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Expedia Acquisitions Signal Tougher Times Ahead for Hotels
Vikram Singh | February 18, 2015
by Vikram Singh Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz walk into a bar. "We do not serve second and third rate Online Travel Agents here," says the bartender. "Well, they are now with me," answers Expedia, "and the drinks are on me!" The room erupts with joy. Drinks are flowing. When Expedia bought out Orbitz within a few weeks of gobbling up Travelocity, it was great news for a lot of stakeholders. But it's probably not so great for the hotel industry, which relies heavily on online travel agents (OTA's) for their revenue and profits. Read on before you raise your glass. First, A Trip Down Memory Lane One of Expedia's greatest assets was its...
The Guests’ Advocate
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | February 12, 2015
by Bryan Williams More than complying with requests...more than anticipating needs...guests need to feel like you are "on their side". Simply put, they want you to be their advocate. Looking out for them. Suggesting services and products that will best fit their specific needs. Advocate Just recently, I was staying at the Thompson hotel in Miami Beach, and couldn't find my valet parking ticket. After verifying that I was indeed the authorized driver, the valet attendant gave me a great suggestion. He said, "I know how easy it can be to lose the small valet ticket stub. It happens to me all the time when I travel. One suggestion is when ...
JLL’s Hotel Investment Outlook Predicts Global Hotel Sales to Reach 8-Year High of US$68B in 2015
JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group | February 10, 2015
Chinese Capital to Solidify its Mark on the Global Hotel Market February 10, 2015 - JLL's hospitality experts project that global hotel transaction volumes will reach an eight-year high between US$65 to US$68 billion in 2015, representing a 15 percent increase over 2014 volumes. JLL's forecast is based on the firm's 2015 Hotel Investment Outlook, a forward-looking, global analysis that tracks key factors affecting the hotel investment market. "The hotel market continues to strengthen and investors are eager to chase after top hotel deals," said Mark Wynne-Smith, Global CEO, JLL Hotels & Hospitality. "We predict a rise in revenue pe...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism Facing New Challenges in a New Year; Part 2 of 2
Dr. Peter Tarlow | February 4, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Part 1 appeared in the January edition Last month we explored some of the challenges that lie ahead for the world of tourism in 2015. Among the issues that we looked at were the question of security, health, issues of policing a few of the economic issues facing the world of tourism and customer service challenges. This month Tourism Tidbits exams some of the other issues that may impact the world of tourism during 2015. It also looks at the evolving and ever-worsening terror situation in Europe. - Tourism officials, like it or not, are going to have to confront Europe's unraveling. The recent terrorist attacks in Fr...
Personal Excellence: The Big Decision Each Person Must Make
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | February 2, 2015
by Bryan Williams "The starting point of all achievement is desire". Napoleon Hill No one can make you have enthusiasm. Success, vitality, and achievement are all a direct result of it. One of the most beautiful sights to behold is someone who is fully engaged in what they do and enthusiastic about their craft. I love to see that. At the end of the day, however, enthusiasm is a personal choice. Despite the best leadership practices and organizational standards, having a strong commitment comes down to each person making a personal decision about how exceptional they are going to be. The question is...how strong is your desire? How unco...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 136; Hotel History: Hotel Albert (1883)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | February 2, 2015
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Hotel Albert: "The Downtown Algonquin" * The original twelve-story Hotel Albert, a red-brick and cast-iron balcony structure, still stands on the southwest corner of University Place and 11th Street in Greenwich Village. It is now a residential cooperative. But the history of the Albert is much more complicated than the simple recitation above. We are fortunate to have an extensive, recently-published (April 2011) history of the Hotel Albert prepared by Anthony W. Robins, architectural historian, of Thompson ...
Hotels and Spas Sign with BWTV for Online Service Excellence Training
BWTV | January 27, 2015
Bowie, MD (January 27, 2015) - After a successful launch in 2014, Bryan Williams' BWTV continues to bring world-class service education to thousands of employees. Among the many businesses that have subscribed to the popular online service, several hotels and spas have signed on to bring his popular training concepts to their teams. "With BWTV, my teams can experience the professionalism, connection and humor that Bryan brings through the videos, and I can keep the conversation going with the discussion guides", said Erin Peck, VP of People, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. BWTV addresses two major issues that many businesses have....
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 135 Hotel History: Hotel Nacional de Cuba (1930)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | January 14, 2015
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Hotel Nacional de Cuba In April 2000, my wife, Professor Rima Sokoloff, and I visited Cuba with an educational study group. Our weeklong trip included visits to beaches, farms, cigar factory, schools, reforestation project, hospitals, historic sites and a Passover seder at a Havana synagogue. I subsequently wrote about our trip in Lodging Hospitality magazine (August 2000) "Cuba: The Caribbean's Hottest Destination": The streets are apparently safe and relatively free of crime; no beggars, no homeless but l...
