The Importance of Training and Onboarding Staff in a Post-Pandemic World
Jeff Venza | April 8, 2021
Ground Zero and Your Brand’s Image
Travel Outlook | March 25, 2021
Operations
Sage Hotel Management Adds Canopy by Hilton Washington D.C. Bethesda North to Portfolio
Sage Hospitality | January 7, 2021
Sage Hotel Management, a Sage Hospitality Group company, announced today the addition of Canopy by Hilton Washington D.C. Bethesda North to its portfolio of managed hotels. “We are thrilled to welcome this stunning property into the Sage family,” said Daniel del Olmo, President and COO of Sage Hotel Management. “The Canopy brand, and this property in particular, are a perfect fit for our company and our growing portfolio of more than 50 lifestyle hotels across the country. We look forward to working with our new partners at Federal (NYSE: FRT), as their business priorities and company ethos are very well aligned with that of Sag...
Mondrian South Beach Selects Advantage Reserve to Optimize Reservations Sales, Deliver Visibility Into Guest Data
Advantage Reserve | January 6, 2021
Fort Lauderdale, FL, January 6, 2020 — Advantage Reserve, the leading provider of high-quality central reservations services to the hospitality industry, has announced that Mondrian South Beach, a newly renovated, 220-room waterfront property on Miami Beach’s Biscayne Bay, has selected its services to enhance the guest experience, increase reservations conversions, and gain deeper insights into guest data. Located on Miami Beach’s West Avenue, Mondrian South Beach recently experienced a $20-million property-wide transformation, introducing a completely refreshed design throughout the hotel. A sophisticated casual elegance ties togeth...
Choice Hotels Partners With Gulf Coast Hotel Management for Conversion of 15 Hotels to MainStay Suites
Choice Hotels | January 4, 2021
ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 4, 2021 -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has awarded franchise agreements to Gulf Coast Hotel Management, Inc. to convert 15 MainStay Suites hotels in major markets across the U.S., the largest multi-unit transaction in the brand's history. These properties, which have already begun welcoming guests, significantly increase the brand's foothold in the midscale extended stay segment. These 15 hotels combined add nearly 1,700 rooms to the Choice Hotels portfolio and are located in the following cities: Centennial, Colorado Meriden, Connecticut Altamonte Springs, Florida Hoffman Estates, Il...
Do Masks Make a Difference in Customer Perception of Service Quality in Hotels and Restaurants?
Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu | December 16, 2020
By Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu As COVID-19 spreads person to person through respiratory droplets, U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone wears a mask when they are around other people (CDC, 2020). As such, many companies have enforced mask wearing policy for their customers and employees (Markowitz, 2020). As a result, many people have started to use masks in the United States. It is noteworthy that while it is new to American culture, mask wearing is common in some Asian cultures (Beglin, 2020). [caption id="attachment_253344" align="aligncenter" width="974"] Figure 1: Type of service person and mask types used...
Amadeus Renews Long-Standing Relationship With IHG® for Business Intelligence Solutions
Amadeus | December 15, 2020
The continued exclusive endorsement of Amadeus' Demand360®, Agency360®, and RevenueStrategy360TM solutions provide the insight needed to increase booking demand and revenue 2020 has brought unprecedented change to the hospitality industry. Hoteliers face significant challenges in identifying opportunities to drive booking demand and establish the most effective distribution strategies to fill short and longer-term occupancies. The historical data they once relied on to build their revenue strategies no longer aligns with current market trends. Today, it is critical that hoteliers have access to comprehensive, accurate, and timely busines...
What Exactly Are Owners Looking for From Their GM’s When It Comes to the Operational Finances?
David Lund | December 14, 2020
The Slick Talk Interview - David Lund & Interviewing for Financial Success for Your Hotel In this hard hitting interview you will learn what to tell your owner about how you're going to successfully manage their asset. What are the leadership strategies you will use to generate a superior return on their investment? How will you show up as the number one and instill confidence and lead your team around the money piece? If you're looking for the silver lining in all that is Covid in the hotel industry right now and getting your aspiring career back on track, then you are not going to want to miss this one....
Corporate Governance Study: Lodging Boards 2020
Keith Kefgen | December 9, 2020
By: Keith Kefgen, New York | Terry Donovan, New York The hotel/travel industry has been particularly hard hit by COVID. Many of the industry’s venerable brands have had to do the unthinkable, furlough or layoff significant percentages of their workforce. Many executives and even board directors have taken pay cuts during this health crisis. We wonder how this pandemic will impact corporate governance and the tough decisions facing public hotel/travel companies. We have been studying governance practices in the industry for nearly two decades and we have seen huge strides in the quality of board practices. Our study this year examined ...
Knowcross Announces Launch of Covid-19 Ready Know Housekeeping
Knowcross | December 3, 2020
London – December 3, 2020 - Knowcross, the world’s leading service quality management platform announce the release of the updated, COVID-19 Ready KNOW Housekeeping. The enhanced solution was designed with direct input from Knowcross’s diverse customer base, faced with new challenges to streamline their operations due to ever-changing government guidelines and the introduction of new SOPs related to COVID-19. Cleanliness has always been a core value of any respected hotel but few could have predicted how important cleanliness, health, and safety have become. In the era of COVID-19, hotels are under extreme pressure to not only raise ...
