The Travel Surge Highlights the Need for Great Prearrival Communication
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | August 31, 2022
Studies Show That the Guest Self-Service Era Has Officially Begun
Venkatesh Sakamuri | August 2, 2022
Guest Experience
Enseo on Aggressive Growth Path with 5,000 Hotel Rooms Signed in Last Month
Enseo | September 24, 2014
Richardson, Texas – Enseo, an integrator of in-room technology services for the hospitality industry, recently completed contract agreements for more than 25 hotels totaling more than 5,000 rooms, making it the highest in-demand service among integrators of in-room technology. Installation is in progress in more than 60% of the properties with completion of 100% of the rooms expected by end of the year. Enseo's E3 Platform is an IP Over Coax solution and includes the industry's most advanced interactive program guide, Dish Network HD free-to-guest television programming package, mini-guide, Welcome channels, compendium services, and s...
2 Surefire Ways to Improve Your Hotel’s Customer Experience
JC Thompson | July 30, 2014
by JC Thompson As we travel the country working with clients on their revenue capture and customer experience, the most common question we hear is this: "Where do we begin the process of providing better service to customers?" The answer to this matters, because of these hard numbers (to list only a few): 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience. Perceived indifference causes 68% of customers to stop buying. How do you create more opportunities for buy-in and keep customers coming back for more? In the spirit of help...
The Evolution of Hotel Branding: The Changing Focus of Hotel Brands
HMG Hotels | June 24, 2014
by Randy Hulce Travelers who favor a particular hotel brand know what to expect when they arrive. The rooms look identical whether they are located in Maine or California. Guests don't know, or care, if the franchising company or the franchisee owns the property. Everything is the same. This is an ideal situation for property owners who wish to identify strongly with a brand. The name attracts a predictable type of guest, and the owners have fewer decisions to make. They don't have to worry about furnishings or layouts; they just have to follow the master plan. Because of the rising popularity of this enforced uniformity, many major hot...
When a Customer Says – “I Don’t Care If It’s Against Company Policy”
Steve DiGioia | April 22, 2014
By Steve DiGioia Have you ever walked into a store or been a guest at a hotel and had a problem that was "out of the ordinary"? Of course you have, it has happened to many of us. It may be that the store "sale" was over and you wanted to return a product for credit or your room was not exactly to your liking. Either way, something about the product or service you paid for did not live up to your expectations, or to the advertised sales literature. So like a good customer you mention this to your salesperson or hotel front desk agent, expecting a quick resolution to your seemingly reasonable request. Your response... "It's against compan...
The 3 Levels of a Customer Experience
Jana Love | April 22, 2014
by Jana Love Something that is always relevant and seemingly misunderstood is the Customer Experience. Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine of Outside In defines this as, "Customer Experience is how your customers perceive their interactions with your company." Here's some compelling proof on why this topic deserves focus and understanding: Over a recent 5-year period when S&P 500 was flat, a stock portfolio of customer experience leaders grew 22%! To further break down what's the "customer experience," it's the product and services you offer, how you manage your business, and what your brand stands for. It 's what a customer perceives w...
DirecTV and Weather Channel Ink Carriage Deal Ending Stormy Dispute
April 8, 2014
April 08--The storm between the Weather Channel and DirecTV has finally cleared. The network will return to the satellite television provider on Wednesday, the companies said, following a carriage dispute that had left the channel blacked out for DirecTV's 20 million customers since January. As part of the deal, the Weather Channel agreed to scale back on the amount of so-called reality programming it carries. One of the reasons DirecTV cited when dropping the channel was that it had moved too far away from its core mission of being a weather service. The loss of DirecTV was a huge blow to the Weather Channel, which tried unsuccessfully...
The New Service Recovery Paradox: Step it Up with Follow-up
Coyle Hospitality Group | April 3, 2014
The service recovery paradox is as simple as it is timeless: A dissatisfied guest who becomes satisfied is more loyal than the guest who never had a problem. What isn't so simple is the act of service recovery itself. The hospitality industry as a whole has been committed to service recovery for some time. The brands, operators and employees all understand that things happen and that part of the daily routine is handling guest complaints. What differs dramatically though is how hoteliers handle complaints, and the ones that do it well have a distinct advantage in creating loyalty. Our study reveals where the difference-makers excel. Hot...
Can Seasonal Employees Still Deliver Great Customer Service?
