Marketing & Guest Loyalty

Many years ago, a friend shared some advice with me: It doesn’t cost much more to enjoy a first-class experience.

Hoteliers have a language problem, but it’s not what you think. It’s not the ability to speak to people from other countries. It’s the way they sell their products – their rooms. Given the amount of competition in the hotel industry, you would think that product differentiation would be a priority. But go to almost any hotel website and you will find the exact same products. The Standard Room. The Superior Room. The Junior Suite.

Insights from a recent research project that analyzes the post-pandemic emotional triggers behind making travel decisions. The findings highlight how people today are deciding to travel due to a desire to make human connections, find a sense of belonging, create lasting memories and undertake affordable sustainable actions. These new values of travel are opening up important opportunities for hoteliers and DMOs to create innovative and engaging offers based on quality rather than quantity of travel demand. In brief, new opportunities for tourism abound thanks to very personal, human triggers.

Vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, ovo-pescatarian, fruitarian – there are lots of diets out there and, significantly, more and more people are adjusting their habits away from the starchy, fried and meat-focused Standard American Diet (SAD). Underpinning any operational changes made to accommodate this societal shift, though, is the data.

They say the only guarantees in life are death and taxes, but if you work in the hospitality technology space, at least one other certainty exists - the annual meeting of the minds that is HITEC®. For over 50 years, the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) has become an industry staple, giving attendees a unique opportunity to witness new product launches and innovations while listening to expert panels, partaking in exclusive education sessions, and, of course, networking with industry peers. Hailed as the industry’s premier technology event, HITEC attracts attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors from around the globe. This year, the renowned conference is heading north to set up shop in Canada’s most glamorous hotspot - Toronto. And yes, that is where Drake and The Weekend are from!

On January 25, 2023, the Seattle Convention Center (SCC) is debuting the completion of its expansion, known as Summit. The building, which has been under construction since 2018, nearly doubles the capacity of the convention center facilities. The existing building, Arch, features 432,988 total square feet, while Summit features 573,770 square feet, including a 14,000-square-foot Garden Terrace.

Here’s an interesting concept. I’ll describe it in the form of a question: Do you create an experience that is so good your customers want to remember it with a photograph?

Travel is back – that was the resounding message from the HSMAI ROC conference, held at the InterContinental Park Lane, London, last week.

OTAs are a fact of life in our industry. But there are so many negative feelings about them, constantly being stoked by hotel media, that it becomes difficult for hotels to form calm, cohesive OTA and rate-setting strategies.

Sometimes in life, we come across a perfect pairing. Perhaps it’s a delicious, full-bodied red wine served with a perfectly cooked flank steak. Maybe it’s the partner whose organizational expertise helps balance out and structure your creative inspirations and passions. Or, in the world of hospitality, it may be the system that was created with a singular, impactful purpose: to supercharge the functionality of a hotel or venue’s sales and catering system.