Topic - Features

Within the hospitality industry, we are frequently introduced to new, wide-spread economic trends. First, it was the Mobile Era,' then we got to know the 'Age of the Consumer' and the 'Experience Economy,' and now, the term on everyone’s mind? The 'Expectation Economy.' continue reading →

In my career I have worked with a lot of interesting characters. To say the least, they were all quite colorful, usually fanning the flames of the hotel’s drama and adding their own seasoning. One boss I had was particularly interested in teaching lessons. He made everything into a lesson. What did you learn? How did I screw up? There was always a warm underbelly to be examined. continue reading →

The face of hospitality is constantly changing and travelers are changing with it. Traditional accommodations have always been and are likely to remain extremely popular, however, the hospitality sector has welcomed the shared economy once Airbnb made its debut on the market. If we’re to simplify things, we are basically talking about more competition for hotels. continue reading →

The more we dig into generational travel, the more we realize another, equally important trend - multigenerational travel. In fact, the rise in multigenerational travel is, arguably, positioned to change the hotel and travel industry. continue reading →

For decades now, some hoteliers and many hotel tech providers have been pushing hotel guests to embrace self check-in procedures. I first heard of this concept as a budding young entrepreneur floating my business plan for a hotel industry training company to the top minds in lodging. The year was 1989 and my proposed company name was Check-Inn Training. I remember one industry icon in particular who, upon seeing the name on my binder, said 'Bad idea young man.' He proceeded to hand me a copy of an article from what was then called Hotel & Motel Management, in which a headline read 'Front Desk Staffs To Be Replaced By Kiosk Check-in Machine.' continue reading →

Anyone who has watched Dirty Dancing remembers the iconic line, 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner.' Well, hoteliers, what about baby boomers? Over the last few years, millennials have captured a great deal of attention across industries, with hospitality being no exception. Their unique travel behaviors and impressive buying power have generated sizeable interest from hoteliers around the globe, who are eager to tap into their psyche and earn the loyalty of this generational group. continue reading →

Hotels have long realized that guest reviews are valuable information that needs to be taken seriously and is indeed quite helpful feedback for improving their offerings. However, this is only the second-best guest feedback there is, after, of course, collecting it face-to-face during the hotel stay. continue reading →

Over the past few years, millennials (individuals born between 1982 and 2000) have received special attention, as leaders across industries speak to their growing presence, impressive buying power, and unique buying behaviors. However, while millennials may be the future, the decision to turn our sights away from the baby boom generation would be irrevocably ill-advised. continue reading →

Loyalty is earned, and certainly not given, and there is a definite difference between loyalty programs and a guest’s loyalty to a brand. Hotel loyalty programs might seem ubiquitous today, but nearly 60% of guests still don’t belong to one. continue reading →

Jeff Bezos’ famous quote on the success of Amazon is 'The secret to that is to focus on the things that don’t change in your business.' The example he specifically used was, 'So people today want fast shipping. And they’re going to want faster and faster shipping in 10 years... so that’s going to matter today and tomorrow.' continue reading →