Is Customer Service Really Just Common Sense?
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | January 13, 2015
by Bryan Williams Not too long ago, someone told me that all this customer service stuff is really just common sense. She went on to explain that customer service is, merely, basic social skills that all people have. Saying "good morning", "thank you", holding the door for someone, and offering help are all elementary. I then asked her if she does those things consistently at work, and I got a somewhat blank look from her. Then, I went on to ask, "If something is considered to be common sense but is not commonly done, is it really common sense?" Again, another blank look. Here is a partial list of things I consider to be common sense, b...
Marriott’s War on Wi-Fi: Hotels Need to Stop Fighting the Future
Vikram Singh | January 12, 2015
by Vikram Singh Big hotel brands have seen unprecedented growth over the past decade. Even when the global financial engines slowed down, they grew exponentially in global markets (ie, Asia, Middle East, Latin America). But unfortunately, they have forgotten what every Stan Lee fan already knows: with great power comes great responsibility. One of the leaders of the pack – Marriott – has decided to appropriate one of the most important aspects of modern human existence: Wi-Fi. Let's start with why Wi-Fi is such an integral part of guest experience in a hotel. Now, here are your Captain Obvious facts for the day: Wi-Fi's im...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism Facing New Challenges in a New Year; Part 1 of 2
Dr. Peter Tarlow | January 9, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Now that the December holidays are past, and the parties have ended, just like almost everyone else, tourism professionals must return to a world of work and new challenges. From health issues to economic issues, from issues of social unrest to all too often substandard customer service, tourism officials face a host of problems. Some of these problems are within the tourism and travel industry's control. Although others are not in the industry's direct control their consequences directly or indirectly the industry and must be taken into account. Below is a summary of some of the issues with which tourism officials m...
The End of an Era: IHG Acquires Kimpton
Vikram Singh | January 5, 2015
by Vikram Singh How much is that boutique hotel in the window? Well, it's around $430 million. Yes, that's the price InterContinental Hotels Group (one of the biggest hotel companies in the world) paid to acquire Kimpton Hotels, the original boutique hotel group, which includes 62 hotels and 71 hotel-based restaurants and bars. The number might sound big, but in reality it's a drop in the IHG ocean of hotel brands and assets. Having lived in San Francisco, I saw the best and most vibrant years for the local Kimpton hotels. Now it's come to this: the latest and, I think, fatal blow to Kimpton as a boutique brand, and the Boutique Era its...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 134; Hotel History: The Knickerbocker Hotel (1906)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | December 22, 2014
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf"; 2014 Historian of the Year By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Knickerbocker Hotel (1906) Did you read that the old Knickerbocker Hotel (1906-1921) is about to open again as a hotel on February 12, 2015? This historic building opened as the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1906 with 556 rooms. Developers J.E. and A.L. Pennock originally financed the building in 1903 and retained architects Bruce Price and Marvin & Davis. Only one year later, John Jacob Astor IV, who owned the land, took over the troubled project. The interiors were redesigned by...
JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group Promotes Nicholas Meli to Vice President
JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group | December 16, 2014
In order to fully meet our clients' needs across our multiple business lines, JLL has expanded our presence in Florida and promoted Nicholas Meli to Vice President, Investment Sales in JLL's Miami office. Mr. Meli will focus primarily on expanding our select service/middle market investment sales practice throughout the southeast region, with a specific focus on the state of Florida, by continuing to work with Managing Directors Al Calhoun and Mark Fair in Atlanta, as well as with Managing Director Gregory Rumpel in Miami. Having completed a variety of national and regional assignments with a cumulative value of nearly $2 billio...
Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 by Robert Rauch
Robert Rauch, CHA | December 12, 2014
Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 by Robert Rauch 1. Millennials have become the fastest growing customer segment within the hospitality industry. Exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennials who are willing to pay more for a greater experience. Many of them are looking for an overall gourmet experience for a reasonable price and this has produced all new lobby designs in the hotel sector. Lobby bars and hotel restaurants are wide open with combination work, play and eat/drink spaces designed with this Millennial customer in mind, one who is a "party of one" but "hanging out together." They are loo...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 133: Hotel History: Liberty Hotel in Boston
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | December 8, 2014
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf"; 2014 Historian of the Year By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Liberty Hotel in Boston* The luxurious 298-room Liberty Hotel is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection. Its creation from a prison is one of the most creative and unusual conversions of our time. It was converted in 2007 from the Charles Street Jail for $150 million. Completed in 1851, the jail was designed by Gridley James Fox Bryant, Boston's most famous architect. Satisfaction with his work was so high that of the 152 buildings he designed that were destroyed by the Great Fire ...
