Hotels are no longer selling rooms. Here’s what that means
Belmond's Global IT Director Lawrence Edwards argues hotels must connect F&B, CRM, and operations data to unlock guest personalization and margin growth beyond rooms revenue.
Belmond's Global IT Director Lawrence Edwards argues hotels must connect F&B, CRM, and operations data to unlock guest personalization and margin growth beyond rooms revenue.
Conrad Kuala Lumpur is now accepting reservations ahead of its anticipated opening in late 2026, marking the debut of Conrad Hotels & Resorts in Malaysia. As Hilton’s largest luxury brand, Conrad is celebrated across the world for seamlessly blending bold design with intuitive service while creating meaningful connections to each destination. With this first step into the country, Conrad Kuala Lumpur redefines luxury for a new generation of travelers, offering opportunities for discovery and experiences that feel both personal and purposeful. Located in Kuala Lumpur’s vibrant Golden Triangle, the hotel will bring the brand’s contemporary luxury hospitality to the heart of the city, through locally inspired art and design, world-class dining, curated local experiences, and skyline views. Key landmarks such as the Twin Towers, KL Tower and the popular Bukit Bintang shopping district are less than a 10-minutes’ drive away, with Bukit Bintang being a short five-minute walk from the hotel. Connectivity is seamless, with Raja Chulan monorail station just steps away from the hotel and Bukit Bintang MRT station within 750 metres. The hotel will feature 481 rooms and suites, ranging from 40 sqm Deluxe Rooms to the expansive 220 sqm Conrad Suite. Designed with understated contemporary interiors, thoughtful layouts and floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of Kuala Lumpur's skyline, each accommodation offers a refined sense of space and comfort. Local art and carefully considered details bring a sense of place into the guest experience, while modern in-room technology, including in-room tablets, allows guests to stay connected with ease. Conrad Kuala Lumpur will also offer six distinctive dining and bar venues where culinary journeys unfold from day to night. Among its signature dining experiences are China Blue, the city's highest Chinese restaurant serving refined seasonal Chinese cuisine, and Gami Teppan, where the dynamic artistry of Japanese teppanyaki takes center stage. Together with the hotel's sophisticated social spaces, these venues celebrate exceptional flavors, craftsmanship and meaningful connection. For meetings, celebrations and special occasions, Conrad Kuala Lumpur will offer a comprehensive collection of flexible function spaces anchored by the Conrad Ballroom, designed for conferences, gala dinners and weddings. Events can be enhanced through The Local Gathering, a programme of neighbourhood experiences, local cuisine and handcrafted details that brings a stronger sense of Kuala Lumpur into each occasion. The hotel will also offer a range of experiences designed for all ages. “The Young Explorers” programme will create engaging moments for younger guests, while Conrad Spa will provide a wellness retreat in the heart of the city. Guests will also be able to keep to their routines at the fitness centre, unwind by the pool, or explore the city through Conrad 1/3/5, a signature brand program that features immersive, thoughtfully curated experiences for the modern traveller built around one-, three- and five-hour itineraries. Reservations are now open for stays from 1st February 2027 onwards. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.hilton.com/en/hotels/kulskci-conrad-kuala-lumpur.
Westgate Resorts' Jared Saft argues that financial metrics alone don't define hospitality success, outlining how embedding philanthropy and people-first values into operations builds long-term resilience.
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth's Marché Artisans blends fast casual dining, 90% locally sourced retail, and Québec cultural storytelling into a ground-floor concept that drives revenue and deepens guest experience.
Hotels risk being excluded from AI-generated travel shortlists if their websites lack clear, structured, and accessible content; this guide outlines four pillars to improve visibility and convert AI-led demand into direct bookings.
Amadeus surveyed 6,000 travelers and 500 hoteliers for Travel Dreams 2026, uncovering key trends in AI adoption, loyalty program innovation, and user-generated content as a demand driver.
Friday closed the week with HVS's counterfactual analysis finding the 2026 World Cup generated $680M in incremental U.S. rooms revenue with ADR gains in all 11 host cities even where occupancy fell, The Sales Leadership Brief on replacing individual-dependent sales hero cultures with repeatable system-driven processes, and Hospitality ON's argument that the race to one million rooms obscures the real competition for per-key value creation. APEC's record pipeline, Shiji's Q2 guest experience benchmark, and three property openings from South Africa to Washington D.C. closed the week.
In one of the most significant wilderness restoration projects undertaken in South Africa's Greater Kruger region in recent years, Sabi Sabi Collection has opened Sandringham Private Game Reserve, transforming a former hunting reserve into a thriving conservation landscape and luxury safari destination.
PM Hotel Group takes over management of The Quoin, a 24-room luxury boutique hotel in downtown Wilmington, DE, expanding its local portfolio to five properties.
The Potomac Hotel, Autograph Collection debuted yesterday, marking an exciting new milestone for the Henderson Park-owned property. As part of the transition, Pyramid Global Hospitality will assume management of the 373-room hotel.
HFTP's Global Board approved bylaws updates effective August 2026, consolidating membership categories, modernizing governance language, and expanding scope to include cruise lines, trains, and a broader range of hospitality professionals.
Hotel Longmont, the city's first boutique hotel, is now open at 508 3rd Avenue in the heart of downtown. Developed by The Thrash Group and Vertikal and managed by Tandem Hospitality Group, the thoughtfully curated hotel is anchored by Longmont Supply, a rooftop restaurant and bar celebrating the Front Range’s farms and mountain views.
This opinion argues that beverage cost percentage is a control indicator, not a value metric, and proposes a five-dimension framework covering cost, contribution, mix, velocity and penetration to manage F&B performance.
As five hotel groups surpass one million rooms, the author argues that volume metrics obscure the real competition: per-key value creation, driven by management contracts, upscale positioning, and lifestyle brands.
HSMAI DC hosts its annual State of the Industry panel on Aug. 19 in Washington, D.C., bringing together experts from Knowland, Amadeus, Kalibri, and Destination DC to guide hoteliers on 2027 budget planning.
Sonnel Hospitality secured DA approvals for $11M and $4M redevelopments of Ashfield Hotel and Hurstville Ritz Hotel, with works anticipated to commence from 2027.
A counterfactual analysis of all 11 U.S. host cities finds the 2026 World Cup generated $680M in incremental rooms revenue, driven by ADR gains in every market even as occupancy fell in seven.
The whitepaper introduces a composite ROX/ROT/ROS metrics framework to measure well-being experiences across hospitality, replacing single-number ROI with KPIs spanning human outcomes, experience quality, business performance, and environmental impact.
A framework for shifting hotel commercial teams away from individual-dependent "sales hero" cultures toward repeatable, system-driven revenue processes using a three-stage H2S model.
Booking Holdings' merchant model now represents 67% of revenue and holds $8.2B in deferred hotelier funds, making payout timing a bigger financial issue than commission rates.