The author argues that superior customer service and experience creation can outperform search engine optimization by generating word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business.
Knowland by Cendyn's London MICE market report shows Corporate segment leads at 48% share, with Training and Education showing highest growth driven by employee upskilling trends.
Analysis challenges the assumption that growing loyalty membership numbers indicate true brand loyalty, arguing guests are loyal to specific innovative brands rather than entire hotel groups.
2025 marked a turning point for venue planning.
As online bookings increase, the number of reservations inquiry calls decreases over time. Yet when you spend time at a busy front desk or in the reservations office, the calls continue to ring. Why? Many of those who book online still call the hotel directly to reconfirm their booking, especially if they originally booked at a third-party OTA website. Inbound reconfirmation calls occur more frequently at upscale hotels and destination resorts, where travelers are typically celebrating special occasions, traveling with large parties, and/or flying to their destinations. However, they also happen surprisingly often at all hotel types, including focused service.
When it comes to hotel websites, the home page hero image isn’t just decoration—it’s prime real estate. It’s the very first thing visitors see, and in most cases, it’s the most-clicked visual and call-to-action on the site. Homepage hero images are the single most seen image on your hotel website, making it the most impactful placement for promotional messaging. Simply put: if you want to grab attention and drive action, this is the spot.
What if the secret to better lead nurturing isn't picking between technology and people, but knowing exactly when to use each?
Imagine this: You’re not managing a city hotel. You’re not next to a convention center. You’re not even competing for the same audience as the resort an hour away.
A customer takes the time to buy a product, which could include research, visits to a store, calls to a salesperson, and many other tasks that go into a pre-purchase routine. So once they buy it, the work should be over. But sometimes it’s not. Something goes wrong, or the customer may have a question. Regardless of what it is, they are about to spend more time related to their purchase that isn’t just the actual use of the product.
Last month, Sam Altman sat down with economist Tyler Cowen and outlined how ChatGPT will transform hotel booking. Not someday. Now.
Despite global economic pressures, both business and leisure travel continue to grow, with global tourism rising five percent in the first six months of 2025. Amidst that growth, the sector is becoming increasingly competitive as more destinations seek to boost their economies and create jobs through tourism.
During the Cayuga Hospitality Consultants Annual Conference 2025 in Scottsdale, Rick Blackburn, Founder of brn solutions and Cayuga Hospitality Consultant moderated these exceptional panelists:
If your hotel’s top-line revenue is stalling or declining, you should consider ways to increase the other line items.
Have you ever found yourself buried under a mountain of spreadsheets at midnight, still trying to close your weekly forecast? You’re not alone.
It haunts your every KPI, even though it has already been buried, deep in your archives: STLY, same time last year.
The final U.S. hotel performance forecast of 2025 is in – and it’s not the news many hoped for. According to the latest from CoStar and Tourism Economics, both 2025 and 2026 projections have again been downgraded across occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR, signaling a tougher environment ahead.
In hotel groups and event sales, timing is everything. The moment a lead comes in, whether from a meeting planner’s RFP, a trade show connection, or a casual inquiry, the clock starts ticking. The speed, accuracy, and professionalism of the initial response can make the difference between securing the booking or losing it to a competitor.
A few years ago, the best hotel salespeople had one superpower: they could read their guests.
Hoteliers have mastered the art of direct bookings; sophisticated marketing automation, optimized booking engines, and data-driven website design have helped shift share away from OTAs and reclaim control over the guest relationship.
Since we here at Cogwheel Marketing are all about sharing our knowledge with others, we did a little research on which brand between Hilton, Marriott, and IHG has the best contactless opportunities for guests.