Percipia Collaborates With Amazon’s Alexa Smart Properties Hospitality to Launch VIVA+
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Technology
Harnessing the Power and Prejudice of Glassdoor
Andrew Hazelton | October 25, 2016
By Andrew Hazelton Everyone is a chatty customer in the world of social media. It's no surprise therefore that brands are no longer created or its perceptions managed by marketers, but rather by consumers. And these talkative consumers now include your employees. Welcome to the new reality of transparency courtesy of the 500-pound social media gorilla called "Glassdoor." Glassdoor in concept… Founded by former Expedia veterans in 2007 and backed by Google Capital, the website offers a two-sided "marketplace" for employees to anonymously post salaries, interview questions and reviews of their employers. Sim...
The “Connected Guest” – What Do They Really Want?
October 25, 2016
Jos Schaap CEO, StayNTouch Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is quoted as saying "change is the only constant in life" and the ever-changing demands of today's travelers is putting hotels in a precarious position. Hotels have always been focused on delivering exemplary service and experiences for their guests. However, the landscape is evolving due to the massive influx of technological adoption. Guests are embracing new technologies and apps on a daily basis, and hotel companies are trying their best to also get into the fray by developing their own guest facing applications to drive loyalty. All of this comes during the most ...
Providence Marriott Downtown Elevates Service with Trendsetting Kube 5 Portable Mobile Charging System
Kube Systems | October 25, 2016
Owned and operated by Meyer Jabara Hotels, the property makes charging Kubes available to guests in its Greatroom, restaurant/bar, patio, guestrooms and meeting spaces No one likes to be tethered to a wall outlet when needing to charge a mobile device, especially when the power source is not in close proximity to the person's preferred location. With customer satisfaction a top priority at the Providence Marriott Downtown in Rhode Island, management set out to find a more convenient solution for charging guests' mobile devices. As the preferred provider of premium charging solutions to Marriott International Inc., Kube Systems was call...
How to Use Online & Voice Channel Analytics to Fully Understand True ROI from Digital Marketing
HeBS Digital | October 24, 2016
Background As mobile bookings and website visits increased by 46% and 28% year over year (HeBS Digital Research), it is critically important to determine and track the contribution of digital marketing campaigns to voice reservations. Due to lack of easy mobile payment options, and slower adoption of mobile ecommerce by some demographics (ex. baby boomers), a significant part of the traveling public still prefers to call the property when booking a hotel or resort stay as opposed to making the reservation themselves via a mobile device. In many cases travelers make voice reservations after being "sold on" the property via digital market...
ADA Defense Lawyer: Philadelphia Court Hits Uber and Lyft for ADA Violations
Jim Butler | October 24, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Uber and Lyft are back in the headlines again, but not for the usual ride share issues. This time it is for alleged violations of the ADA. Here is what my partner Marty Orlick, Chair of our ADA Compliance & Defense Group, has to say on this development. The City of Brother Love is Showing Love to Persons with Disabilities Under the ADA, but not to Lyft or Uber by Martin H. Orlick, Chair, JMBM's ADA Compliance & Defense Group From coast to coast, Uber and Lyft have come under increasing fire from disability rights organizations and ...
Lodging Interactive Offers Search Engine Marketing to BookingSuite Hotels
Lodging Interactive | October 24, 2016
PARSIPPANY, NJ - October 24, 2016 Lodging Interactive, an award winning digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced it is offering special Search Engine Marketing (SEM) programs to all BookingSuite hotel customers. It was announced last week, via an email to all hotel members, that BookingSuite would no longer provide SEM services to its member hotels effective January 1, 2017. "It is an unfortunate position BookingSuite hotel customers find themselves in and confirms that 'you get what you pay for' and that there is no cutting corners when it comes to hotel search e...
Hotel Capital Markets Update: David Loeb, RW Baird
Jim Butler | October 21, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com David Loeb, Senior Research Analyst at RW Baird, presented his research during the Meet the Money® 2017 planning meeting hosted recently during The Lodging Conference. His presentation covered factors currently impacting the hospitality industry, including the stock market, cap rate changes, hotel REITs, and new technologies. I found David's presentation very interesting and noted the following highlights: Hotel supply and demand growth are nearly in equilibrium, and forecasts still call for continuing positive grow Many investors a...
Is Your Hotel Web Design a Trick or Treat?
Susan Tucker | October 21, 2016
by Susan Tucker You never get a second chance to make a first impression. That's why your website is undoubtedly one of the most important assets your organization can have. For any given property, your website is a virtual front door and face to the world. If it scares off a new visitor at the get-go, their quick reaction is to scamper away and head out to a more welcoming destination. However, if you have a deliver thoughtful, engaging and relevant content not only will you pull them in, you'll likely have them converted into raving fans. Are you scaring away potential guests or giving them the sweet stuff? Let's find out. WEB DESIGN ...
