A raft of new data privacy laws have come into force over the past few years, and many have had a major impact on the hospitality industry. This January, hotels need to be aware of another piece of legislation — the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Before booking their next stay, today's traveler simply refers to their choice of hotel review sites to skim through a handful of reviews and real-life traveler photos. Travelers of all ages now routinely rely on the fast-evolving User Generated Content (UGC) model as one of the key drivers in their peer-driven decision making process. With an abundance of content available, online reviews are likely to be the first stop, and the first impression, many guests have of a hotel or resort. It's critical that hoteliers actively manage their online reputation at these hotel review sites.
The hospitality industry is changing, and is rapidly becoming super high-tech. While we can argue that this benefits guests—and it certainly benefits vendors—how much is it taking away from the guest's personal experience? Theoretically, it should improve the customer experience, particularly through the use of data collected by using the various technologies. Let's look at how guests actually feel, especially the Baby Boomers who look set to remain the most prolific travelers for the next two to three years, and see if the numbers support the theory that technology has improved the hospitality experience.
We know the hallmark of our industry is service, and that it's at the very heart and soul of what properties across the globe deliver to guests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, day in and day out. But it also drives revenues. Studies show 70 percent of customers will stop doing business with a company after one bad experience, while nine out of 10 say they would pay more to ensure a superior one. A study by Harvard Business Review showed that customers who have great experiences spend roughly 140 percent more than customers who have poor experiences.
How many times has it been said that knowledge is power? Yes, knowledge is power—especially when used to deliver optimal service. In today's hospitality environment, we have the opportunity to leverage data and pair insights with smart software for guest-centricity. We can't rely merely on a "heads in beds" mentality any longer. Instead we must rely on data about guest habits and preferences to create a true one-to-one experience. No longer is it one size fits all.
Lowering costs is one of the biggest challenges that face the hospitality industry while considering opportunities for maximizing revenues. Hotel managers need to think of innovative ways to cut down on costs without affecting the quality of their services.
The time has arrived for your hotel: you've worked with painstaking care through the due diligence phase, and after thoughtful deliberation you've purchased a new technology to enhance your operation. There's perhaps excitement, or a renewed sense of relief. But…wait for it…it's not over. Now comes the moment of truth. Hospitality-tech salespeople are no longer ringing your line, nor are you enduring the onslaught of PowerPoint presentations and demos. Rather, push has come to shove and it's finally time to implement this new, fantastic, life-changing technology.
On Sunday, October 1, 2017, a gunman shot into a crowd of 22,000 people from his 32nd-story room in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. After 11 minutes, 59 people were killed and more than 500 were injured. Whether hotels can or will respond to this tragedy with security measures capable of preventing future mass shootings remains to be seen. In the wake of this tragedy, however, hotel security practices undoubtedly will come under severe scrutiny. As many of our hospitality clients have contacted us over the past three days to discuss their security obligations, we thought this short article might prove helpful by identifying certain legal principles applicable to hotel security and by outlining several security measures hotels will likely evaluate and implement in the near future.
Over the past several years our consultancy has been asked to explore social entertainment options that enhance a patron's experience whether at a resort, restaurant, casino, or mixed-use development. The trends of what's hot and innovative always ignites the discussion. The evolution of social entertainment involves an innovative mix of activities, culinary, and entertainment value differentiation in a marketplace that is rapidly changing through the innovative use of technology.
For successful tech companies building a solid and loyal customer base is far less about trusting your gut than having the right data and testing and learning from it. Flattened company hierarchies are also seen as important in getting the best from teams and, as a result, building more successful customer relationships based on personal preferences. So in a turbulent and highly competitive market, should hotels should start thinking more like tech companies to take back control?
Once upon a time guests would feel compelled to sign up for loyalty programs with their preferred hotels and earn some real privileges. The more stays a person had within a year, the more points he earned; the more free offers he received. But due to increased competition within the hotel industry and numerous other factors, these hotel loyalty offers have gotten … shall we say, stale(?).
No matter how you prefer to deal with supplier API integrations directly or prefer a third-party vendor to manage your integrations for you, it is critical that you have a fair amount of understanding about supplier API and how it works.
In today's constantly connected, tech-focused world, it sometimes seems as though nothing is the same as it used to be. That may be true, but it's also true that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This is something I find myself saying almost every day now. Senior hotel managers must understand technology or they're dead! And for good reason, technology will save your property if you are smart about it.
Meet the Money® changes with the times, and the 2016 conference showcased the first panel on Cybersecurity in the hospitality industry – "Who's Knocking at Your Digital Door," featuring Bob Braun, from JMBM's Global Hospitality Group and Co-Chair of the Firm's Cybersecurity and Privacy Group; Bob Justus, of Optiv Security; Brad Maryman, from Maryman & Associates; Christian Ryan, from MARSH; and Kevin Shamoun, from Zeamster. Jeff Higley, of STR/HotelNewsNow.com moderated the panel.
If I were to ask 10 hoteliers who just recently made a sizeable investment in their hotel's Wi-Fi infrastructure, "Do you think your guests are happy?" chances are high that all 10 would say "Yes." The answer to my next question, however, may be more telling . . . "Do you have any dead zones in your hotel? Any places where obtaining a cellular signal is iffy or nonexistent?"
Now that summer has officially ended, many of us begin some serious travel to industry events. Just a few weeks ago Hospitality Upgrade hosted their annual CIO Summit, which gave me the opportunity to spend some quality time with HTNG's (Hospitality Technology Next Generation) new CEO, Mike Blake. For those of you who may not recall, HFTP was one of the first supporters of HTNG when it was created in 2002 at HITEC. Mike and I have been industry friends for a long time and one of the events held at the summit was a sailing regatta competition and it just so happened we were assigned to the same team. We worked very hard as a team, but despite much effort our group was voted "most likely to sink" and came in dead last. It's a good thing our groups didn't hire us for our sailing skills!
More than two-thirds of American adults now own a smartphone, making mobile technology part of daily life for most travelers. As such, travelers now expect to see mobile technology integrated into their hotel experiences. Gone are the days when offering Wi-Fi at a hotel was enough; travelers are booking hotels, finding travel information, and controlling every detail of their trips from their smartphones and tablets.
I have been honored to work for some amazing CEO's in my career. They all had one thing in common, other than their strong leadership skills and their inspiring, visionary aptitude. They understood the need to be first and fast.
Technology is one of the most important parts in any business today, especially those that place a substantial emphasis on customer satisfaction. The hospitality industry always needs to be at the cutting edge of the technological amenities customers demand. This is especially true with the changing demographics of travelers and business needs. Here are some trends happening in 2015 that all hoteliers and hospitality professionals should be on the lookout for.