Sales & Marketing USA & Canada Opinion Articles

July 27, 2016

Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 164: Hotel History: Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, Whitefield, New Hampshire*

One of America's great resort hotels, the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa had its origin in the post-Civil War period. On a rainy night in 1865, a group of travelers en-route to Montreal, was stranded when their stagecoach overturned in Whitefield, N.H.. The driver found shelter for his wet passengers a half-mile away at the home of William and Maryjane Dodge who welcomed them with overnight lodging and a home-cooked breakfast. On that morning, the spectacular views of the Presidential Range, a series of 5,000 and 6,000 foot peaks, were overwhelming. Later, the Dodges officially opened an inn called the Mountain View House in 1866 and, after several additions, could accommodate more than 200 guests by 1912, when the Belvedere Tower was added.

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC

Whitefield, New Hampshire, United States

Opinion Article

July 15, 2016

The Battle For ‘Book Direct’ May Be Won, But The War Will Not

In this war to win the hearts and minds of modern travelers, intermediaries like Google, Expedia and Priceline have the resources and major strategic advantages. Individually and collectively, they have massive financial resources to invest in technology (website and mobile), systems, databases, marketing, talent and so forth – more than any single chain, much less an independent property.

By Bill Carroll, PhD, Senior Corporate Executive, Board Member, and Educator, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants

United States

Opinion Article

July 14, 2016

A Refreshing Perspective on the Millennials

Just by the size of their numbers, millennials will have a significant effect on the hospitality industry. In the United States, there are over 90 million in this demographic, making them the largest generational segment with a spending power of over $200 billion. In terms of travel consumption, millennials will account for over half of all travel spending by 2020.

By John Bowen, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants

United States

Opinion Article

June 6, 2016

Resort Real Estate Market Trends Western Ski Markets

For the US Mountain region, and mountainous areas of the Pacific States, ski resort real estate markets are among the most luxurious in the country. The following is an overview of 10 year trends in sales, pricing and values as of the end of 2015.

By Darius M Hatami, HVS

United States

Opinion Article

May 20, 2016

Increase Business, Have Drinks!

As hoteliers, the biggest challenge is how to get customers in the door; making them a return customer is the easy part. So here are some ways to get your hotel's name out in the community, generate a positive buzz about your property and increase business.

By Thomas Magnuson, Co-Founder & CEO Magnuson Hotels, Magnuson Hotels

United States

Opinion Article

May 10, 2016

9 Hotel Waterpark Resorts Coming to Colorado

Water is a precious resource. We drink it to hydrate our bodies. We irrigate our farms with it to grow food. We run our factories with it. We play in it for recreation. And we develop waterparks to attract tourists and vitalize our economy. In Colorado, where a lot of water originates in high country, there's even a water court and a judge to balance all these demands for water.

By Jeff Coy, ISHC, President of JLC Hospitality Consulting, JLC Hospitality Consulting, Inc.

Colorado, United States

Opinion Article

August 25, 2015

The Most Valuable High Touch Guest Service Channels in the High Tech Digital Age

These days, the guest journey has grown more complex. On a typical day in 2015, millions of people worldwide will book lodging accommodations. The exponential growth of the internet and the use of mobile devices by travelers who shop, plan, and book online shines a light on the challenges hoteliers face in their fragmented, complex distribution environment.

By Michelle Marquis

Bend, Oregon, United States

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Why Hospitality Net Leads B2B in Hospitality

Learn what makes us the industry-leader in what we do.

Hospitality Net

Opinion Article

August 18, 2015

A Hotelier’s Perspective on the Sharing Economy: Welcome, Airbnb. Seriously

I am a hotelier. Let's get that bias right out there. Everything I know and everything I do is focused on creating transcendent experiences for the guests who stay at my hotels. But unlike some of my colleagues in the hospitality industry, I am also a strong believer in the sharing economy. And I believe that rooms and cars are only the beginning.

By Bashar Wali, Principal / President, Provenance Hotels

United States

Opinion Article

August 6, 2015

Will Hotels Follow Airlines’ New Drip Pricing Policies?

I have long been a proponent for hotels discontinuing drip pricing or hidden fees, rather instead building some or all of those ubiquitous fees into the room rate. Like many, perhaps even most guests faced with the check out bill, I resent being nickeled-and-dimed or being charged for facilities, services and amenities for which I never used nor cared.

By David Brudney, ISHC, David Brudney & Associates

United States

Opinion Article

July 20, 2015

Finding a cure for the summertime TripAdvisor blues

If you pay close attention the ebb-and-flow of rankings on TripAdvisor and other guest commentary sites, you may have noticed a phenomenon I like to call "summertime TripAdvisor blues."

By John Smallwood

United States

Opinion Article

July 8, 2015

Hotels By Day: A New Opportunity for Travelers and Hotels

Anyone who has faced the prospect of an international flight with an eight-hour layover in New York or San Francisco knows how valuable it is to rest in a hotel room versus a bench in an airport lobby, groggily awaiting a connecting flight. In most cases, however, that short hotel stay comes at the full overnight rate or in less-than-desirable accommodations. Launched in February of 2015, HotelsByDay.com (HBD) aims to change the model, providing convenience and efficient pricing for short-term hotel guests and greater returns for hoteliers

By Kirsten Smiley, Senior Vice President, Southern California Region Director, HVS Los Angeles, HVS

United States

Opinion Article

June 2, 2015

The Evolution of the All-Inclusive Resort

Today's rising popularity of all-inclusive resorts is directly correlated to the value proposition for the guest. The resorts that offer customized products and services with personalized experiences are beneficial to both the owner and the customer.

