Hotel Operations

🏨 Winner: SOTA – Conceptual Human Space in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Located in the Mayan jungle, SOTA integrates nature and sacred geometry with crystal sanctuaries, a heart-shaped cenote, and ceremonial centers. Finalists: Folie Verte Spa at Hôtel Le Pigonnet in Aix-en-Provence, France, which merges art and nature, and Talise Spa Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE, promoting shared wellness practices. The 25th Hospitality Awards celebrate these innovative wellness concepts.

🏖️ Hôtel Dame des Arts, Paris, offers an exclusive sauna experience in the Latin Quarter, designed by Raphael Navot. Open daily from 10am to 9pm, it operates on a half-hourly appointment system. Rooms start at £246/night with breakfast included. The hotel hosts a daily Reading Hour from 4pm to 6pm at Pimpan bar, featuring drinks like Chocolat Chaud by Hugo. Enjoy rooftop views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower before the seasonal closure.

🏨 Silent leadership threatens the hospitality industry by undermining the essence of hotels: the human touch and care. Cost-saving measures deemed as efficiency cuts the spirit, reducing hotels to mere commodities. The heart of hospitality is its people; stripping this leaves only empty walls. The industry thrives on experiences and connections, not spreadsheets. Without nurturing the team’s pride and dedication, the business's soul fades, causing guests to leave and not return. #Hospitality #Leadership #RealityCheck

🍴 Ryan Magnon, COO at Ithaka Hospitality Partners, discusses reimagining food halls as vibrant community "third places." Chef-driven concepts, flexible spaces, and thoughtful design are key to modern food halls' popularity, illustrating how people seek connection today.

📈 Ryan Magnon, COO at Ithaka Hospitality Partners, emphasizes the importance of strong operations in hospitality, drawing on his experience at Capella, Chick-fil-A, and the U.S. Air Force. He highlights the need for intentional business study, purposeful staff development, and continuous improvement. Key tools include metrics, dashboards, and listening posts to understand operations and the guest journey. Sharing insights can transform team dynamics and enhance business outcomes.

🏨 In 2025, hotels are adopting strategic goals to enhance growth. Key focuses include increasing direct bookings by 20% in Q1, improving ADR by 5% by year-end, and achieving 90% occupancy during peak seasons. Goals aim to boost guest satisfaction with a 95% customer satisfaction target and a 20% boost in loyalty program sign-ups over 8 months. Sustainability efforts target a 5% reduction in plastic use within 12 months. The SMART framework helps ensure these goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

🏨 Celebrating exceptional dedication in hospitality: this award recognizes an employee's outstanding achievements and commitment. Highlighting the essential role of human connection in hospitality, it emphasizes that a hotel's true value lies in its team and relationships rather than physical spaces. The focus remains on nurturing people, both guests and employees, underscoring the industry's foundational values.

🏨 These awards celebrate outstanding hospitality managers who have significantly impacted their profession. The focus is on the importance of human connection in hospitality, emphasizing that a hotel's true value is in its team and relationships. This recognition underscores that the strength of employees and their daily interactions is crucial to the industry's success.

📊 Apply the 80/20 rule: focus on the top 20% of channels to drive 80% of performance. Experiment annually with niche OTAs and platforms. Measure key metrics like NetRevPAR and revenue by channel. Run a parallel direct booking strategy to increase margins and build guest loyalty. Cut the noise: prioritize quality over quantity in channel selection. A modern strategy should be data-driven and profit-focused to maintain control. #HotelDistribution #RevenueOptimisation #DirectBookings #OTAstrategy

✈️ Ryan Magnon, Chief Operating Officer at Ithaka Hospitality Partners, shares insights on leadership shaped by his early years as a young Air Force officer. He emphasizes the importance of humility, trust, and listening, which have become the foundation of his leadership style. These principles guide him in building teams and driving excellence within modern hotel operations.