The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
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Crafting a Unique Employer Brand for Today’s Talent Market
Veronika Mercier | August 14, 2024
Smart Strategies
Content Marketing Strategy in Hospitality: Choice Hotels Europe
Stuart Pallister | October 3, 2018
By Stuart Pallister In this article on the brand as publisher, we focus on Choice Hotels which has launched a travel portal to drive traffic to its booking site and collect customer data. Tess Mattisson, director of marketing for the European division of Choice Hotels International, spoke recently to EHL students about why she decided to launch the site and the benefits it has brought. When Tess Mattisson joined Choice Hotels in January 2016, the European division was languishing. With some 7,000 hotels globally, the US is the group's biggest market and that was the main focus of its marketing spend. Mattisson's goal was to put 'heads i...
Creepy Stairwells, Ghastly Garages and Eerie Elevators-Neglected Nightmares
Roberta Nedry | October 2, 2018
By Roberta Nedry Dark, dismal and dirty stairwells. Parking garages that are Gross! Elevators that are extremely eerie! Well, it is almost Halloween, so these may seem appropriate and in season, BUT these are not amusement park novelties. They are actually part of your hotels, your businesses and your environments all year long-YUCK! I am constantly amazed by the experiences in beautiful hotel lobbies, impeccable office buildings and delicious restaurants that come to a screeching halt when you enter one of these backstage areas for the same high-class setting. Why, oh why are these areas relegated to be the stepchildren of the establis...
The Future of Work: Look on the Bright Side?
Stuart Pallister | October 2, 2018
By Stuart Pallister Whenever you hear a news item about artificial intelligence and robots, which are now gaining a foothold in the hospitality industry and other sectors, the message is usually this: jobs are going to disappear, with perhaps millions of people facing long-term unemployment. In the view of futurist and 'recovering journalist,' Gary A. Bolles however, we shouldn't just focus on the negatives. We should look at these developments as an opportunity. Problem solving "Robots and software don't take jobs, they take tasks," he told Hospitality Insights following a keynote address to EHL's international advisory board. For huma...
Tourism Tidbits: Developing a Tourism Marketing Plan in a Changing World – Part 2 of 2
Dr. Peter Tarlow | October 1, 2018
By Dr. Peter Tarlow As noted in part one of this two part series, the tourism industry lives in a dynamic environment. Tourism is dependent on economic conditions, on climate, on political conditions and on local issues such a health and security. In all of these cases, the tourism professional is often in a reactive rather than proactive position. This need to react may lead to certain levels of frustration and even inaction. Although it is rare that a tourism professional can change major economic or political trends, there is however much more that s/he can do to shape his or her part of the industry. Tourism Tidbits offers the follo...
Cannabis & The Hospitality Industry
Chamberlin Public Relations | October 1, 2018
As more states ease laws on cannabis usage, hotels are finding new ways to incorporate the drug into their product offering, either catering to new demographics or offering new services for those eager to try something different and exciting. According to a Gallup poll from late last year, more than 65 percent of Americans "support legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medicinal use." So far, 31 states across the country now permit marijuana use in some form, even though the drug is still classified as "schedule 1," meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. Even so, recreational use of cannabis is now legal in nine states...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Understanding Liabilities
David Lund | October 1, 2018
By David Lund When I do financial leadership workshops with hotel teams we often talk about liabilities. I tell my audience that I know for a fact that each one of them have at least two liabilities. I get some puzzled and Kreskin-like looks from my audience as I tell them I can see two numbers floating magically above their heads. I tell them that I know for a fact that each student also knows the same figures, they are just not aware, yet! You see everyone knows how much vacation they have to take, and they also know how much money is owed to them in wages. They just don't see these two "things" as liabilities but they are excellent e...
McCarren Hotel & Pool Debuts OpenKey’s Mobile Key Access
OpenKey | September 27, 2018
Innovative technology delivers convenience that today's travelers expect DALLAS, TEXAS (September 27, 2018) – McCarren Hotel & Pool, one of the most sought after urban retreats located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has unveiled keyless room access powered by OpenKey's innovative technology. OpenKey, the industry standard for universal mobile key in hotels, will support the McCarren's efforts in delivering an unparalleled experience to its digital native guests. McCarren Hotel & Pool is a neighborhood oasis where guests can enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences paired with luxury amenities and first-class service. The modern gue...
