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Guest Experience
Courtyard by Marriott Earns Top Customer Experience Ratings for Hotels, in Temkin Group’s Annual Survey
Temkin Group | March 20, 2017
WABAN, Mass., March, 20 2017 -- Courtyard by Marriott delivers the best customer experience in the Hotels industry, according to the 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual customer experience ranking of companies based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers. Courtyard by Marriott took the top spot out of the 23 hotels included in this year's ratings, earning a score of 77% and coming in 38th place overall out of 331 companies across 20 industries. Fairfield Inn, Marriott, and Radisson all tied for second place, each with a rating of 76% and a rank of 47th overall. The ratings of all the category called "Hotels & Rooms"...
Why We Made Package Management a Distinct Component of Our Concierge Technology
ALICE | March 19, 2017
Most front of house hotel systems do not consider package management an important toolset for the concierge and front desk, but they should. ______________ As the number of packages we receive continues to break new records year over year, many of those packages are finding their way to your hotel. Maintaining a real-time, easily accessible log of guest items, like packages, is therefore of increasing importance to the front desk and concierge roles. And guest items aren't just restricted to packages. Hotels are often responsible for storing lost and found items, amenities for use, like umbrellas, adapters, and extra guest beds, and gue...
Hotel Sales: “Why Do Our Rates Change? We Discount When It’s Slower!”
Doug Kennedy | March 17, 2017
By Doug Kennedy Every day your hotel sales, reservations and front desk colleagues are fielding questions from both prospects and guests regarding why it is that the rates are so much higher during certain periods as compared to other dates. For convention hotels, the question might be "Why are the rates so much higher in mid-October than July?" For the catering sales manager the question is: "Why is the F&B minimum spend for my wedding so much higher on a Saturday in May or June?" For beach resorts the rate objection is "Why are rates higher for July 4th?" At mountain ski resorts it's the opposite, as most rate objections occur for...
InFISHigate This Underrated Menu Choice
Larry Mogelonsky | March 15, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) As health eating takes the world by storm, many people are adopting strict or esoteric diets that are becoming commonplace in any urban area. Vegetarians, vegans, paleo, raw diet – all must be appeased. As a staunch meat-lover, I can't fully grasp those who stave off cow and lamb entirely. But if I had to, I could give up red meat and poultry, but never fish. There are so many regional varieties and flavors of fish that I simply couldn't go without getting my krill fill each and every week. It's a fantastic protein compromise on the spectrum of striploin to tempeh. Smack full of omega...
Would You Buy From You?
Jana Love | March 15, 2017
By Jana Love I challenge all of you sales people out there to answer one question ~ honestly. Would you buy from you? Consider all you bring to your sales table, your approach, the words you choose, your voice, your appearance, and mannerisms. Would you get the attention of the perspective buyer, or would they continue their search? The sales person, in the beginning, is the initial attraction to the product being sold. The importance of this moment in the sales process can't be overlooked or underestimated. If the perspective buyer can't connect with the sales person, they often won't even consider what is being sold. Over ...
“There Are Only So Many Outlook Calendar Notifications You Can Send Yourself”
ALICE | March 13, 2017
How the Front Desk Team at The Ludlow Hotel New York Uses Purpose-Built Technology for the Transparency and Accountability A Shared Email Inbox Can't Provide New York, NY -- The front desk at The Ludlow Hotel New York is using ALICE's Front Office software, ALICE Concierge, to improve their management of guest requests across the 10-person team. The Ludlow Hotel, a BD Hotels property and 175-room boutique in New York's trendy Lower East Side neighborhood, has seen a significant drop in guest complaints since migrating their concierge operations to the ALICE platform in June 2016. Prior to using ALICE, Ludlow's front desk managed concier...
ProfitSword Partners with Formula 4 Racing Team
ProfitSword | March 13, 2017
Orlando, FL – March 13, 2017 – ProfitSword has taken a giant step outside the box by sponsoring Blake Mount and his Formula 4 racing team for the 2017 season. The continued rapid growth and expansion of ProfitSword's offerings has illuminated a multitude of new possibilities for the leading hospitality B.I. solutions provider. With the goal of reaching out to new markets, ProfitSword believes the exposure to a new audience can only have positive ramifications. According to Tili Findley, co-owner of ProfitSword, the sponsorship of Blake Mount's car is a great way to reach a huge audience of prospective business owners in indu...
How Hotels are Using Art to Attract Experiential Guests
Ron Tully | March 9, 2017
By Ron Tully A decade and a few years after the new millennium, the tourism and hospitality industry have become witness of the rise of the newest breed of tourists and travelers alike, who are slowly dominating the globetrotting population. 'Millenials', as they are collectively called are individuals who are described as attention-seekers, modern and those who crave for learning while they travel. Fortunately, one of the newest and booming trends in hospitality and tourism is arts to quench their thirst. In previous years, hotel across the world have started to adapt the newest trend in the industry. Today, art is no longer merely for...
