The Tricycle of Guest Service Excellence: A Perfect Model For Remarkable Experiences
Doug Kennedy | October 4, 2024
Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino Partners With Travel Outlook to Elevate Guest Service Experience
Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | October 2, 2024
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Knowland Reports Meetings and Events Increase 136.1 Percent in August
Knowland | September 7, 2022
Data shows industry recovery at 85.3 percent of August 2019 levels ARLINGTON, Va. — Sept. 7, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, released its monthly meetings and events data for August, reporting 136.1 percent growth over August 2021. Additionally, August increased 6.7 percent over July 2022. • Average attendees per event increased – The average number of attendees per event for August 2022 was 108, compared to 68 in August 2021 and 92 in August 2019. • Average space used per person decreased over 2021 – The average space used in Augus...
The Travel Surge Highlights the Need for Great Prearrival Communication
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | August 31, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Picture yourself going through this small, yet frustrating, scenario as a business guest. During some free time between meetings, you decide to use the hotel’s fitness center. You head up to your room, change into your gear, then walk over to the gym. The entrance is unlocked via keycard, though, and yours somehow doesn’t work. Confused, the nearby receptionist tells you that gym access is an additional $10 per day. While not extortive, it’s nonetheless a shock because there was no prior mention of this fee. This is in fact a real situation that we’ve experienced firsthand, and it highlights the impo...
NewcrestImage Completes Purchase of LaQuinta Inn & Suites LAX
August 30, 2022
NewcrestImage has finalized its purchase of the LaQuinta Inn & Suites LAX with a closing today on the 281-room, 10-floor property that is located less than one mile from Los Angeles International Airport. This hotel, which will be managed by Highgate Hotels, is part of NewcrestImage’s acquisition of four LaQuinta properties that together have 696 rooms. Closing on the other three hotels took place earlier in August – the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Irving DFW North; LaQuinta Inn & Suites Anaheim; and LaQuinta Inn Phoenix North. “These four hotels symbolize our company’s strategy of investing in properties and in markets ...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 270: Hotel History: Hotel Martinique (1910)
Stanley Turkel | August 25, 2022
Nobody Asked Me But… The family of Stanley Turkel would like to share that Stanley Turkel passed away on Friday, August 12th, 2022 after a brief illness. Stanley had completed his 270th article for this newsletter which is below. It was a great pleasure for him to have you, a receptive readership, over the last 20-plus years. Thank you. Stanley’s obituary can be found on his website. If you are so inclined, Stanley would appreciate donations to The Southern Poverty Law Center or the ACLU in his name. by Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Hotel Martinique (530 rooms) The Hotel Martinique (560 rooms) at the northeast corner...
Travel Outlook the Premier Hotel Call Center™ Expands Agent Sales Training
Travel Outlook The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | August 24, 2022
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (August 2022): Travel Outlook, the Hotel Call Center as a Hotel Profit Center™, announces an expansion of the hotel sales training of its reservations specialists provided by the Kennedy Training Network (KTN). “We have always used the KTN training resources during our new hire and ongoing education,” said John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook, “But these recent enhancements by KTN take us to an entirely new level of excellence, in both sales and guest hospitality.” “This summer, we committed to having all new reservations sales specialists participate in KTN’s online, self-study ve...
Cendyn Names Kendall Gallagher New Chief of Staff
Cendyn | August 23, 2022
Results-driven professional set to manage the company’s organizational priorities Monday, August 23, 2022 – Cendyn, a catalyst for digital transformation in the hospitality industry, is excited to announce the appointment of Kendall Gallagher as the new Chief of Staff for the company. Kendall is a seasoned professional with a history of cultivating meaningful relationships backed by a consultative approach. Her strong interpersonal skills and deep analytical capabilities have led to successful outcomes bringing systems and processes together to streamline operations. As the new Chief of Staff, she will help establish both long-term o...
Nimbus® Debuts Reusable, Plant-Based Makeup Removing Towel That Reduces Laundry Costs and Contributes to ESG Efforts in the Hospitality Sector
Nimbus Eco Inc | August 22, 2022
SAN DIEGO, CA – Hotels and resorts struggling with loss of towels have a new option for their guest’s makeup removal and hygiene needs. Continuing in its spirit of innovation, Nimbus has debuted a new plant-based towel that can be used on the face, body, and even surfaces to clean away dirt and germs while also carrying a number of eco-friendly credentials including being FSC Certified, compostable, reusable, plastic-free, and flushable. These towels come in a compressed form when shipped and expand when water is added so companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their ESG ratings stand to benefit by replacing the...