Infor Launches Hospitality Management Cloud Solution Based on Amazon Web Services in China to Spur Digital Transformation Among Chinese Hotels
Infor | December 2, 2020
Rich capabilities allow hoteliers to centralize cross-platform hospitality management systems; AWS partnership ensures stability and security of data in the cloud BEIJING – Dec. 1, 2020 – Infor today announced the launch of Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) in China together with AWS China (Ningxia) Region (operated by Ningxia Western Cloud Data – NWCD). The launch is aimed at helping more customers in China’s hospitality management industry rapidly implement seamless solutions that streamline operations, with the overall goal to provide enhanced guest services and experiences. Infor HMS is a hotel property management...
Aimbridge Hospitality’s International Division Assumes Management of 31 Hotels in the United Kingdom
Aimbridge Hospitality | December 2, 2020
Interstate Hotels & Resorts selected to manage Jupiter Hotels’ UK portfolio [PLANO, Texas – December 2, 2020] Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, has announced that its international division, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, is managing 31 Jupiter Hotels located across the United Kingdom this month, operating its entire U.K. portfolio. Mike Deitemeyer, President and CEO-elect of Aimbridge Hospitality, said, “Aimbridge is very pleased to see continued momentum in our International division. Our deep operating acumen and vast experience across all hospitality verticals have continued t...
Clairvoyix Adds Contactless Guest Engagement and Digital Team Operations Suite With Fetch Integration
Fetch | November 19, 2020
Leading hotel marketing automation system integrates with digital guest engagement platform to empower hotels and further improve campaign ROI using service intelligence. LAS VEGAS, NV (November 19, 2020) – Two things are top of mind for hotels as they begin their recovery: acquiring guests and operating safely. Clairvoyix has partnered with Fetch to provide hotels one integrated platform to achieve these goals. Clairvoyix supported properties can now use Fetch to ensure safe high-quality guest experiences with proactive contactless guest engagement while leveraging guest satisfaction data to create targeted and personalized marketing ...
Unity in a Virtual Workplace – How to Unite Disparate Teams to Work as One
Travel Outlook | November 18, 2020
John Smallwood, CEO Travel Outlook Allison Ahrens, President Hospitality Revenue Solutions November 2020 In addition to the large human cost that COVID-19 has had on the world, its effect on the hospitality industry has been unprecedented. Because COVID has taken more jobs out of the office and further online, companies have been forced to look at how they can keep their teams united in the virtual workplace. Having previously written about silos in the workplace, this article looks at the “new norm” for hotels as they seek to unite disparate teams seeking to work as one. ...
6 Tips for Benchmarking Your Way to Success
HotStats | November 17, 2020
Like it or not, your hotel is in the middle of a race with the competition — although the current hotel climate may feel more like an obstacle course. Wouldn’t it be nice if, during this ongoing marathon, you could peek across at competitors, note their positions and analyze the techniques, equipment and other factors propelling them forward? That’s the magic of hotel benchmarking. It reveals the financial performance of the whole field, breaks down the factors contributing to each hotel’s position and highlights how your hotel can improve its financial standing. Ready to learn how to benchmark your hotel against competitors and...
Mass Rollout Bringing 900 Hotels Onto Maestro PMS Browser Version 5.5 in 2020 at No Cost to Clients
Maestro | November 17, 2020
Maestro shows its 43+ year service commitment by implementing portfolio-wide PMS upgrade to better prepare independent operators for the ‘new normal’ Markham, Ontario, November 17, 2020 — Maestro, hospitality’s most trusted provider of property- management systems for independent and luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups, is nearing completion of a portfolio-wide version upgrade of its latest Browser and Windows Versions. The provider offers complete flexibility to deploy it’s feature identical Browser PMS Suite of solutions either cloud-hosted, self-hosted, in your own private cloud or o...
Hotel Management Company RFQ for a New-Build, Branded Lifestyle Hotel in the Ohio City Neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio
NEWMARK VALUATION & ADVISORY | November 12, 2020
On behalf of and by direction of a Cleveland, Ohio-based commercial real estate development firm, Newmark Valuation & Advisory is pleased to request qualifications from experienced hotel management companies for a hotel development in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Mixed-use developments at the site are planned to include market-rate apartments, leased retail and restaurant space, and the new-build hotel. The developer is seeking an operator for the hotel component only. Within the Request for Qualifications (RFQ), we provide an overview of the developer, summarize details regarding the proposed hotel and overall projec...
Five Ways Focused Service Hotels Can Increase Direct Voice Bookings
Doug Kennedy | November 11, 2020
By Doug Kennedy Although they are generally outperforming other lodging segments, most if not all focused and selective service hotels are looking to build occupancy and rate. Indeed, hoteliers can and should continue to focus on digital marketing opportunities to the full extent. However, let us not forget some old-school “analog” ways to generate revenue. Here are a few ideas for training and development. • Offer a small cash incentive for every voice booking secured by the front desk. I know some leaders will say that taking voice bookings is already part of the job description, but I can tell you from experience that mon...
