The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
Crafting a Unique Employer Brand for Today’s Talent Market
Veronika Mercier | August 14, 2024
Smart Strategies
5 Reasons Why Agoda’s Mix and Save Feature Could Be Disastrous for Hotel Operations
HotStats | October 2, 2019
By Laura Resco Online travel agencies are digging their fingers further into the hotel industry. One of the latest disrupting features comes from Booking Holdings-owned Agoda and its Mix and Save option, which it hails as a win for budget-conscious travelers. It could also be a loss for hotel operators. The premise is simple: Customers can split their reservation into multiple bookings, across multiple room types, in order to secure the best overall deal. In other words, a guest can book, for instance, a weeklong stay at a hotel, but move their room once, twice or more to optimize the best rate available. It’s a novel idea to be sure ...
HSMAI & ZS Release Incentive Plan Research Report
HSMAI | October 1, 2019
(McLean, VA, October 1, 2019) Take a deep dive into the state of hospitality incentives in a new Hotel Management Company Incentive Plan Research Report released by HSMAI and ZS to discover key findings in incentive compensation structure, metrics, revenue, goal attainment, and more. The report is designed to help hospitality leaders make informed decisions to maximize the design and success of incentive plans. The latest research first outlines the framework for sales incentive plan design. The report finds that at its core, a good incentive plan is strategic, motivational, fair, simple, and fiscally responsible. Additionally, incentiv...
Circular Economy in the Tourism Sector
Dr Luciano Lopez | September 27, 2019
In order to survive the changing landscape of the tourism sector, firms will have to adapt to new trends and consumers' desires caused by the emergence of sharing economy companies By Dr. Luciano Lopez The economy was pictured until recently as linear, with a strong tendency to satisfy the consumers’ needs with brand new products, somehow to give them a feeling of exclusivity. However, a full range of environmental, socio-demographic and economic indicators, mostly alarming, rose the need to change our consumption and production habits. One of the main and current issues discussed in the media is climate change, of which principal so...
Bracing for the Boom: Are Hoteliers Missing Out on the Most Profitable Guests?
Alan Young | September 19, 2019
By Alan E. Young Over the past few years, millennials (individuals born between 1982 and 2000) have received special attention, as leaders across industries speak to their growing presence, impressive buying power, and unique buying behaviors. However, while millennials may be the future, the decision to turn our sights away from the baby boom generation would be irrevocably ill-advised. Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are the wealthiest age group of the century, represent an audience of 74.9 million, and in the past decade, they spent more than any other generation. In 2016, nearly three in 10 U.S. leisure travelers were baby...
AI in the Hospitality Industry: Pros and Cons
Donald Fomby | September 18, 2019
By Donald Fomby Over the last several years, AI-powered technologies like voice- and text-enabled assistants and chatbots have become a usual part of our lives. In fact, we should be approaching the point where we would be totally okay with AI managing our homes. Even though sci-fi movies have led us to believe that AI’s ultimate purpose is to take over humanity, its main goal is to serve us and make our lives better. Serving people and providing them with pleasant hospitality as some of the goals of AI make it a perfect fit for the hospitality industry. So, instead of taking over and telling us what to do, AI can assist hospitalit...
How to Respond Properly to Online Hotel Reviews
Kacey Bradley | September 16, 2019
By Kacey Bradley In today’s digitally-inclined world, online reviews are a significant part of the hotel booking process. According to one study, more than 50% of travelers don’t want to book until they read reviews — typically between six and 12. They want first-hand accounts of a stay on your property, whether good or bad. The newer the feedback, the more helpful. You can’t prevent bad reviews — no matter how stellar your guest experience. What you can control is how you respond. The majority of travelers — 87% — say an appropriate response to a bad review improves their impression of the hotel. On the flip-side, a...
The Hype Behind Blockchain: What Is it and Why Is it Important to the Travel Industry?
Rob Sudakow | September 16, 2019
By Rob Sudakow If you haven’t noticed Blockchain is one of the new catchphrases thrown around at every travel conference you go to, but it’s probable that most of those throwing the word around actually understand blockchain or how it could revolutionize the travel industry. The travel industry isn't alone in its excitement over blockchain. The buzzword is making its way into the vocabulary of many industries with good reason. But the big question is how and why. What is Blockchain: Wikipedia’s definition of blockchain “a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptog...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Creating Agreements vs. Having Expectations
David Lund | September 10, 2019
There is a popular saying in American spurned on by the slogan for a doughnut and coffee chain, "America Runs on Dunkin’." In this piece I am going to write about another thing that our western culture runs on even more than coffee and doughnuts, and that’s expectations. And just like coffee, and especially doughnuts, expectations are really bad for you. You are probably thinking I am nuts even creating the title Creating Agreements vs. Having Expectations. It sounds kind of Pollyanna. But I want to encourage you to read on. This is my second article on this topic, and I am especially passionate about showing you the distinction betwee...
