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
HSMAI Foundation and Women in Travel THRIVE Release Research on the Power of Mentorship
the HSMAI Foundation | January 31, 2024
McLean, VA (January 31, 2024) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Foundation, in partnership with Women in Travel THRIVE, is proud to announce the release of a pivotal research paper titled "The Power of Mentorship." Authored by Dr. Emily Ma, Professor of Hospitality at the University of Surrey, and Dr. Laurie Wu, Associate Professor at Temple University, this paper is a cornerstone in HSMAI’s ongoing efforts to address the gender imbalance in leadership roles within the hospitality industry. As part of HSMAI’s commitment to developing talent, this research provides valuable insights into the r...
Women in Saudi Arabia: Making Their Mark in the Hospitality Industry
Kaushiki Khanijo | January 26, 2024
By Kaushiki Khanijo Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030 Enabling and empowering Saudi women in every sector, utilizing their skills and potential for the progress and economic prosperity of the nation, is a fundamental aspect of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. With the goal of increasing women's engagement in the workforce to 30% by 2030, Saudi Arabia is committed to providing opportunities and support for women to thrive professionally. To accomplish this objective, Saudi Arabia has taken the lead in implementing a range of initiatives aimed at fostering a supportive atmosphere for the economic advancement of women. The country has embarked on a...
Hilton Launches Initiative to Open New Pathways to Hotel Ownership
Hilton | January 22, 2024
In a first for the hospitality industry, Hilton’s “Unlocking Doors” program provides education, networking and access to capital supporting new and aspiring hotel owners MCLEAN, Va. – In an effort to help create opportunity for people looking to realize the dream of owning or growing their own business, Hilton has announced the creation of “Unlocking Doors,” a program designed to support new and aspiring hoteliers on their journey to hotel ownership. Launching this week at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), Unlocking Doors will create meaningful pathways to hotel ownership for entrepreneurs who are new to the i...
“We Deliver Amazing Customer Service”: The Difference Between Perception and Reality / Shep Hyken
Shep Hyken | January 18, 2024
This is an important topic that every CEO, business owner, leader, manager, and supervisor must understand. When it comes to customer service and customer experience (CX), there is a difference between perception and reality. First, how we think our customers perceive our customer service and CX is often not the reality. It’s just our perception. Reality isn’t what we think or believe. It’s what our customers say. Often, there is a big difference between our perception and the reality of our customers’ experiences. Some may be saying, “Shep, you’ve covered this before.” Yes, however, it is worth covering again, espec...
10 Hospitality Trends for 2024: Crafting Tomorrow’s Experiences Today!
EHL Insights | January 12, 2024
As a testament to its resilience, agility and innovative spirit, this article reflects today’s increasingly dynamic hospitality industry in terms of its long, medium and short-term evolution. Best-selling author, Will Guidara, claims “We are entering into a hospitality economy” – suggesting that what underpins the essence of hospitality, (service excellence, human interaction, personalization and the co-creation of memorable experiences), is actually what many sectors of industry are desperately in need of today. As we charge at break neck speed towards an ever-more digitalized society, the hospitality industry stands out as the succ...
Kids Take Over Holiday Planning in 2024
Novotel | January 9, 2024
A new study commissioned by hotel brand Novotel reveals what tops UK families’ bucket list in 2024. De-stressing and relaxation take centre stage. What would happen if you let your kids design their dream holiday? French hotel chain Novotel, one of the world’s most-loved family hotel brands - recently commissioned a new study to uncover what kids and their parents have on their minds when it comes to planning a trip in 2024. The new survey* polled approximately 1,000 children aged between 6 and 16 years old, as well as 1,000 parents in December 2023, to see what a dream holiday looks like for both parents and children. "As one o...
Hospitality in 2023: A Look Into the Last Year
Manoj K Mohanty | January 3, 2024
By Manoj K Mohanty The last year marked several changes in the realm of hospitality. As the industry overcame several economic and cultural challenges, almost reaching its pre-pandemic levels of activities, it also witnessed new technologies, trends, strategic changes and fluxes in market behaviour. As we conclude 2023, it is essential to understand the lessons learned and the imprints left behind by these shifts. 1. New industry trends witnessed in 2023 The hospitality industry is expanding its horizons, branching into new areas. The experimentation with flying cars, underwater hospitality and the popularisation of aparthotels were at ...
Unlocking Value Creation: Value-Enhancing vs Value-Destroying Employee
EHL Insights | January 2, 2024
Employees are the biggest value creators and value destroyers for most organizations. Here’s how to identify and enhance the role your employees play in the value-creation process. Distinguishing between value-enhancing and value-destroying employees The primary aim of every organization is to maximize the value it creates from its existing resources. Exactly what that ‘value’ looks like can differ from one business to the next. For some businesses, value may simply mean generating a greater return for the shareholders, but for others, value creation can be something much more specific. To add value, a business needs to know how va...
