hotel guru
Insights into the Hotel Industry: A Conversation with Bob Rauch
Robert Rauch | April 22, 2024
In the interview with Gary London, Bob Rauch discusses various aspects of the hotel industry in 2024, particularly focusing on the United States and Southern California, with an emphasis on San Diego. Listen as we dive into the resilience of the hotel market, technology improvements, and labor challenges within the industry. Resilience of the Hotel Market: Despite facing challenges such as 9/11, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel market has stayed resilient, with periods of strong growth interspersed between downturns. San Diego, in particular, has managed to capture markets even during weaker periods due to its c...
Transforming Hotels With Artificial Intelligence
Robert Rauch | April 1, 2024
Operators Who Ignore New Tech Will Be at a Severe Competitive Disadvantage By Bob Rauch Scheduling and training processes are becoming streamlined; revenue management has improved optimizations, and SEO and marketing strategies rely on AI to enhance online visibility. Chatbots are used for customer service and exist with many hotel providers today. Practical Uses of AI in Hospitality We just revised our menus and wine lists while utilizing AI, and while AI provides insights and depth, it still takes a human to know what is best in a market. This is true with all use cases for AI. It can speed up many processes, support innovation, etc....
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...
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...
Hotel Guru Robert Rauch to Moderate a Key Session at The 2022 Lodging Conference in Phoenix
R.A. Rauch and Associates | August 24, 2022
PHOENIX, August 24, 2022 - R.A. Rauch and Associates (RAR) announced today that CEO and CHA Robert Rauch will be hosting a panel of distinguished speakers at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix, this September. The Lodging Conference is one of the leading hotel industry events in the world and brings together the industry's most influential hotel owners, operators, presidents, CEOs, investors, and dealmakers to strategize about development, finance, franchising, management, construction, design, and operations. This year’s conference will be held at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa from September 19 through 22. Dur...
Hotel Guests Getting Used to Changes in Service, Technology
Bob Rauch | July 7, 2022
By Bob Rauch Hotel fundamentals are on an upward trajectory, but several macroeconomic elements are a risk to owners and operators including inflation, higher oil prices, geopolitical tensions, rising interest rates and broader economic growth concerns. A recession would clearly affect near-term hotel stock price performance and sentiment as well as net income; however, hotel industry fundamentals remain solid, midweek business travel is recovering nicely, and groups are coming back. Was COVID-19 good for the industry? No, but much of the technology that was implemented during the pandemic will stay. Contactless check-in and touch...
Travel in 2022: Addressing the Demands of a New Era
Robert Rauch | March 9, 2022
By Robert Rauch This year marks an exciting point for hotels within reach of 2019 numbers. Many select-service and resort hotels fit this profile, but the majority of hotels should see great growth in 2022. What is the landscape? Threats to the Industry The greatest threats to the travel and tourism industry include new supply; Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar short-term rental companies; interest-rate increases; oil prices and terrorism. Reduction of visa issuance, global economic stability and economic growth by inflation are other concerns. Russia, China and Iran are all threats to stability in the Middle East, Eastern Euro...
Finance, Technology and Service Will Dominate
Bob Rauch | January 12, 2022
By Bob Rauch Interest rates are low, consumer confidence is stronger, oil prices are high and employment is very uneven. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is at 58.7 in December 2021, down from 60 in November and 61 in October. Any number over 50 shows that the economy is expanding so the PMI is good news. Threats from COVID-19 variant Omicron should peak this month. Perhaps the biggest threat is inflation as that is starting to impact the middle class as well as the poor. The silver lining is that this inflation might cause hotel room rates to grow beyond the 6% inflation rate. Hotel Finances During most recessions, there is a signi...
