Embracing Technology Without Losing the Human Touch in Hospitality
Alan Young | February 8, 2024
Amadeus Data Reveals Los Cabos, Mexico to Be Top Hotel Destination for Christmas and New Year’s Travel
Amadeus’ Demand360+ | December 7, 2023
Technology
Not Just Heads in Beds – Cybersecurity for Hotel Owners
Jim Butler | January 12, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com January 2016 What part do hotel owners play in preventing a cyberattack and the resulting data breach? The hospitality industry relies on its reputation for confidence, and that confidence can be shattered when guests learn that their private information has been compromised. What can hotel owners do and how should they work with brands and management to prevent a cyberattack? In the article below, my partner, Bob Braun reminds hotel owners that because they are generally required to indemnify brands and managers for costs the managers and brands incur...
Resort and Hotel Social Media Posting Drops 12-20% in 2015 Across All Major Sites
Ryan Solutions | January 12, 2016
One of the metrics we've researched semi-regularly over the years is YOY social posting frequency. At the intersection of adoption, content quality, and social ROI, it's been a telling stat to see spike in the early days and then plateau in 2013. But what about now? As we head into 2016, how often are resorts and hotels posting to social media? The Goods To find our answer we looked at 1,100 resort and hotel Facebook accounts. We found the average monthly posting frequency for every year since 2008. Here's how it looks. Resort and hotel Facebook posting frequency dropped from 25.0 posts per month in 2014 to 22.0 posts per month in 2015...
RoamBOOST Hires DAS Expert Dean Vinson as Director, Field Services
RoamBOOST | January 12, 2016
With expertise in Radio Frequency and Distributed Antenna Systems, Vinson will work with technical teams in the field to support the cellular infrastructure needs of RoamBOOST clients Boston, Mass. — Jan. 12, 2016 — Dean Vinson is joining the RoamBOOST team, effective immediately, as Director, Field Services. Working with RoamBOOST VP's, Vinson will use his vast technical expertise to enhance implementation of the company's Distributed Antenna Systems. The RoamBOOST DAS solution provides cellular signal enhancement to clients – either facility-wide, or within targeted areas of a property. Tasked with conceptualizing an...
HeBStrategy: The Q1 2016 Hospitality Digital Technology & Marketing Strategy Whitepaper Now Available for Download
HeBS Digital | January 12, 2016
HeBS Digital's latest whitepaper recaps the news and events that shook the industry in Q4 2015, and prepares hoteliers for 2016. From hotel brand mergers heard around the world to knowing how to use your data to shift share from the OTAs, the HeBStrategy Q1 2016 Edition will keep you in the hotel digital marketing and technology-know. New York, NY (January 11, 2016) – HeBS Digital, the leading hotel digital technology, full-service digital marketing and website revenue optimization consulting firm, announces the HeBStrategy Q1 2016 Edition is now available for download. The whitepaper is packed with best practices, action plans an...
IDeaS Revenue Management Curriculum Now Free to Academic Institutions
IDeaS | January 12, 2016
IDeaS continues commitment to preparing the revenue management leaders of tomorrow MINNEAPOLIS – January 12, 2016 – IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the leading provider of revenue management software solutions and advisory services, today announced a free online program for all academic institutions that uses learning materials and demo systems to help teach revenue management in the classroom. "IDeaS is committed to preparing the next generation of revenue management professionals and helping educators in doing so," said Linda Hatfield, vice president of knowledge management for IDeaS. "It's critical that students of the hospitali...
The US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism Selects Regatta Booking Engine to Power VisitUSVI.com
Regatta Travel Solutions LLC | January 12, 2016
Charlottesville, Virginia (January 12, 2016) – Regatta Travel Solutions announced today that The US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism has chosen to use the Regatta booking engine on their new official destination website, VisitUSVI.com, to enable potential visitors to book hotels, attractions and packages on the destination's official website. "We invited several booking engine companies to present to our hoteliers so that the decision would be a collaborative effort between the Department of Tourism and the local suppliers," said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the Commissioner of Tourism for the United States Virgin Islands. "It was ...
