The Wooden Key Card: A Key to Wabi-Sabi
A reflective piece exploring how wooden key cards embody Japanese wabi-sabi principles, turning a functional hotel touchpoint into a tactile expression of simplicity and naturalness.
Operations & Strategy
Taking the first steps toward personalisation in your hotel
A practical guide covering how hotels can implement personalisation across the full guest journey, from anonymous website visits to post-stay follow-up, using data, AI, and staff-led touchpoints.
By Paula Carreirão, Content Marketing Lead, GuestRevu
What are the six pillars of a modern hotel commercial strategy?
A practical guide to unifying hotel sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution under six pillars: predict, price, distribute, analyze, benchmark and drive direct.
By Jonathan Gough, Content Team Lead, Lighthouse
Safemark Unveils the CG15 and CG17: Glass-Front Luxury In-Room Safes Designed for Modern Hospitality
Safemark launches the CG15 and CG17 glass-front in-room safes, offering two laptop sizes, customizable branding, and a five-year warranty with a $10,000 forced-entry guarantee.
The hidden revenue opportunity in your hotel budget
Revinate's 2026 Secret Shopped Call Report, based on 308 mystery calls to luxury and upscale properties, reveals where AI can handle routine queries and where human agents remain critical for high-value reservations.
Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer, Revinate, Inc.
Two Audiences, One Pool
Opinion piece examining the strategic, commercial, and contractual tensions luxury resorts face when opening pools or F&B venues to non-resident guests, including operator selection and fee structures.
By Gretel Kutan
The Customer Is Always Right … and Five Other Lies
Six widely used customer service mantras are reframed, arguing that loyalty beats satisfaction, consistency beats "above and beyond," and employee-first culture drives better guest outcomes.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
How Beaumier Uses Canary Technologies to Elevate the Guest Experience
Beaumier deployed Canary Technologies across its European portfolio to digitize mobile check-in, automate deposit payments, and capture OTA guest data to drive repeat bookings.
Rome Future Week Opens with Simone Puorto’s “Humans-As-Luxury”: A Debate on Human Connection in the Age of AI
Simone Puorto's "Humans-as-Luxury" thesis argues that as AI automates hospitality operations, genuine human interaction will become scarce, economically valuable, and a defining luxury differentiator.
nhow Hotels & Resorts Unveils ‘GAME:NXT by nhow’ Across Europe
Minor Hotels' nhow brand launches a certified gaming and esports ecosystem across 8 European properties, with Gaming Rooms, Studios, and portable Gaming Suitcases, and further expansion planned for 2027.
The Hotel Key Card and the Meaning of Belonging
A philosophical look at the hotel key card as more than a functional tool, arguing that its design, material, and handover ritual shape the guest's sense of belonging from the first moment.
The Friction Finder
Before investing in AI platforms, hotels should first identify which operational workflows are worth improving, as most have an application problem, not a technology gap.
By Nitin Thariyan, Partner and Co-Founder, Deep Hospitality
Stop Managing Labor by Headcount: Why HPOR Should Lead the Conversation
H1 2026 data shows Full Service hotels cut HPOR by 3.1% and Select Service by 3.5%, even as occupancy rose to 67.9% and RevPAR grew 8.9%, making HPOR a sharper labor efficiency tool than headcount.
By Sarah McCay Tams, Head of Editorial, Actabl
Strengthening the Guest Experience: How Bespoke Hotels is Using Canary Across its UK Portfolio
Bespoke Hotels deployed Canary across its 57-property UK portfolio to unify reporting, capture OTA guest data, automate messaging, and drive upsell revenue, recovering costs within weeks at each property.
Customer Service Week and CX Day 2026
Customer Service Week runs Oct 5-9, 2026, with CX Day on Oct 6, offering operators a timely reminder to recognize frontline staff through simple, low-cost gestures year-round.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Why Year-End Reconciliation Starts in October: A Procurement Framework for Q4 Capital Projects
Hotels that begin procurement reconciliation in October gain negotiating leverage, line-item cost visibility, and more time for competitive bidding before Q4 vendor capacity tightens.
By Francisca Fasua, Founder, Aurelia Hospitality Services
Tourism-Friendly Isn't Business-Friendly: Where Hospitality Business Really Thrives!
A research-informed opinion piece ranks 10 favourable and 10 challenging countries for hospitality operators, arguing tax rates alone are poor predictors of where a business will thrive.
By Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis, PhD, SFHEA, FIH, Deputy Dean, London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism, and Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of West London
The Growing Cost of Technology Friction in Hotel Operation
The article argues that the true cost of hotel technology lies not in licensing fees but in fragmented workflows, manual processes, and disconnected data that drain staff time and limit guest service quality.
By Alejandra Pueblita, Country Manager, Mexico, Shiji
Employee Use of Design Thinking to Address Customer Complaints
A structured guide applying Design Thinking's five stages to help hotel employees evaluate brainstormed ideas and develop testable solutions for reducing guest complaints.
By Brendan Cronin, Visiting Professor, Les Roches
Managing historic properties with confidence
Champneys Eastwell Manor GM James McComas shares how he manages a 500-year-old Grade II listed hotel, balancing sinkholes, specialist maintenance, mixed guest audiences, and commercial growth.
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd