Wine enthusiasts have started to consume and demand better quality wines during their business trips and holidays, prompting hotels to ramp up their wine-centric experiences. With so many lodging and dining choices, wine programs offer companies a way to stand out and reach a new target audience, especially as the world of hospitality gets back on its feet post COVID-19. Here are some hotels that have successfully implemented wine programs and forged the way for collaboration between the hotel and wine industry. READ MORE

Times change, styles change, places change. Yet some things remain. Over the last three hundred years we have seen the lodging industry morph from a smattering of mom-and-pop inns into multi-billion-dollar sector of the world economy. We've have seen the modest roadside pub give way to the grand hotels of the early 20th century, the business-class hotel, and sprawling resorts worldwide. Yet through all the changes there remains a constant; The Hotel Lobby, and with it the bar and restaurant. READ MORE

As hotels start opening and meeting planners begin looking for venues that their clients will be comfortable with, what are the critical items to focus on to ensure capturing the available revenue? How best can you prepare your hotel, your team, and owners for the next 24 months and beyond? Modifying your budgets, sales procedures, marketing plans, revenue expectations and even your comp set during the rebuilding is paramount. READ MORE

Nearly 8 million hotel and hospitality employees have been laid off or furloughed since the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a standstill. But what happens when life resumes and business comes back? Traitify CEO Dan Sines offers advice to hiring managers before they face a tidal wave of applications from unemployed workers looking to return to the industry. READ MORE

In the world of online food ordering, consumer behavior has shifted rapidly to migrate phone orders to orders via website or mobile app. As guests return, hotel operators should take the need for online ordering throughout their premises seriously and make plans now to evaluate the best venues and use-cases where digital food ordering can enhance and improve guest satisfaction. The change will be slow at first, but then accelerate as guests and business travelers return in larger quantities. Digital ordering itself is just the start of the food ordering experience that will change, and brands should begin testing these technologies now so they are prepared when guests return en-masse. READ MORE

The hospitality industry has dramatically been impacted by current events and although designers have always been challenged, today's challenges are extreme and unknown. The entire industry is moving into a more germ-conscious design structure with less touching than before and exploring all types of touch-less technology. Who we were and who we will become is the true challenge, and the only option the restaurant and hotel industry have is to adapt and move forward by leveraging technology. As consumers become more mindful about their products and services, there is an increasingly bigger demand for foods that are more sustainable, healthier, organic, and even ethical causing a wellness-focused design to strongly emerge. READ MORE

As we enter Q3, there is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted businesses worldwide. Hospitality has already been singled out as having notably suffered from travel restrictions and lockdowns, but one could argue that meetings and events have it the worst. The very definition, large groups of people gathering in a single location that is often indoors, makes it clear that the meetings and events industry has struggled a lot. READ MORE

When most people think about "project management" their first thoughts are generally not about the hospitality industry. Even though it is one of the largest industries in existence, there has not been a concerted industry-wide effort to embrace project management. However, hospitality firms from across the entire industry, from mom-and-pop operations to global hospitality giants, are planning and executing projects on a daily basis. READ MORE

Consistent and strategic branding can lead to a strong brand equity, which can add great value and credibility for hotels. Despite the challenges that have unfolded due to COVID-19, now is not the time to put off building a remarkable brand. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You should now be doubling down on your commitment to your brand. READ MORE

From each and every negative comes the potential for a greater and more positive outcome, and we have to find it. Our world has changed as a result of COVID-19 and that should be no surprise to anyone. In an industry which has been decimated in a way that I never thought possible, we must look at ways of rescuing it from disaster. Reinvention has to be the solution, this can sometimes be a painful and bumpy journey, with chances to be taken, and while anything new holds its own element of risk, in the most uncertain of environments we have a unique opportunity to be able recreate ourselves. READ MORE

While the coronavirus pandemic paused travel worldwide, the crisis has not paused wanderlust or human needs for connection. As guests begin to resume travel plans – whether for business or leisure – they will bring new expectations for health and wellbeing with them, from the use of hands-free technology to a connection to the outdoors to a holistic approach to programming. Manny Dominguez, principal at global design firm Cooper Carry, outlines how design-oriented solutions and strategic modifications will usher in the next era of hospitality, where a strong commitment to wellness serves as a new gold standard for the industry. READ MORE

As the hospitality industry continues to encounter pervasive uncertainty and global challenges, making constructive use of this critical period is essential. Despite a natural yearning to pursue confident planning, reopening and immediate recovery; many of these plans are heavily contingent upon new and evolving urgencies. In this article, Mia A. Mackman, principal and founder of Mackman|ES, Spa and Wellness Consulting and HVS Managing Director, provides a thought-provoking silver-lining analysis of what is currently happening and what is yet to evolve in today's health & wellness industry. This article also shares perspectives on new demand cycles, recovery expectations and emerging possibilities through 2024. READ MORE

Hospitality expert and Rancho La Puerta's General Manager Herve Blondel shares his key takeaways in re-opening a destination spa in the wake of COVID-19. Most notably, he discusses the incredibly large focus on wellness (now more than ever) and the importance of providing guests with the ability to reset through customizable options and offerings. Additionally, Mr. Blondel speaks to the importance of integrating enhanced COVID-19 protocols and procedures into the guest experience - maintaining that it is imperative for guests to see the actionable steps in place to keep them safe and confident in their traveling experience, without disrupting their mindset of peace and relaxation. READ MORE

Because of COVID-19, many revenue teams had to be furloughed. Not all will return, leaving vacancies. Could it be time to evaluate the kind of Revenue Manager that will move your property forward? The revenue manager of the future will be part accountant, part marketer, part guardian. This revenue manager will be the gatekeeper of revenue. There are five strong foundational skills to look for in the revenue manager of the future. Lily Mockerman explains these skills, how to recognize them in a revenue manager, how to keep them on your team, and how to help them shine. READ MORE

Pandemics though less inevitable than natural calamities have been confronted in the past. They have to be accepted and dealt with in a sensible manner. The discovery of a viable vaccine for the coronavirus as soon as possible is everybody's hope. Meanwhile, what can you as a business, do for the rebuilding crusade going forward? Reaching out and assuring your customers, employees, communities and stakeholders about their safety in your establishment is the first step. As a business with a standing, this is the minimum you owe to your customers, employees, partners, communities, stakeholders as well as yourselves. This hopefully, will bring business back and cause the coronavirus pandemic chokehold to ease over time. READ MORE