The Real Reason Airbnb is Eating into the Hotel Market Isn’t What You Think
Alex Shashou | October 21, 2016
By Alex Shashou Why has the seemingly simple accommodations-sharing concept grown so quickly? The answer has a lot to do with Airbnb's platform approach. The sharing economy is placing a new kind of pressure on the hotel industry. Despite being once ridiculed by the hotel industry, Airbnb has rapidly scaled to become a global provider of accommodation, with more rooms booked every night than the largest global hotel chains. The narrative is by now a familiar one: a service that boasts more than 60,000,000 guests and a $25.5 billion valuation by investors. But a more important question for hotels is why? Why has this seemingly simple...
Playing Possum and Penguin: A Hotelier’s Guide to Navigating Google’s Recent Algorithm Updates
the Author and HeBS Digital | October 20, 2016
By Megan Harr The realm of organic search saw a very busy September marked by not just one, but two Google algorithm updates. Background: The realm of organic search saw a very busy September marked by not just one, but two Google algorithm updates. First, on September 1st the local search community and hoteliers alike played possum with their Google My Business listings. Immediately after the update, many local businesses reported that their Google My Business listings were gone. This is not necessarily the case as the update may have just filtered the listing out of search results. The "Possum" update appears to have only impacted the...
HeBS Digital Recognized with 8 Interactive Media Awards for Website Design & Digital Technology, Including 2 Best-in-Class Awards
HeBS | October 20, 2016
New York, NY (October 20, 2016) – The Interactive Media Awards have recognized HeBS Digital, the firm that helps hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribution costs by deploying industry best-of-breed digital technology, consulting and marketing, with eight Interactive Media Awards (IMA). This includes two Best-in-Class awards which is the highest honor bestowed by the Interactive Media Council. These awards recognize excellence in web design and development and showcases HeBS Digital's commitment to the highest standards among hospitality digital technology and marketing initiatives. To adapt to th...
TrustYou Launches Extensive Partner Program TrustYou Connect Offering Free Guest Feedback Solutions
TrustYou | October 20, 2016
Munich, 20 October 2016 - TrustYou, the world's largest guest feedback platform, today announces the launch of TrustYou Connect allowing eCommerce providers like PMS, CRM, IBE, RMS, OTA, and GDS to integrate TrustYou's guest feedback platform. More than 20 partners worldwide such as FASTBOOKING, Cloudbeds and eRevMax have already integrated with TrustYou Connect to offer guest feedback solutions to thousands of hotels across the globe. As hotel guest information is often disconnected from guest feedback, hotels and hotel solution providers have only limited or no insights about their guests. With TrustYou Connect eCommerce partners ...
Gaining Momentum: Cloud5 Adds Key Industry Leaders to Team
Cloud5 Communications | October 20, 2016
Builds out its operations, marketing and sales teams to address complex network growth in hospitality Chicago, October 20, 2016 — As hoteliers battle the challenges of keeping up with rapidly evolving communications technology and controlling their higher costs, Cloud5 Communications announced growing demand for its advanced solutions and an expanded team, adding senior professionals in operations, marketing and sales. Cloud5 is the recognized leader in translating complex communication needs into simplified networks and strategies, resulting in unmatched network efficiencies, improved guest satisfaction and revenue enhancement op...
Google Trips: A Step in the Right Direction- But Only a Step
Alan Young, President of Puzzle Partner Ltd | October 18, 2016
Per Forbes, Google Trips is a "fantastic… travel app you should download now." Many hail it as a personalized travel app, but I'd argue it's not quite there, yet. By Alan Young Google Trips got a good bit of attention on its recent release in September, but I'm not sure I understand the fanfare. Per Forbes, Google Trips is a "fantastic… travel app you should download now." Many hail it as a personalized travel app, but I'd argue it's not quite there, yet. Here's what it can do. It scours my email to find itineraries and provides quick access to the original emails if I need them....
ADA Compliance & Defense Lawyer: ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits Escalate
Jim Butler | October 18, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Click here for the latest articles on ADA Compliance & Defense. JMBM's ADA Defense & Compliance team takes the ADA seriously, and we recommend that our clients take a proactive approach in identifying and solving potential problems before they become lawsuits. For many years now, we have called attention to the importance of making website ADA-compliant, but hotels, resorts, restaurants, banks, retailers and other owners and operators of commercial real estate continue to be vulnerable to one of the more recent and serious waves of...
The Marriott/Starwood “Back to the Future” Technology Decision
Israel del Rio, Fortune 500 CIO/CTO | October 18, 2016
To better understand the resulting Starwood's technology compared to industry legacy systems, think Tesla Model S versus a gas-guzzling 1975 Buick Electra. By Israel del Rio, Fortune 500 CIO/CTO Normally my blog articles deal with generic aspects of IT transformation without reference to specific company or industry news. However, I felt this article was needed not only because it deals with an area close to my heart professionally, but with the kind of decision-making that runs counter to the core philosophical values, and technology vision, I have championed in my various writings. You see, as a former SVP of Technology Solutions ...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Checking Into Your Hotel
Carson Booth, Vice President, Global Property Technology (Starwood) at Marriott International | October 18, 2016
AI will become embedded and ubiquitous, and in the pocket of every associate and guest. Are you ready? By Carson Booth, Vice President, Global Property Technology (Starwood) at Marriott International Some industries remain stubborn and resistant to change by not embracing new technology as fast as others. However, over the last few years, the hospitality industry has seen dramatic technology changes with the sudden maturing of suppliers as a result of consolidation and larger more sophisticated supplier entrants, competing hospitality business-model entrants that leverage technology as a platform, and technology strategy changes as a re...
