The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
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Veronika Mercier | August 14, 2024
Smart Strategies
Hotel Lawyer: Court Nixes California Ban on Mandatory Employment Arbibration
Jim Butler | February 24, 2023
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit held on February 15, 2023, that the Federal Arbitration Act preempts a California law designed to prevent employers from requiring workers to sign mandatory arbitration agreements. This decision is consistent with a long line of State and Federal cases, and is expected to have a significant impact on employment practices in the state, including hotels and everyone in the hospitality industry. Appeals court blocks California bar on mandatory arbitration for workers by JMBM’s Labor & Employment Gro...
What Is New in 2023?
Robert A. Rauch, CHA | February 23, 2023
By Robert A. Rauch, CHA We are seeing a shift from sitting at home to experiencing the world. Some travelers came out in 2021, others in 2022, and everyone is finally getting out in 2023! The world was closed, now it’s completely open with the exception of China. Pent-up demand still exists today in the leisure segment and groups and business travelers will continue to increase their travel from 2022 to 2023. This will occur even if there is a recession as companies cannot grow if they do not meet. Corporate balance sheets are in good shape and while the headwinds of a slowing economy could impact some travel, 2023 will be a good, soli...
Implementing Sustainability Training Sessions for Hotel Personnel
Dr Peter Varga | February 17, 2023
By Dr. Peter Varga, Julneth Rogenhofer What can be gained by offering your operational staff a course that explains the theory and foundation of your hotel's sustainability agenda? The answer: many things! From engagement to concrete KPIs, implementing sustainability training sessions for hotel personnel can help move hotel businesses from just focussing on the single bottom line. Becoming more sustainable means going beyond the single bottom line Since the declaration of the Brundtland Report in 1987 and John Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line framework in 1994 (figure on the right), heaps of research and business articles...
Hospitality Industry Predictions for 2023
Laura Calin | February 15, 2023
By Laura Calin In the past year the industry has seen a strong resurgence as guests headed back to leisure vacations and business travel started to pick back up. Still, the industry does not look the same as it did before the pandemic, and now innovations that were a necessity at the height of COVID-19 have become mainstays that may never go back. As we move into 2023, we will continue to see hotels leverage technology to not only increase operational and staff efficiency, but also meet changing guest expectations for a high-value, but relatively low-touch experience. Below are the technologies that will likely continue to transform the in...
Trends in Hospitality – How the Weather Rules the World
Lionel Saul | February 13, 2023
By Lionel Saul, Tatyana Tsukanova In our first monthly digest of 2023, we look at weather patterns and climate change – the most impactful trends in the travel and hospitality industry capable of causing unexpected shifts in our carefully crafted plans. And, yes, how the weather is impacting us was the hottest topic during this latest winter holiday season. Industry insights Summer in winter, disrupted vacations and skiing without snow The tourism and hospitality industry is a weather-sensitive industry and, as a result, the weather has the potential to shape the attractiveness of destinations. We all agree that, ideally, we expec...
Tourism Tidbits: Reviewing Some of the Travel & Tourism Industry’s Basic Principles – Part Two of a Two-Part Series
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow | February 6, 2023
Dr. Peter Tarlow We began the year by reviewing some of the fundamental principles of a successful tourism business or industry. Tourism is multifaceted and despite the fact that there is no one form of tourism many of the industry’s basic principles hold true no matter in which aspect of the travel and tourism industry one works. Despite our cultural, linguistic, religious, and geographic differences human beings are basically the same around the world and the best principles of good tourism transcend cultures, languages, nations, and religious affiliations. Due to tourism’s unique ability to bring people together if used pro...
Opportunities for Tourism Due to Post-Pandemic Travel Triggers
Dr Cindy Heo | January 30, 2023
By Dr. Cindy Heo Insights from a recent research project that analyzes the post-pandemic emotional triggers behind making travel decisions. The findings highlight how people today are deciding to travel due to a desire to make human connections, find a sense of belonging, create lasting memories and undertake affordable sustainable actions. These new values of travel are opening up important opportunities for hoteliers and DMOs to create innovative and engaging offers based on quality rather than quantity of travel demand. In brief, new opportunities for tourism abound thanks to very personal, human triggers. Impact of Covid-19 on perso...
What to Expect in the Hospitality Industry in 2023
Mark D. Podgainy | January 30, 2023
By Mark D. Podgainy Last year was a year of dramatic recovery for the hospitality industry. What’s ahead for 2023? Definitely clouds, but the question is whether the clouds will pass over or they will result in a storm. What’s Ahead High labor costs will persist. While many workers have come back to the hospitality industry after leaving during the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry is still short of employees. This supply-demand imbalance will continue to keep labor costs high and impact margins. As the economy slows the supply of employees will grow (layoff announcements in the news have been increasing), but it is unkno...