The De-Evolution of a Business
Shep Hyken | September 9, 2019
By Shep Hyken Not long ago I was with my friend, Nelson Griswold. He shared with me a phenomenon he referred to as the de-evolution of a business. It can mean the beginning of the end for a business, and it usually comes as a result of not listening to the company’s customers. This pattern mirrors one found in the entertainment business—the four stages of an actor. Let’s say our actor’s name is John Smith. Four questions and statements sum up what I’m talking about: At the unknown stage of his career, the question is: “Who is John Smith?” Once he is discovered and becomes a sensation, the director makes a request: ...
Tourism Tidbits: Dealing With the Media
Dr. Peter Tarlow | September 5, 2019
By Dr. Peter Tarlow Almost all tourism businesses, be they attractions, Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs), regional or national tourism offices, or travel providers have to deal with the media. Tourism businesses and offices seek positive publicity or at times react to a news story. Often these news stories are negative and if not dealt with can do great harm to a particular tourism industry. We can hypothesize that a successful tourism industry or enterprise must stand on four legs, these being: (1) it must offer a good product, (2) it must provide good service, (3) it must have good publicity, and (4) it must offer...
Can Third-Party Managers Be the Answer to the Middle East’s Performance Sag?
David Eisen | September 3, 2019
By David Eisen The third-party hotel management agreement or HMA is decades old, yet still not fully embraced by the global hotel industry. But as industry fundamentals in regions like the Middle East sputter, impeding revenue and profitability, change could be afoot. Hotel owners with an eagle eye on the bottom line are now more inclined to seek out specialized experts to be the caretakers of their assets in order to keep profitability afloat. In the United States, the third-party management model thrives. According to the Management Companies 2019 Survey, released by Hotel Business, there are more than 140 such companies operating one...
Hotel and Travel Conferences Need an Upgrade
Vikram Singh | August 28, 2019
By Vikram Singh When it comes to hotel conferences and trade shows, I will go ahead and show my age by saying I have been to almost all of them. During the earlier part of my career, I was an attendee; later I became a speaker. After I received hotel revenue optimization enlightenment, I took it upon myself to go out and educate an industry that seemed perpetually stuck. Several hundred conferences later, a clear pattern has emerged. However, this pattern will need to change if events are to become truly relevant to the industry they serve. Below are some of my observations, and they might sound very familiar to you. Here is a walk down...
The Evolution of Hotel Employee Safety Technology
Robb Monkman | August 22, 2019
By Robb Monkman August 22, 2019 -- Great leaders operate in the present but focus on planning for the future. As technology evolves, things that were once deemed impossible are now part of everyday life and are changing the business world at lightning speed. The latest and most innovative tools from the beginning of this decade are now becoming outdated, making it challenging for organization to keep up with every technological change. This is a familiar phenomenon, as we look to the continued technological evolution that has unfolded across the hospitality industry — one which has notably picked up the pace, as of late. Guests and busin...
Introducing the Concept of Micromentorship
Larry Mogelonsky | August 21, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Mentorship and training are consummately important aspects of any successful business, but one of the most salient rigors of hospitality is that no manager has the time to properly devote to this task. We are all too busy putting out the proverbial fires and managing the day-to-day that we neglect the long-term because we’re mentally and often physically drained. There are both obvious and lurking dangers, though, in sidelining formal mentorship and training that could result in a lack of succession planning or, worse, operational deficiencies that compromise guest service. One ot...
Organizational Resilience Eases Hospitality Reputation Management, Supports Global Economy
Tim Wren | August 21, 2019
By Tim Wren So many amazing places to visit, so little time. The travel and tourism industry are keenly aware that there are many enticing and fascinating destinations vying for your attention, and that reputation means everything when hotels and attractions strive to lure visitors — and welcome them back again. In some vacation spots, the local economy also depends heavily on the arrival of tourists who enjoy their stay, choose to return, and share with their friends on social media about a winning experience. The travel and tourism industry is a competitive and loyalty-driven business, tailor-made to benefit from international standard...
Guests Reveal Their Top Priorities When Booking Hotels Which Could Help Hoteliers Reduce Cancellations
Guestline | August 20, 2019
Last year, a European wide study uncovered that almost 40% of all hotel booking in Europe were cancelled by guests1, prevailing the growing attention needed on customers attitudes to booking. Technology has become the forefront of how guests book their hotel and experience their customer journey, in fact a recent study conducted by Guestline revealed that 100% of people use or have used the internet to book their hotels. The study of 2,000 UK participants delved into how people book their hotels and their main priorities and desires when choosing one. In addition, a worldwide data analysis of over 7 million hotel booking data ...
