HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

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Tracey Anne Latkovic

Wellness is seemingly everywhere. Our shampoo comes from the corner of healthy and happy; our workstations allow for standing, sitting, and walking; fast food joints are now in the healthy choices game; and even our margaritas' are skinny. The proliferation of health and wellness opportunities that have been thrust into our lives in the last few years have most of us wondering which end is up. Remember the 90's? The low-fat, no fat, low-calorie, no calorie craze had our heads spinning and guess what? We ended up fatter than ever. We need to look beyond the hype to discover what's best for our well-being. READ MORE

Lola Roeh

While many industries are notorious for employee turnover, it is particularly painful for hospitality, where guest service is such a crucial part of the product. How painful? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the hospitality and leisure industry had the second largest number of employees voluntarily quit their jobs in 2014, with more than 6,000 people choosing to leave their current position. READ MORE

Bonnie Knutson

Virtually every hotel is involved in digital marketing is some shape of form. If it is done well, it can increase views, likes, click throughs, and more importantly, sales and revenues. And it can reduce marketing costs. But this is still a relatively new communication channel for hotels as well as consumers/guests so the path to success can be filled with bumps and bruises. Every hotel needs the right people to steer clear of these hazards. In this article, you will find out who you need to have in your hotel's “digital dream team.” READ MORE

Carl Kish

At the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego in June, Kate Heiny, Director of Sustainability for Target took the stage and said “When the CEO of Target is talking about the importance of sustainability in everything Target does, sustainability has officially become mainstream”. She's right. Not only is sustainability now a mainstream business imperative, the hospitality industry is being told it needs to make sustainability changes to survive. Deloitte's 2015 Hospitality report Game Changers or Spectators was anything but ambiguous in its assessment that “Sustainability will become a defining issue for the industry in 2015 and beyond … sustainability will need to be embedded within all facets of the industry, rather than regarded as a stand alone issue”. READ MORE

Nicole Perrotta

A battle that has been raging since the origin of free trade. Which function is more important? Operations? Without a product or service, there is nothing to sell. Sales? Without sales, there would be no money to keep the doors open. How do we determine which is more important to a hotel and its brand? True sustainability requires that sales and operations work in harmony. READ MORE

Corey  Finjer

With the recent launch of Marriott's dedicated Content Studio, the hospitality industry is catching on to the latest digital seismic shift towards native advertising or branded content. But what can smaller hospitality brands do to create content that represents their brand, engages target audiences, and—ultimately--builds loyalty and drives bookings? A lot! Corey Finjer, Sr. Vice President at Hawkins International PR, provides insights on why it has never been easier to create and distribute quality, editorially driven content that tells a story about your brand and attracts and engages customers. READ MORE

Robert Festinger

Fifteen years ago, revenue management was not considered a crucial part of hotel operations. Revenue Managers weren't even committee members within the industry as they were more thought of as “glorified reservationists,” who at most would report to the Director of Sales and Marketing. As a consequence, hotels trailed behind, still learning the dynamics behind rate-optimization and pricing strategies that were only implemented a few times a year. READ MORE

Jennifer Dunphy

As marketing professionals in a technology savvy digital era, there is only one thing that is constant…and that is change. As always, there is a new era in marketing for us to embrace, and it is likely one of the most advanced forms of marketing that we will see over the next couple of years. It's a bird, it's a plane, no… no… it's a drone. READ MORE

Laurence Bernstein

With the banners of somewhere around 492 hotel chains emblazoning tens of thousands of hotels, it is no wonder that many independent owners and operators are convinced they hardly stand a chance. They're wrong. The underlying reasons for the proliferation of brands have left them vulnerable to successful competition by smart independents. This key advantage, which is wrapped in a deeper understanding of customers and the ability to take action on these insights, can be leveraged by focusing on two factors: availability and relevance. In this article we examine how independent hotels can take advantage of this weak underbelly and successfully compete with branded hotels. We offer a two point program to successfully compete against the onslaught of brands. READ MORE

Dave Spector

Over the years, my team and I have seen it all. We've also made and fixed every marketing mistake imaginable. From not asking owners for the proper budget, to ignoring past guest data or ignoring guest reviews, we've made all the missteps that we still see many hotels making today. But, those types of blunders can make you smarter... READ MORE

Simon Hudson

This article discusses the growing market for accessible tourism and the opportunity it represents for the hotel sector. The article focuses on one hotel chain in particular - Scandic - that has positioned itself as a world leader in accommodating visitors with disabilities. With 230 hotels spread across Europe, Scandic is the Nordic region's leading hotel chain. In 2003, it drew up an accessibility standard as a platform for all accessibility work at every hotel. Such a proactive approach has given Scandic a competitive advantage in the hotel sector. READ MORE

Larry  Mogelonsky

People buy from other people, not from corporations. This mantra - or any other version of it - has existed for almost as long as the craft of salesmanship itself. And it makes sense, too. We build rapport far easier in person than over the phone or via the internet. Furthermore, human beings are genetically programmed to constantly read faces and facial expressions as a means of analyzing social cues or forming emotional bonds with the opposite party. We mentally connect with and remember faces much quicker than with objects, places, symbols or words. READ MORE

Richard Takach, Jr.

In today's swirling economy and society, achieving and spreading meaningful identity and culture for our hospitality organization is an ongoing challenge. Externally, we must address the demands of diverse audiences that include our competitors, consumers, elected officials, business leaders and community leaders Competitive forces or factors include the advent of multiple instantaneous, digital platforms for advertising, reservations and group sales, and critique of our product. Internally, we must address our investors, strategic partners and team of key leadership, managers and staff. Into this mix, we add the franchise affiliations, or flags, with which most all hospitality management and investor groups partner. READ MORE

Susan Tinnish

The way people travel is changing. This article examines some of the travel and tourism trends and discusses the impact on hotels. It provides some fodder to hotels to adapt and understand the mindset of the consumer and reconsider ways to satisfy their needs. These changes will add to the hotel industry current efforts to respond to new customer demands, increasing reliance on technology (by customers, in hotel marketing, and within hotel operations). READ MORE

Bruce  Seigel

Digital consumer engagement is an important part of building brand equity. By using a five-point digital marketing reference system, a hotel can successfully evaluate and manage its digital customer engagement activity to ensure it supports and reflects the brand's core properties. Tracking consumer-generated online content is a great way to identify short- and long-term marketing campaigns that add value through engagement and revenue through conversions. It also helps you develop distribution point markers so you know which sites require your attention and when to change it. Digital noise is a good thing and with the above tips and talking points, you may even learn to love it. READ MORE

Coming up in March 1970...