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While some countries are already discussing the rollout of COVID-19 booster shots, most people in developing countries still haven’t received their first shots. It should come as no surprise that affluent countries have greater access to vaccines than poorer countries, leaving the vast majority—even frontline healthcare workers—vulnerable to the virus. In addition, when travelers are ready to venture out again, they want to be sure they’re traveling responsibly. Here we talk about how Expedia Group is proactively helping to bring us all one step closer to traveling and welcoming the world again.

Despite a disruptive start to this year’s summer season in Europe, our latest Hotel Business Barometer results reveal a positive shift in sentiment across the hotel industry. Below are some of the key hotel data updates from Hoteliers we surveyed and our market trends analysis, published in our September edition of The Hotelier PULSE Report:

Elite Hotels of Sweden is one of the country’s largest privately-owned hotel businesses. Known for its beautifully restored historical properties and dedication to environmental sustainability, Elite Hotels has renewed its focus on improving the guests’ digital experience. While many of its competitors curtail investment, Elite Hotels is looking to optimize each step of the guest journey, from marketing, booking, and on-property experience to post-checkout communication.

Gradual recovery breathed new life into the global travel sector and its industries in early 2021, following widespread vaccination rates and a reopening of attractions and destinations worldwide. People emerged from over a year of lockdowns, home quarantines, and social distancing with an amplified yearning to travel and reconnect with family and loved ones. This rebirth, however, was marked by an overhaul of expectations, standards, and priorities for industry players looking to remain relevant in a post-pandemic era filled with uncertainty.

Occupancy within the Downtown submarket remained stable, consistently registering near the 70% mark, for the five years prior to the pandemic. Average daily rate (ADR) growth during that period was also consistent at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.0%. These metrics illustrate the strength and stability of the local market, even in 2018 when the city lost its largest convention, Outdoor Retailer, as it moved to Denver, Colorado. The number of events held at the Salt Palace Convention Center rebounded in 2019. Convention attendance surpassed one million delegates in the two years prior to the pandemic.

Never one to overlook the intrinsic benefits of the great outdoors, Omni Hotels & Resorts has elevated its outdoor meeting space to not only meet the needs of groups looking for a next level of comfort and care in regards to COVID-19 protocols, but also to showcase the phenomenal spaces that already existed at Omni branded properties.

Nothing replaces the human touch, and we’ve yet to see a machine learning messaging app or AI program that can make a customer feel just as confident in a product as a direct interaction with a live representative. This we are saying even in the face of so much innovation as a result of COVID-19. But this being a tech-centric world and one where guests expect customer service to be exceedingly fast (and safe), various pieces of software can make your team insurmountably better at their jobs.

Data is like gold for hotel marketers — but only if it’s good data. Learn all about how bad data can make your marketing fall flat, and discover our step-by-step process for cleaning up your database.

In the hospitality industry today, convenience is everything. Given the events of the last year, there’s no reason for hoteliers to prefer their customers come to them exclusively through their own channels. Instead, hoteliers should accept that customers have their own preferred channels and realize that customers can show brand loyalty without channel loyalty.

Think about this … what if you were to charge a customer just to talk to you about what you would sell them? Or, if you own a retail store, a fee to enter the store. What would you have to do for your customers to be willing to pay for the privilege of buying your products or services?