Hotel Industry Features

Consumers today continue to seek exciting and unique experiences when they travel, and the lines between hotels and alternative lodging options, such as Airbnb, continues to be blurred. continue reading →

In the heart of Palm Springs, a once nondescript Howard Johnson motel with an on-site Denny’s restaurant is now the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, replete with outdoor fireplaces, live music by the pool, a vintage photo booth and Middle East-meets-California fusion dining. continue reading →

Services that fail to change with the times, fall out of use: Robust, third-party QA programs are, surprisingly, one such otherwise valuable service that we may see disappearing as social media are increasingly used by guests and management alike, to determine the state of affairs and rankings of hotels and resorts. The replacement of professionals by amateurs, who are armed with a little knowledge and the full confidence of their own particular experience, is not necessarily an improvement; but it is certainly a reality. continue reading →

New Wharton research shows that marketers are incorrectly crunching data and potentially getting wrong answers — and costing companies a lot of money. continue reading →

Two recent events in hotel distribution created a mild media buzz, but unfortunately were ignored by some hoteliers and quickly forgotten by the industry: Expedia’s Add-On Advantage and Booking.basic. In this article we will discuss the issues with these two new initiatives by Expedia and Booking.com, reminiscent of the old Wild West times of hotel distribution and the early years of unruly OTAs, before rate parity and best rate guarantees. continue reading →

Alexa, where can I get good sushi around here? Digital concierges have arrived, bringing hotel guests unprecedented levels of personalization and control. continue reading →

Tech companies have for many years been trying to automate the guest arrival experience. First, front desk kiosks were placed in lobbies of some hotel brands, yet guests walked right by them even if there was a long line at reception. Next, smart phone check-in was to be the answer. Yet despite all the hype, utilization has been extremely low. continue reading →

From partnering with world-renowned chefs to letting guests order room service via Amazon Alexa, hotels are increasingly offering innovative food and beverage (F&B) experiences. continue reading →

Why Meaning Matters for Employee Engagement continue reading →

World outbound travel is booming and, according to IPK’s World Travel Monitor®, the global travel industry set new records over the first eight months of 2017. The luxury travel sector in particular has embarked on a paramount transformation fueled by changing consumer preferences that will have far-reaching ripple effects in the years to come. continue reading →