By feature writer Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: I’ve been to Paris about half a dozen times and have yet to settle on a hotel worthy of a return visit. The Hotel Esprit Saint Germain might be the one to change this hotel merry-go-round, and for all the right reasons.
Acclimatizing for Above Target Achievement
By feature writer L. Aruna Dhir: The organisational climate is a derivative of the employee bearing and actions intertwined with the company brand philosophy. Well set organisational climate shapes up employee deportment and impacts their efforts. It is, indeed, a complexly circular relationship with one being the causing agent of another and vice versa. Let us look at this relationship closely.
Mobile usage in travel on the rise
By feature writer Frederic Gonzalo: In December 2012, I wrote a piece called The Mobile Revolution in Travel about recent trends and reports that painted what seemed to be an optimistic portrait regarding mobile adoption rates and its impact for the travel industry. Less than a year later, it appears as if reports were, if anything, very conservative: the growth is in fact staggering!
In Vino Veritas Part II
By feature writer Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: The previous ‘Wine 101’ article covered some of the basics. This article, however, is dedicated to those outlets that a few categories higher in their presentation of wine as an important component of their F&B mix.
Seven Cardinal Sins Committed By a Hotelier!
By feature writer L. Aruna Dhir: Hoteliering is an exciting business with never a dull moment on either side of the continuum, running from good to bad. Hotels are, truly, a line of business on steroids. They never sleep, they never take leaves. There are no summer offs or Christmas breaks; in fact some of the traditional festive times when the entire world seems to shut down are the peak season time for hotels. Hence, it is but natural that we as hoteliers are prone to committing some of the Cardinal sins; all in a day’s work.
Collaborative Economy in Travel: The Big Disruptor
By Frederic Gonzalo: What do sites such as AirBnB, Relayrides, Cookening or Vayable have in common? They are all, in their own way and in their own niche, web platforms presently shaking the travel & hospitality industry inside out, with a groundswell that few are considering seriously: the collaborative economy.
An Inside Look at Spanish Hotel Luxury
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: An interview with Gerard Sintes, General Manager at Mandarin Oriental Barcelona.
The Debate Over On Hold Messages
By feature writer Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: Writing opinion editorials over the years has gained me a few fans as well as a few detractors. I fashion myself a man of decorum, so when a critic dares me to reinforce my beliefs, I am more than happy to rise to the occasion. Such is the case for my article recently published discussing on hold messages and why they might hurt your business. Read on for some arguments for and against and make up your own mind.
Hotel Entertainment Should Be Active: How about Bowling?
By feature writer Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: Is your hotel fun? Ask yourself honestly. Your chef’s creations might excite the senses, and the surrounding area might present a smorgasbord of enjoyable daytime activities and nightlife. But what is there – physically, onsite and within reach – to entertain guests?
Your Top News and Articles of the Week
This week in the news, hotel prices increased by 39% after the plane crash in San Fancisco. Every time these stories hit the press, the hospitality industry looks mercenary. What can be done? On a lighter note, a new online hotel room-sharing program, Easynest, was launched – will people organise to share rooms to cut costs or has cost got nothing to do with it? From our feature writers – last week we asked if OTAs were crushing hotels and this week we have had a great response from Sam Weston detailing how to reduce your OTA dependency. Check out L. Aruna Dhir’s article describing the top traits of a hospitality professional. Do you possess them? Carla Caccavale gave us a new definition for SEO and explains how to turn “ouch” into an opportunity with some well crafted management responses. Finally, in the never ending debate over free wi-fi, Larry Mogelonsky looks to how airport lounges are handling the situation and finds lessons for hoteliers.