Five Trends to Grow Your Employee Wellness in 2023
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | January 25, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Why is employee wellness so critical right now? There are a lot of macro forces at work, but the bottom line is that the hospitality labor pool will remain in short supply for the long run, so you need to think in terms of non-wage employee incentives in order to form that ‘sense of belonging’ to retain your teams. And we can’t say this enough, investments in employee wellness programming will not only act as a way to stave off staffing issues and inflationary wages, but when your team is healthier it’s also a cost-saver because fewer sick days will be taken (which may also reduce overtime pay), and ...
10 Global Talent Acquisition Trends Recruiters Need to Deploy in 2023
EHL Insights | January 24, 2023
10 Global talent acquisition trends to watch in 2023 The pandemic has shown the need to be both risk-aware and opportunistic. Workers are seeking a sense of freedom and joy to reshape their lives. Companies have solid plans for reinvention but are they directing their focus toward what will really make a difference? Here are 10 trends that define the current global talent acquisition. 1. Finding talent in emerging markets Countries and locations that businesses may have previously ignored are producing more productive talent pools that can help employers solve talent shortage issues. According to a report, 77% of recruitment...
A Hotel Guide for Avoiding OTA Panic and Rate Parity Games
Vikram Singh | January 24, 2023
By Vikram Singh OTAs are a fact of life in our industry. But there are so many negative feelings about them, constantly being stoked by hotel media, that it becomes difficult for hotels to form calm, cohesive OTA and rate-setting strategies. OTA-bashing articles surface every few months, no matter what cycle the travel business is in. These articles usually involve screenshots of OTA rates being lower than the hotel’s direct rates, leading to complete disgust and a ton of hate reading. Other times, these feelings of fear and loathing towards OTAs are triggered at conferences by speakers going for some cheap applause. I would like t...
JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® Announces 5th Edition of The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook
Jim Butler | January 23, 2023
The Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to announce publication of the 5th edition of The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook, a guide for hotel owners, developers, investors and operators considering a hotel management agreement (HMA) or franchise agreement, or dealing with the challenges of termination of one. Co-authored by JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® Chairman, Jim Butler, senior Group member Robert E. Braun and Mark S. Adams, the 5th edition of The Handbook includes an updated section on why long-term management and franchise agreements may now be terminable, with...
CCPA, CPRA and the Changing Privacy Landscape
Cendyn | January 20, 2023
The protection of customer data is a crucial component of every hotelier’s digital strategy. Given the recent passage of new legal provisions in California, online privacy concerns are more important than ever. What are the new measures, and how will they impact the hospitality business? Here’s what you need to know. 2023 is a brand-new year. And now that the confetti has been swept up, the champagne bottles have been recycled and the “Auld Lang Syne”s have been sung, it’s time to take a look at what’s on the horizon for the hospitality industry. Many hoteliers are already aware of several important legal changes that have t...
New Research On American LGBTQ+ Travelers Reveals Important Insights for Travel Marketers
MMGY Travel Intelligence | January 19, 2023
AMONG THE KEY FINDINGS, PERSONAL SAFETY AND STATE POLITICS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT LGBTQ+ TRAVELERS’ DECISIONS ABOUT WHERE TO TRAVEL, BUT COST OF TRAVEL IS THE TOP DECIDING FACTOR MMGY Global has released a new research report, Portrait of LGBTQ+ Travelers in America™ – a comprehensive study into this group’s travel behaviors, sentiments and attitudes. The research sampled more than 3,000 American LGBTQ+ travelers and was devised with input from a steering committee of professionals from LGBTQ+ organizations focused on travel, tourism and empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community. One of the key takeaways from the study is that representat...
Three Ways to Create an Employee Experience That Creates a Better Customer Experience
Shep Hyken | January 12, 2023
By Shep Hyken Most everyone in the business world is familiar with the idea of customer experience (CX). And as popular as CX is, there’s a somewhat new concept that has been coming on strong for the past five years, and that’s the employee experience (EX). With the employment issues of the past two years, EX is as important, maybe even more so, than CX. You can’t have a consistent and predictable CX without an EX to support it. Most businesses today use technology to meet their customers’ needs. This comes in the form of streamlining processes, self-service customer support solutions and more. But what about the employees...
Southwest Airlines’ Christmas Catastrophe Is a Cautionary Tale for All Hotel and Travel Brands
Steve Lapekas | January 12, 2023
By Steve Lapekas Perhaps it goes without saying – Southwest Airlines did not have a particularly merry Christmas. While many beloved, nostalgic Christmas movies depict moments of seasonal chaos – especially those of the airport variety (missed flights, lost baggage, and sudden winter storms wreaking havoc on itineraries) – there was nothing redeeming or nostalgic about Southwest’s meltdown. Instead, the airline now finds itself licking major financial wounds in the wake of what is best described as a PR nightmare that left countless customers without a way home for Christmas. If you missed the barrage of news stories regarding Sout...
