kennedy training network
Hotel Sales: When Product, Process, Place, and Price Are the Same, People Make the Difference
Doug Kennedy | June 7, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Despite the efforts of brand leaders to create meaningful differentiation of hotel flags, when I speak with both professional and social meeting planners, they generally express seeing very little difference, at least within any given market segment. In other words, a core branded Marriott feels an awful lot like a Hilton, Hyatt, or Intercontinental. A Ritz-Carlton seems very similar to a Fairmont or Four Seasons. A Hilton Garden Inn mirrors a Courtyard or Hyatt Place, and a Home2Suites, Residence Inn and Staybridge Suites don’t feel that much different either. It is not just the rooms. When it comes to amenities and s...
The Title and Role of Revenue Manager Should Be Transitioned to “Revenue Generation Manager”
Doug Kennedy | May 18, 2022
By Doug Kennedy If you asked most hoteliers to write up a job description for the position of Revenue Manager (RM), chances are the responsibilities listed would focus on controlling and “managing” revenue, as opposed to generating it. For example, the first tasks that most will think of would likely be setting rates and restrictions for transient segments, determining channel mix, calculating revenue-per-guest opportunities by segment, managing OTA’s and other electronic distribution channels, and providing sales staff with quotes for groups and functions. It is time for the lodging industry to reimagine both the title and role...
An Omnipresent GM Who Picks Up Trash
Doug Kennedy | February 21, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Having been in the profession of hotel training for over three decades, with an average of six clients a month, one can imagine I have stayed in a lot of lodging facilities across all segments. I am often asked “What is your favorite hotel ever?” To me, picking out a favorite hotel is like being asked to pick a favorite child; we love them all, right? (Well, most of the time, anyway!) But I must admit, I do have a very short list of a select few that truly stand out. One of those at the top of my list is the Nizuc Resort Cancun. It is memorable for several reasons. First, I am always mesmerized by the arc...
Kennedy Training Network Announces Online (Self-Study) Version of Reservations Sales QUEST
Doug Kennedy | February 1, 2022
First In A Series: Hotel Sales and Hospitality/Guest Services Topics To Follow Later This Year Ft. Lauderdale, FL - February 1, 2022 - KTN, the lodging industry’s best source for training in the topic areas of reservations sales, hospitality and guest service excellence, and hotel sales team training, announced the first in a series of online, (self-study) versions of its menu of training programs. “Finally, the learning platforms have evolved to the point where we created a truly engaging, multimodal learner experience,” said KTN President Doug Kennedy. While most online courses are still limited to a series of narrated slide decks...
The Top 5 QUESTions Your Reservations Team Should be Asking in 2022!
Doug Kennedy | January 6, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Are you ready to help your reservations team maximize the contribution of the voice booking channel in 2022? If so, it is not going to be easy. As we look ahead to the coming year nothing is certain. Well, actually one thing is certain: there will be continued disruption in the lodging industry! One small but important sales habit you can do now to help in your reservations team’s QUEST to be the BEST in 2022 is to update your list of QUESTions that should be asked as part of your sales “flow” criteria. Why do lodging industry reservations sales agents need to update the questioning process? Today’s callers ...
GM’s and Corporate Leaders: Let’s Keep Hotel Salespeople Focused on Selling!
Doug Kennedy | November 9, 2021
By Doug Kennedy As I make the rounds with my contacts on the buyer’s side of the hotel sales equation, I’m once again starting to hear comments starting to surface about their biggest frustrations with hotel salespeople, especially these three: Slow response times – and non-responses to RFP’s. Receipt back of generic proposals that miss key details mentioned in the RFP’s. Being spammed by generic prospecting messaging received from hotel salespeople from hotels that have no reason to think they would even be a prospect. Now, on the surface, it’s so easy to blame today’s hotel salespeople for ...
Hospitality on Their Own Terms
Travel Outlook | October 27, 2021
Travelers Expect More, Here’s How Hotels Can Keep Up As the hospitality industry begins to step out of the shadow of the COVID Pandemic, one question remains after a year-and-a-half of uncertainty, “what do travelers want now?” The events of 2020 forever altered the way we travel. While the industry has been able to successfully adapt after the hardships of the last year, we must address the fact that travelers’ wants and needs have changed. Every aspect of travel was impacted by the events of the last year, from how travelers book their stay to what they expect out of their hotel experience. So, how can hospitality professional...
Lately, Hotels Seem to Be Falling Short on the People Parts
Doug Kennedy | October 7, 2021
By Doug Kennedy At the time of this writing, I’m on a plane ride back from attending four lodging industry conferences in 10 days, which caused me to be staying at four different large, branded hotels in Minneapolis, Dallas and San Antonio, all of which were close to the convention centers. While all of the staff I encountered were polite and efficient, their service style was overall reactive and not proactive. Notably absent were some core essentials of hotel hospitality excellence that used to be part of “Hotel 101” orientation. Much has been written about the challenges of finding qualified staff, but in each encounter, ther...
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