Resolving Covid-Related Staffing Problems With Management Software
Larry Mogelonsky | November 11, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) We’re well on our way into the ‘next normal’ – a catch-all term differing from the more binary ‘new normal’ that inscribes the several of successive post-pandemic phases where operational shifts are required. What we know what our current near future is that hotels need to keep staffing costs low in order to breakeven with stricter cleaning protocols and fewer guests reserving rooms or amenities. This can in turn mean that frontline teams are often overworked and put into unfamiliar circumstances, thereby leading to morale and retention problems as well as service errors...
How to Better Manage Conference and Banqueting When It Returns
HotStats | October 28, 2020
Let’s face it: Even discussing conference and banqueting business right now drips of tone deafness. We get it: There’s not much of it on the books. According to HotStats data, year-to-date revenue from conference and banqueting is down 72% to $8.38 per available room compared to the same period last year. The days of the iced-over raw bar are over, for now. The regret is that conference and banqueting, based on normal times, has the potential to bring in a heaping helping of revenue. One study by Oxford Economics saw that eventgoers spent $38 billion in direct sales in 2016. Those events also generated 300 million room nights. ...
TraknProtect Adds New LTE Gateways to Platform
TraknProtect | October 27, 2020
Solution Bypasses Hotel’s Wi-Fi to Communicate Directly With the TraknProtect Cloud Chicago, Illinois, October 27, 2020 – TraknProtect, a pioneer of location-based technology purpose-built for the hotel industry and a leading employee safety button provider for several major hotel brands, has unveiled powerful new technology to the TraknProtect Platform that delivers the capability to have LTE Gateways connect via a private network to communicate directly with the TraknProtect Cloud. The TraknProtect Platform currently works when a safety button is activated, the safety button emits a BLE beacon signal that the TraknProtect BLE-Wi-Fi ...
Hotel Kansas City Taps Knowland to Prospect Group Business Ahead of Grand Opening
Knowland | October 21, 2020
New boutique hotel in Kansas City, Mo. prepares group sales lead generation to amplify meeting revenue ahead of grand opening in 2021 ARLINGTON, Va. — (October 21, 2020) —Opening a new property requires not only the right environment and the right location, it also requires industry-leading prospecting tools to help sales build out their group business pipeline. Knowland, the leader in group hospitality analytics for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, conference centers and other meeting venues, was selected by the newly opened Hotel Kansas City, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, to help increase group business for its 20,...
BirchStreet Systems Partners With Industry Leader Highgate on Payment Processing Solution
BirchStreet Systems | October 20, 2020
NEWPORT BEACH, California – BirchStreet Systems, the market leader in procure-to-pay software for the hospitality industry, announces it has partnered with Highgate, a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company. Through this new partnership, BirchStreet will deliver its state-of-the-art payment solution to 160 Highgate hotels worldwide. “BirchStreet’s domain expertise in both payments and hospitality procurement gave us the confidence to select them as our partner to help streamline and automate our payment processes,” said Joseph Klam, Chief Accounting Officer at Highgate. “The ease of use and fast deploym...
ALICE and Vocera Partner to Improve Hotel Communication and Workflows
ALICE | October 13, 2020
Technology integration to help increase safety for employees and guests New York, NY – Oct. 13th, 2020 -- ALICE, a leading hospitality operations and management platform, now integrates with the hands-free Vocera Badge and Vocera Smartbadge from Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), a leader in communication and workflow solutions. Interoperability between ALICE and these intelligent mobile devices enables hotels around the world to improve operational efficiency and increase safety for employees and guests. “Innovative technology is essential for hotels as they adapt to new standards of operating procedures and guest demands in ...
Why Independent Call Centers Often Outshine Hotel Brands
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservation Call Center Services | October 7, 2020
Most hotels have suffered a major decline in sales leads from reliable digital channels. Can the voice channel pick up the slack and drive direct bookings? Doug Kennedy, President of the renowned Kennedy Training Network, certainly believes it can. In the following interview, Kennedy discusses why the voice channel matters more than ever, and how hotels can convert more phone inquiries. He also discusses why well-trained independent call centers often outperform hotel brands. Interviewer: What are the most interesting and rewarding parts of your job? Doug: I would say the most interesting part is that I get to work with an incr...
Does Quality Assurance, as We Know It, Have a Future?
Jochen Ehrhardt | October 6, 2020
By Jochen Ehrhardt Hotel group revenues are down by as much as 90% across the boards for the second quarter of 2020. The third quarter isn't looking much better, with many hotels only re-opening in the fourth quarter. The global demand-reduced crisis is here to stay and any recovery to 2019 levels is expected to take years, not months. As a result, hotels are forced to cut costs wherever possible: Anything that is not considered an essential part of the core business is put to the test. Quality Assurance falls into this category, raising the question whether traditional Quality Assurance hasn't been an anachronism for some time anywa...
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