Single-Use Plastics: Hotels and Airlines Are Cutting Down
Hospitality Insights | September 26, 2018
From plastic straws to the complete elimination of single-use plastics, more and more in the hospitality industry are opting to create a sustainable travel experience. The world is now producing roughly 300 million tons of plastic each year Plastic is one of the defining inventions of our time, yet there's no denying its negative impact on our environment. The low production cost and versatile range of applications make plastic a convenient comfort in the modern day. At the same time, the throwaway nature of these single-use products adds up to being one of the top sources of pollution throughout our oceans. In fact, about 8.8 million t...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 202: Hotel History: Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Stanley Turkel | September 25, 2018
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. opened on February 18, 1925 with 440 guestrooms. It is known as the "Grande Dame of Washington", the "Hotel of Presidents" and as the city's "Second Best Address" (the White House is the first). The Mayflower Hotel was built by Allen E. Walker who planned to name it The Hotel Walker. He retained Warren & Wetmore, architects who had designed New York's Commodore, Biltmore, Ambassador Ritz-Carlton and Vanderbilt Hotels. The supervising architect was Robert F. Beresford who had worked for the Supervising Architect of the Treasury and the Superintendent of the Cap...
Takeaways From the 2018 Guest Experience Assessment Report: Better Alignment of Tech & Value for Guests
Jos Schaap, CEO -Founder and CEO | September 25, 2018
By Jos Schaap CEO and Founder - StayNTouch The relationship between hospitality and technology is ever-evolving as the demands of the modern guest continue to redefine the industry landscape. With the on-going need for guest personalization and value-driven service, the most successful hotels will be those who allocate more of their budgets for technology that actually aligns with delivering a better guest experience for all types of travelers. This may empower a self-service model for some guests, and high-touch, personalized service for others. To gain a better understanding of current guest assessment trends and technological, guest-...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Unplugging the Brand and Cranking up the OTA’s – Hotel Overachiever
David Lund | September 24, 2018
By David Lund It's nothing new to hear about hotels or owners who have said "good bye" to brands and have gone on their own as an independent hotel. This is the story of one such hotel and a look at their results. I am also going to highlight the typical costs associated with being affiliated with a brand and what some say is the biggest reason to get out while you can. The whole idea was the new owners. They bought the hotel with the express purpose of taking down the flag and making the hotel an independent. The market was strong and the hotel with its brand was doing quite well – a positive revpar index with its historical comp...
Why Asset Managers and Owners Should View Hotel Maintenance as a Revenue Opportunity
Guestware | September 24, 2018
By Mike Benjamin Hotel Preventive Maintenance (PM) has long been viewed as a necessary hotel engineering function and best practice. Most owners assume the management team is doing proper maintenance to achieve the useful life of assets (equipment, guest rooms and public spaces) and to avoid costly premature failures or replacements. Both owners and operators want to know PM's are getting done, but few prioritize and monitor maintenance as a key performance metric like they do with revenue. Research shows strong hotel maintenance is a revenue opportunity. Hotel guest satisfaction research has shown for years that guests are less likely ...
What Four Things Impact First Impressions?
ProSolutions | September 20, 2018
By Katie Scheer First impressions are paramount since they are highly accurate; how you are instantly evaluated can make or break your success. And you have heard before that a first impression is made within 5 seconds, but I believe it's faster. Why? Personal experience– I get a feeling about something or a situation within 2 seconds (don't you?). The science- 20 million billion bits of information move around our brains every second, and it calculates sounds, sights, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts in every moment at the same time (from The Phenomenal Experience). This means we need to up our game and make sure that we contro...
Hospitality Education of the Future
September 18, 2018
Have you noticed that currently many CEOs of the most important hotel chains are not hoteliers? Will this mean that in the future hospitality education will not be worthwhile? On one hand, we have the current CEOs coming from the world of business, law, finance and marketing. On the other hand, majority of today's graduates of top hotels schools in the world do not go into hotel operations. Instead, they aspire for more attractive positions in sectors such as banking, luxury, healthcare, consulting, retail and lately, start-ups. Therefore the question, why will hospitality education still be needed in the future? Why young graduates, th...
How African Luxury Tourism Is Heading off the Beaten Track
JLL Real Views | September 18, 2018
For growing numbers of today's high-end travelers, holidays are less about sipping cocktails on sandy beaches and more about opting for new experiences they can't get at home. Africa has long been a favorite destination for safaris and hot air balloon flights over migrating herds but now the hospitality and tourism industries are exploring new locations to cater for luxury traveler's increasing appetite for adventure. "African tourism has evolved significantly in the last decade with a new wave of young, affluent travelers, as well as the so-called baby-boom generation, fueling demand for high-end experiential travel," explains Xander N...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: Using Expense Checkbooks
David Lund | September 17, 2018
By David Lund I can vividly remember, as a young lad, my dad sitting at the kitchen table paying the monthly bills by check and then updating his checkbook. I remember asking him why he entered the details on the page at the back of the checkbook. He said very clearly, "So we don't spend more than we have and in the bank. If I don't keep track, we will run out of money and I'll end up bouncing a check!" In hospitality, we are all much better off when we use the checkbook system to manage our expenses so we don't run out, and so we don't overspend. The only difference between my dad and your department's expenses is you do not really run...
