Hotelier Perspectives

With 40% of Americans saying they plan to travel even more in 20241, there is a massive opportunity for hotel owners and operators to drive even more revenue by leveraging ancillary offerings. Today’s travelers are savvy experience-seekers who expect to be able to curate their journeys to suit their needs and preferences. By now, you’re likely familiar with the concept of ancillary revenue in the hotel industry — it’s not just about selling products. It’s about maximizing every opportunity to enhance guest experiences and drive revenue. From room upgrades to late check-outs, early check-ins, stay extensions, and beyond, hotels have a wealth of strategies at their disposal. But let’s take it a step further. In this whitepaper, we’ll delve into how this approach allows hotels to cater to individual guest preferences and enhance their overall experience. While airlines have long capitalized on ancillaries (driving record revenue worldwide last year2, hotels have a unique opportunity to lean into this trend and tailor their offerings to meet the evolving needs of their guests.

Rector of HES-SO and president of swissuniversities, Dr Luciana Vaccaro, presented her priorities in the evolving higher education landscape and looked at ways of strengthening the collaboration with EHL at this important moment in time. Against the backdrop of global challenges, tech advancements and changing paradigms in teaching and learning, three overarching themes emerge as the critical pillars supporting the strategic trajectory of modern higher education for both HES-SO and EHL: internationalization, digitalization and continued learning - Welcome to the future of higher education!

In 2024, the annual pilgrimage to the beach marks a sacred period in Brits’ calendars.

Michelin, a name synonymous with culinary excellence and a beacon for food enthusiasts around the globe, has recently ventured into a new domain with the launch of its hotel rating system, the Michelin Key. This move marks a significant expansion of Michelin’s influence from the gourmet dining scene to the broader hospitality industry. We compared the professional ratings from the Michelin guide, with those of guests to see how they stack up.

Dimitri Manikis is the President of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa. Wyndham is the world’s biggest franchise with 25 brands across 9,200 hotels in 95 countries. Dimitri’s region includes around 650 hotels in 45 countries.

In my role as Senior Vice President at Shiji Group, I lead our efforts across the vibrant markets of Asia Pacific & Middle East, drawing extensively on my previous experiences at Oracle and Micros Fidelio. This position, enriched by over twenty years in hospitality, allows me to blend cutting-edge technology with the unique cultural intricacies of each locale. The sophistication of Asia’s luxury hospitality market demands a nuanced approach to integrating modernity with tradition, which I look to promote by using tailored technology.

Whether we look back 15 years, five years, or even just five months, it’s clear – our world and our industry are not what they were. Adapting to this new reality requires us to look forward rather than back, replace old habits with fresh ones, and be willing to learn new processes to make smarter decisions for the future.

Never in human history have we had access to as much data as we do today. In recent years, the tools and strategies we use to process and understand insights derived from this data have become one of the hottest commodities – and with good reason. Organizations are able to harness the power of data to gain a deeper understanding of their operations, customer behaviors, and market trends, unlocking competitive advantages.

I love seeing amazement in action. I was at the airport last week with a friend who accidentally spilled his soda. Within moments, an airport employee came over with a bucket and mop to clean up the spill. My friend apologized for making a mess, and the woman’s response surprised both of us. She said, My name is Laura, and it is my pleasure to clean up your spill. And with a big smile, she added, It’s job security!

One of the major challenges hotel businesses face today lies in the complex process of figuring out or predicting their customers’ preferences. With more options for guests and higher standards, hotels tend to personalize the experiences based on specific preferences. Yet, this is a complicated task due to the changing tastes of guests and their varied nature. Traditional techniques are usually unable to catch the subtle details of guests’ needs, which results in the loss of chance for personalization and customer satisfaction rate. The models typically rely on a single algorithm or model to make predictions, which may lead to limited accuracy and generalization, especially in complex and dynamic datasets. This article particularly focuses on ensemble learning as a solution for easily and effectively predicting and meeting hotel guests’ preferences.