Often, technology makes traveling smoother (thank you, GPS, for allowing us to never pullover—or refold that impossible map—ever again). But it can also turn a minor setback into a panic-inducing, pull-out-your-hair stress-hole that could have been avoided had things been left the way they were. (Ever tried getting a human on the phone when, say, your airline has lost your luggage or made you miss your flight?).
Rising cost pressures, particularly from skyrocketing wages, are making it more difficult to maintain profits at hotels, but hoteliers say a combination of strong rate growth and more efficient operating models have helped keep their businesses thriving.
In 2015, Japan opened the world’s first all-robot-run hotel, and called it Henn na (or “Strange”) Hotel. The machine menagerie had a short run before management decided to change up its strategy in 2019, and replaced half the staff with humans.
Of all the pandemic-inspired business adoptions, perhaps none is as reviled as the QR-code menus. And yet, it persists.
Guests staying at a Sextant hotel in New Orleans check in without any interaction with a human being. They’re greeted by a virtual concierge visible on a computer monitor but based thousands of miles away. And if they want to wind down from a stressful flight, a shot of Maker’s Mark bourbon from the lobby’s automated booze dispenser will cost them $5 — but if someone isn’t there in-person that day to check their IDs and present them with a special card for the machine, they’re out of luck.
After more than seven years with Booking.com, most recently as APAC regional director, Vikas Bhola has spent countless hours thinking about and developing solutions to make travel more enjoyable, efficient and integrated – what Booking Holdings has been referring to for years as the “connected trip.”
Of the 130-plus hotels in the Washington area with the word "Marriott" in their names, the location of the new Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ sets it apart from the others: It's steps from Marriott International's new global headquarters, separated only by a small plaza.
It’s just not “cool” to pay a hotel bill at the end of your stay — but it’s nothing to do with getting hit by the high bar bill (or being overcharged for bottled water.)
Gone are the days of fumbling around with temperamental hotel key cards, losing sleep to noisy neighbours and battling with erratic air conditioning. A raft of futuristic hotels are shaking up the hospitality industry — one piece of high-tech wizardry at a time.
People jest these days that if you want to take your significant other out on an expensive date, take them to a gasoline station. But why stop on a date when you can rent a suite there instead?
All eyes are on airport, border and airline infrastructure struggling to cope with the influx of summer travellers now that tourism is on the move again.
The hotel industry has a reputation, at least internally, of being behind the times and slow to adopt new technology, but hotel brand executives said that’s not necessarily the case.
Few industries have been hit as hard by the pandemic as the hospitality industry. According to a January 2022 study by the National Restaurant Association, 74 percent of restaurant operators said their business is less profitable now than it was before the pandemic, and 63 percent of operators said that their sales volume in 2021 was lower than in 2019.
Travel companies are looking to invest in fintech products and services to boost revenue streams and improve the customer experience.
Vinod Kelwani, chief executive of Technoheaven, says online travel retailers have nothing to fear from decentralised marketplaces and, in fact, have the scale and technological knowhow to profit from them
Though people in many parts of the world are heading back to the office and kids have returned to school, lockdowns continue across China as the country struggles to contain several Covid-19 outbreaks in line with its zero-Covid policy.
As the weeks roll by, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that many workers do not want to return to the factory-inspired ideal of sitting in an office five days a week. But it is also apparent that many don’t necessarily want to be sitting in their homes five days a week, either. So it’s unsurprising that money is being invested in “third places”: spaces that offer an attractive environment, a bite to eat, and perhaps a bit of socialization.
It was, inevitably, going to come up during the day’s closing interview with Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin, who gave an update on his Wojo co-working brand. It’s hard to keep up with the numbers because of the pace of new openings, whether dedicated spaces or hotel hotspots, but Bazin had an update, and claimed Wojo was now the second largest co-working space provider in France, with 70,000 square meters of space, and a 10,000 customer base of companies.
Explore the full 2022 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations whose efforts are reshaping their businesses, industries, and the broader culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact with their initiatives across 52 categories, including the most innovative style, design, and social media companies.
After almost a decade developing the technology behind its version of commercial space tourism, World View is beginning to hone the guest experience for the voyages launching in 2024. The Arizona-based company hired Dale Hipsh as president of tourism and exploration in February. Most recently the senior vice president of hotels at Hard Rock International, Hipsh is a veteran hospitality executive who worked on the development of Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, Grand Hyatt Wailea and Ritz-Carlton Bali among other properties. He is charged with crafting the guest experience both on terra firma and inside the capsule lifted about 19 miles into the sky by a helium balloon. The first flights will take off from near the Grand Canyon, with plans for more "spaceports" at the Great Barrier Reef, the Pyramids at Giza and other renowned sites. Hipsh recently spoke with Travel Weekly senior editor Tovin Lapan about his plans.