A Lofty Goal: Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company
Shep Hyken | December 22, 2023
By Shep Hyken If I asked 10 people who they thought could be planet Earth’s most customer-centric company, I bet a majority would have the same answer. I’ll share that company’s name at the end of this article. For now, you can guess. Cindy, from my office, had a customer service issue. Here are the steps she took to resolve the problem: She went to the company’s website and clicked on customer support. She answered a few questions, and once the technology identified her problem, a chatbot popped up. After interacting with the chatbot briefly, the bot wrote, “Let me transfer you to an agent,” moving fr...
2023: A Year of New Challenges and Opportunities for Hoteliers
Joseph Pierce | December 20, 2023
By Joseph Pierce, MAI The hotel industry has moved on from many challenges that have plagued it since the COVID-19 pandemic, but new challenges and opportunities have presented themselves in 2023. Carrying on from 2022, markets continue to deal with the highest cost of debt in decades, but the fear of a recession has receded, and the possibility of a “soft landing” from 40-year high inflation growth may be a reality. The industry remains flexible to the needs and desires of guests and continues to pivot to meet the challenges of the future. H&LA’s consultants have worked on many assignments in 2023, bringing with them the oppo...
Tourism Tidbits: Making Your Tourism Business Secure
Dr. Peter Tarlow | December 18, 2023
"Tourism & More wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season. May the gift of travel serve to unite us all in goodwill and peace." By Dr. Peter Tarlow Making your tourism business secure. Most of our clients are honest, but unfortunately travel and tourism is also a business like any other business, and despite the goodwill felt at this season, there are also safety and security challenges. There will always be some people who seek to take advantage of other people's goodwill and graciousness. This month's issue is meant to remind you of some of the basics in making your business secure. As in past months, Tourism...
10 Hotel Trends to Watch in 2024
Pedro Colaco | December 15, 2023
By Pedro Colaco In the aftermath of a robust resurgence in the travel industry throughout 2023, hotels are gearing up for a transformative 2024, marked by shifting consumer preferences and the rise of cutting-edge technologies to help hotels address increasingly complex consumer and operational demands. This article explores the top 10 trends poised to redefine hotels and the wider travel and hospitality landscape in the coming year. 10 Hotel Trends to Watch in 2024 As we gear up for the new year, we foresee that a number of trends that arose in 2023 will continue to be critical for hotels in 2024. Hotels will continue to prioritize sus...
ProVision Forms Strategic Partnership With Sonata Venture Solutions to Offer DEI+ Consultancy Services to the Global Hospitality Market
ProVision Partners | December 13, 2023
New alliance to empower the global hospitality industry with professional advisory on critical issues related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dallas, TX — December 13, 2023 — PROVision Partners (“ProVision”), a leading global strategic growth marketing, technology, and commercial services advisory firm to the travel and hospitality industry, has finalized a strategic partnership with Sonata Venture Solutions, a leader in workforce development, leadership training, strategic planning and business strategy for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs across multiple industries. The new alliance is intended to broaden the scop...
SURVEY: Surprising Trends Among the Youngest Travelers as 47% of Americans Turn Toward Travel Agents to Book Their Holiday Travel
IBS SOFTWARE | December 12, 2023
ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2023 -- As we head into the 2023 holiday season, U.S. travelers are making the most of their vacation planning despite inflationary pressures and rising debt rates. In a recent survey commissioned by IBS Software, a global leader of SaaS solutions to the travel industry, a record 47% of respondents are utilizing in-person or online travel agents (OTAs) to book their holiday trips due to convenience. Perhaps surprisingly is the younger generation's preference for traditional travel agents (38% of Millennials and Gen Z) given the group's well-documented preference for digital behaviors over analog. This is in stark contrast ...
America’s Travel Comeback: Five Ways We’re Supporting Our Travel & Tourism Industry
Grant T. Harris | December 12, 2023
By Grant T. Harris This is the fourth piece in a blog series about the 2023 National Export Strategy, a government-wide strategic plan to support American businesses through trade promotion activities. This article focuses on the Travel and Tourism chapter of the National Export Strategy. This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy. The holiday travel season is here! As families and friends gather for celebrations, it’s a great time to spotlight a critical driver of economic growth and employment in the United States: the travel and tourism industry. You’ve seen the headlines: Travel is back,...
Top 10 Trends for the Hospitality Industry in 2024
Robert Rauch | December 11, 2023
By Robert Rauch The hospitality industry transformed in 2023, driven by technological advancements and evolving guest demands. We'll explore the ten emerging trends for 2024 in the hospitality industry. Artificial Intelligence AI in the hospitality industry will enhance revenue management, menu development, employee and guest education, marketing, sales, and more. We are at the very beginning of this exciting technology that comes with some cautions ahead--cybercrime and terrorism for starters. This technology is growing 10 times faster than the iPhone, Android, and others when they launched circa 2007. Wellness, Fitness, and Di...
