By Keith Gruen: All around us software and hardware is making giant leaps forward, making tasks easier and more accessible for the average user than ever before. So why is most hotel software still stuck in the dark ages? Why is the staff behind the front desk still frantically poking away in applications designed for a different generation? Come to think of it, why is there a front desk at all?

By Melissa Lyons: For hotel and resort owners, it’s normal to be concerned by the big updates announced by Google this year. Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, Carousel… what’s next? It can all get very confusing.  You’re probably thinking, “what does this mean for my hotel?” and “how does this affect my marketing strategy?” “Is search engine optimization (SEO) dead?”  Well I’m here to tell you, SEO is just as important, if not more important, than it ever was before!

It is the guests, many famous but most are infamous and ordinary people, who bring our hotels to life.

Participating IHG hotels and Goodwill® agencies will team up to support economic growth through the hospitality industry

We are thrilled to announce that Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the  Market Metrix Hospitality Index winner for Q3 2013. This well-loved boutique brand earned the top customer satisfaction score in the world during this period.

By Feature Writer Jean Francois Mourier, CEO of REVPAR GURU: Not quite convinced about the importance of a mobile-compatible booking engine? With the rapidly increasing number of people booking via mobile devices, the revenues that you will be losing if you don’t offer mobile-compatible booking tools will also skyrocket. There are two mobile tools that every hotel should be offering to potential customers: a mobile site with built-in mobile-compatible booking engine or Facebook booking engine integration.

By Max Starkov: One of the biggest misconceptions in the industry today is that meta search marketing is a distribution channel – a “set and forget” initiative. The popular belief is that once the hotel is enabled on a meta search platform like Google or TripAdvisor, the job is done and the bookings will keep on coming. This industry-wide misconception is the main reason why some major hotel brands and some third-party booking engine vendors operate meta search as a distribution channel, utilizing a commission model (cost-per-acquisition), thus depriving their member hotels or hotel clients from serious direct online revenues. In our view, meta search is not a distribution channel, nor is it a “set and forget” marketing initiative.

By Daisy Carrington: According to market research firm PhoCusWright, last year 7% of hotel bookings were made via tablet and mobile phones (a figure 12 times larger than it was in 2010). By 2014, the number is expected to jump to 20%. According to a Harris International poll last year, 70% of those bookings are for same-day deals. Booking behaviour is changing but do we like the direction it is moving in?

Hyatt Union Square New York has launched ‘The Accessories Butler’ in its lobby for guests to borrow fashion items to complete their outfits for a night out.

By Feature Writer Shail Barot: Over the years, technology has witnessed a revolutionary change with regard to the way customers interact with each other, as well as with products, brands and services. As a hotelier I am constantly on the search for new tools to increase and facilitate interaction with guests and with advertisers switching budgets from traditional advertising to "new media", it is clear that the future of reaching out to your target audience is ready to evolve.