Why You Shouldn’t Sell Rooms for $7 on Hotel Tonight
Vikram Singh | December 3, 2014
by Vikram Singh This Thanksgiving holiday in the US was an eventful one for the hospitality industry. What got my attention was the Black Friday offer of $7 rooms on Hotel Tonight (my favorite mobile travel app). Important: Before you read this – No matter who got paid how much in the end or what the real breakup of advertised rate versus actual payment made by Hotel Tonight was was like. The fact is that the guest paid $7 for booking those hotels and that is what he/she will remember. Hotels all over the US participated in this spectacular deal. Based on my zip code, Hotel Tonight sent me an email informing me that the following hote...
The Happiest Hotel on Earth?
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | December 3, 2014
by Bryan Williams Pharrell Williams has an infectious hit song called, Happy. To be honest, it's hard to not feel happy when you are listening to it. The staff at the Hilton Garden Inn - Maple Grove, MN, probably have that song constantly piping into their employee break room. I travel regularly, and am in hotels all the time. I can confidently say that I've NEVER met a more comprehensively happy staff in my life. I don't just mean the front desk clerk. I'm talking about the cooks, bussers, housekeepers, and servers. I got to the hotel very late at night after a long day of travel, and the front desk agent made me feel like she had been...
Tourism Tidbits: Providing Tourism Cheer
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow | December 1, 2014
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Tourism this past year has faced many challenges, from a slow economy in Europe to ISIS attacks, from medical issues such as Ebola to wars in both Europe and the Middle East. For many around the world, despite the fact that this has not been an easy year, the month of December creates a great deal of "light" and "hope'. In the northern Hemisphere the lights of Christmas and Chanukah provide great beauty during the dead of winter. In the southern Hemisphere this is the beginning of the summer holidays and a time for rest and relaxation. December then is a time when most of the world seeks cheer and hope and looks to b...
Front Desk: Ground Zero for Hotel Profitability
Vikram Singh | November 25, 2014
by Vikram Singh Want to increase your profitability, while improving your online reviews at the same time? Then start paying more attention to an area that's too often overlooked when discussing revenue: your front desk. You need to make the front of the house a solid outpost for your operations, revenue and profitability. There is often a staggering amount of focus placed on online hotel marketing and reputation management. But these efforts are only effective if your operations – and your guests' experiences – back them up. As one of the departments that operates 24/7, your front desk deserves a lot more attention and training tha...
The Power of Consistency
BWTV | November 23, 2014
by Bryan Williams One of the key factors that separates good service from truly exceptional service is Consistency. Consistency means repeatable. You are confident that a process is going to happen or someone's going to do something. Everytime. Whether it's in the morning or afternoon or evening. Or if it's a weekend or a weekday. Whether it's hot or cold outside. Or even regardless of who happens to be working that day. To drive that point home, take a look at my latest BWTV video, entitled: The Power of Consistency. It is a little over 3-minutes long, and will be a part of our ever-growing BWTV library. BWTV addresses two key pain poi...
World-Class Leadership: The ONE thing the best leaders do to lead a service-driven team
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | November 18, 2014
by Bryan Williams Let's just cut through all the clutter and get right down to it. Teams that consistently give excellent service have leaders who enthusiastically talk about excellent service everyday. How often? Everyday. There is no way around it. You can have the best training sessions, videos, and recognition programs. You can even fly in the best consultants and throw the most lavish employee parties. Those things are nice, but nothing can ever replace leaders using their mouths to speak about excellence. How often? Everyday. "But I'm too busy!" "There is so much to do!" "We can't add, yet, another initiative to our plates!" That'...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 132; Hotel History: Ellsworth Milton Statler
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | November 17, 2014
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf"; 2014 Historian of the Year By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Ellsworth Milton Statler In 1950, the hotel industry picked the late E. M. Statler as the "Hotel Man of the Half Century," even though he had been dead for 22 years. Statler's impact on innkeeping was so great, no one else even came close. While many considered Statler the premier hotel figure, he was not a typical executive. A plain, rugged man who started to work at age 9, he continued to wear $20 suits and $4 shoes even after he became successful, and resembled Will Rogers more ...
People Person: The Importance of Having the Right Person in the Right Role
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | November 11, 2014
by Bryan Williams "I used to be a people person...but people ruined that for me." I recently read that quote, and thought it was very funny. Then, it occurred to me that there are people who actually feel that way. Yet, they have jobs that require them to serve customers all day. More specifically, some of those people are the first touchpoint for the organizations where they work. Whether they are called receptionists, greeters, hosts, hostesses or phone operators, the point is the same: The overall service experience is directly impacted by how effective that person is in his/her role. For the purpose of this article, let's call the p...
