United Airlines' Bryan Stoller advocates for a "Reasonable Department" mindset that trains employees to use judgment and empathy when customer situations fall outside standard policies.
Research shows 53% of U.S. consumers have received incorrect information from AI bots, highlighting the risk of over-automating customer service at the expense of human judgment and empathy.
Horst Schulze, founding member of Ritz-Carlton and founder of Capella Hotel Group, received the SHTM Lifetime Achievement Award and Gallery of Honour induction at Hong Kong PolyU on 5 June 2026.
Annual CX research finds the top five service priorities customers cite are kind staff, convenience, knowledgeable employees, first-contact resolution, and fast response times.
Author proposes a self-scoring gamification model for customer service where employees compete against their own past performance, not colleagues, to build better habits and culture.
The author argues that travel companies optimizing customer-facing problem-solving tools are missing AI's shift toward preventing problems entirely before customers encounter them.
Companies should train frontline staff, monitor complaint patterns, and create consistent recovery processes to transform service failures into trust-building opportunities.
UN Tourism partners with Fundación Mahou San Miguel to offer 2,000 free training places for Spanish hospitality professionals via WhatsApp messaging.
Hyken argues that hospitality businesses must translate customer service intentions into specific, measurable behaviors and standards to consistently deliver results.
The article argues hospitality's personal touch is already compromised by 74% annual turnover rates and widespread burnout, not threatened by AI.
Kennedy Training Network offers free webcast series on hospitality communication skills and sales techniques, sponsored by Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software.
The analysis explores how poorly implemented chatbots damage brand trust by prioritizing cost reduction over customer service quality.
Unlike basic AI tools, digital employees integrate directly into hotel systems to execute full workflows from reservations to follow-ups without human intervention.
Hyken argues that customer service staff should replace excuses with solution-focused responses to transform complaints into loyalty-building opportunities.
The article provides 10 specific predictions for how AI will transform hotel GM responsibilities by 2030, from autonomous revenue management to robotic housekeeping operations.
The mobile device combines xnPOS software with Elavon payment processing on Castles Technology hardware, allowing hotel staff to take orders and process payments anywhere on property.
Research shows the phone remains customers' preferred support channel, yet younger staff lack basic phone skills training.
Poor customer service phrases like "it's company policy" frustrate guests because they signal inflexibility and lack of authority to help.
All four Hilton properties in Singapore are now accredited, with staff trained to recognize the Sunflower symbol and assist guests with autism, chronic pain, or sensory sensitivities.
The Danish startup grew from 12 to 50+ hotels across five European countries and raised its first angel round with hospitality and tech veterans.