The EI Advantage: How Four Seasons Drives Innovation and Business Success Through the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | August 13, 2019
TORONTO, Aug. 13, 2019 -- A global study by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services (HBR-AS) and presented by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts calls for a corporate culture transformation driven by the power of emotional intelligence (EI). For many years, EI has been the cornerstone of empowered, engaged and energetic corporate cultures. Yet the study outlines a troubling trend: companies worldwide are underestimating the value of EI, and there is a growing disconnect between what executives are saying about the importance of company culture and what they are actually doing. Emotional intelligence is a combination of self-awareness, ...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism and the Law
Dr. Peter Tarlow | August 2, 2019
By Dr. Peter Tarlow The Tourism/Visitor industry is a one of the world's great industries. Large industries, however, mean that there are large cash flows and large amounts of cash often mean multiple lawsuits and other legal problems. Often local CVBs or tourism offices are unaware of their own nation's laws and obligations. This ignorance of the law can be very costly. Tourism Tidbits does NOT give legal advice, and it strongly encourages all readers to ask specific questions to a licensed tourism legal professional. Please note that the information found below is only meant to be useful in helping tourism/travel professionals to obtain ...
Online Skimming Threatens Hospitality E-Commerce Sites
the PCI Security Standards Council | August 1, 2019
PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) and the Retail and Hospitality ISAC Join Forces to Highlight Growing Threat Washington, D.C., August 1, 2019 – Today the PCI Security Standards Council and the Retail & Hospitality ISAC (https://rhisac.org/) issued a joint bulletin to highlight an emerging threat that requires urgent awareness and attention. The full bulletin can be viewed here. What is the threat? A growing threat that all merchants and service providers should be aware of is Web-based or Online Skimming. These attacks infect e-commerce websites with malicious code, known as sniffers or JavaScript (JS) sniffers and ...
Why Select Service Hotels Are Coming to the City Center
JLL | July 29, 2019
July 29, 2019 -- It used to be that guests at every downtown hotel expected bell staff, a concierge, extensive meeting spaces and spacious rooms. But these days, guests are getting comfortable with a lot less. Select service hotels with fewer amenities and smaller rooms — once confined to suburbs, small towns and the areas surrounding airports — are growing in city centers. This industry sector has seen double-digit percentage change growth in terms of the number of rooms that exist in major U.S. markets from 2015 to 2019, according to JLL research. Hotel brands like Hilton Garden Inn, Tru by Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott and Hyatt ...
Five Tips to Make the Media Ecstatic About Your Establishment
Melissa DiGianfilippo | July 25, 2019
By Melissa DiGianfilippo The hospitality industry can be intensely competitive, so getting noticed by the public (or not) can make or break your hotel. The problem is getting attention for the right things and in ways that provide a solid ROI. That's where a public relations strategy and plan for your brand comes into play. Public relations is less expensive and often far more effective than traditional advertising, but the most significant obstacle is engaging with the media. Without the media, your story is less likely to reach the public. From travel bloggers and influencers to reporters, writers, and other media professionals, here ...
How Hotels Can Exceed at Accommodating All Types of Guests
Kacey Bradley | July 24, 2019
By Kacey Bradley Half the fun of working in the hospitality industry is that you never know who's going to walk into your hotel. It's an especially exciting scenario when you've done all you can to ensure a stay at your accommodation will suit every single guest who visits. Of course, doing so many seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some simple ways you can go above and beyond for anyone who checks into your hotel: 1. Always Correct Errors With Haste First and foremost, you have to put the customer first. Imagine, for example, that they made a request in their booking that you forgot when finalizing the reservation. Your...
Eight Travel Industry Online Marketing Trends and How to Leverage Them
Joseph Franklyn McElroy | July 24, 2019
By Joseph Franklyn McElroy The travel industry is booming by almost any measure; according to Tourism Economics’ Global City Travel: 2019 to 2025 report, 630 million international travelers are expected to visit the top 300 cities around the globe in 2019, an increase of 4.6 percent over 2018. Yet, despite continuing marketing growth, the battle for revenue and market share has never been fiercer. That’s all the more reason to study the latest online travel marketing trends to ensure you are adapting your efforts to remain relevant and standout. Adding some of these eight strategies to your travel Internet marketing plan will help ...
Group Sales Mystery Shopping No Longer Best Way to Measure Sales Effectiveness
Doug Kennedy | July 23, 2019
By Doug Kennedy For decades, hotel management companies and brands have relied on telephone mystery shopping as a primary tool to measure the sales effectiveness of sales and catering sales colleagues. Here’s what to do instead. For decades, hotel management companies have contracted with outside mystery shopping firms to place telephone inquiry calls posing as prospects for groups, events, and corporate accounts, then report back the results. This is typically done once per quarter, and the results are then used as one of the primary benchmark “KPI’s” to evaluate sales colleagues. Many companies even factor performance on myst...
