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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Using the Labor Data from Hotel Effectiveness to Minimize Costs and Turnover
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | January 11, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky While the pent-up demand from 2022’s travel recovery has now normalized, hotels are still mired by inflationary wages and high turnover. This presents a sweeping, existential issue for the industry on multiple fronts, with labor issues at the forefront of discussion heading into this year’s ALIS (American Lodging Investment Summit), happening January 23-25 in Los Angeles. For owners and investors, increasing labor costs mean less going to the bottom line which can disincentivize capex and product innovation. For operations, staying within budget can mean cutting corners elsewhere, ultimately impacting se...
Cloudbeds Wins Six 2023 HotelTechAwards, Solidifying Position as an Industry Leader
Cloudbeds | January 11, 2023
(SAN DIEGO) January 11, 2023 — Cloudbeds has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as one of the industry’s top technology providers by Hotel Tech Report, solidifying its position as a leading hospitality platform powering more reservations and happier guests for lodging businesses worldwide. The 2023 HotelTechAwards honors Cloudbeds with six total awards: Best Property Management System, Best Hotel Management Software, Best Guest Messaging Software, Channel Manager Finalist, Top 10 People’s Choice, and Overall 10 Best Places to Work. “We’re excited to be named a product leader again by Hotel Tech Report for the fift...
What Will It Take to Succeed in Hotel Sales in 2023?
Doug Kennedy | January 11, 2023
By Doug Kennedy The skills required to succeed in hotel group, event, and BT sales are going to be hugely different here in 2023, but the disruptions that have caused these changes began much earlier. Traditionally, succeeding in hotel sales was more about personality than process. Target rates were locked in well ahead of time and fees were few, so negotiations were much simpler. A focus on filling the house made it easy to get concessions approved, but since most planners and BT buyers were novices, they weren’t asking for that much anyway. Closure rates on inbound leads were much higher because initiating an inquiry required more e...
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company Arranges $26,750,000 of First Mortgage Financing for Two Northern California Hotels
Sonnenblick-Eichner Company | January 10, 2023
Beverly Hills, CA – January 10, 2023 -- Sonnenblick-Eichner Company, on behalf of Woodside Hotel Group, has arranged $26,750,000 of non-cross collateralized, fixed rate, first mortgage financing for the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa and The Lodge at Bodega Bay, located in Lafayette and Bodega Bay, California, respectively. The $15 million loan on the Lafayette Park Hotel retired an existing life insurance company loan and provided for over $4 million of capital to renovate the guestrooms. Proceeds from the $11.75 million loan on The Lodge at Bodega Bay paid off an existing bridge loan facility and provided for a return of partnership...
The Essex Resort and Spa Partners With Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center, to Offer Its Guests Genuine Hospitality and a Friendly, Helpful
Travel Outlook The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | January 5, 2023
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (January 2023): Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™, is pleased to announce that The Essex Resort and Spa in Essex, Vermont has joined the group of exceptional hotels enjoying the premium Travel Outlook voice services. In an increasingly digital world, a personal touch goes a long way, and a friendly and helpful voice can provide the definition of true hospitality. Callers are looking for sincere, direct assistance, not a generic response off a call sheet, and a properly trained call center agent will approach every call in this supportive way, matching the particulars of the hotel with the needs of the ca...
Rethinking How to Use the Minibar for Total Revenues
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | December 21, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky The minibar is not a guestroom amenity set in stone. In fact, there are ways to use it either to boost total revenues per guest or to help craft an even better hotel experience. First consider minibar technology. You can buy configurations that automatically debit the guest when an item is removed. This saves labor as it eliminates the need for physical review, automatically orders replacement product and syncs with accounting for guest billing. You can even hire out your minibars to third party services that will manage the entire process on your behalf. Thinking broader, the minibar remains a thorn in m...
Using Artificial Intelligence to Positively Impact Your Hotel
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | December 20, 2022
How Hospitality-Specific AI is Changing How We Do Business By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook December 2022 Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be a buzzword in today’s information age. AI is all around us. It’s in our phones, it’s in our cars, and it’s promised to be the way of the future. AI has captured the interests and imaginations of executives across multiple industries. I recently sat down with Adam and Larry Mogelonsky to discuss the importance of conversational AI and their recent article, Why Conversational AI Exemplifies the New Era of Hotel Operations. What I found was that not all artificial intell...
Knowland and ConferenceDirect Release 2023 State of the Meetings Industry Report
Knowland | December 19, 2022
Survey reveals key insights to help industry professionals understand the state of the meetings industry from a planner and event manager perspective ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 19, 2022 — Today, Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, and ConferenceDirect, a full-service global meetings solution company, announced the results of a survey entitled, 2023 State of the Meetings Industry. The collaboration reveals insights to help industry professionals understand what meeting planners and event managers expect and will prioritize in 2023. Download the Meeting Planner Survey...
