Going mobile isn't just for hotel guests. Mobile technology has rapidly grown into the perfect solution for the busy hotelier. Mobile-powered hoteliers have the freedom to get out from behind the computer screen to interact with associates and guests, while still feeling connected to the continuous flow of data that is critical in making informed decisions that contribute to a hotel's success. And when it comes to organizing and making sense of big data, smart back-office service providers are developing mobile tools to simplify the process of managing hotel operations and putting financial data in the palm of your hand. READ MORE

At the heart of the hospitality industry's tech-driven evolution, one truth remains: customer service reigns. The challenge for hotels, then, becomes navigating the current of mobile technology to keep up with the demands of today's modern traveler while bridging the gap between hotel management, staff and guests - all in the name of white-glove hospitality. Increasing guest satisfaction doesn't start with the guest, but rather the internal players that shape the guest experience, whether they're guest-facing or not. Today's travelers operate in real-time, so your teams should too. READ MORE

Hotel guests today know that technology is available to identify them and where they are, what they are interested in, as well as who their friends are. So, they expect their hotel to also know who they are. There are multiple systems that can communicate to provide this recognition, but most properties are not able to convert this data into personalized service. This lack of guest identification costs hotels millions of dollars in lost business as guests continuously explore new hotel brands and independents to find the recognition and personal experience they expect. When guests feel welcome they value their stay, become loyal clients, and generate revenue. Most properties have the capability to provide a personalized experience if they simply combine the data at their fingertips. READ MORE

360 video and 360 images, known also as spherical videos or immersive videos, are a new type of media where the viewer has control of the viewing direction. Viewers can get a first-person experience of a different location and time. 360 Imagery has seen an astounding increase of the adoption rate in the last few years thanks to the diffusion of virtual reality devices, new browsers and techniques to display the media without additional plugins and the broad usage of new generation mobile devices that are able to display the 360 media. READ MORE

A wave of mergers and acquisitions purport to help management companies capitalize on emerging markets, generate cost efficiencies, and position themselves more favorably with customers, vendors and employees. However, the most important constituent to the future success of today's mega-brands may be owners. In this article, we explore the legal rights and responsibilities of owners asked to adapt to changing brand concepts, new brand standards, and shifting dynamics in the marketplace. Owners are facing new challenges - and coming to the realization there are ways to respond to the "invisible hand" that may be working against them. READ MORE

Over the past decade, many hotel owners and management companies have looked to independent restaurant concepts—often associated with celebrity chefs—to increase revenue and enhance hotels' images and guests' experiences. One way to do this is to lease space to a celebrity chef's company (a “ChefCo”) and allow the ChefCo to operate the restaurant independently. A similar approach is for the hotel owner to enter into a management agreement with the ChefCo—separate from the management agreement with a hotel management company for the rest of the hotel. A third approach is for the hotel management company to subcontract management of the restaurant to the ChefCo. READ MORE

Given the number of hotel management companies in the United States, it's no surprise these companies are as active in the merger and acquisition arena as any other industry. For hotel operators who don't own the businesses they operate, their contracts with hotel owners are the “assets” to be combined in such a transaction. When hotel operators combine (through merger or asset acquisition), it's easy to focus on obtaining required owner consents. In addition, however, the parties must address operational transition matters long before the deal closes - they should be considerations even while the transaction agreement is being drafted. READ MORE

The relationship between a hotel owner and its operator is on one level a cooperative one, with the parties working together to maximize value for the owner's hotel and the operator's brand. However, close examination of the relationship reveals the inherent tension between the parties, as the owner seeks to maximize its net return on investment in the bricks and mortar and the operating business that it is acquiring or developing, and the operator seeks to maximize its profit from revenue-based fees and sundry charges while at the same time protecting and enhancing its brand reputation. READ MORE

Sense of Place has become one of marketing's more recent hot buzzwords. It's been used to promote everything from a national park to a housing development. And, yes, it is also used to promote hotel bookings. The truth, however, is that we can't really define the phrase so we don't really know how to leverage it effectively. Trying to define it is akin to what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said in his 1964 test for obscenity, “I shall not today attempt further to define [it]…and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so, but I know it when I see it…” In this article, you'll read about the three keys to making sure your hotel has a sense of place, not placeness. READ MORE

This aricle is an overview of a six-month financial leadership project that I recently completed at a full-service hotel. The project consisted of six half-day hospitality financial leadership workshops delivered in-house and monthly 1-1 leadership coaching appointments with the 15 managers assigned to the program. Each month of the project we completed a group workshop and each manager had a coaching meeting with me. The project goal had five measurable elements. It was to get the managers and leaders of this hotel to complete their monthly departmental financial forecasts, track their results throughout the month, adjust their spending on labor and supplies according to business volumes, review their month-end statements for accuracy and finally write their departmental monthly hotel management commentary. In other words, get the core management team to do these tasks each month while improving forecasts and the hotel's financial results. READ MORE

Hotel organizations dutifully churn out reports filled with the ever-growing volume of data technology has made available, creating information overload for the managers tasked with analyzing them. By streamlining the process and sticking to the numbers that truly matter, managers make smarter decisions that have real impact on their hotel's business. The more management shares effective data with the staff, the better performance will be. Monthly or quarterly review of certain numbers can be used as a tool to motivate employees. As the saying goes, people do what you inspect not what you expect. READ MORE

It is important during this exciting time of innovation to seize the moment and creatively adapt to the changing concept of hospitality, capitalize on new trends and expand market share. While the new hospitality market disrupters may threaten traditional hotel business models, they also present an opportunity for the entry of new products into an industry which has always prized itself on innovation and creativity. Business travelers, vacationers and millennials have all begun to demand inclusion of new hotel products into their travel. It will be up to the hospitality industry to join the movement and incorporate these concepts into their platforms and brands. READ MORE

Cities and counties throughout the United States have enacted regulations in an effort to balance individual property rights with protecting the character and viability of neighborhoods and communities. There is also a mandate to also stimulate the housing economy, maintain property values, and promote fair competition within the hospitality industry. While the future of such efforts remain uncertain, it is clear that the interests of the hospitality industry would be best served by way of the industry's involvement in the legislative process. READ MORE

The surge in mergers and acquisitions in the hospitality industry presents a great opportunity for companies to take advantage of advances in technology and innovation to create transactions afford competitive advantages and returns due to the enhanced scale and scope of the resulting entity by acquisition or merger. In order to succeed on the national or global stage, the acquiring company must take advantage of its skill and talent to effectively and expeditiously integrate the target company with its own operating systems, methods and culture. READ MORE

In the past several years, the pace of mergers and acquisitions in the hospitality industry has accelerated greatly. The scale of these transactions has ranged from the merger of multinational corporations to the purchase and sale of numerous businesses of varying sizes. At the same time, the risk that an acquiring company may find itself liable for its predecessor's employment and labor problems has increased steadily. As a result, any company contemplating the purchase of another hotel or restaurant business should review the current law in this area and in certain circumstances, conduct an audit or thorough review of the seller or target company's employment practices. READ MORE