The hotel industry is facing an extended crisis. As governments impose travel restrictions and hotel guests cancel trips or avoid booking them altogether, the hotel industry worldwide is collectively experiencing dire economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with plummeting occupancy rates, hotel performance has been negatively impacted on an unprecedented global scale. As the global economy enters a recession that many predict will be as bad as the downturn in 2007-2008, it is likely that hotel owners and operators will, once again, experience conflicts as their disparate economic interests collide. This article explores the conflicts of interest between owners and operators. READ MORE

When in a crisis, where can hotel spas look for practical business strategies to survive and thrive? It's the same place mankind has looked for inspiration – Mother Nature. A relatively new field called biomimicry has emerged that looks towards nature's engineering to solve modern-day problems. The genius in biomimicry extends to learning how to adapt during a crisis. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have approached work in terms of areas of specialization, independence, and siloed thinking rather than organically working together as a system. Biomimicry can give insights into a variety of topics relevant to hotel spas from cultivating resilience, creating cooperation with peers to pivoting quickly in changing markets. READ MORE

As we recover from the current pandemic and guests begin venturing out again, their personal wellness will be a focus as never before. Whether for social-distancing requirements, or just the sense of space that guests crave, spas and hotels with outdoor spaces, or the incorporation of natural elements in the indoor spaces, will be more popular than ever. Utilizing the healing elements of nature creates a win-win in the spa and wellness facility environment, and fosters strong connections between the property and the guest in the future. READ MORE

Prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the US spend for meetings alone was over $399 billion annually. This amount was for company spend, so doesn't include the Association, SMERF or Sports spend, and it doesn't include rooms-only group blocks. That means that there is well over $450 billion spent on meetings alone in a "normal" year. Even if meetings are reduced by 50% for 2020, there is still the potential staggering number of $225 billion in meetings, groups, and events potential. In this article EproDirect's Executive Vice President, Chaunsea Keller addresses what hotels are offering post-COVID and how planners are responding and what they want. READ MORE

While spas may not be a current hotel priority, a concern for customer well-being certainly must be. As reopening starts, will brands and properties have the capacity, talent or capability to adapt their spas? What changing expectations will guests have? What about addressing the fears and expectations of spa employees and therapists? And with all of the downsizing who will lead these spa changes? Will brands even have time to re-imagine spas and take advantage of a potential opportunity to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated and growing wellness customer? This article discusses seven important considerations for future spa success. READ MORE

How much standardization is too much? It appears that such treatments, guest journeys, rituals and programs have been really memorable in a hotel spa context that could incorporate the locality to their value propositions. However trivial this may sound this can be a difficult task to accomplish. Given the strict brand standards of operators and management companies spa manager and therapists may granted with limited flexibility. Still, spas can gain real competitive value from all of the signatures. But can they really achieve that? Does this mean the end of standardized designs and treatment menus? How much flexibility brands can permit? READ MORE

A chance to escape to an artfully conceived hotel with flawless service seems like a distant memory today. The entire world is dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and our hospitality industry has been ground to a halt. We're entering the transition that follows every crisis and we must address ways to become resilient and anticipate the impact of unforeseeable disruptions. As designers, we need to be empathetic to these times and build strategies into our vision of the future of business travel and societal changes. READ MORE

In a post COVID-19 world, it is critical for brands in the hospitality sector to engage consumers in a manner that provides a high likelihood of positive experiences, engenders loyalty, fosters referrals and return stays. Advances in digital media and artificial intelligence (AI) offer new ways for brands to deliver and enhance these experiences. By obtaining intellectual property (IP) protection for technical achievements and differentiating service, brands can develop a stable of assets to help lawfully keep competitors at bay. This article discusses effective techniques for identifying opportunities and strategies to seek and obtain IP protection for inventions relating to digital media and AI that enhance the guest experience. READ MORE

In response to COVID-19, HEI Hotels & Resorts has implemented new standard operating procedures and hygienic practices at HEI's portfolio of more than 80 independent and branded hotels. In this article, Rachel Monez, Executive Vice President of Operations, talks about the changes implemented at various HEI hotel properties, giving readers an insight into what to expect as the 'new norm'. The article will provide tips about what hotels can do to adjust their cleaning protocols and educate employees to rise to the challenges presented in the new COVID-19 environment. READ MORE

Hospitality may well be the industry most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. But it is also possibly the industry that has done the most to mitigate the effects and been the most innovative in developing programs and protocols to serve the needs of their customer, retain whatever revenue is possible and keep everybody safe while doing it. As an industry, we can all feel proud of how our colleagues have responded. But, it's not clear that in their haste to introduce mitigating programs, hotels thought through what will happen when this thing is over. READ MORE

Mark Heymann – an industry expert with over 40 years of experience in hospitality and restaurants, sheds light on the importance of labor management optimization amid the COVID-19 recovery period. The entire labor management process has changed, and hotels will need to develop an enhanced focus on internal staffing variables in order to recover. Guest expectations will drastically change so hotels will have to evolve in order to exceed these new expectations. In this piece, Mark details the various ways hotels should look to adjust their approach which includes fostering an engaged staff, balancing flexible scheduling, shifting to task-oriented labor and more. READ MORE

Forecasting is a skill our industry excels at in the best of times. From trends to revenue models, the quest to predict as accurately as possible what factors will have the greatest impact on our successes has proven to be a challenge since the COVID-19 health, social and economic crisis hit our industry in the spring of 2020. However, the 4.5 trillion dollars wellness industry may just be one of the crystal balls able to provide directions on how we adapt our wellness facilities and rethink our programming to welcome what we anticipate to be a health and well-being wave of unprecedented proportion that our industry for the most part may not be ready to handle. READ MORE

At this moment where there is heightened awareness and a global focus on health risks and disease prevention due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the need to strategize and re-imagine business operations in hotel and resort outlets has presented a unique opportunity for those offering spa and wellness programming. Hotel and resort spas have typically catered to the popular massage, facial, scrubs, wraps, fitness, and more recently, mindfulness offerings. What has been mostly absent from this sector is an integration of community partnering with science-based public health organizations, institutions, and experts. READ MORE

The Hawaii Spa Association is a non - profit entity, formed by Spa Directors from upscale hospitality brands located throughout all the Hawaiian Islands. We have spent extensive time and collaboration in the past few months working on creating re-opening guidelines for spa and beauty facilities that will help protect our guests and staff and create safe places for wellness. We have focused to keep the wellness community connected while most colleagues are in furlough without access to their jobs. Through weekly video chats and interviews with experts in different fields, we share advice and best practices keeping in mind how to maintain the aloha spirit we are famous for in this new normal. READ MORE

The idea of getting back to nature has been a rising trend in hospitality during the past few years. No-one better than Mother Nature deserves the spotlight after her supportive way of just being there for us during this global pandemic. Record-breaking numbers of people have looked to nature during the last 3 months for hiking, biking, walking and SANITY. But, mother nature offers so much more. This is the perfect time to learn how mother nature heals…and also to make a commitment to help heal mother nature. READ MORE