Milestone’s Galexi™ is the First CMS in Hospitality to Launch Google’s AMP Website
Milestone | October 18, 2016
Milestone's Galexi™ CMS System Delivers an Exceptional Mobile Experience Santa Clara, CA | October 18, 2016: Milestone announced today that its Galexi CMS is the first in the hospitality market to launch an AMP site compatible with Google's AMP guidelines. The website for Millwood Inn (http://www.millwoodinn.com/) in the AMP format, provides an exceptional user experience with lightning fast download speeds. It is expected that AMP pages will be Google's preferred method of delivering content (https://www.ampproject.org/) to mobile users because they are designed to provide a significantly faster download experience compar...
Hotel Distribution Cost: The Only Cost Driver That Can Save Your Property’s Bottom Line in 2017
the Author and HeBS Digital | October 17, 2016
By Max Starkov Bleak Picture Ahead for Hospitality At the recent Lodging Conference in Phoenix, AZ both STR and CBRE projected a rather bleak picture of where the industry is heading in 2017: supply outpacing demand, Airbnb "stealing" demand share from hotels, occupancy rates flattening and even declining (STR.) STR's 2017 projections for the United States expect occupancy to decrease by -0.3%, while ADR increases by 2.8% and RevPAR by 2.8% respectively. Interestingly, the average supply and demand will level off at 1.6%, with some markets experiencing significant increases in supply: New York +14%, Denver +10%, Seattle +8%, Houston and...
Hotel Fights Back: Judge Dismisses High Frequency Litigant’s ADA Pool Lift Case
Jim Butler | October 17, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Click here for the latest articles on ADA Compliance & Defense. JMBM's ADA Defense & Compliance team takes the ADA seriously, and we recommend that our clients take a proactive approach in identifying and solving potential problems before they become lawsuits. But sometimes serial plaintiffs just go too far with claims that cannot be justified and which violate the purpose and spirit of the ADA. Today, my partner Marty Orlick talks about a recent case that offers property owners and operators some relief against this type of harass...
SHR Developer of WindsurferCRS™ Announces Appointment of New Director of Business Development for Northeast Region of the U.S.
SHR | October 13, 2016
HOUSTON, TX October 13, 2016—SHR, developer of the WindsurferCRSTM hotel reservation and distribution platform, today announced it has appointed Alysia Bruno, Director of Business Development for the northeast region of the United States. SHR continues to expand, not only globally, having opened an office in Singapore earlier this month, but in North America, as well, beginning with Ms. Bruno's appointment. Drew Rosser, VP of Sales for SHR, commented: "As SHR expands globally it is imperative that we have seasoned business development people in major markets in order to meet our goals. Adding Ms. Bruno to the northeast puts SHR fi...
Duetto Brings Pricing and Demand Insights to Oracle OPERA Cloud with New Integration
Duetto | October 13, 2016
San Francisco, September 13, 2016 —Duetto, a Gold level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), announced today that it has joined forces with Oracle OPERA Cloud to bring together Duetto's Revenue Strategy platform, GameChanger, and Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud Services property management system, which helps improve business functionality and simplifies the IT infrastructure at hotel and casino properties around the globe. Duetto is one of the first hospitality technology companies to work with Oracle's next generation property management systems, making Duetto's insights on pricing and demand available to thousands of hoteliers...
How Long is too Long for a Hotel to Respond to Guest Requests?
ALICE | October 13, 2016
ALICE Consumer Research Says Guests Expect Staff Responses to Text Messages in About 12 Minutes, 26 Minutes for Email NEW YORK, October 13, 2016 – Guests have a right to complain if hotel staff does not respond to their text requests in about 12 minutes, to emails in 26 minutes, and via social media in 27 minutes or less, according to research compiled by hotel service innovator ALICE, info.aliceapp.com. ALICE commissioned the research to help hotels understand how to serve guests better at a time when text, email and social media are quickly becoming the communication channels of choice for guests at upscale hotels and resorts. E...
Lodging Interactive Provides Hotels Online Real Time Sales Support Via Live Chat
Lodging Interactive | October 13, 2016
PARSIPPANY, NJ – October 13, 2016 - Lodging Interactive, the leading digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced its expanded CoMMingle Live ChatSM service to now include real-time sharing of hotel promotional materials during online chats with potential guests. "When a visitor navigates through a hotel's website and engages via live chat, CoMMingle Live Chat agents will have an opportunity to share hotel specific promotional materials in real time," stated Mr. DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive's Founder & President. "CoMMingle Live Chat now serves as a real...
