Arctic SnowHotel in Rovaniemi operates just 3.5 months annually but maintains year-round profitability through strategic planning and technology that works in sub-zero temperatures.
Byron Fiddler of Luxury Family Hotels shares operational strategies including pre-arrival guest contact, integrated childcare, family-inclusive spa access, and specialized dining arrangements.
Dr. Meng-Mei Maggie Chen (Assistant Professor of Marketing) and Amélie Keller (Flagship Resilient Tourism Coordinator), offer insights into their collaborative work with Nyon Région Tourisme and Blent Hospitality Business Intelligence.
Contrary to the pessimists who dwell on seeing the glass as half-empty, while it steadily filled up over the weeks, the final result is very positive. It is generally satisfying both in terms of numbers and the overall sentiment of having successfully hosted a major global event without major hitches.
A few weeks ago, I had the unique opportunity to visit Switzerland to attend the Young Hospitality Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland. I spent my first two days wandering Zürich, the largest city in the country, and I encountered a completely different model of hospitality. The straightforward service was complemented by unique, heartfelt experiences, and all workers were attentive and professional. I found myself efficiently and kindly served, and I began to think that the Swiss-German model of service has something to teach other countries. I believe that the simplicity of the hospitality in Zürich could refresh the sometimes-overwhelming hospitality we experience here in the United States.
During my career inside hotels, I had the pleasure of opening and transitioning several hotels to our brand, processes and systems. This was always a lot of work but well worth it because you got to meet a lot of new cool people and on top of that traveling to some pretty nice locations.
Wars, recessions, and outbreaks—No matter the hardship that arrives at hospitality’s door, its foundations remain stable and sturdy. Despite enduring significant challenges in recent years, the sector has shown impressive resilience and continues to grow at a rate of 5.9%, almost double that of the UK economy.1
We have written several articles regarding hotels that are part of what we call ‘The Mille Club’. Mille, translating to thousand, identifies those properties that have seen their typical ADR move above the thousand (dollar, Euro, pound, CHF) rate.
Competition amongst hotels in the UK is higher than anywhere else in Europe, with nearly half of all hotel construction occurring in the UK1. With the sector more competitive than ever, hotel owners need to be mindful of how they can stand out from the crowd and develop their hotels to meet the rapidly evolving demands of their guests.
In this installment of the Mille Club column, we are going to address some of the little things that differentiate your property. To recap, membership qualification for the Mille Club is simple: offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. If you’re already there (or very close), or aspire to this lofty room rate level, you’re in!
For those who haven’t read the first few editions of this Mille Club series, membership qualification is simple: offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. If you’re already there (or very close), or aspire to this lofty room rate level, please read on.
Sometimes when explaining a concept, it’s best to look at the numbers. Before going straight into using hotel rates, we’re going to start small with a bottle of run-of-the-mill wine, a product that’s also dear to our hearts and many other hoteliers.
For those who haven’t read the first two editions of this Mille Club series, membership qualification is simple: just offer rates of more than a thousand (hence ‘mille’) dollars, pounds, Euros or equivalent. Whereas American Express since 1987 espoused the selling line, “Membership has its Privileges™,” the opposite applies to your property if it wants to uphold four-figure nightly rates. Aptly expressed, as a member of the Mille Club, “Membership has its Responsibilities.”
We’re seeing a trend in post-pandemic luxury – the mantle of attaining then surpassing a thousand dollars per night per room. This is what we have dubbed the ‘Mille Club’ after the Italian for said four-digit number. If your average daily rate has pushed into the four-figure range or thereabouts, congratulations and welcome. But know that this is something that must be earned because of the psychology that comes with paying above this threshold and because luxury guests have plenty of options nowadays.
Over the past year, we’ve bolted out from the gates in the aftermath of the pandemic, staying at multiple properties with daily rates in excess of 1,000 dollars, euros or pounds as part of our consultancy work auditing luxury hotels to improve their topline performance. The fact is that any four-figure guest daily hit propels your property into a new snack bracket, and one that plays by a slightly different set of service and amenity requirements. There’s prestige, but much, much higher expectations that you must surpass each and every day.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues apace, and the value of pound remains low, affordable staycations are back on the agenda with people choosing to holiday near UK tourist hotspots, instead of taking trips abroad. With this in mind, AGO Hotels is looking at what this means for its own business and the wider UK hospitality market.
The hospitality industry and Swiss hotels are a clear example of the unbalanced effect of Covid-19 in a specific industry. For instance, while social distancing might have handicapped revenue for a three-star Michelin restaurant downtown, it may have represented an opportunity for the basic take-away. Why and how is it that some fractions of the same industry have come out winning from the crisis, with others losing?
The current Pandemic is behaving whimsically with different people! Himmat Anand, a hotel owner friend has been sticking to his promise of reopening his Tree of Life resorts one after the other. He is also opening new resorts in a couple of locations in the portfolio of his second brand of hotels - A Dog's Story.
If it were a stable world, we would understand why UK hotel property owners would submit to the current CVA proposal.
"We won't be opening car doors for guests anytime soon" says Clement Gaffney, Group Hotels Operations Manager of Pat Doherty's Harcourt Developments, Hotel Division with properties in Ireland, The U.K. and Caribbean. It is an evocative image that none of us would have considered a few short months ago. It is the new norm.In 2008, Irish hotels were plunged into a deep global recession and the last 10 years have been a long slow recovery into a buoyant economy. In March this year, that ended with shocking speed. Déjà vu seemed unfair.