Applying the Art of Storytelling to How You Sell Rooms
Larry Mogelonsky | August 7, 2019
Generation Z: What Do They Want From Their Hotel Stay Experience?
Court Williams | July 1, 2019
Guest Experience
How to Register Your Front Desk Staff to Become “Certified in the Heart of Hospitality”
Kennedy Training Network | May 23, 2019
In the era of online reviews and social media, guest experiences at the front desk impact the financial success of your hotel. First impressions formulated at check-in bias guests' overall opinions, whether for better or for worse. If you're looking to refocus your team on the essentials of hospitality excellence, it's easy to register your staff to become Certified in the Heart of Hospitality. For a fee of just $995 total, you can certify up to 3 managers and 6 front desk colleagues; additional staff can be certified for $99 each at any time. Here's How It Works: First, KTN presents a live "kick-off" webinar f...
A Sense of Place, Welcome and Hospitality
Larry Mogelonsky | May 22, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) I recall the last time I stayed at what would categorically be a cookie-cutter hotel. Performing my typical inspection as a casually walked the halls and entered my guestroom, nothing seemed out of place, yet something was still missing. The hotel in question proudly touted its recent renovation for which I can confirm this fact given the scent of fresh paint, glue, wood and new upholstery. The doorman performed in strict accordance with his title while the receptionist at the front desk was upbeat while still remaining matter-of-fact. Arriving after the dinner hour, the corridors w...
Hotel Expiration Dates: Fact or Fiction?
Vertical Booking USA | May 22, 2019
By Mark Lewis-Brown, CEO & President at Vertical Booking USA Expiration dates: they're super common in some industries – they are regularly seen on consumer-packaged goods, food and drinks, medicine, etc. – but the idea of an expiration date isn't often applied to the hotel industry. But, in my opinion, it should be. Here's a little known/rarely considered fact: an empty room is an expired one. Just like with milk or medication, hotels' rooms also have expiration dates, after which the empty room becomes a liability, rather than an asset. Think about it… like milk, a hotel room is a perishable product; unfortunate...
Why You Should Integrate SMS in Your Hotel’s Engagement Strategy
Mathieu Pollet | May 21, 2019
Ten Golden Rules to SMS Hotel Guest Engagement By Mathieu Pollet INTRODUCTION SMS is one of the most personal communication channels and by far the fastest one. It would seem only logical, therefore, that highly-personalised service providers like hotels would use this type of communication to ensure their guests have a great stay. Surprisingly though, most hotels don't use SMS at all to interact with their guests. We have been working with hotels and implementing data management solutions and guest engagement solutions for years, and today we want to share some tips on how to improve the guest experience, engagement, and loyalty. FACT...
Building Your Hotel’s Sharing Economy Defenses
Larry Mogelonsky | May 15, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) While it is crystal clear to me and many other hoteliers that the sharing economy and all its resident internet-based service firms (IBSFs) have severely changed how customers perceive hotels, many outside of hospitality tout their successes and grander benefits for the community. Regardless of whether or not they are ultimately 'good', the rapid proliferation of all these sharing economy accommodations should not be mere doom and gloom for hotels, however, but an opportunity for you to improve your own product. As Airbnb is by far the largest among these IBSFs, I will use it as a p...
Angie Hospitality Achieves International Certifications to Provide Hoteliers with Seamless Integration and Standards Compliance in Global Hospitality
Angie Hospitality | May 14, 2019
Certified status ensures that purpose-built voice-activated guest room virtual assistant meets regulatory standards for compatibility with hotel devices and services worldwide. San Jose, Calif. – May 14, 2019 – Angie Hospitality, developer of the industry's first 24-hour interactive guest room assistant purpose-built for the hotel environment, today announces its comprehensive 'global-ready' status, having received multiple authorizations and international certifications to operate in virtually every hospitality market around the globe. Combined with its original North American certifications for the US and Canada, Angie is ...
How Will the Hospitality Industry Benefit From the IoT
Ana Bera | May 9, 2019
By Ana Bera The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to be a gamechanger for those in the hospitality industry. Therefore, it is essential for managers, hotel owners, and other business leaders to try to make the most of it. However, according to research, 87% of people are not familiar with the concept of the Internet of Things let alone what this technology means for the hospitality industry. In this article, we have discussed this matter, and hopefully, you will learn more about the latest tech buzzword and how does it cater to client needs. What Is the Internet of Things? The term 'Internet of Things' refers to the idea of cre...
Angie Hospitality Acquires Roxy, Consolidating Advanced Voice-Enabled Solutions for the Global Hospitality Market
Angie | May 9, 2019
Creator of hospitality's award-winning guest room virtual assistant completes acquisition of leading competitor. San Jose, Calif. – May 9, 2019 – Angie Hospitality, developer of the industry's first 24-hour interactive guest room assistant purpose-built for the hotel environment, has completed its purchase of the assets of Roxy, a competing provider of speech-enabled virtual assistant technology for the hospitality industry. As part of the agreement, Angie Hospitality will assume management and support of all existing Roxy installations and customers worldwide. In an email to customers, Angie committed to a seamless experie...