GCommerce Averages 40-to-1 Return on Facebook Advertising
GCommerce | January 7, 2016
Social Media Advertising & Market Share: Use It or Lose It! Facebook Advertising has become a leader in paid advertising efforts. Its ability to target on a granular level brings clients ever closer to reaching the segment of one, while its reporting and conversion tracking allow for detailed analysis of campaign performance. What Did We Do? GCommerce opened a door the depths of which very few clients knew existed with Facebook Advertising. Facebook has 1.55 billion users, while Instagram boasts 400 million users. Facebook Advertising allows for detailed targeting, including but not limited to: age, gender, geographic location, inte...
Keeping Up with The Joneses: The Digital Marketing Strategy Hotels Need in 2016
Spring Engage | January 7, 2016
Innovations to the hospitality industry over 2015 are making a substantial impact on the outlook for hotel marketing in 2016. One of the largest and most obvious shifts in the industry stems from the creation and success of the sharing economy. Forbes estimates the revenue flowing through the share economy directly into people's wallets will surpass $3.5 billion this year, with growth exceeding 25% (Forbes.com). Independent companies, such as Airbnb, are making it easier for travelers to find and rent out rooms online at a lower cost. At 2.1 million registered users, Airbnb is leading the way and sparking competition with brand name hot...
UniFocus Taps Autumn Moss as Director of Marketing
UniFocus | January 7, 2016
DALLAS – Jan. 7, 2015 – Autumn Moss is the new director of marketing for UniFocus, the Dallas-based provider of the service industry's most comprehensive workforce management systems and financial tools. She brings more than a decade of software marketing experience to her role. "Autumn's skill set, analytical approach and exceptional track record make her ideally suited to spearhead UniFocus' marketing operations," said UniFocus Chairman and CEO Mark Heymann. "We're delighted to welcome her to the team." Moss was most recently director of marketing for MD Buyline, a provider of hospital supply chain management solutions. Fo...
Hoteliers Increasing Marketing Budgets in 2016, with Heavy Emphasis on Mobile
TravelClick, Inc. | January 7, 2016
New TravelClick Survey Reveals that Hoteliers Want to Capitalize on Rising Mobile Trend Heading into New Year NEW YORK (January 7, 2016) — According to a new TravelClick survey, more than half (57.31 percent) of hoteliers said that they are increasing their marketing budgets for 2016, with an increased spend on search engine marketing (23.17 percent), website update / redesign (20.73 percent), online advertising (12.20 percent) and, most importantly, mobile (17.07 percent). In fact, about one-third (35.37 percent) of respondents said that they will experience the most growth in mobile bookings, compared to any other direct booking...
Kube Systems Reveals Wireless Magnetic Resonance Charging Solution at CES 2016
Kube Systems | January 7, 2016
Ideal for hotels, the KS Magnetic Resonance Charger combines a superior consumer experience with flexible industrial design; A prototype is on display in the AirFuel™ Alliance Booth SL-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center [Jericho, NY—January 7, 2016] — Kube Systems, a company that designs, manufactures and markets mobile device charging solutions for the hospitality industry, has unveiled its first magnetic resonance-based application at CES® 2016. Designed in cooperation with Intel, a prototype of the KS Magnetic Resonance Charging Solution is now on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the AirFuel™ Alliance Booth SL-4...
Knowland Announces Powerful New Version of Insight Platform
Knowland | January 7, 2016
Enhanced technology redefines business intelligence in the group meetings marketplace. Washington, DC (Jan. 2016) – Knowland, the leading business intelligence provider for the global meetings and events industry, announced the release of an enhanced version of its popular Insight platform. Insight is used by thousands of hotels to help them strategically identify new group meeting opportunities. Knowland helps them drive group revenue in an increasingly competitive meetings environment by providing the tools to maximize their sales efforts. "This release is the cornerstone of our aggressive development roadmap for 2016," says Ti...