Expert Tips on Creating Long-Term Value From Hotel Guest Surveys
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | December 6, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Hotel reviews and guest feedback are critical for determining what’s meaningful for the guest. We all understand this, because oftentimes the fixes that will generate the most ROI are not necessarily the most expensive. Call it ‘value engineering’ whereby the more guest feedback you get the more you have to go on to improve operations which then translates into more guest satisfaction, the ability to command higher rates and, ultimately, healthier NOI or property valuations. In this sense, there’s a positive feedback loop between guest feedback and long-term asset value, making the former an instruct...
The Hospitality Industry’s Responsibility in Enhancing Disability Accessibility
Tanya Girdhar John | December 5, 2023
By Tanya Girdhar John Disability accessibility in hospitality is one of its most essential needs. According to an article by Skift more than half of hotels around the world don’t make it easy to book a room for senior citizens or guests with accessibility needs. While this may not be true for all hospitality businesses across the globe, the industry stakeholders have a responsibility to create spaces that cater to the diverse needs of their guests. In today’s inclusive world, ensuring accessibility for all is not only a legal requirement but also a moral imperative. But the concept of accessibility also impacts businesses fr...
Change Is Inevitable, Growth Is Optional
Jeff Bzdawka | December 4, 2023
By Jeff Bzdawka I was asked by my team to provide insights from the road, what I’ve seen, and what trends and challenges are looming on the horizon. I joked that I needed to dust off my crystal ball, but in reality, the only prediction I feel comfortable making is that the Green Bay Packers will not make it to the Big Game this season (wink, wink.) What I can do is provide a look at some industry challenges I’ve seen this year that will continue into 2024. As I traveled to industry shows and visited customers throughout the year, it seemed many conversations expressed frustration about the ongoing need to bring together key data sou...
5 Tech-Driven Hospitality Trends to Expect in 2024 and Beyond
Joe Vargas | November 29, 2023
By Joe Vargas As we approach 2024, the hospitality industry’s landscape is set to undergo significant transformations characterized by increased personalization, automation, AI, and cybersecurity, just to name a few. Moreover, these advancements will not only redefine the guest experience but also push the boundaries of what is possible in the sector. The good news is that the outlook remains promising, with recent Expedia data revealing that almost half of people prioritize travel more now than they did pre-pandemic, and nearly 80% plan to embark on leisure travel into 2024. In fact, the global hotel industry is expected to reach a...
Behind the Scenes: How Luxury Hotels Take Care of Their Staff
EHL | November 27, 2023
“Staff shortages in the hospitality industry are a lurking issue that can drastically affect the quality of a business and the experiences guests receive. In an era of unparalleled challenges, luxury hotels are particularly hard hit. This article delves into how these premium institutions are prioritizing their staff’s well-being and professional growth to combat the current labor shortages. Welcome to the compelling universe of luxury hotel staff management!” Staff management challenges in luxury hospitality The hospitality sector has never been more competitive, particularly in the upper echelons where luxury hotels compete for disc...
How AI Will Create Adaptable Hotel Websites
Adam Mogelonsky, Larry Mogelonsky | November 22, 2023
By Adam Mogelonsky, Larry Mogelonsky Unveiled just over a year ago, ChatGPT is still foremost on our minds and numerous hoteliers already see the value in how this technology will scale their businesses in the near future. But what underpins ChatGPT is what’s called machine learning (ML) and there are several companies that have been in weeds with it for long before this became a buzz term. Namely, using ML we can now reorder and rewrite website content on the fly to adapt to the customer at any stage of the guest journey. This idea of adaptable hotel websites with automated personalization and integrated booking engines (IBEs) that h...
Always Look for Improvement
Shep Hyken | November 22, 2023
By Shep Hyken If it’s working fine, why mess with it? Well, whatever “it” is may work just fine, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better. This idea came to me as I read an article about United Airlines changing the way passengers board the plane. Most airlines put passengers in groups and call them in order. United will continue doing this but make changes to some of the groups. First-class passengers and higher-level frequent fliers won’t notice, but there will be a change once Group 4 is called. Passengers with window seats will board first, followed by passengers in middle seats, and eventually, passengers wit...
Traveler Insights Q4 2023: Traveler Confidence Steadies
Expedia Group | November 16, 2023
The latest installment of our quarterly traveler insights look at Expedia Group’s exclusive first-party traveler search and booking data from Q3 to show shifting demand patterns and changing traveler behaviors. Our Q2 2023 data showed that traveler enthusiasm held strong, with many travelers seeking out quick trips for events and spring and summer holidays in the Northern Hemisphere. We also see that traveler confidence remains high as travelers plan short- and long-term trips and continue to travel for events. Read on for more insights on 2023 travel trends and behaviors. Global search volumes remain steady, EMEA shows continued growth C...
