TripAdvisor® today launches its innovative TripConnectTMservice. The self-service platform, a first for the hospitality sector, allows TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers to participate in Hotel Price Comparison and to drive direct bookings from TripAdvisor to their own property's website.

By feature writer Alan Fairweather: Don't you just hate it when things go wrong? You have an angry guest to deal with who's been let down by some aspect of your facilities or service. It may even be an internal customer, a colleague or even one of your team who's unhappy with your service to them. Don't panic! This is a fantastic opportunity to show just how good your customer service really is.

Conde Nast Traveler today announced the results of its 26(th) annual Readers' Choice Awards, ranking the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and resorts in the world. This year, a record-breaking 79,268 readers participated in the survey, almost double the number of survey takers in 2012. These dedicated and discerning travelers cast 1.3 million votes for more than 16,000 properties around the world.

By featue writer Sam Weston: The hospitality digital landscape is beyond saturated and very much a buyers market. OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and travel meta search engines are extremely advanced and continuously evolving, making it a challenging environment for hoteliers trying to increase direct, non commissionable, web business. So what can individual properties and chain hotels do to reduce their dependency on OTAs? Read on to find out.

By feature writer Steve Curtin: Sometimes, through no fault of your own, you find yourself overwhelmed by demanding customers who may feel entitled to immediate attention. Maybe a large tour group just arrived at your hotel or restaurant, or you're short-staffed due to job vacancies, call-offs, or lean scheduling, and a line is forming… In these instances, even careful planning and preparation may not result in the seamless service you'd like to provide to all of your customers. But there are ways to achieve stellar service even when faced with long lines and impatient customers.

By Catey Hill: Here are a 10 workers you might not think to tip, but probably should.

By Annalisa Rodriguez: An updated IRS ruling taking effect in January will treat automatic gratuities as service charges, rather than tips. The switch means servers will no longer be responsible for reporting those automatic tips as income.

By Jeroen Gulickx: Finally the word is out, bathroom amenities face a new challenge; guests with an opinion and increased knowledge about skincare.