Maestro Reveals 2016 Development Roadmap
Maestro PMS | January 6, 2016
Mobile and Social Media Features Engage Guests to Drive More Bookings; New eLearning, Website Functionality Boost Staff Productivity with Maestro Property Operations January 6, 2016 – Markham, ON – Maestro PMS announced its 2016 Development Roadmap to further expand its multi-module windows and cloud-based Multi Property Management System for independents. New features will include: Enhanced mobile guest communications Social media connections that simplify guest engagement PCI 3.1 and EMV updates Expanded easy-access eLearning tools. The Maestro Enterprise Property Management hotel software suite of 20+ modules is the...
Regatta Travel Solutions Begins Offering Air + Hotel Booking Engine to Destination and Hotel Booking Engine Customers
Regatta Travel Solutions LLC | January 6, 2016
Charlottesville, Virginia (January 6, 2016) – Regatta Travel Solutions announced today that it will begin to offer an Air + Hotel booking engine for both destination and hotel customers. This new combined booking capability is the result of Regatta's recently formed partnership with LeisureLink, a leading provider of innovative travel distribution technology. Regatta's booking engine currently powers many of the hotel associations and tourism boards throughout the Caribbean. This new capability is expected to open new doors in the region as well as in Mexico where combined air and hotel bookings are a priority for Destination Mark...
HeBS Digital Announces 20% Website Revenue Increase Guarantee Promotion
HeBS Digital | January 5, 2016
NEW YORK – January 5, 2016 – HeBS Digital, the leading hotel digital technology, full-service digital marketing and website revenue optimization consulting firm, announces its 20% Website Revenue Increase Guarantee Promotion, applicable to new clients that partner with the firm in Q1 2016. HeBS Digital's confidence in its ability to boost website revenues by at least 20% year-over-year stems from over two decades of digital technology and marketing experience helping hoteliers achieve remarkable direct online channel revenues and shift share away from the OTAs. The award-winning technology, digital marketing and consulting s...
If I Open a Hotel Marketing Email Twice, am I Twice as Likely to Buy?
Ryan Solutions | January 5, 2016
You've seen it a hundred times. Within each email campaign is a group of people who don't just open your email, they open it again and again and again. But what happens after those opens? Are repeat openers more likely to transact than those who do so just once? Here's what we found. The Goods To find our answer we analyzed 10 major email campaigns delivered to more than 1,500,000 recipients by a half-dozen hotels and resorts. We separated out the group that received but never opened or clicked, those who opened but didn't click, and those who clicked. And then subdivided the groups by repeat actions and found the percentage that transa...
2015 IDeaS Cornell Revenue Management Scholarship Winners Announced
IDeaS | January 5, 2016
Eight Professionals Chosen for Certificates in Strategic Leadership and Revenue Management MINNEAPOLIS – January 5, 2016 – IDeaS Revenue Solutions, a leading provider of revenue management software solutions and advisory services, today announced the 2015 IDeaS Cornell Revenue Management Scholarship winners. Currently in its seventh year and offered in conjunction with The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, the scholarship is designed to help increase professional development opportunities in the field of revenue management. "IDeaS is pleased to recognize these scholarship recipients of hospitality profession...
The Smart Hotelier’s 2016 Top Ten Digital Marketing Resolutions
the Authors and HeBS Digital | January 5, 2016
By Max Starkov and Mariana Safer On paper, 2015 was a great year for the hospitality industry. We saw general increases in all key growth metrics, and we expect continued growth in 2016. Next year, occupancy is expected to increase .1% to 65.8%, ADR by 6.1% to US $128.04, and RevPAR by 6.1% to US $84.19. Demand is expected to grow 2.3%, and supply by 2.2% (PWC May 2015). Yet this was also a year of conflicting results. If the industry saw this type of growth, why did hoteliers lose so much market share to the OTAs? How did we let the OTAs dominate hotel bookings in 2015? For major hotel brands, pre-recession (2007), 85% of all online bo...