Steve DiGioia | February 20, 2014
by Steve DiGioia Recently I was asked to teach a customer service training class for the new hires of a ski resort. The seasonal resort just completed their job fair and had their newest set of fresh-faced recruits all ready for work; they just needed to know how to deal with their customers. In preparation, I met with the resort's management to find out some information about the new hires, if there were specific topics they want covered and what their expectations were for the class. Here is what I learned: Job Fair attendees: 200 Employees Hired: 180 Positions Hired: ski lift operator, equipment rental associate, retail store cle...
5 Phrases That Should Never Be Used in the Customer Service Business
Steve DiGioia | December 16, 2013
by Steve DiGioia "Customer Service" is a term that too frequently is used as a catch-all for the experience received or given in today's business world. But what customer service is to me may be different from what it is to you and what you expect, or tolerate. It's strange that I mention tolerate since that is exactly what most of us have been doing when we are on the receiving-end of many service businesses. We wait in long lines because the business didn't schedule enough staff to work the cash registers. We search down aisle after aisle to find an employee so we can ask where something is or if they have a particular product in stor...
Industry Preview: Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW) 2013
Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW) | October 14, 2013
By Lawrence Dvorchik,General Manager & Chief Content Officer, Customer Engagement Technology World What can you expect at Customer Engagement Technology World (CETW) this year? You'll be interested in hearing from South by Southwest (SXSW) Events' Scott Wilcox, a member of the Board of Directors for SXSW and their Director of Technology, about how they create communities through myriad technologies, including mobile apps, digital signage, social media, kiosks, Wi-Fi, streaming, RFID, QR codes, and a host of custom software. A big theme of the event is Customer Engagement Must Be 360 Degrees, 365 Days a Year, an issue that Dunkin' D...
Chestnut Hotel, a Brand-New Boutique Property in Morgantown, WV Celebrates Grand Opening
The Chestnut Boutique Hotel | September 28, 2013
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The Chestnut Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Morgantown, celebrated the official Grand Opening this week. As Morgantown's only boutique hotel, the venue has already received excellent reviews from out-of-town guests and the local community through TripAdvisor and YELP. Located at 345 Chestnut Street, the hotel is just steps away from local shopping, theatre, museums and transportation. The property features 41 oversized guest rooms and suites. Each room is uniquely decorated, and includes luxury bedding with Tivoli Elegance Pillow-Top mattresses, 42-inch LED television with DIRECTV, in-room safe, co...
Service Excellence: Find a Way To Make It Happen / Bryan Williams
B.Williams Enterprise | August 6, 2013
"As long as it is legal, ethical, and moral, find a way to make it happen". That was the directive which was programmed into my brain very early in my career. I remember it vividly. It was on my first day of work at new employee orientation at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas in 1996. The general manager passionately spoke about the need "to move heaven and earth to delight" our guests and creating memorable experiences everyday. Although I worked in a luxury property before, it was obvious that this was another level of service excellence altogether. I love exceptional service, and I love people who are passionate about giving exceptional ...
Service Excellence 101: The Smile Reserve
B.Williams Enterprise | July 12, 2013
by Bryan Williams Some people believe that they have a limited supply ofkindness. After the first ten people, for example, their "smile reserve" will dry up, and there will be no more smiles for anyone else. Their "anticipate needs" reserve will be empty, and their "learn preferences" reserve will be depleted. They feel like they can't actually be nice to every customer they meet. It's not possible! Or is it? Commuter flight Recently, I was on board a small commuter plane that was staffed with one flight attendant. The first person to board the plane was an elderly lady, and I saw the attendant give her a warm hug and big smile before s...
PAR Springer-Miller Systems Extends the Atrio® Platform with the Addition of Atrio POS
PAR Springer-Miller Systems, Inc. | June 25, 2013
The Industry's First Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based POS System June 26, 2013 - New Hartford, NY - PAR Springer-Miller Systems, Inc. (PSMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE:PAR) and the leading provider of guest-centric hospitality management systems announced today the newest module of the ATRIO Hospitality Technology Platform, ATRIO POS. With ATRIO, PSMS pioneered and delivered a new generation of technology for the industry by moving the hospitality industry to The Cloud, creating a new user experience, and thereby a new way of doing business. ATRIO POS, the next generation point of sale system, reduces the Tot...
- 41 of 41
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 39
- 40
- 41
1
Industry Happenings
2
Technology
3
Operations
4
All Things Independent
5
Market Reports
Today's News
Fragile Global Economy Clamps Down on Hotel Performance
School Break Data Suggests Subtle Boosts, Sizable Squeezes to Travel Demand During Fall 2022
When Sales and Customer Service Collide
Trinity Investments Acquires Hyatt Regency Greenwich
As the first news aggregate for the hotel industry, Hotel-Online is the industry’s must-read daily news source for everything hotel curated for busy professionals. Sign up today for industry news delivered to your inbox.