Five Strategic Directions to Take Your Hotel
Larry Mogelonsky | May 8, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Value adds always become expectations. Such is the course for hospitality and if you aren't constantly evolving your brand then it will become stale. And in an overstuffed hotel marketplace, you need bold new directions to differentiate your product and drive rate. So, how do hotels adapt so that guests don't lose interest in any of these ostensibly great properties in favor of the 'next big thing'? How do you innovate a boutique property so that its repeat revenue figures will always be a healthy contributor to the bottom line? Broader still, how do lifestyle hotels continue to rei...
Walker Hotel Chooses a Multi-Property Operations Platform for Its Expansion
ALICE | May 7, 2019
Walker Hotel will be expanding its ALICE partnership with its soon-to-open Tribeca location after celebrating a fruitful implementation at Walker Hotel Greenwich Village. Walker Hotel Tribeca is slated to open in Spring 2019 and will use ALICE to streamline staff communication, manage productivity, and execute service promptly on maintenance and guest requests. ALICE is the hospitality industry's leading operations technology, connecting every department of the hotel with one platform for all staff communication and guest requests. Walker Hotel Greenwich Village implemented ALICE in May 2017 and has seen great improvements in their day-...
Why Lifestyle Hotels Are Not Just for Millennials
JLL Real Views | May 6, 2019
Lifestyle hotels may tick all the boxes for millennial travellers but they're not the only generation drawn to their mix of contemporary design, nods to local culture and good wifi connections. In recent years, they've become an increasingly popular choice among travellers across all age groups – by combining the personalised touches and high-quality service of a boutique hotel with the convenience and reliability of big hotel chains – while operating at a premium price point. As lifestyle brands such as Indigo by the InterContinental Hotels Group, Aloft, Moxy and W under Marriott, as well as Andaz by Hyatt pop up across the...
What Hotels Can Learn From Delta Airlines About Personalized Guest Engagement
Doug Kennedy | May 3, 2019
By Doug Kennedy My career as a hotel industry trainer and conference speaker keeps me on the road nearly every week, so I try to take advantage of every available travel perk. Living in the Ft. Lauderdale / Miami area, I am fortunate to have two major airports within 35 minutes, and with this being a popular tourism destination there is a wide selection of non-stop flights. Therefore, I cannot always remain loyal to just one airline because it's hard to justify wasting time taking a connecting flight, or perhaps spending an extra night on the road, just to earn miles. As a result, I have premium status with several airlines each year. I...
Hotels Should Focus on Employee Experience to Close Talent Gap
Bill Caswell | May 1, 2019
By Bill Caswell The American Hotel & Lodging Association estimates there are more than 900,000 unfilled positions in the U.S. hospitality industry. This talent deficit will be a significant obstacle to overcome, and more companies are getting serious about developing real solutions. What's the problem? One of the primary causes of this employment drop-off is the shifting values of Millennial and Generation Z populations. This younger workforce has a natural aversion to the 24-hour nature of the hospitality industry, preferring jobs with more work/life balance, flexible schedules and ample vacation time. The nature of the hospitality...
Upselling The Frugal Guest
Larry Mogelonsky | May 1, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) When applied to hospitality, the word 'frugal' can have a rather opaque meaning. It doesn't mean that guests are cheap, but instead they are discerning and hesitant to splurge without full justification. Every hotelier knows that guests are becoming increasingly tech-savvy with each passing week, but what this also means is that they are becoming exceedingly aware of channel price differences and marketing tricks used to cajole them into spending more than is absolutely necessary for a given service. And this is true for not just hospitality but practically every industry where the ...
How Hotels Can Profit From Product Placement
Larry Mogelonsky | April 24, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) Product placement has been a subtle revenue source for Hollywood for many decades now. For instance, have you ever watched a movie and noticed that all the cops and robbers were driving only one brand of car? Or that every actor on a television show only drinks exclusively Coke or Pepsi but never both? It's undeniably influential. More recently, however, hoteliers have started to realize that their properties can offer perfect symmetry with many brands that want trial from their target audience, especially when those brand's key demographics match that of a property's guests. Exampl...
Study Shows Voice Technology Is the No. 1 AI Investment Choice Among Hoteliers in 2019
Volara | April 23, 2019
Volara's software turns consumer-grade voice assistants into hotel-grade business tools New York — April 23, 2019 — The 2019 Lodging Technology Study reports that 2019 is the year "hotels gear up for the age of augmented authenticity." With Gartner predicting that by 2020, 85% of relationships with businesses will not require human interaction, it's clear that hoteliers need to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) today if they are going to engage guests through the channels they're most comfortable using. Volara – the voice hub for the hotel industry – cautions that embracing AI ...