By Kristina M. D'Amico, Senior Vice President - Director, Caribbean Region, Miami, HVS

United States

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Why Hospitality Net Leads B2B in Hospitality

Learn what makes us the industry-leader in what we do.

Hospitality Net

Opinion Article

March 6, 2015

Reinventing Reservations: How to Hire and Incentivize Reservations Staff to Grow Direct Channel Revenues

Direct channel bookings in recent years have become synonymous with online bookings for many hotels, but a closer look at direct booking data shows that for many hotels only 10-15% are web reservations and as much as 75% are voice channel. The outstanding growth in mobile search and planning has, rather than co-opting the voice channel, actually expanded it with click-to-call functionalities driving voice bookings. In 2013, Wyndham Hotel Group reported that for every booking via its mobile website, three are converted after a voice call.

By Brise Carpenter

United States

Opinion Article

March 5, 2015

Limited service in focus with the Library Hotel Collection

Let's say hypothetically that you had no legacy commitments to OTAs and other commission-hungry third party relationships. (I know this is impossible, but bear with me for a moment.) Now, what would you do? If we make the assumption that you would still have guests, how would your service delivery change? What would you do differently if you did not have the pressures of margin-eroding distribution systems?

By Larry Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited

New York, New York, United States

Opinion Article

February 6, 2015

A Few Numbers & Tips That Will Help You Make Your Group Numbers in 2015!

Want to know how to exceed your hospitality sales and marketing goals in 2015? Go ahead – pick a number between 2 and 4. If you choose the correct answer, 2015 WILL be the year for your success! Congratulations if you chose the number 3! There are 3 trends I saw in 2014 that are going to be even more important as we head into 2015. You need to know about these trends now and incorporate them into your work before we get too far into the New Year!

By Chaunsea Keller, E-proDirect LLC

United States

Opinion Article

February 2, 2015

Ready for Takeoff: Forecasting Lodging Demand in Airport Markets

With the expansion of major national airports and airport passenger volume expected to increase over the next 10 years, examining the link to forecasting lodging demand is critical to understanding the airport-hotel relationship. LAX provides an illuminating case study. Airport passenger volume is a key performance indicator for an area's lodging market and tourism economy at large. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 31 airports are undergoing renovation or expansion1, including major gateway city airports such as Boston-Logon, O'Hare, and Los Angeles (LAX). Additionally, passenger enplanements are forecast to increase 15% to approximately 857.4 million by 2020, according to the FAA's Terminal Area Forecast database2. With many of the nation's airports expanding and passenger volume forecast to register robust growth, it is important to understand how passenger volume can aid lodging demand forecasting. As a tool to understand this relationship, let's look at a case study of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

By Jessica White, Consulting & Valuation Analyst, HVS

United States

Opinion Article

January 28, 2015

Top 10 Global Trends that will Impact Hospitality in 2015

We asked our partners at the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research to comment on what they are seeing in terms of trends that will impact the hospitality industry in 2015. Cathy Enz, full professor in strategy and The Lewis G. Schaeneman Jr. Professor of Innovation and Dynamic Management at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University has been doing some thinking on this topic, and gave us these 10 trends for our Analytic Hospitality Executives to focus on.

By Kelly McGuire, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), KASA, HSMAI (USA)

United States

Opinion Article

January 23, 2015

What have Hotel Owners Learned in the Last Year? Where will we learn what we need for success this year?

While my career did not intercept directly with the former CEO of ITT which owned Sheraton Hotels for a generation, I did work with many hotel managers and a number of regional directors who both appreciated and feared the management style of Geneen. He was the type of executive manager that, while appreciating entrepreneurship and taking calculated chances, was always bottom line oriented and believed in financial returns and accountability as the utmost in defining success.

By John Hogan, CHA CHMS CHE CHO, HoganHospitality.com

United States

Opinion Article

December 23, 2014

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 134; Hotel History: The Knickerbocker Hotel (1906)

Did you read that the old Knickerbocker Hotel (1906-1921) is about to open again as a hotel on February 12, 2015? This historic building opened as the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1906 with 556 rooms. Developers J.E. and A.L. Pennock originally financed the building in 1903 and retained architects Bruce Price and Marvin & Davis. Only one year later, John Jacob Astor IV, who owned the land, took over the troubled project. The interiors were redesigned by architects Trowbridge & Livingston and a three-story restaurant and bar was added with seating for 2,000 diners.

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC

New York, New York, United States

Opinion Article

December 17, 2014

It’s More than Just a Game: The Effect of Core and Supplementary Services on Customer Loyalty

Executive Summary: All service providers seek to provide a comprehensive experience for their customers, with the goal of cementing customer loyalty and encouraging future purchases. In most services, we can identify core aspects (e.g., a good night's sleep at a hotel) and supplementary aspects (e.g., concierge and valet services). For professional sports, the core service is the sporting contest itself, but many other supplementary services may also be included. We use a comprehensive dataset of over 7,000 patrons of a major professional sport in the United States to determine how customers' satisfaction with core and supplementary services influence their intent to repeat a ticket purchase. We find that satisfaction with both core and supplementary services are important for loyal customers, but first-time customers tend to focus only on core service satisfaction when considering whether to purchase another ticket. One implication of this study is that firms should focus on their customers' full experience. Firms must first focus on their core services and then augment them appropriately with supplementary services.

By Rohit Verma, Professor, Cornell

United States