joe vargas
Choosing the Right Hospitality Suite – A Changing Landscape
Joe Vargas | April 16, 2024
By Joe Vargas Over the last couple of decades, hoteliers have been faced with two main options when upgrading hospitality management software: Acquire new point solutions that address specific challenges or adopt an integrated platform that manages multiple functions in one place. Another factor that hotels now must consider is whether to maintain legacy, on-premise systems or modernize software with the cloud. Tech-forward hoteliers know that moving to the cloud is inevitable to succeed in this competitive industry—it’s just a matter of when and how. Still, many hotels struggle to progress past legacy property management systems. T...
How Leading Hoteliers Can Put Their Tech Anxiety to Rest
Joe Vargas | February 13, 2024
By Joe Vargas Hotels are under a huge amount of pressure to digitally transform as a way to streamline operations and gain a competitive edge. Add renewed travel volumes, steep inflation, and persistent labor shortages to the mix, and hoteliers have every reason to experience elevated anxiety when it comes to their digital investments. While the “tech anxiety” phenomenon isn’t unique to hospitality, hoteliers must take note: A recent survey found that a staggering 94% of senior executives in the United States and United Kingdom report having tech anxiety. Data security, impacts on the customer experience, and adapting to disruptiv...
Leveraging Tech to Drive Employee Motivation, Guest Delight and Revenue
Joe Vargas | January 31, 2024
By Joe Vargas While there are many technologies you can invest in that provide a competitive edge, there is one resource that is infinitely valuable that you don't want to overlook: your people. Guest satisfaction is one of the key drivers of success for any hotelier, determining repeat customers and, in turn, your bottom line. While guest-centered initiatives, like expanding your amenities, are often the focus of customer loyalty, employee well-being and job fulfillment are also critically important. The feeling of being surrounded by an engaged work culture is palpable for guests, and happy employees are more likely to deliver ex...
In the Fast Lane: The Top 8 Reasons Hospitality Is Marching Fast Toward Automation in 2024
Joe Vargas | January 24, 2024
By Joe Vargas 2024 marks the shift to automation as hotels, venues, and restaurants march fast toward new technologies to transform guest experiences and reduce costs. From mobile apps and self-service kiosks to AI-powered platforms, automation is becoming ubiquitous across hotels, restaurants, and travel businesses. Recent surveys show that over 80% of hospitality operators are integrating automated systems to streamline operations, reduce human error, and optimize performance. This move towards automation is driven by a convergence of factors - changing consumer preferences, labor shortages, rising operational costs, and the need fo...
Wake-Up Call: How Staffing Shortages Spell Opportunity for Hoteliers
Joe Vargas | January 4, 2024
By Joe Vargas During the pandemic, around 70% of all hospitality workers in the United States were laid off. While travel volumes have largely returned to their 2019 levels, much of the industry’s labor force has opted not to return, choosing other opportunities and career paths instead. The severity of this issue has been highlighted in several reports. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2022, accommodation and food services had the highest churn, quit, and job opening rates of any other industry in the US. In an eye-opening survey by Deloitte, over half of hotels say that they have between 25% to 75% of the workforce the...
Decoding the Modern Guest Journey: Here’s How Hoteliers Can Stay Competitive
Joe Vargas | December 12, 2023
By Joe Vargas When booking hotels, guest journeys look very different now than they did just a few years ago. Mobile-centric consumers and ever-evolving expectations for more options transform linear touchpoints into more dynamic experiences. Guest values and social influence also play a greater role, with social media outpacing agents, publications, and entertainment as the main source of travel inspiration. Hotels still relying on outdated solutions and infrastructure designed for linear journeys of the past don’t just risk losing satisfaction and loyalty. They also miss out on accessing key guest insights—information that will he...
5 Tech-Driven Hospitality Trends to Expect in 2024 and Beyond
Joe Vargas | November 29, 2023
By Joe Vargas As we approach 2024, the hospitality industry’s landscape is set to undergo significant transformations characterized by increased personalization, automation, AI, and cybersecurity, just to name a few. Moreover, these advancements will not only redefine the guest experience but also push the boundaries of what is possible in the sector. The good news is that the outlook remains promising, with recent Expedia data revealing that almost half of people prioritize travel more now than they did pre-pandemic, and nearly 80% plan to embark on leisure travel into 2024. In fact, the global hotel industry is expected to reach a...
Summer Travel Forecast for Hoteliers: It’s Going to Be Hot
Joe Vargas | July 12, 2023
How cloud hospitality solutions can help you meet demand and keep your cool By Joe Vargas The summer vacation season is heating up for hoteliers as travelers continue to compensate for missed vacations in recent years and treat themselves to bucket-list trips. Despite inflation, hotel demand in April was only 2% below 2019 levels and spending remained on par with 2022, according to the U.S. Travel Association. According to Deloitte's 2023 summer travel survey, half of Americans are taking a leisure trip that includes paid lodging. To keep up with the robust level of current demand while delivering the ‘wow’ experiences desired ...
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