Guests are more distracted than ever. Inboxes are filled with hundreds of emails and whatever message your property is sending to them, it can be easily ignored.
Hotel revenue teams have access to more data than ever before — yet decision-making has never been harder.
Picture this: You’re standing on the beach in Zanzibar - oh yes, it is another lessons of those. The sun’s out. The sea’s calm. And within seconds, you’re surrounded AND ... everyone selling the same thing.
I have good news. Calling customer support is getting better, even if you don’t notice it yet. Part of the reason you might think it’s not improving is that past bad experiences have left such a “metaphorical scar” that you avoid making the call for many reasons I’ll share in just a moment.
Recently, I was planning a vacation to Portugal. Not having the time necessary to sift through endless options and reviews, I found myself looking to my travel companions Chat GPT and Perplexity to do some of the research and help me build just the right experience that allowed my wife and I to focus on the experiences that mattered to us.
The current industry dialogue confirms a harsh truth: a strong top-line no longer guarantees a healthy bottom line, and the painful truth is: Volume without profit is just activity. The era of RevPAR as a sole performance indicator is over. It has to be over, because if this is the only thing we are truly capable of optimizing today, the industry is structurally broken. The industry has been discussing this strategic migration for some time now, yet the tension between this ambition (talk/ideas) and the current systemic reality (action/capability) is the core structural challenge. The new scoreboard demands Total Profit Optimization (TPO), driven by metrics like GOPPAR. This is the goal of Total Profit Optimization Hospitality.
Everyone in hospitality talks about pricing strategy, distribution mix, and guest experience. But ask who owns room assignment, and the room goes quiet.
In this article I described the relationship between Model Context Protocol (MCP) that helps AI systems access external data and A2A (Agent-to-Agent communication) that helps them talk to each other. This shorter article reflects my vision on the possible evolution of the A2A concept and how this affects our industry.
I watched a Director of Sales break down last month.
The hospitality industry doesn’t need more buzzwords or metaverse-ready ideas. What matters is creating online experiences that put guests first and drive measurable results.
One of the most common conversations I have with founders is about brand names. What to call the company, how much meaning it should have, whether it needs to be clever, memorable, descriptive. I get it. I’ve been there myself, naming things is hard. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the name itself doesn’t matter nearly as much as people think.
It’s not selling the right product to the right person at the right time at the right price.
The old saying in business, when it comes to hiring people, is this: Hire for attitude, train for skill.
When we hear the term Digital Transformation, it can be daunting and confronting. Yet another new term that can make us feel inadequate or that we are in some way falling behind. Digital Transformation is really a term that describes operational transformation. It means moving your business processes from manual or behind-the-scenes activities to technology-enabled processes for both staff and the customer. Ultimately, it’s all about how you operate your hospitality operations.
I was knee-deep in my spam folder … again.
When heads of state come to visit your hotel they usually make a bit of a show. The Russians are no exception; they even bring their own warship, the KGB and a wad of cash!
It’s often said that there are three main markets that will always exist: health, wealth and relationships. Luckily, this is exactly what hospitality does! But what does it mean to actually care for our guests’ health?
There is a distinct magic in stepping outside and being instantly immersed in nature. For many travelers, the draw of the outdoors isn’t just about escaping the city or disconnecting from screens; it’s about a deeper sense of freedom, possibility, and connection.
The travel and tourism sector is predicted to grow 5.8% every year until 2032 (World Travel & Tourism Council). This should bode well for hotels.
The next wave of upselling will be smarter, quieter, more contextual, and more effective. Instead of static menus or one-off emails, AI-powered upselling will coordinate offers across channels and moments to meet the guest’s true goal: reducing friction, enhancing comfort, and creating delightful moments.