The Future of Food: Transparency and Traceability Are Key
Stuart Pallister | September 17, 2018
By Stuart Pallister What are the main trends facing restaurateurs and the food industry currently, and where is gastronomy heading? Those are some of the questions posed during a panel session at the recent Window 2 the Future conference staged by Lausanne Hospitality Consulting at Ecole hôteliere de Lausanne. The quality of produce remains ever-important but transparency – and traceability – is critical for consumers. "People want to know what they eat, where it comes from, how it was made. And with what ethics it was made," said panelist Peter Rebeiz, Chairman and CEO of Caviar House & Prunier. I think today we'...
It’s Budget Season… Are You Ready?
Intelity | September 17, 2018
"As the summer winds down and the 2019 budget season ramps up, hoteliers need to bring technology to the forefront of their capital plans." Studies show mobile solutions from Intelity and KEYPR are high on guests' wish lists for 2019 According to Hospitality Technology's 2018 Customer Engagement Technology Study, 65% of guests say they are willing to pay higher rates and are more likely to return to a hotel that offers access to the technology they deem important. Guests' technology demands for 2019 include having a hotel mobile app with a variety of features, the ability to check-in and out from a mobile device, and high-tech features ...
Q&A With Andrew Cohan, MAI, Managing Director Horwath HTL Miami
Andrew Cohan | September 13, 2018
Hotel Online recently requested a Q&A with Andrew Cohan, MAI, Managing Director of the Miami office of Horwath HTL on his views of the hotel industry. Andrew's areas of expertise are many, but his true passions include development of health and wellness offerings in the lodging sector. He is also keenly interested in sustainability and the opportunities to use local resources as a significant element of a hotel brand's amenities and value propositions. Here, Andrew discusses some of his insights and observations guiding developers in these arenas to help create "transformational experiences." With such a robust proliferation of bran...
Frugal Innovation in Hospitality: Insights From Navi Radjou
Stuart Pallister | September 12, 2018
By Stuart Pallister How can we, as an industry, do more with less? That's a challenge more and more companies are facing nowadays. It's also a conundrum posed by frugal innovation which seeks to deliver products and services that are not only affordable but also sustainable. Frugal Innovation - or Jugaad: how to do more with less In a recent keynote address to Ecole hôteliere de Lausanne's prestigious international advisory board, innovation advocate and author Navi Radjou outlined the principles of frugal business models. These go beyond creating a new product for emerging markets – be it a fridge that doesn't use electrici...
How Hotels Can Leverage the Psychology of Impulse Buying to Capture More Revenue and Enhance the Guest Stay
September 12, 2018
By Jos Schaap CEO and Founder - StayNTouch Let's consider a scenario. You're out shopping for a few household items at a local Target or Costco, but while you cross those items off your list, you come across some tempting, unrelated deals. Maybe a great deal on a new TV or electronic, a decorative item for the house, a luxury skincare item, or a gift for a loved one. In the first scenario, you fill up your cart and head for an open check-out lane. In the span of a few short minutes, you're out the door and unloading your haul into the trunk of your car. In the second scenario, you fill up your cart and head for the check-out — onl...
Gender Diversity – a True Value Added for Companies
Dr Jean-Philippe Weisskopf | September 11, 2018
By Dr Jean-Philippe Weisskopf According to a recent white paper by the Hospitality Industry Pipeline (HIP) Coalition the workforce in the tourism and hospitality industry is comprised of 70% women. This number is remarkable and inspiring for gender diversity and parity on the job market indicating that women are a force to be reckoned with in the industry. It, however, hides a less pleasant picture once analyzing the upper echelons of companies. The white paper further finds that in the same companies only 20% of executive officers and a staggeringly low 8% of directors are female. This is surprising, as a majority of studies find a pos...
Is Your Hotel Taking Advantage of All Guest Touchpoints? Here Are 4 to Consider
Terri Miller | September 11, 2018
By Terri Miller, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Concilio Labs Success in the hospitality industry is largely defined by a hotel's ability to connect with their guest(s) while attending to their unique set of needs and expectations. The opportunities your hotel has to establish a genuine connection and rapport with each guest are referred to as "guest touchpoints" — the moments in which a guest is in direct contact with your hotel staff. This may seem like a relatively simple concept but establishing these connections with prospective guests can prove difficult, at times, when these touchpoints are often fleeting compare...
Hospitality Financial Leadership: The Morning Meeting
David Lund | September 10, 2018
By David Lund The morning meeting is a mainstay in almost every hotel. All the key department managers and leaders gather, usually in the front office or sometimes an in-house meeting room, to devour the day's business at hand. It is a great way to distribute last minute information and highlight important changes to groups and business volumes. However, most morning meetings miss the most important pieces of information. The most valuable nuggets are stepped over and not seen or exposed for what they are. A rundown of the following is a typical morning meeting: Previous day's occupancy, rate, and RevPAR. Anticipated occupancy, rate,...
