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Guest Experience
Redefining Modern American Cuisine
Larry Mogelonsky | August 24, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) When it comes to food, the United States of America has 50 states and 320 million people with clam chowder in New England, burritos in the Southwest, fried chicken in the South, deep dish pizza in Chicago and so much in between. How are we supposed to summarize the culinary habits of this gigantic nation under the banner of 'Modern American Cuisine' let alone 'American Cuisine' when there is so much diversity? In the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, before the rise of craft enterprises and our present food revolution, perhaps we could have written about the homogeneity of American cuisine &nd...
ALICE Brings its ALICE Suite Platform to Hotel Des Trois Couronnes, a Leading Hotel in the Heart of Europe
ALICE | August 23, 2016
NEW YORK, August 23, 2016 – ALICE, info.aliceapp.com, announced that the Hotel Des Trois Couronnes, Vevey Switzerland, has adopted ALICE Suite - a SaaS solution that completely connects the guest to the hotel, and connects all service departments within a hotel. ALICE Suite now drives guest engagement as well as back of the house efficiencies for dozens of hotels in Europe and North America thanks to the immediate benefits it provides hoteliers – helping them respond to guest requests more efficiently, generate ROI from ancillary services, build more positive guest reviews, and achieve cost savings at the same time. Hotel De...
Three Tips to Create a Memorable Experience For Your Guests
Bryan K. Williams | August 22, 2016
by Bryan K. Williams Could it be? Is it even possible? What are the chances that every touchpoint is memorable? Each team member is engaged. All leaders act as though they are not just managers, but rather CEOs of their respective departments. Vince Lombardi famously said…. "We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence." The real leaders live and breathe that philosophy. Good is never good enough. Only excellence will do. It usually only takes a few minutes, but I can always tell when I've encountered a culture of ...
Say Goodbye to the Business Center
Larry Mogelonsky | August 17, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Reaching its zenith in the mid-1990s following the proliferation of the personal computer, I have many fond memories of the hotel business center. Such facilities were a high priority for road warriors who needed to refine presentations, print materials, prepare travel itineraries or work on just about everything else, all while hotel staffers stood at the ready to assist wherever they could. The advent of mobile devices, tablets and streamlined laptops have proven to be the business center's downfall, rendering it as obsolete as the stapler and three-hole paper punch (anything involving pa...
With Summer in Full Swing, ALICE Empowers Concierges to Score the “Hottest Ticket in Town” for Guests
ALICE | August 16, 2016
New ALICE Concierge Technology Draws Rave Reviews from Hotel Concierges at 22 NYC Hotels and more than a Hundred Nationwide NEW YORK, August 16, 2016 – The hotel concierge no longer has to rely solely on pen and paper to keep her teams organized, and keep guests satisfied. ALICE Concierge, info.aliceapp.com, a new technology platform that empowers concierges to provide optimum guest service, offers the ability to track all guest requests and vendor information in one system. With vast functionality featuring reminders, itineraries, Google-like search, and text messaging with guests, hotel concierges can handle and respond to guest...
Quality Is The Only Thing That Makes A Brand Credible
Larry Mogelonsky | August 10, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Soft branding is a popular trend these days, showing no signs of slowing down at all in the face of billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions. Unquestionably, soft brands fill a specific demand within the traveler mindset – those who desire an independent property to add an extra layer of exclusivity to their trips while also expecting certain standards to be upheld. It's a fascinating space and one that has yet to reach full maturity or capacity. Tapping in for a phone interview to elucidate how properties can succeed within a soft branded space is Filip Boyen, the newly crowned CEO of...
Humility Is A Virtue With These Three Words
Larry Mogelonsky | August 3, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Our industry is currently facing some highly complex issues with no obvious answers – the OTAs, third-party review sites, alternate lodging websites, dilutive brand expansions, thrifty millennial purchasing habits and many more. Managers and consultants are all under the gun, expected to weather these storms like a titanium-hull icebreaker with a clear trajectory that cracks through any obstacle. While it would be great if to have a crystal ball and speak with absolute confidence as to how events will unfold, alas that is never the case. We mortals can never say for certain that a giv...
What The Rio Olympics Means For Your Hotel
Larry Mogelonsky | July 27, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Rio 2016 is upon us, and that means two solid weeks of having a reason to actually watch broadcast again instead of tuning in to Netflix or trying your luck at Pokemon Go. With the television landscape becoming increasingly fragmented by cable, satellite, social media and internet streaming options, reaching many people at once via traditional, 20th century media placement methods comes with its fair dose of anxiety. One interesting effect of this channel nichification is that large-scale events and compressions are now all the more precious. Think nationwide and world-sweeping live broadca...