Tides Hotel at Folly Beach Turns Guests Into an Army of Marketers with Flip.to
Flip.to | January 4, 2016
Hotel reaches over 400,000 future travelers with the advocacy platform, while building strong brand affinity ORLANDO, FL — January 04, 2016 — Tides Hotel, an oceanfront property in the bohemian town of Folly Beach, SC, with the helps of their guests, have engaged a new audience of travelers—and the best demographic for their property—with Flip.to, the advocacy platform for hotels. Advocacy has grown to be an impactful part of the hotel's marketing and revenue strategy, whose vibrant and stylish setting offers a beachside getaway that their guests are excited to share. "Our guests have become a small army of marke...
Owned and Managed by CSM, Hilton Garden Inn Opens in Phoenix’s Historic Professional Building
Hilton Garden Inn | December 23, 2015
PHOENIX – (December 23, 2015) – Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Worldwide's (NYSE: HLT) award-winning brand of hotels, announced the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Downtown, representing an addition to the brand's growing portfolio of more than 650 properties worldwide. Once home to Phoenix's historic Professional Building, the hotel is owned by and managed by Minneapolis-based CSM Corporation, and is truly distinctive. Constructed in 1931 and recognized for its unique design, the Phoenix landmark was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1993. Its original limestone façade features classic Art Deco emb...
EB-5 Immigrant Visa Program Extension Signed Into Law — Without Any Changes
Jim Butler | December 22, 2015
EB-5 financing continues for new development projects. By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® December 2015 Hotel lawyer with great news for developers: the EB-5 immigrant visa financing program has been renewed — approved by Congress and signed by the President. It is being continued without change through September 30, 2016. A funny thing happened on the way to the 2016 Federal budget approval last week. One of the "riders" to the omnibus appropriations bill was the EB-5 legislation sponsored by Senators Leahy and Grassley. For months preceding the scheduled Congressional action, many stakeholders in the EB-5 indust...
Travel Companies Can Improve Revenues by Engaging Travelers on the Right Channels
Lisa Israelovitch | December 22, 2015
By Lisa Israelovitch Marketing, as we know it, has been rapidly evolving over the past number of years, and 2015 has been a year of significant change. The role of marketing has transitioned from an expense to an accountable revenue driver that is no longer just a data point on a report or a vehicle to fill the sales pipeline. What has been the catalyst for this change? The dramatic growth of engagement marketing, which has become an expected norm from both the consumer and brand perspective. The message of engaging customers on the right channels has been emphasized over the past year as a foundation for generating incremental revenue....
Hotels Remain Resilient into New Year: Room Rates are Primary Driver of Growth in Q4 2015 & Q1 2016
TravelClick, Inc. | December 22, 2015
Group Segment Experienced Growth in 2015; However, Bookings Pace Slowed in Q4 NEW YORK – December 22, 2015 – As hoteliers round out 2015 and head into the New Year, properties in major North American markets are experiencing steady increases in bookings, with 21 of the top 25 markets showing committed occupancy growth within the past month. However, there continues to be a strong reliance on increasing average daily rates (ADR) to achieve revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth, which will remain critical into 2016, according to new data from TravelClick's December 2015 North American Hospitality Review (NAHR). "The new r...
Duetto to Provide Revenue Strategy Solutions for Classic Hotels & Resorts
Duetto | December 21, 2015
Duetto Brings Game-Changing Open Pricing and Price Optimization Capabilities to Nearly 1,000 Rooms at Five Classic Luxury Resort Hotels New York, December 21, 2015 – Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization technology, announced today that it will implement its revenue strategy solutions for Classic Hotels & Resorts, bringing new insights on pricing and demand to the luxury hotel collection, which has exclusive resort hotels in Arizona and California. Duetto will launch its services at hotels in five timeless destinations encompassing nearly 1,000 rooms, beginning with the 744-room Arizona Grand Resort & Spa...
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