Looking Ahead Nine Months For Hotel Technology
Larry Mogelonsky | March 8, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) When it comes to technology, hotels are often seen as laggards to adoption, but I don't see this as the case. Quite the opposite in fact, with our resources and the diverse range of operations, the next nine months of 2017 should prove to be exciting times for new hardware and software installations, but only if you have vision. To help you stay on the forefront of what's available to help grow your business, here are five industry trends as well as a few companies that I consider to be game-changers for the remainder of the calendar year. 1. Energy efficiency everywhere. Whether or not you...
3 Ways Your Independent Hotel Can Go From Good to Great
Hotelogix | March 8, 2017
The rise of millennial travelers has had drastic implications of the landscape of hospitality. No longer do the evolved chains hold all the aces when it comes to attracting guests from around the world – millennials are after experiences, and will choose even an independent property if it can guarantee them a great stay. However, they still do expect a minimum standard of service. The writing is on the wall – make sure your independent hotel can meet these modest requirements and you're on your way to establishing your property's long term future. Fortunately for hoteliers, the onset of cloud computing has opened the floodga...
How to Follow-up on Voice Reservations Inquiries With Personalized Emails and Phone Calls
Doug Kennedy | March 2, 2017
By Doug Kennedy If you're like most hotel marketing and revenue leaders, chances are that one of your major near term strategic goals is to drive more direct bookings and thus reduce the costs of customer acquisition. Certainly this strategy calls for finding ways to drive traffic to your website and make it easy for them to book there right now. However, while many guests will book online, others prefer to first speak directly with a credible reservations agent. Generally, the higher the rate, the longer the stay, and the more they guest has a personal interest in the visit (such leisure guests) the more likely they are to call. To con...
“A Little Bit of Magic in the Everyday:” How ALICE Concierge Helps This Nashville Concierge
ALICE | March 1, 2017
This is a guest post from Erik Rocca, Lead Concierge with Thompson Nashville. "A hotel in the middle of the night can be a magical place" - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's absolutely true...There is something fundamentally beautiful about a hotel shrouded in the intrigue and mist of the evening. Whether it's exploring the ancient echoes of an old European hotel, or navigating the angles and curves of a brand new architectural property, the nighttime yields a certain romance. It was with this in mind that my hotel, and I must say a brand new hotel, designed a very special amenity to be delivered to guests ...
The Need for Hotel Careers in the Face of the Gig Economy
Larry Mogelonsky | March 1, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) As the gig economy continues to take hold in various industries, it is also changing how we think about our chosen line of work. The 9-to-5 office is eroding while working from home and working when you want behaviors are gaining widespread acceptance. The impacts for hotels are manifold. At its core, this freelancer economy promotes a transient approach to wage earning. That is, you get exactly what you put into it and not a penny more. The more you work, the more money you make, with a few demand-based algorithms to keep rates attuned to market pressures. Further, there's little emotional...
Is Technological Ageism an Issue in Hospitality?
Larry Mogelonsky | February 23, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Ageism has always been a part of our social fabric, but whereas in the past it was standard to venerate the old for their experience and sagacity, nowadays the situation has been flipped somewhat due to the rapid proliferation of technology. With all the new devices, new media and new apps, it has become increasingly difficult for those who are proverbially 'set in their ways' and without young, sponge-like brains to keep up. Much like how we abridge complex social stratifications into 'the have and the have-nots', we are likewise experiencing a generational movement with regard to 'the tec...
Mr. Ring Wants A Table For Two At Restaurant Romance: How ALICE Concierge Helps It Happen
ALICE | February 22, 2017
SIXTY's Head Concierge explains how ALICE Concierge has his back when it comes to guest requests. By Noah Lemaich, Head Concierge, SIXTY Hotels. One of my big fears as a concierge (especially when I was starting out) is missing even a single guest request. If I forget to make dinner plans for myself, no big deal, I can always order in. However, missing a guest's dinner request has the potential for ruining an entire stay and the guest's likelihood to return to us. I'd love to show you how ALICE has my back throughout a single guest request. While names and places are clearly made up (a good concierge always respects our guest's privacy...
What’s Your Opinion on Tattoos in the Hotel Workplace
Larry Mogelonsky | February 15, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) This is a topic you should definitely review with your HR director. Does a sentence appear in your hiring policy to specify whether or not a candidate is permitted to have any visible tattoos? Or, while unwritten, have you or someone within your organization ever dismissed potential applicants outright on this basis? If you have answered affirmatively to either of these two statements, it may be time to re-evaluate your hiring practices. While discriminatory cases involving skin art have yet to reach the spotlight in our court systems, modifying an outright ban in your internal policies is ...