Roaring Through HITEC 2016
Larry Mogelonsky | July 20, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) This is something I find myself saying almost every day now. Senior hotel managers must understand technology or they're dead! And for good reason, technology will save your property if you are smart about it. And so, this brings us to late June in New Orleans, Louisiana for HITEC 2016 to learn about the latest and greatest in hospitality technology. While the evenings would find my stomach hungering for crayfish remoulade and Cajun-spiced gumbo, my two days at the eponymous tradeshow were a flurry of amazing new devices and software that can help hotels solve their business needs. Unlike p...
5 Ways to Make Customers Feel Good
Katie Scheer | July 15, 2016
By Katie Scheer The factor that has the highest impact on the impression of a buying experience is how the customer feels they are being treated. Understanding the importance of this is essential for all businesses because it is what is needed in order to build loyalty. So let's amp up our customer service by making all of our customers feel VALUED and GOOD! 5 easy ways, with supporting tips, to make this happen: BE RESPONSIVE Make it easy to do business with you. Be quickly available by phone, email, and on social media. Always do what you can to proactively handle expressed (and unexpressed!) needs. ACTIVELY LISTEN Allow op...
Do’s and Don’ts of Hotel Texting, from a New York City Concierge
ALICE | July 13, 2016
A few tech-savvy hotels are skipping email and social media and are directly texting their guests. Arrive Hotels which just opened in Palm Springs has done away with telephones in the guest room and instead asks guests to text the hotel for whatever they might need. Sixty LES is also embracing texting as a method of communicating with guests. Even bigger brands like Marriott and Four Seasons are texting guests, albeit through their mobile apps. While millennials who have pretty much grown up with smartphones may not be fazed by a text message sent from a hotel concierge, older guests might be, simply put, weirded out by an invasive mess...
Showcase Your Chefs To Entertain Guests
Larry Mogelonsky | July 13, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Earlier this year, I was invited up to the BMO Institute for Learning (IFL) in the suburbs of my hometown of Toronto. The purpose of my visit was to guest judge the regional IACC Copper Skillet Competition for Ontario whereby chefs operating in conference centers were given all the same ingredients and only two skillets in order to complete dishes in less than 45 minutes. As one of two evaluators alongside Rose Reisman, we marked each chef's creation based upon taste, presentation and applicability to a banqueting or catering scenario. This year's contest included: Luc McCabe from the NAV...
ALICE Expands Further in the UK, Partnering with the Brooklands Hotel, Surrey
ALICE | July 13, 2016
With Connected Conference Rooms and More, Brooklands Offers a Totally Rich Guest Online Experience Delivered through a Single, Cost-Saving Operations Platform NEW YORK and LONDON, July 13, 2016 – ALICE, a SaaS platform that completely connects the guest to the hotel, and connects all service departments within a hotel, announced that the Brooklands Hotel, Surrey, adopted its ALICE Suite solution. "We are happy to announce our partnership with the Brooklands, which operates in a market that is well positioned to benefit from our full suite of services, tailored to the property's specific needs," said Alex Shashou, ALICE's Co-Founde...
Third-Party Management Companies Move to Embrace New Technology
Concord Hospitality | July 8, 2016
Technology is a non-negotiable in the lodging industry. The exciting news is that hotels are able to use technology to provide value-added services and conveniences that personalize the guest experience in more ways than ever. The challenge is that technology is advancing at a pace that makes it nearly impossible to keep up. This is one of the areas in which a third-party management company can be especially valuable. Hotel brands typically dictate basic requirements like core property management systems, but third-party management companies have the flexibility to innovate beyond these systems and exceed basic requirements. Here are a ...
San Francisco’s Hotel Zephyr Partners with ALICE
ALICE | July 5, 2016
Guest Service Team at the 361-Room Hotel in Fisherman's Wharf Collaborate on the Hotel Industry's First-Ever Comprehensive Operations Platform - for the Benefit of Guests and the Property NEW YORK, July 5, 2016 – ALICE, a SaaS platform that completely connects all service departments within a hotel and connects the guest to the property, announced that Hotel Zephyr, one of San Francisco's newest boutique hotels, has adopted its ALICE STAFF solution. Hotel Zephyr is the first property in Davidson Hotels & Resorts' new lifestyle & luxury collection, Pivot Hotels & Resorts. ALICE STAFF is the only complete, easy to use re...
Five Ways to Make OTA Customers Yours Again
Larry Mogelonsky | June 29, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) If you've been following my writing over the years, you're well aware that I'm not a fan of the OTAs. They are strong marketers, and exceptionally well run. Now that the 'book direct' war cry has caught on with some of the major chains such as Hilton and Marriott, it's time to reinvestigate what actions you can take. In a way, I'm awed by the OTAs' clout. But, nothing personal, I see their business model as contrary to many hospitality organization's long-term goals. Three key arguments I've inculcated are margin erosion, commoditization and brand dilution. To sum them all up in a neat bow:...
