Hotelier Perspectives

I’m always impressed when someone truly loves their job and does more than expected. And that’s exactly what happened on a recent cross-country American Airlines flight. Here’s what happened:

Running a hotel has never been easy. And the challenge is made even harder for those hoteliers who still rely on legacy property management systems (PMSs) that are no longer suited to modern habits, expectations and technologies. Systems that hinder rather than drive efficiency for your teams.

Known to many as the Eternal City, Rome has an uninterrupted history spanning two and a half thousand years. Apart from incredible historical sites, Rome has some of the world’s finest luxury hotels, often carved out of grand palazzos that once served members of the royal court of the Papal elite, and all of them adorned with opulent finishings and fine art.

Guest education is often overlooked in hospitality, but it is an integral aspect of the guest management experience. This education process offers significant benefits that go beyond simply informing them about the physical property, its amenities and outlets, and the surrounding destination.

20% of $500 is $100. With typical OTA commission rates hovering around 20%, that reduces the value of a $500 reservation to a $400 one. So, what’s the solution?

The hospitality industry has long struggled with fragmented data locked away in isolated systems. But recent advances in technology are helping hoteliers achieve something that was once difficult: centralized, accessible data. This new wave of data connectivity allows hotels to securely integrate insights from all facets of their operations in near real-time, giving them control over their data and the ability to access it when and how they want.

I was recently hired as a keynote speaker to talk to a group of financial advisors about client service. One of the topics of the meeting was a discussion about why a client would leave. The most obvious reason might be that the financial advisor gave bad advice, and the client lost money. But let’s assume the advisor is smart, the advice is sound, and the return on investment meets expectations. Even with all of that, why would a client leave?

The Covid pandemic amplified an existing challenge in hospitality: staffing shortages. When hotels shut down, many employees left the industry, finding better hours and pay elsewhere. As a result, hoteliers now face a staffing crisis, exacerbated by legacy systems and repetitive tasks that can deter new hires.

The word competitiveness is emerging as a theme for the new European Commission, a guiding principle for economic development, and an alarm bell to spur political leaders across Europe’s capitals to action. It is right, and the report by Mario Draghi couldn’t be more timely: Europe must take bold steps to sharpen its competitive edge in an increasingly fierce global environment.

In the ever-evolving hospitality industry, the use of business intelligence is becoming increasingly important. Hoteliers are recognizing the immense value that data brings to their business, from understanding drivers of demand to developing effective revenue management strategies. But the big question is – how willing are they to invest in new technology?