Call me a traditionalist. Each morning as I walk past my tie rack, I pause to admire the vividly colored collection of Ferragamo and Brioni masterpieces, all neatly hanging in ordered rows and beckoning me to Ôtie one onÕ. And so whenever the opportunity comes my way, a tie is knotted around my neck without a momentÕs hesitation.
How augmented reality can supplement hotel mobile learning
The next wave of staff training could blend reality with digital, significantly improving the way hotel staff are taught. While still in its infancy, augmented reality has the potential to significantly change the way people learn with their mobile device.
Can new hospitality brand concepts stand the test of time?
All eyes have been on the mergers and acquisitions of hotel brands,Êsuch asÊStarwood Marriott, Accor’s acquisition of Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel, but the trend no one is reporting or talking much about is the influx of new hotel brand concepts. Specifically, hotel brand concepts tied to retail, sports and/or iconic historic figures seeking investors to launch.
Is big data in hospitality a game-changer?
We share more and more information, and the boundaries between private and public life are increasingly blurred. Our evaluations of various products and services are now available and visible to a growing number of people, both on platforms directly linked to hospitality, like TripAdvisor or booking.com, and more general sites and social media such as Facebook. All of this information constitutes an incredible opportunity for the hospitality sector.Ê
Creating financial leadership in your hotel
The business of managing the hotel finances is not terribly technical or complicated. What makes it challenging is that itÕs usually a very large job involving many people. In a 500-room hotel, you can easily have 20+ forecast contributors.Ê The communication system in the hotel is the key to both smooth management and predictive financial results. This is the how to.
Housekeeping is a contact sport
Every hotelier knows that housekeeping is a vital aspect of any propertyÕs operations. All it takes is just one look at an online review site to see just how sensitive guests are to errors in this regard. Seldom do we managers know how to actually do what they do so that we can truly empathize with the issues they encounter on a daily basis.
What a property needs on its website
Over the past decade, technology has impacted the way hospitality businesses of all sizes operate. For independent properties, it has been a game changer. Here weÕll walk through some of the most important aspects of a propertyÕs website.
Next-generation revenue management results in additional profit
A celebrated physicist once famously remarked that prediction can be very difficult, especially when it’s about the future. That certainly applies to forecasting demand for hotel guest rooms. With the advent of next-generation revenue management capabilities, however, predicting the future has become a lot easier, more accurate and more profitable.
From Parramatta to Paris: The making of a top chef
When Katey Shaw won the Potentialist of the Year at last yearÕs Gault&Millau Awards, she described it as a Òonce in a lifetime opportunityÓ.ÊHer ultimate dream is to eventually run a patisserie by day/restaurant by night venue, with a team of inspired pastry chefs who create sweets for the dessert lovers of the world.
How a corporate sales manager can save your hotel $100KÊ
I had a wonderful discussion with a hotel sales manager last week about a new hotel reservation platform that does not include any stops at an on-line travel agent, OTA. The sales manager explained to me that her mid-sized hotel did a couple of million dollars in corporate IT sales and that represented just over 12,000 room nights.