For 2017, Resolve to do Something About Your Hotel’s Package Problem
ALICE | February 13, 2017
In recent years, the package situation at many hotels has become untenable. This is especially true for hotels where the concierge and front desk are responsible for package management, because concierge technology today doesn't account for package management alongside the other requirements of the job. ALICE Concierge is the first concierge technology on the market that helps concierges with a dedicated package management toolkit, in addition to all the other concierge-supporting functions of the technology platform. Each year, more and more packages get delivered. In the one month between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, an estim...
Making Wine and Chocolate Pairings Work for You
Larry Mogelonsky | February 8, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Chocolate is a highly romantic food for the fast-approaching Valentine's Day and, of course, wine goes with just about any meal, so why not bring the two together? While you might not have any many options as a wine and cheese tasting, pairing chocolate with these grape-based liquors may be just the ticket to winning the hearts and minds of incoming guests. You can apply this concept as a small-plate amuse bouche, an appetizer, a dessert or as part of some other cocoa-infused main. Furthermore, much like any other edible staple with a bourgeois cachet, chocolate is also in the midst of an a...
Safeguarding the Future of the Concierge Through Technology: Why Your Concierge Needs a Modern-Day Toolset
ALICE | February 6, 2017
Few roles in the hotel have been as affected by technology as that of the concierge. Mobile internet and apps have decreased the reliance of most guests on the concierge, while at the same time changing the relationship concierges have with their own workplace tools. ALICE Concierge is a modern-day toolset for concierges that acknowledges the demands of today's guests, as well as concierges' own expectations of technology. It's a product attuned to the challenges and opportunities of the modern concierge role, and the importance of the concierge role to the hotel when it comes to guest engagement and service differentiation. What about ...
Be Wary Of Double Deviations This Year
Larry Mogelonsky | February 1, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) The following article pertains to an incident at a hotel that happened late last fall pertaining to something called a 'double deviation'. Please read through this short story, and then do your best to ensure that your hotel doesn't succumb to this most gravest of service errors. A wedding in the family served a worthy excuse for a Saturday night sojourn to a resort hotel in a small city two hours away from my hometown of Toronto. The venue was immaculate, the bride was stunning, the speeches were uproarious, the food was great and the whole shebang went off without a hitch. But an issue ar...
Is the Inability to Charge Mobile Devices Adding Friction to Your Guests’ Experiences?
Dave Weinstein | January 30, 2017
By Dave Weinstein With a new year comes new buzzwords. For 2017, it appears that "Frictionless" is the way to be. For hoteliers, it means creating a consistent experience across all touchpoints along the guest's journey. It means enabling guests to conduct transactions easily and instantly. In most cases, those transactions are digital, and they typically involve a mobile device of some kind. Today's smartphone is a magic wand of sorts. You can use it to instantly connect you to another person who could be on the other side of the room or across the globe. You use it to change TV channels, control room temperature, purchase items, split...
Deliver QUALITY Customer Experiences to Your Customers
Katie Scheer | January 27, 2017
By Katie Scheer What can set you apart from your competitors is your ability to provide quality to your customers. This is more than just the design, style, usefulness, and condition of the product or service you are delivering. This is taking it past these logical elements of what you are selling by delivering a quality, focused customer experience. How do you do it? Going beyond processes, procedures, and your tangible product or intangible service, you can provide quality customer experiences by incorporating these concepts into your business standards: Provide An Individualized Experience- No one likes to be treated like a number...
Upgrading Your Beverages Also Means New Glassware
Larry Mogelonsky | January 25, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) "You have chosen…wisely," is what the immortal knight says to Indiana Jones after he drinks from the Holy Grail – an unsuspecting wooden cup hidden among a swath of poisonous chalices and jeweled goblets. I'm reminded of this scene at the climax of The Last Crusade whenever I have to make a decision as to how best to pair a chosen wine with its appropriately suitable glassware. Not that it is a blatant faux pas to mismatch wine and glass (at least not in my circle of friends), but proper etiquette should be followed wherever possible. Not only do shape and size affect aroma and...
The New Food for 2017 is ‘Starchy’ Fruit
Larry Mogelonsky | January 18, 2017
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) With 2016 dubbed 'The Year of the Pulse' by the United Nations with beans cited for their versatility as both an energy and protein source in addition to their potent health benefits, it is time once more to declare 2017 as a banner year for something else. While many chefs are still searching for new and clever ways to infuse legumes into their menus, it is nevertheless every hotelier's duty as a benefactor for food innovation to be on the lookout for the best big thing. This year, I'm not waiting for the UN to make its proclamation; I am telling you today to start looking at starchy fruit...
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