Human + Machine: The New Commercial Mindset for Hotel Sales Teams
I watched a Director of Sales break down last month.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author & Founder, The Sales Leadership Brief
Opinion Articles
10 Hotel Tech Predictions for 2026
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.
By Pedro Colaco, CEO, GuestCentric Systems
The Brand Name Myth
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.
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates
What Revenue Management REALLY is ...
It’s not selling the right product to the right person at the right time at the right price.
By Fabian Bartnick, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, PerfectCheck
A Lesson On How to Hire the Right Person From the Richest Man in the World
The old saying in business, when it comes to hiring people, is this: Hire for attitude, train for skill.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Digital Transformation & Operations: The Imperative of Hospitality Unified Selling
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.
By Mark Fancourt, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant, TRAVHOTECH
The Warm Prospecting Playbook for Hospitality Vendors Who Hate Cold Calling
I was knee-deep in my spam folder … again.
By Cory Falter, Partner, Lure Agency
The Russians
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!
By David Lund, The Hotel Financial Coach, David Lund
Wellness Experience Data as a Goldmine for Real Hospitality
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?
By Larry Mogelonsky and Adam Mogelonsky
Re-Imagining The Outdoors: Building Hospitality Brands at The Gateway to Nature
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.
By Matthew Mering, Executive Vice President of Hospitality, Waterton
Hoteliers’ POV - Marketing and revenue resilience on changing waters
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.
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
AI will turn upselling from “send offers” into “solve needs”
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.
10 Ways to Maximize Your Hotel’s Spa Listing on Spafinder
Spafinder isn’t just a directory—it’s a discovery engine for wellness travelers. With over 700,000 engaged users and unique distribution through Capital One and other partners, it’s a powerful tool in your spa marketing mix. But like any channel, you get out what you put in.
By Stephanie Sparks Smith, CEO & Digital Matriarch, Cogwheel Marketing, Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
Beyond ADR: The Metrics Modern Hotel Sales Leaders Must Track
I once sat in a sales meeting where everyone was celebrating.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author & Founder, The Sales Leadership Brief
How Hotels Can Turn Black Friday Into a Revenue Growth Opportunity
Black Friday is coming, a global sales event that every traveler notices. For many regions, it coincides with the low season, creating both a challenge and an opportunity.
By Anna Belash, Chief Marketing Officer, Exely
Why your upsell strategy is failing: When digital & voice live in different worlds
Upselling should be a seamless part of the guest journey, elevating the experience for guests, while strengthening the bottom line. Yet many properties invest heavily in offers, scripts, and campaigns — only to see limited return. The root cause is rarely the quality of the upgrade itself, but the disconnect between digital browsing behavior and voice-channel conversations.
Unlimited Content, Unlimited Boredom?
There’s something paradoxical about our times. We are entering an era of unlimited content. AI is generating articles, videos, music, animations (Sora and others are opening up new visual glut/slop - let’s just call it streams). But despite this tidal wave of creativity, we’re seeing a steady rise in boredom. [link]
By Martin Soler, Partner, Soler & Associates
"Who's Your D....?" they asked...
So... should the Revenue Manager report to the Director of Sales & Marketing?
By Fabian Bartnick, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, PerfectCheck
How to Make Every Customer Feel Like Your Only Customer
The concept of personalization is gaining increased attention. My annual customer experience research found that nearly eight out of 10 customers (79%) in the U.S. feel a personalized experience is important. So, what is a personalized experience?
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Using Hotel Data to Identify Recurring Customers Versus Loyal Guests
With AI at the gates, 2025 is already shaping up to be the ‘Year of Data’; it’s all about getting your data rivers flowing into a lake, cleaned up and curated for machine learning (ML) applications. One of many lucrative prospects pertains to segmentation and answering a question that in the past we’ve treated with more an ounce of human-bias-driven hunch: how can you tell the difference between recurring guests and truly loyal customers?
By Larry Mogelonsky and Adam Mogelonsky