Venkat Sakamuri
Studies Show That the Guest Self-Service Era Has Officially Begun
Venkatesh Sakamuri | August 2, 2022
By Venkat Sakamuri, CEO and Co-Founder, Stayflexi Decades ago, self-service was largely defined by one, often lackluster offering: vending machines. We would carefully feed a bill into the designated slot, punch in the code for our desired drink or snack, watch the machine whirred to life and push our selection forward, and then often watch in dismay as it got stuck against the glass on its journey down to the basket for retrieval. In this sense, vending machines were hardly a luxury offering. Instead, they served a distinct (and limited) purpose and were often reserved for moments in which we had no other food or beverage options to exp...
Gen-Z Leads Comeback of Travel Spending: Here Is What They Want When It Comes to Hotels
Venkatesh Sakamuri | July 19, 2022
By Venkat Sakamuri Just a decade ago, the idea of a store that was entirely self-service – devoid of the smiling faces of staff we’ve grown so accustomed to – may have seemed far-fetched. Not impossible, of course, but at the time, this was a reality reserved for TV shows and movies rather than our everyday life. Today, however, the era of self-service is not only upon us – it’s already begun. As the COVID-19 pandemic upended our world as we knew it, the demand for touchless self-service (which was already alive and well) accelerated at an undeniably rapid pace. Where hands-on, in-person service was once the standard, self-ser...
What Hotel Guests Really Want: It Might Surprise You
Venkatesh Sakamuri | April 6, 2022
You don't need the resources of a large global brand or chain to take the steps that will keep your guests coming back for more By Venkat Sakamuri What do hotel guests really want from the hotels they frequent? And what are they willing to pay more for? As we collectively move beyond the challenges presented by the pandemic, hoteliers view these questions with renewed interest. Not only has the industry changed, but the world at large has changed. So what does that mean? Surely, travel behaviors have changed to adapt to the new normal, and what guests want from hotels today might be different. Guests now crave a more customizable exper...
