diversity and disclosure. But how far along are we in these endeavors, and how much further do ...
Hospitality Financial Leadership – Disco Dick Hatfield
David Lund | March 8, 2021
By David Lund My hometown is St Andrews, New Brunswick in eastern Canada. The town overlooks Passamaquoddy Bay and to the south we are flanked by the great state of Maine. Every year in this part of the world the US governors and the Canadian provincial premiers get together for bilateral talks, some good food, and fun. This story is about one of those meetings, The Algonquin Hotel, and how I met our then Premier, Richard Hatfield who is partially responsible for my hotel career. A little history about Mr. Hatfield. He was the premier of New Brunswick for 17 years, from 1970 to 1987. Best known for his flamboyant lifestyle including bei...
How Women Are Confronting the Gender Gap at Work
JLL | March 5, 2021
Just over a year ago, while steep challenges around gender equality remained, the number of women in the workplace was on the rise. Fast-forward 12 months and the picture has changed, with the pandemic and ensuing economic slump disproportionately affecting women. Women this past year have left the workforce at a greater pace than men, while inequalities they already faced have been compounded. Part of this is because women are over-represented in professions like childcare, hospitality and entertainment, which rely on person-to-person contact. And because women still tend to handle childcare and domestic duties, working from home has ...
The Best of Both Worlds: Five Things to Consider When Organizing Hybrid Events
CWT | March 5, 2021
Mar 5, 2021 - Throughout 2020, the world was inundated with Zoom meetings and virtual events to keep businesses operational – in-between getting our fresh loaves of sourdough out of the oven, of course. Being able to meet in person has been tricky with looming threats of continued virus outbreaks and little to no travel opportunities. So, what does 2021 have in store for corporate meetings and events? My guess is it’s going to be a big year for hybrid meetings. Even as face-to-face meetings gradually resume – as we are already seeing in some parts of the world – travel restrictions and various safety requirements will likely remain i...
Leisure in the Time of Covid
Craig Jacobs | March 5, 2021
By Craig Jacobs Competition for local and regional leisure business among hotels is unusually intense for the painfully obvious reason that COVID has curbed everything else. To generate leisure demand, properties invest in digital marketing including social media, SEO, paid search, and display advertising. They also engage with on-line travel agencies to capture discounted business. While there are reliable key performance indicators to measure results from these marketing tools, creating an acceptable financial return on investment is challenging. Keeping up with the latest trends surrounding marketing technology requires a major commitme...
Hybrid Meetings Impact on Group Business
Craig Jacobs | March 4, 2021
By Craig Jacobs Who could have predicted a year ago that Zoom would be a major disruptive influence in the Meetings Industry? Years of speculation about the threat to hotels from videoconferencing was much ado about nothing until the Pandemic. Now, conventional wisdom suggests that Hybrid Groups, which combine teleconferencing with person-to-person meetings, will be prevalent for the foreseeable future and a permanent part of the new normal. NEW PARADIGM, NEW CHALLENGES The same forces (perceived cost savings, enhanced convenience, health concerns,) that have exalted the benefits of working from home also wreak havoc on in-person eve...