INTELITY to Attend HITEC Minneapolis
INTELITY | April 23, 2019
The company will highlight the strength of its end-to-end platform at the world's largest hospitality technology show Los Angeles, California (April 23, 2019) – INTELITY™ announced today it will exhibit at HITEC Minneapolis, which will take place this June 17-20. The company, known for offering the most robust and fully integrated guest engagement platform in hospitality, will unveil its newest platform enhancements centered around its staff-facing solutions and in-room tablet. INTELITY is well known for its guest-facing solutions and was named the "Official Mobile and In-Room Technology Provider" by Forbes Travel Guide for ...
When Customers Speak To Us, Are We Listening?
Gary R. Hernbroth | April 17, 2019
By Gary Hernbroth I firmly believe that we can learn a lot from our failures and setbacks – IF we pay attention. In fact, I recently spoke on this very topic at the Club Management Association of America's World Congress in Nashville. Several of my audience members enthusiastically shared their stories with each other, stories of how they failed, or suffered a setback, or screwed up, and how they learned from the experience and came out of it smarter and better-suited to deal with similar situations in the future. As with individuals, the same should hold true for businesses. Sometimes things break. Sometimes things go boom in the nig...
Your Wine List Needs Branding Too
Larry Mogelonsky | April 17, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) What does your wine list stand for? What's its elevator pitch? Is it meaningful for customers? Does it fit with the theme and business plan for the parent restaurant? Of course, we are talking about branding and marketing as much as we are talking about the physical alcohol inventory. While most of this critical exercise will be handled by the restaurant, the hotel and the marketing department, the wine list must still match the greater vision if it is to truly shine. Importantly, it needs a cohesive brand if it's going to do its job as effectively as possible – that is, make ...
3 Ways to Serve a Customer Even When We’re Not at Our Best
Steve DiGioia | April 16, 2019
By Steve DiGioia As I lay in bed, coughing and sneezing from a cold, dreading even going to the kitchen for a glass of water because of aches and pains from my unseen tormentor, I'm comforted knowing, "boy, I'm sure glad I don't have to go to work today". But what if I did? How would I be able to serve my customers with these rotten cold symptoms? That's the question every service provider must answer on those days when we're not at our best. Service doesn't end when we're sick or tired. It continues through snowstorms and divorces. It is shared by all who expect to be valued, not for our money but for our humanity. But humanity can be ...
The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) Launches New Brand, SeleQtions
April 15, 2019
Mumbai, April 15, 2019: The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asia's largest hospitality company, today, announced the launch of a new hotel brand - "SeleQtions", which is a collection of named and distinctive properties. SeleQtions was launched with 12 hotels across the country. The vision for the brand is to celebrate individuality, by offering unique experiences through landmark hotels that have their own legacy and charm. Speaking on the occasion, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, "SeleQtions will allow IHCL to cater to a broader audience of travelers who prefer staying in hotels wi...
Sales “Steps” and “Funnels” Are SO 1990’s; Here’s What It Takes for Hotel Sales Success in 2019
Doug Kennedy | April 11, 2019
By Doug Kennedy While the hotel sales environment has completely transformed, hotel sales training models seem to be stuck in the 1990's. When I meet hotel leaders at industry conferences it seems most recognize the profound changes such as the emergence of third-party planners and the migration to online RFP tools (CVENT, CVB Platforms and social sites such as The Knot.) Yet most leaders seem to be unclear on what it takes to outsell the competition these days. As a conference speaker, I often sit-in on sessions delivered by others as I'm always eager to learn. From what I see, most sales related training recycles one of three traditio...
Booking Engine Personalization to Adapt to the Experience Economy
Larry Mogelonsky | April 10, 2019
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) So much talk is made nowadays about the experience economy and how this affects the personalization of hotels, but how can we make these concepts a reality? We all know they are both important for driving satisfaction scores, loyalty and healthy return over the long run, but there doesn't seem to be a straightforward and one-size-fits-all path towards operationalizing these trends in a way that's meaningful for guests. To wrap your head around how these two concepts can drive each other in a virtuous and profitable circle, you must first understand what the experience economy is and...
Quore Is Driving Hotel Employee Engagement
Quore | April 9, 2019
Study shows engaging workers via mobile technology makes them more productive; Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Nashville employees share how they are engaging with Quore Franklin, Tenn. – April 9, 2019 – Hospitality technology is playing an important role in guest engagement today, but it's critical that hotel companies don't overlook the importance of providing robust tools to engage employees as well. Findings from "The New Digital Workplace Divide" show that technology has a vast impact on workplace positivity and retention. The study revealed that: "Workers are looking for agile, modern solutions that support their need to wo...
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