The matters weighing on the minds of hotel and resort owners and operators are many: average daily rates, occupancy levels, market penetration, revenue generation, operating costs, growth trajectories, tourism trends, customer service demands, real estate concerns, budget constraints, inventory management, cyber security and effective marketing strategies are a few of the major ones. Labor and employment issues are an unusually significant source of concern for hotel executives as well, demanding a disproportionate amount of their attention given the burdensome legal requirements imposed upon employers. READ MORE

Revenue management has come a long way since its early days of basic yield management. Many consider 1989 a pivotal turning point when revenue management became a permanent part of hotel management and not just a passing trend. With advancements in market data, decision science, and technology, revenue management continues to evolve. This is especially true of the groups and meetings segment, where revenue managers are using market data and advanced analytics to inform their actions, hone sales strategies, and unite sales and revenue management toward a common goal. READ MORE

Revenue managers are increasingly interested in the potential for alternative performance metrics to give a better understanding of profitability than RevPAR. In this paper, I describe an NOI metric CBRE Hotels' Americas Research is developing to give a better understanding of the relationship pass-through performance has with occupancy. To produce this metric, I estimate expenses and revenues from all sources separately with an econometric model. The difference of the sum of expense from the sum of revenues is the NOI. I demonstrate that when occupancy is increasing, revenues grow more quickly than expenses, and NOI growth exceeds RevPAR growth. Take a look… READ MORE

Michael McCartan, Managing Director of Europe, Middle East & Africa for Duetto, looks at why the hotel industry has historically lagged behind the technologically advanced online travel agents (OTAs). He addresses the issues of data sharing and analytics, and how these can help shape revenue management decisions as well as enhance the guest experience. He looks at machine learning and technology as a way of removing friction from the guest experience, and questions how this can be incorporated into hotel operations. And he calls on the hotel industry to work together to open up a shared “data lake” and compete head-on with the OTAs. READ MORE

It is hard to argue that a hotel's primary focus be anything else but the guest, but just how essential is it for hotels to be customer-focused? The answer is - very essential. A major part of being customer-focused is understanding and then ensuring you are giving guests what they want. Specifically, if guests are looking for experiences, then create experiences that are unique and personalized. Details matter. In the 21st century, customers have access to a wide variety of valuable third-party information about businesses to help them decide on a hotel at which to stay on their next vacation. READ MORE

Given the increasing number of disability discrimination lawsuits, it is imperative that employers know and understand an employee's rights to leave and reasonable accommodation when injured or disabled. A workers compensation injury is not only covered by rules in the workers compensation system, but is typically also governed by requirements, obligations, and limitations under other important statutes. The Family Medical Leave Act, the American with Disabilities Act, and worker's compensation provide employees that are injured or disabled with various rights to leave or reasonable accommodation. This article will explore each law's parameters and the interplay among them. READ MORE

A panel moderated by PwC's Scott D. Berman; Chris Cahill, CEO, Luxury Brands, AccorHotels; Steve Haggerty, Global Head of Capital Strategy, Franchising, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Kevin J. Jacobs, EVP & CFO, Hilton; Elie Maalouf, CEO, The Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Mit Shah, CEO, Noble Investment Group discussed the industry's growth potential as it related to geopolitical and economic shifts. READ MORE

The first thing you need to know about reading a hotel financial statement is there are basically 2 different statements that you will want to get comfortable with. The two different statements are the income statement, some call it the P&L for profit and loss statement and the second in the balance sheet. Now I know what you're thinking, balance sheets are for the accounting types and they are complicated. Nothing could be further from the truth and I am going to give you a new understanding and share a secret about the balance sheet and the relationship to the P&L. READ MORE

The hospitality industry is one of those industries where the people running the show of hotel business cannot lay back and earn easy revenues. Revenues of a hotel may fluctuate like weather depending upon a number of factors like demand, competitor rates, climatic conditions, security & political situation, holiday season, events etc. Revenue managers are always on their heels to ensure that the hotel operates at maximum occupancy throughout the year. Every empty hotel room is a loss of revenue as the operational cost of running a hotel remains broadly the same for 50 customers or 100 customers. READ MORE

We see so much written these days on the similarities and differences in the lifestyles of Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y and Baby Boomers. How are Hoteliers navigating through these differences and similarities so the investment in bringing so many people together for a meeting is realized by the host? While some may think the answers are very obvious, there certainly are opportunities for individual hotels and brands to make their mark and make claim to more market share. At the end of the day, market share defines how effective our brand message, marketing dollars and direct sales efforts are serving our owners and associates who depend on those results for their livelihood. READ MORE

Industry metrics have 2017 poised to be another banner year in the meetings business. The trend looks to only continue into the foreseeable future presenting new challenges and opportunities to meet, and hopefully exceed, the expectations of the client, planner, and hotel alike in this dynamic environment in which we find ourselves. The influx of meetings has increased over the last few years considerably along with the expectation to create a memorable 'experience' has meeting planners and hotels donning the 'creative hat' more frequently to provide a unique event that resonates long after the meeting has concluded. READ MORE

A lot is said about maximizing hotel revenue per available room, but what of revenue per available square meter? It's a broadened mindset that may be needed from any hotel that aspires to attract the world's several million business travelers to their property but doesn't quite know where to begin. Indeed, as Hotel Analyst's Katherine Doggrell recently observed: “MICE has been a thorn in the side of the sector since windowless rooms with biscuits were invented. Any hotel worth its salt has to have them, but selling them is ... hardly an efficient process. Dead space in which many go to die.” READ MORE

Since first coined in the early 1980s, the boutique hotel is one with quite the noteworthy story. Though a story of evolution, its true claim to fame is how its model has changed the industry. A look at today's hotel landscape showcases the undeniable influence boutique hotels, generally 100 rooms or less and almost always independently owned and many times self-managed, have had on the industry. Whether in design, location, in-room amenity options, or the locally supported one-off venues that make every 'must see' destination guide, the distinctive characteristics that define these hidden gems have gone mainstream. READ MORE

The decision to appeal a hotel's property assessment for tax purposes is only the first of a series of judgments before the case is resolved. Who will defend the appeal? Based on what facts? How far is an appellant willing to go to gain a remedy for the assessment? Deciding to appeal seems straightforward, but before the decision is made, the hotelier needs to understand that appealing a property assessment can be more art than science. It's showing convincingly that an appellant's opinion of value outweighs that of a professional assessor who works under strict laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and interpretations, many of them nuanced by the tax jurisdiction. READ MORE

Hotel lobbies are undergoing an exciting evolution. Architects, designers, hotel owners, and operators are re-thinking hotel lobbies and transforming them into active social hubs that are becoming the heart of hotels. With flexible designs, professionals are creating spaces that support work and play, dining venues and bars that morph throughout the day, communal tables with computers, library settings for quiet reflections, and game rooms for pure play. READ MORE