Tony Loeb

🚩 Axonify research in 2024 discovered that 68% of hospitality managers acknowledge staff burnout, with 64% losing workers due to it. AI is seen as a solution to improve work-life balance by handling repetitive tasks, optimizing schedules, and streamlining operations, ultimately aimed at reducing stress and preventing burnout among hospitality employees.

📈 Sojern and Benchmark Research Partners, supported by Brand USA, Destination Canada, the European Travel Commission, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, released the “State of Destination Marketing 2025” report. 85% of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) maintained or increased digital ad budgets. Challenges include demonstrating ROI, with 60% using clicks as their top metric, 54% struggling to show clear ROI, and 37% facing tracking and attribution issues. 83% focus on programmatic advertising. The dominant channels are display ads (97%), social media (90%), and search engine marketing (80%). AI is used by 63% for content creation, but only 28% for data analysis. Always-on campaigns are now favored by 52% over seasonal ones. Personalized marketing is still underutilized, with only 15% applying advanced techniques. Data use is extensive, with 84% for digital marketing insights, 75% for visitor tracking, and 69% for market research. Co-op marketing in Europe increased by 16% year-over-year. Social media is used by 91% of DMOs, with Facebook and Instagram being top channels, while CTV and short-form video formats are on the rise.

💪 Chili's removed the "It's Just Wings" station tower, eliminating 13 menu items, to focus on high-growth items like Triple Dippers and Crispers. They've adopted a kitchen display system (KDS) and are installing TurboChef ovens in a quarter to a third of locations. Brinker International, parent company, is applying Chili's strategies to Maggiano’s, with Ernest Perez and Mike Westley, veterans from Yum! Brands, leading the charge.

🏩 Laura Calin, Senior Vice President at Oracle Hospitality, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Hotel Visionary Awards for her 30+ year career enhancing hospitality technology. She pioneered the OPERA property management system and Oracle OPERA Cloud, impacting over 45,000 hospitality venues globally. Oracle's OPERA Cloud adoption surged by 300%, and Calin's efforts led to the development of OHIP with over 3,000 APIs. She champions diversity and mentorship, influencing many to senior tech roles.

🚧 Bob W, in collaboration with Furthr, developed ‘LEGIT’, a tool for detailed environmental impact metrics which show hotel carbon emissions are at least five times higher than previously estimated. Bob W's LEGIT expands upon the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) used by over 30,000 operators, including industry giants like Hyatt and Marriott International. LEGIT factors in additional elements such as construction materials and waste, revealing that Bob W’s carbon footprint was 419% higher than HCMI's calculations – specifically, a difference from 1.48 kgCO₂e/night to 19.7 kgCO₂e/night for Bob W's Koti Katajanokka building in Finland. Bob W's sustainability efforts include offsetting 100% of their operational emissions, aiming for net-zero by 2050, and a commitment to transparency by publishing guest emissions data. The company's rapid expansion, a 200% growth in portfolio, contributed to a 90% increase in total carbon footprint in 2022, totaling 4,489 tCO₂e.

🚧 Bob W and environmental consultancy Furthr developed 'LEGIT', which shows hotel emissions are five times higher than previously thought. Bob W now includes per-night emission data for each room-type on their booking site and app. Using LEGIT, Bob W's emissions were 419% higher than the HCMI estimate. For example, Koti Katajanokka in Finland showed emissions of 1.48 kgCO₂e/night with HCMI, but 19.7 kgCO₂e/night with LEGIT. Bob W's 2023 Sustainability Report shows a total footprint of 4,489 tCO₂e, a 90% increase from 2022.