Using the Labor Data from Hotel Effectiveness to Minimize Costs and Turnover
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | January 11, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky While the pent-up demand from 2022’s travel recovery has now normalized, hotels are still mired by inflationary wages and high turnover. This presents a sweeping, existential issue for the industry on multiple fronts, with labor issues at the forefront of discussion heading into this year’s ALIS (American Lodging Investment Summit), happening January 23-25 in Los Angeles. For owners and investors, increasing labor costs mean less going to the bottom line which can disincentivize capex and product innovation. For operations, staying within budget can mean cutting corners elsewhere, ultimately impacting se...
The Return of Business Travel, and the Rise of the Flexcation
Haley White | January 6, 2023
By Haley White Business travel begins its comeback in 2022 According to the U.S. Travel Association Q3 Business Travel Tracker, which surveyed business travelers and corporate executives in September of 2022, business travel has almost caught up to pre-pandemic levels. Most respondents plan to travel for business in the next 6 months, taking on average 1.8 trips per month, compared to 1.9 pre-pandemic. Expedia Group’s first-party data also showed increasing business travel in Q3 of 2022, as there was a 10% uplift in demand from travelers with a business profile. This return of business travel was particularly impactful for big ci...
Hospitality Trends 2023 – the Future Ahead
Tatyana Tsukanova | January 6, 2023
By Tatyana Tsukanova, Lionel Saul As 2022 draws to an end, we can all agree that it has been, once more, a roller-coaster ride for the hospitality industry. However, there is no time to reflect on this year as everyone is already looking ahead to 2023 and predicting which trends will impact our industry. We have summarized eight dominant trends and three springs of innovation we can’t ignore. And, traditionally, some inspiring ideas for you for this Christmas season! Industry insights Trends within trends Exchange rates affecting travel and tourism As of December 2022, the U.S. dollar is at a favorable exchange rate agai...
Tourism Tidbits: Reviewing Some of the Travel & Tourism Industry’s Basic Principles – Part One of a Two-Part Series
Dr. Peter E. Tarlow | January 5, 2023
Dr. Peter Tarlow The past year, 2022, was the first year since the great pandemic. Although there were continual Covid-19 challenges, for the most part, tourism returned to its pre-COVID days: planes and hotels were full, we saw long lines at attractions and people began to speak about over-tourism instead of too little tourism. That does not mean that the past year was without challenges and the new year will be smooth sailing. The new year (2023) will require the travel and tourism industry and its professionals will have to face both ongoing challenges and new challenges. Travel and tourism cannot be separated from the world c...
10 In-Demand Hospitality Resume Skills
Frank Giannotti | December 21, 2022
By Frank Giannotti Is your resume good enough to stand out to a hiring manager or an artificial intelligence bot that's doing first round screening? Optimize your CV with the skills that hospitality managers are looking for. AI recruitment software has many advantages for both hiring managers and applicants, for example they remove any biases or pejudices making the process much fairer. On the other hand, fancy formatting and conveying personality won't go as far. If an AI Bot is screening you CV, here's a handy list of terms they want to see and why it matters. Luckily including key terms in your resume to show off your most pertinan...
Hotel Owners Turn Their Attention to Renovations
JLL | December 20, 2022
The hospitality industry continues to rebound from the decline in travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, one lingering impact looms. With maintenance and renovation projects mostly deferred over the last two-and-a-half years, guest satisfaction is taking a hit from outdated and inconsistent hotel conditions. The latest J.D. Power North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index shows that overall guest satisfaction is down 8 points on a 1,000-point scale, driven in part by dissatisfaction with guest rooms. Prior to 2020, the average hotel was renovated every 7 to 10 years. While the extent of these renovations has always varied by hotel...
Company Culture Matters (to Your Staff and Your Guests)
George Lessmeister | December 15, 2022
By George Lessmeister Have you ever gone to a party and had the sense that the hosts just had a big fight before everyone arrived? It feels awkward, and it’s not the best night out. Similarly, if employees are dissatisfied, guests may sense that kind of “mood in the room,” which can affect the bottom line. By building a culture that supports employees, you create a positive mood that will keep customers and guests coming back. Front-line employees, especially in the hospitality industry, are the only segment of a company customers see. When employees are unhappy, guests feel it, and leave with a negative view of the whole operatio...
Ten Questions to Evaluate Team Retention
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | December 14, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonksy Regardless labor, where do we stand as 2022 comes to a close? Wages are up, shortages are still rampant, industry turnover is a consummate challenge and guest demand is normalizing from the pandemic. Not a great place to be in when it comes to protecting your P&L. But what we are seeing and helping hotels implement is a better way of organizing teams so that hotels can fight against inflationary wages and churn with better corporate cultures. A central problem with the hospitality industry’s current labor crisis is that by framing it as a ‘crisis’ we are presuming that the shortage will naturally p...