PurpleCloud Technologies Now Available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace
PurpleCloud Technologies | December 15, 2022
By leveraging PurpleCloud’s gamified service optimization platform for back-of-house operations, hotels running on the Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud Property Management System (PMS) can engage and empower employees to work more efficiently and deliver improved customer experiences ATLANTA, December 15, 2022 — PurpleCloud Technologies, a leading provider of gamified software solutions and data analytics for the operations and management of hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals, and a member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced that its gamified service optimization platform is available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace and can ...
Radisson RED Arrives in Iconic Liverpool Building Following Extensive Restoration
December 14, 2022
Radisson RED Liverpool’s iconic building - previously known as Northern Western Hall - dates back to 1871 and is located next to, and connected with, Liverpool Lime Street train station. The hotel was originally designed by locally-born Alfred Waterhouse - the architect behind London’s Natural History Museum and Manchester Town Hall - as one of the British Transport Hotels, offering direct links to the neighboring railway station. From the 1930s, the building was largely unused except for student accommodation in the 1990s. The extensive renovation works saw the restoration of a nineteenth-century stained glass window and a grand sands...
Longtime Boar’s Head Resort Bellman Retires After 41 Years
Boar's Head Resort | December 14, 2022
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Dec. 14, 2022 – With more than 40 years under his belt, Jerome Ix, the longtime bellman for Boar’s Head Resort, is stepping into retirement. Ix has been a fixture at the resort since 1981, and his last day will be Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. Prior to Ix’s arrival at Boar’s Head, he worked a short stint as a dishwasher at Farmington Country Club, tended to the now defunct local ice rink in town and pumped gas at a fuel station where Bellaire Market currently resides. For the first eight-and-a-half years at the resort, Ix worked in security, but he spent his remaining tenure behind the bell stand where he eagerly g...
Uncommon Hospitality to Open Boutique Hotel in Portland, Maine’s Historic West End District
Post Company | December 13, 2022
Portland, Maine (December 13, 2022) – Maine-based, family-owned hospitality group Uncommon Hospitality announce their newest project, The Longfellow Hotel , designed in partnership with New York-based design firm Post Company. Opening in Summer 2023, The Longfellow will be Post Company’s first hotel in Maine delivering a distinctive design and new wellness offering to the city of Portland. The property will be the first independent full-service hotel to open in Portland in 20 years and is the namesake of famed Portland poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Longfellow will be a five-story, ground up building located at 754 Congress Str...
Is Hospitality Moving Towards Zero-Touch With Service Automation?
Alan E. Young | December 12, 2022
By Alan Young The journey to high tech vs high touch has begun, but studies show that brands risk losing trust, and business, by neglecting human connection With each new technological breakthrough and innovation, what once may have seemed dystopian or impossible is now simply a modern-day reality. Let’s take, for example, Amazon Go stores, which allow patrons to select the products they need, and effectively check out by simply leaving the store – no cashier interaction or self-checkout kiosk required. The store uses an Amazon Go app for iOS or Android linked to individuals’ Amazon accounts for automatic billing to ensure a truly...
Oracle Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape Worldwide Hospitality Property Management Systems 2022 Vendor Assessment
Oracle Hospitality | December 7, 2022
“Oracle Hospitality’s strategy around OPERA Cloud property management system puts the company in a strong position for the next phase of connected hospitality systems” AUSTIN, Texas – December 7, 2022 – Oracle has been positioned as a ‘Leader’ in the inaugural IDC MarketScape Worldwide Hospitality Property Management Systems (PMS) 2022 Vendor Assessment1. The report notes that Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud PMS “sets the bar as an example with all modules within the platform sharing a common data set and end-user experience and are secure, scalable, and globally available.” Where hoteliers have previously been hindered...
Monthly U.S. Meetings and Events Volume Beats 2019 Levels for the First Time Since the Pandemic, According to Knowland
Knowland | December 7, 2022
November 2022 reaches 103.1 percent of 2019 event volume ARLINGTON, Va. — Dec. 7, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, released its U.S. monthly meetings and events data for November, reporting that November 2022 achieved 103.1 percent of November 2019 volume, exceeding monthly pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Knowland reports November this year with 122.5 percent growth over November 2021. In line with native seasonality, November 2022 declined by 11 percent over October 2022. • Increase over 2019 in average attendees per event – The average...
Newpark Resort & Hotel Partners With Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center, to Increase Voice Channel Revenue and Improve Guest Satisfact
Travel Outlook The Premier Hotel Call Center™ | December 5, 2022
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO (December 2022): Travel Outlook, The Premier Hotel Call Center™, is pleased to announce that Newpark Resort in Park City, Utah has joined the exceptional hotels enjoying the premium Travel Outlook voice services. Newpark Resort understands that in an increasingly digital world a personal touch goes a long way, and a friendly and informative voice on the other end of the line is just what it takes to turn a curious caller into a repeat customer. According to Doug Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Training Network, “voice has become a forgotten revenue channel, and many hotel leaders have failed to recognize the i...