Vast New Profit Opportunities With Integrated Business Intelligence
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | August 17, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Business Intelligence (BI) platforms have become instrumental due to a need to gain more visibility on all the different variables affecting hotel operations by feeding loads of data into one system then generating comprehensive reports for executives to make better decisions. Coming out of HITEC in late June 2022, we can report that hotel-focused BI is about to experience a seismic shift in its decision-making sophistication. Leading the way is the new company Actabl which brings together software solutions ProfitSword (enterprise-level business intelligence), Hotel Effectiveness (labor management), ALICE (...
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Plans September Debut of Multimillion-Dollar Guestroom Renovation
Hyatt Regency San Francisco | August 16, 2022
San Francisco, Calif. (August 16, 2022) – Hyatt Regency San Francisco, one of San Francisco’s premier waterfront hotels in the Embarcadero district, is excited to announce a multimillion-dollar guestroom enhancement. The project is managed by renowned design firm Looney & Associates and is expected to be completed September 2022. The hotel will remain open during the renovation process and is continuing to accept leisure, business and group reservations. The renovation includes a complete transformation of the hotel’s guestrooms and suites. Guests will be greeted with modernized rooms, highlighted by spacious floor-to-ceiling...
Meetings: The Black Hole of Hotel Revenue and Productivity
Vikram Singh | August 15, 2022
Meetings are the black hole of productivity. I’m not saying this just to be dramatic. There is plenty of evidence coming your way. Keep reading! I have been attending corporate meetings since my early days in the industry, so we’re talking about two decades now. However, things have recently gotten worse. During the pandemic, the number of meetings we all had to attend sharply increased. A Microsoft Study highlighted a 250% increase in meetings compared with what employees had to deal with before the pandemic. Those who know me know exactly how I feel about meetings. When I get stuck on a long call, I catch myself internally chant...
IDeaS Announces Hyatt Will Deploy IDeaS’ Platform Across Global Portfolio
IDeaS | August 11, 2022
Hyatt will utilize the powerful IDeaS product suite to provide next-generation commercial capabilities MINNEAPOLIS —Aug. 11, 2022— IDeaS, the leading provider of hospitality revenue optimization software and services, announced today a global collaboration with Hyatt to power Hyatt’s commercial revenue platform. Hyatt will deploy IDeaS’ suite of products globally as a key component in the evolution of its commercial stack. A leading hospitality company with more than 1,150 hotels globally, Hyatt will leverage the breadth of IDeaS’ suite of products to embark on a journey towards profit optimization, developing strategic workfl...
Stay Firmly Ahead of Guests’ Wants and Needs
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | August 9, 2022
A solution to help secure lifelong returning hotel guests By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook August 2022 A good hotel is always a few steps ahead of its guests. Any experienced concierge will tell you that it pays dividends to anticipate guests' needs before they may even be aware of them. If a guest is checking in for a one-night stay, make them feel welcome by offering a later checkout time to better suit their schedule. If a family arrives around dinner time, hand them their room keys with a list of restaurant recommendations, and offer to have the concierge call ahead and make reservations if needed. Simple anticipat...
Cendyn Announces Acquisition of digitalhotelier
Cendyn | August 3, 2022
London, UK – August 3, 2022 – Cendyn, a catalyst for digital transformation in the hospitality industry, today acquires digitalhotelier, a leading provider of integrated distribution, demand generation, design, development, and data intelligence solutions for hotels. The acquisition of digitalhotelier further cements Cendyn’s commitment to driving digital transformation in the hospitality industry. With a focus on maximizing direct bookings and enhancing the guest experience across every touchpoint via an integrated solution, the further expansion of Cendyn’s distribution and eCommerce capabilities across the globe offers hoteliers ...
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...
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges the Sale and Acquisition Financing for the Surfsand Resort, Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company | August 2, 2022
Beverly Hills, CA (August 2, 2022) -- Sonnenblick-Eichner Company has arranged a $58 million sale and $40.6 million of acquisition financing of the fee simple and leasehold interests in the Surfsand Resort, an irreplaceable and iconic beachfront resort located in the prestigious city of Cannon Beach, Oregon. The 95-room hotel is the only full-service resort of its kind on the Oregon coast. The resort was purchased by Vancouver, Washington-based Vesta Hospitality (www.vestahospitality.com). The new ownership is planning a $9 million renovation that will further enhance the resort and its amenities. Cannon Beach, one of the most striki...
