Features

Within the hospitality industry, we are frequently introduced to new, wide-spread economic trends. First, it was the Mobile Era,' then we got to know the 'Age of the Consumer' and the 'Experience Economy,' and now, the term on everyone’s mind? The 'Expectation Economy.'

If Quality Assurance had not been taken over by such interests, it would be focused on operational audits and follow-up actions that result in improved service and thus influenced guest perception based on real-world intentions and actions. This hijacking of QA could explain some very real problems that hoteliers are facing today in their operations and even with guest perceptions

Almost daily, employees enthusiastically circle a web address at the bottom of our receipt for us to complete a customer service survey, promising a chance to win a trip for two to some far-away beach, or maybe a shopping spree. Quite frankly, the prompt is so familiar most of us have grown accustomed to tuning it out as soon as the employee begins their spiel, pleasantly smiling as we gather our bags to leave the store.

In my career I have worked with a lot of interesting characters. To say the least, they were all quite colorful, usually fanning the flames of the hotel’s drama and adding their own seasoning. One boss I had was particularly interested in teaching lessons. He made everything into a lesson. What did you learn? How did I screw up? There was always a warm underbelly to be examined.

We’re quickly approaching the official wrap-up of 2019 and it’s been another exciting year in travel and hospitality. We are now one step closer to the future and those innovative technologies that we envisioned ever since The Jetsons aired on TV. Every year, we make it our mission to break down the most impactful and exciting technology trends that are rumored to steal the spotlight in the year to come.

There’s a popular saying that reads, 'Identity influences behavior.' This proves to be an especially important understanding of hospitality. As industry leaders work to identify (and cater to) the entirety of the guest journey, from pre-stay to post-stay, we are constantly faced with the question like: What do guests want most, and why? What is their motivation for traveling? What makes an exceptional trip?

When I speak with hotel sales leaders at my training workshops and conference presentations, and when I read interviews with them in hotel trade publications such as this one, it seems that most are buying-in to these three myths about hotel sales in the current era: – The most important factor in closing more leads is to be the first to respond. – The second key to success is having the coolest PDF or online brochure, with more pictures than everyone else. – Planners who send digital inquiries do not want to talk or correspond; they only want to get the proposal they asked for.

The face of hospitality is constantly changing and travelers are changing with it. Traditional accommodations have always been and are likely to remain extremely popular, however, the hospitality sector has welcomed the shared economy once Airbnb made its debut on the market. If we’re to simplify things, we are basically talking about more competition for hotels.

The more we dig into generational travel, the more we realize another, equally important trend – multigenerational travel. In fact, the rise in multigenerational travel is, arguably, positioned to change the hotel and travel industry.

For decades now, some hoteliers and many hotel tech providers have been pushing hotel guests to embrace self check-in procedures. I first heard of this concept as a budding young entrepreneur floating my business plan for a hotel industry training company to the top minds in lodging. The year was 1989 and my proposed company name was Check-Inn Training. I remember one industry icon in particular who, upon seeing the name on my binder, said 'Bad idea young man.' He proceeded to hand me a copy of an article from what was then called Hotel & Motel Management, in which a headline read 'Front Desk Staffs To Be Replaced By Kiosk Check-in Machine.'