InnSpire Digital Guest Experience Platform Now Available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace
InnSpire | November 30, 2022
Provider of leading hotel guest services solutions suite integrates with Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud via the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) Stockholm & Washington DC – November 30, 2022 – InnSpire, a leading provider of a comprehensive technology suite that helps drive a seamless, world-class guest experience for some of the world’s most iconic hotels and brands, today announced that InnSpire Digital Guest Journey is now integrated with Oracle Hospitality OPERA Cloud and available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace. Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a centralized repository of enterprise applications offered by Oracle and m...
Increase Reservations and Lower Labor Cost by Harnessing Cutting-Edge AI Technology
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | November 29, 2022
How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Hospitality Industry By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook November 2022 If you were to ask 100 hotels what the greatest problem they face in their day-to-day operations is, they would all reply with a similar version of the same story— staffing issues. Staffing shortages have become increasingly problematic for hotels around the world. These issues started before the pandemic and were made exponentially worse by the last two and a half turbulent years. Despite a hotel's best efforts, staffing shortages are noticed by guests and often negatively impact their stays. For most hot...
Paramount Lodging Advisors Successfully Transacts Hotel Felix Downtown Chicago NPL
Paramount Lodging Advisors | November 17, 2022
Paramount Lodging Advisors (PLA) has completed the sale of the Hotel Felix Downtown Chicago NPL. The PLA team representing seller was led by Bennett Webster, Brent Clemens, Mike Schlictman, and Andrew Makhlouf. The sale allowed the lender to unwind their existing interest on the $47MM non-performing loan. “Contrary to recent headlines, Chicago is open for business, and we believe remains grossly undervalued. Our team is bullish on the ongoing recovery for the city and underlying demand,” stated Schlictman. Makhlouf added, “We were very pleased with the market turnout for the auction and to have successfully monetized this po...
Hilton to Bring First Waldorf Astoria Property to Costa Rica
Hilton | November 15, 2022
GUANACASTE, Costa Rica and MCLEAN, Va. – (November 15, 2022) – Today, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the signing of the first Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts property in Costa Rica, the new-build Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste, currently under construction and expected to open in 2025. Exceptionally located on a peninsula with unobstructed ocean views, Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste will offer 190 guest rooms and 25 Waldorf Astoria branded residences in the tropical paradise of Guanacaste known for its dramatic scenery, lush forests and beautiful beaches. The property will focus on sustainable luxury with an emphasis on architecture that blend...
With Deal Leverage Shifting to Buyers and Financial Sources, All Eyes are On Hospitality Prognosis for 2023
Keith Worsham | November 15, 2022
By Keith Worsham In this article we take a look at the shifting landscape of hospitality industry transactions as post-pandemic travel trends begin to reveal themselves and operators grapple with the ramifications of more than two years of RevPAR setbacks. A Post-Pandemic Comeback... Of Sorts Prospects for the hotel industry going into 2023 fall somewhere between somewhat rosy and risky. The hospitality industry gathered in mid-August at the 14th Annual Hotel Data Conference in Nashville, Tennessee to discuss the near-term outlook, and as the editors of Hotel News Now (HNN) shared, “Speakers…acknowledged that the industry still is...
Shiji to Power POS Technology for American Liberty Hospitality (ALH) in the United States
Shiji | November 15, 2022
Shiji Group continues its rapid growth in the Americas region signing POS master agreement with American Liberty Hospitality for Shiji's Infrasys Cloud POS. ATLANTA, Georgia, November 15,2022 – Shiji announced today that its product Infrasys Cloud Point-of-Sale (POS) has gone live at one of American Liberty Hospitality biggest properties in Houston, Texas. The American company decided to deploy Shiji Infrasys, a leading food & beverage enterprise solution provider of cloud point-of-sale for hospitality businesses across the globe, at Staybridge Suites Houston Galleria Area, a 318-room dual-branded Holiday Inn Express & St...
Cut Labor Expenses Without Sacrificing Service
John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook | November 10, 2022
How Annette, The Virtual Hotel Agent™ goes above and beyond IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook November 2022 Customer service is at the core of the hospitality industry. You won’t last long in the hotel business if you choose to cut corners and sacrifice service for the sake of profit. Unfortunately, in the modern, complex economy, too many businesses are forced to choose between providing quality customer service and running a sustainably profitable hotel. In the past, when hotels needed a better way to handle their increasingly large call volumes, they would turn to IVR (Inter...
BD Hotels and Sean MacPherson Join Development of New Hotel in West Palm Beach District
NDT Development | November 10, 2022
West Palm Beach, Fla. (November 10, 2022) – BD Hotels, founded by Richard Born and Ira Drukier, and Sean MacPherson join NDT Development, Place Projects, and Wheelock Street Capital to develop and operate a hotel on North Railroad Avenue in the Nora District. Born, Drukier, and MacPherson are collectively behind some of New York City’s most iconic hotels like The Bowery, The Jane, The Ludlow, and The Maritime. In 2016, the trio, in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital, took over the historic Chelsea Hotel, which recently reopened. The partners are well-known for implementing timeless designs and strong culinary programs to go wi...
