guest experience
AI May Make Mistakes, But It Won’t Shoot a Customer
Shep Hyken | July 25, 2024
Customers are not yet 100% comfortable with AI technology. It still makes mistakes, which is frustrating. Consider these findings from our annual customer service and CX research (sponsored by RingCentral): 70% of customers said they would rather use the phone than self-service solutions including AI-fueled technologies like ChatGPT or voice recognition software. 63% of customers are frustrated when using AI or ChatGPT technologies. 56% of customers admit to being scared of AI and ChatGPT. Even with customers’ concerns and trepidation about interacting with an AI-fueled chatbot or voice recognition technol...
Amadeus Improves Sales, Meeting & Event Planning With Enhanced Delphi® Experience
Amadeus | July 25, 2024
A newly enhanced and expanded sales and catering suite of solutions will allow hotels of all sizes to maximize efficiency and profitability July 25, 2024 - Group business is top of mind for hoteliers in 2024, with new research finding that hoteliers are prioritizing ways to strengthen customer relationships, to improve outreach with new and repeat business, and to plan and execute events more effectively. Recognizing this, Amadeus has harnessed over three decades of expertise to develop an enhanced Delphi solution. Designed to support teams from sales lead to execution, Delphi has been updated to better meet the needs of any hotel, no matte...
Hotel Food and Beverage Trends: Shaping the Future of Hospitality
Nasir Zahir | July 24, 2024
Hotel Food and Beverage Trends: Shaping the Future of Hospitality The hotel food and beverage (F&B) sector is constantly evolving, adapting to the changing preferences and expectations of guests. Here are some of the key trends shaping the future of hotel F&B: 1. Health and Wellness: With an increasing focus on health and wellness, hotels are offering more nutritious and balanced menu options. Guests are seeking organic, gluten-free, and vegan dishes, pushing hotels to incorporate fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Smoothie bars, juice stations, and wellness-focused dining experiences are becoming common, catering to the health-con...
Pick Up Your Calls to Pick Up More Bookings!
Doug Kennedy | July 23, 2024
The more important the trip, the more likely they are to pick up the phone. Despite the pundits’ predictions, the phones continue to ring with incoming reservations leads even now in the mid-2020s, and yes, even at branded hotels across all segments. I’m sure some readers are thinking “Well not us. The majority of our rooms are booked online.” Yet if you listen to real phone calls from real callers, as KTN’s QA team does daily through our remote call scoring process, you realize that many people call with questions before booking online, whether at an OTA or the hotel’s direct website. Other guests book first and then call wit...
Don’t Throw Fellow Employees Under the Bus
Shep Hyken | July 18, 2024
By Shep Hyken I couldn’t hold back. I told an employee to stop complaining about her fellow employees in front of us, her customers. Here’s the story. My wife and I were at a restaurant. The server seemed pleasant and professional, but as our food was delivered, we saw a different side of her. There was a mistake in the order. The side dishes we received were not the ones we chose. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. She could either take our meals back to the kitchen or let us keep our meals and bring out the side dishes we ordered. But to the server, it was a big deal. She started to complain about how this happens “...
Tale of Two Travel Markets: High-End Hotel Segments See Steady Guest Satisfaction Improvement, While More Affordable Hotel Segments Post Declines, J.D
J.D. Power | July 16, 2024
Higher Room Rates, Longer Stays and Fewer Trips Put Focus on Quality of Guest Rooms and Hotel Maintenance TROY, Mich.: 16 July 2024 — With an average daily rate (ADR) for a U.S. hotel room of $158.45 in May 2024—the second-highest month ever behind $159.01 in October 20231—virtually every traveler in every hotel price bracket is paying more for a hotel room. According to the J.D. Power 2024 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study,SM released today, travelers’ perceived value for those higher prices is very much dependent on how well the hotel delivers on their expectations. This year, the luxury and upper upsca...
Navigating the Complex World of Conversational AI – Part 2
Travel Outlook, the premier hotel call center™ | July 16, 2024
AI's Role in Hospitality: Enhancing Guest Experience with Conversational AI By John Smallwood, President of Travel Outlook July 2024 As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool that allows hoteliers to unlock new levels of efficiency. Not all AI is created equal, and what works for one industry may not work for another. In our previous post, we explored the fundamental questions hoteliers should ask when considering AI solutions, focusing on how AI can provide guests with a warm, engaging, and personalized experience. Continue reading below as we dive into the conversati...
Lessons From Gaming: What Can Hospitality Learn From Video Games?
Mews | July 11, 2024
Are you a PlayStation pro or a Nintendo novice? From consoles to PCs to phones, gaming is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with estimates valuing the worldwide market at around $350 billion. Even if your gaming experience doesn’t go beyond Pac Man or Candy Crush, there are still plenty of valuable takeaways from this innovative industry. Let’s look at how gaming can inspire us to greater hospitality – no cheat codes required. Ready, player one? The power of customization In the early 80s, games began to incorporate a radical new feature: customization. At first it was very simple: players could change their character’s name....