Survey of 2,000 US consumers reveals 42% experienced more bad service in 2026 than previous years, with 66% willing to switch companies over poor service.
For those who have not followed our writing, the Mille Club refers to properties with rates over one thousand dollars, pounds or euros, with the ‘mille’ picked up from the Italian language. The Mille Club’s premise is that guests at this level are looking for an incredible experience rather than mere accommodations. Instead, hoteliers’ offerings compete for guests independent of location, making comp sets typically geographically derived moot. With great rate comes great expectations…
It’s 8:17 in the morning. You’ve already checked arrivals, glanced at occupancy, answered a question from reception, and flagged a maintenance issue — all before your first coffee is finished. Somewhere in between, you’re also expected to make pricing decisions that will shape your property’s revenue.
The 2026 Marriott-Google AI integration bypasses OTAs by enabling direct bookings through natural language search, requiring hotels to digitize all services or become invisible to AI agents.
There are venues that host meetings.
The author argues hotels can increase direct bookings and guest satisfaction by designing experiences that create perceived autonomy despite algorithmic influence shaping travel decisions.
The HFTP award-winning analysis explores how hotels must adapt with flexible services, community spaces, and membership models to capture the $120,000+ income digital nomad market.
The piece argues luxury hotels must balance brand premiums with perceived value, avoiding oversupply that dilutes exclusivity and weakens pricing power.
The call came at midnight.
The definition of a proactive customer experience is simple. The company reaches out to the customer before they call about a problem. Sometimes the customer doesn’t even know there is a problem. For example, an Internet provider may experience an outage and send text messages to its customers with ongoing updates. That shows the company is watching out for the customer, and while customers may not love that there is a problem, they love the information and have confidence that the company is doing something about it.
The article argues luxury hotels must build "Owned Demand Infrastructure" to reduce intermediary dependence and restore growth compounding.
The guide recommends value-based competition, personalized booking experiences, and integrated commercial tools as key strategies to capture more direct revenue.
The article argues sales leaders must shift from relying on top individual performers to building scalable team systems and processes for sustainable revenue growth.
Amadeus executives outline their five-stage demand generation approach, emphasizing unified marketing and revenue strategies over traditional room-filling tactics.
The rise of AI booking channels in 2025 forces hotels to optimize content for machines, not just humans, requiring more authoritative proof over aspirational marketing copy.
The piece argues luxury resorts focus too heavily on optimizing measurable marketing metrics while losing control over upstream demand generation to intermediaries like OTAs.
Gmail's AI now prioritizes emails based on engagement rather than just delivery, requiring hotels to focus on relevance and value over volume to maintain inbox visibility.
Study of 34,000 booking requests reveals conversion drivers vary by demand period, requiring hotels to adapt pricing and marketing strategies rather than rely on static averages.
The strategy focuses on creating destination guides, planning resources, and FAQ content that continues driving bookings and reducing operational strain over time.
Despite investing in sales technology, 80% of hotel salespeople rely on order-taking rather than proactive selling, requiring process audits and skills training to improve conversion rates.