Lodging Interactive Launches Property Landing Pages to Streamline Job Applications and Drive Sales Opportunities
Lodging Interactive | July 28, 2022
Lodging Interactive, award-winning digital marketing, reputation management, and social media marketing agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry since 2001, today announced the launch of its HotelPage landing page service for hotels and resorts. HotelPage empowers branded and independent properties to create dedicated landing pages for promotions and operational needs. “Hotel customers are deploying HotelPages to showcase their open jobs and career opportunities to candidates,” said DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive’s Founder and CEO. “Franchised properties can really benefit from the service as it provides a unique...
A Solution for The Hotel Industry’s Staffing Shortage Problem
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | July 27, 2022
Why today’s travelers place automation over personalization By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook July 2022 The hospitality industry has always been a people-centric line of work. In fact, human interaction has always been the hallmark of travel experiences. A smiling face behind the front desk of a hotel cannot be replaced. Technology, on the other hand, has continually shifted the way guest service representatives interact with travelers and hotel guests. Each generation brings a new disruptive technology that shakes up the way the world does business. With each change, there is resistance, but progress always wins out. ...
Should Hotels Complete a Reserve Fund Study
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | July 27, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky One of the obligations of moving from a home to a condominium is to take your turn on the board of directors. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing that this is a simple, 10-hours-a-month task. The time investment is significantly higher, and even though there is no financial remuneration, your fellow unit owners will treat you as if you’re a paid servant. Perhaps this situation strikes closer to home for many of you already. As we’ll examine later on in this article, everything is up for grabs as inflation rolls through various sectors of the economy. This is a critical-yet-still-underappreciated v...
Stoney Creek Hospitality Partners With Stayntouch to Enhance Unique ‘Cabin by the Lake’ Experience at 11 Properties
Stayntouch | July 27, 2022
Stoney Creek chose Stayntouch to deliver a flexible mobile PMS solution that could onboard quickly, simplify operations, and elevate the guest experience BETHESDA, Md. — July 27, 2022 — Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems and guest-centric technologies, today announced an expanded partnership with Stoney Creek Hospitality, a hotel group that owns, operates, and manages two major hotel brands across the American Midwest. Stoney Creek Hospitality chose Stayntouch to deploy its mobile PMS and contactless solutions to 11 of its premier properties. Founded in 1994, Stoney Creek Hospitality delivers rust...
How Hyatt Powers an Innovative Digital Guest Experience With Real-Time Data
Hapi | July 26, 2022
Hyatt is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose: to care for people so they can be their best. Hyatt counts more than 1,150 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 71 countries across six continents in its portfolio. Digital transformation has always been at the forefront for Hyatt. And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Hyatt leaders knew it was time to double down on Hyatt’s purpose of care. This included increased focus on digital engagement, digital adoption, and the speed of data for quicker decision-making. “That word ‘care’ is at the core of what we do,” says Benjamin Weiss, Director, Global Digital Product...
Four Creatively Destructive Forces for the Hotel Industry
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | July 13, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky For numerous aspects of society, they say that COVID-19 didn’t rewrite the playbook but only accelerated what would have occurred anyway, albeit over a much longer timeframe. With this as a prelude, it’s important for every hotelier to dwell on the concept of creative destruction which has existed ever since the invention of the wheel started putting farmhands out of work. It is inevitable for nearly all practices; it’s just a matter of when. That ‘when’ could be two to three years or a couple of decades. It all depends on your organization’s needs at the moment and what will grow revenues or cut...
IDeaS and Jonas Chorum Finalize Two-Way Data Integration
IDeaS | July 13, 2022
Partnership helps hoteliers optimize revenue and boost pricing strategies MINNEAPOLIS—July 13, 2022—IDeaS, the world’s leading provider of hospitality revenue management software and services, announced today that it has partnered with Jonas Chorum to provide two-way data integration between IDeaS’ G3 Revenue Management System (RMS) with Chorum Property Management System (PMS). This partnership ensures rates are distributed on schedule, optimizes revenue through data-driven decisions, and allows IDeaS G3 RMS customers to dynamically price all key products. • Seamless integration of RMS and PMS – The partnership provides a tw...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 268: Hotel History: Wentworth by the Sea
Stanley Turkel | July 12, 2022
by Stanley Turkel, CMHS Hotel History: Wentworth By The Sea, New Castle, New Hampshire (161 rooms) The Wentworth by the Sea (formerly the Hotel Wentworth), built in 1874 by Daniel E. Chase and Charles E. Campbell, was the largest wooden structure on the New Hampshire coast. It was bought in 1879 by Frank Jones, wealthy owner of banks, breweries, insurance companies, racing stables, railroads and the world's largest shoe-button company. Jones hired the talented Frank W. Hilton (no relation of Conrad) to manage and promote the Wentworth. Hilton introduced steam-driven elevators, Western Union telegraph, a telephone wire connected to...