GuestTek and Bulk TV Forge Relationship to Deliver Converged Solutions in Hotels
Bulk TV & Internet | June 22, 2016
Calgary, Alberta & Raleigh, North Carolina – June 22, 2016 – Combining GuestTek's OneView Managed Video Platform (MVP), a scalable platform, giving guests a true in-home entertainment experience with Bulk TV & Internet's top-notch execution of delivering DIRECTV programming services brings hotels a truly world class guest room experience. Complying with Marriott's GRE (Guestroom Entertainment) services, MVP offers a feature-rich, cost-effective solution to hotels with Coax only, wired or wireless infrastructure. With an interactive program guide, guests are able to utilize functionality including future channel listi...
Sometimes Guest Satisfaction is as Easy as Saying Hello
Larry Mogelonsky | June 22, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Hello. Bonjour. Hola. Buongiorno. Ni hao. As salam Alaykom. A basic greeting from hotel staffer to hotel guest can never go wrong. It's easy; it's fast; it's a sign that you are always welcome. Even better would be to follow-up the salutation with a simple, "How are you?" or "Can I help you with anything?" And yet, at many establishments outside of the five-star or ultra-luxury snack bracket, the only hello I get is the perfunctory one at check-in – an instance where I approach the front desk and not the other way around where an employee goes out of his or her way to offer assistance...
Infor Enhances Hotel Management in the Cloud
Infor | June 20, 2016
Infor HMS with Advanced Mobility Helps Speed Daily Operations and Improve Guest Experience for Hotels and Casinos NEW YORK - Jun 20, 2016 - Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced the availability of Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) version 3.7.4 to help hospitality customers promote a superior guest experience with enhanced industry-specific features. In today's competitive market, utilizing an integrated suite of industry-tailored applications such as Infor HMS can be a critical function to help drive brand loyalty and facilitate measu...
NYC’s Hôtel Americano Partners with ALICE
ALICE | June 16, 2016
Chelsea Hotel's Uniquely Rich Guest Experience Delivered through a Single Operations Platform, Which Also Realizes Cost Savings NEW YORK, June 16, 2016 – ALICE, a SaaS platform that completely connects the guest to the hotel, and connects all service departments within a hotel, announced that NYC's Hôtel Americano has adopted its ALICE SUITE solution. ALICE SUITE supports hotels in providing guests with "end-to-end" superior and efficient service, seamlessly, increasing guest satisfaction and realizing significant cost savings at the same time. "We are delighted to announce our partnership with Hôtel Americano, one of ...
Never Look to Fast Food for Culinary Inspiration
Larry Mogelonsky | June 15, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) During a recent Saturday afternoon trip to the mall in my hometown of Toronto, I found myself cruising through the food court looking for some grub when I came across a burger joint flaunting its new burger with 'Fiery Srirachup Sauce', using that clever portmanteau of sriracha and ketchup to make it seem as though adding hot sauce is anything new. For those of you still strictly in the meat and potatoes camp, sriracha is a tangy Southeast Asian chili sauce that has only recently become a table name, largely due to the highly adept marketing and distribution tactics of a Huy Fong Foods, Los...
Don’t Be The Weakest Link In Your Flag
Larry Mogelonsky | June 8, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Recently, I had an unfortunate experience while staying at a branded property that was clearly well past its best before date. Despite its prime location in its market and good promotional efforts, it was obvious that this chain outlet was not meeting any of the defined standards outlined by the corporate website. I won't go into details, but let's just say that this economy-plus level hotel wasn't meeting some of the most basic criteria that characterize 'a good night's stay'. Being part of a group booking, it was apparent that I was not the only one who took notice of the property's blata...
Successful Selling: Use Differentiation to Capture More Customers
Katie Scheer | June 1, 2016
By Katie Scheer For hotels, the competition for securing sales and catering business is at a high. This record-breaking level of competitive demand is not forecasted to stop any time soon, so what can hotels do to maximize the amount of business that they reel in? Differentiation is key. Differentiation can take form in many different ways. Here are the top ways to get noticed and to intrigue every prospect so much that they secure business with you: Customer Service Practices - To set yourself apart, you must be the fastest and most helpful, genuine, and proactive prospective vendor. You must exceed deadline expectations and deliver...
Hotels Must Be Better Than Home
Larry Mogelonsky | June 1, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) 'Feels just like home' or 'Make yourself at home' or any other iteration on this phrase is a common copywriting tool for hotels to create an inviting feeling for prospective travelers. While the intentions are all well and good, there is an underlying problem with this language. Namely, what does the average home actually look and feel like? Cramped spaces. Old furniture. Hodgepodges of mismatched art. No cohesive design or vision. Kids toys scattered everywhere. Messy kitchen. Bedsheets changed at a minimum of once a week. Grime in the washrooms. Mediocre garden. Nosy neighbors. Repairs up...
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