TOP NEWS - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 131

13 min

Boost Hotel Performance Through Profit & Loss Mastery

💰 Commercial teams in hotels, comprising Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management departments, play a crucial role in revenue generation and market presence. Financial literacy, particularly understanding the Profit & Loss (P&L) statement, enables these teams to identify profitable revenue streams, assess cost implications, and make informed decisions that align with the hotel's financial goals. Mastering P&L can lead to strategic choices that balance occupancy with profitability, enhancing the hotel's financial health. Business Intelligence tools like Demand Calendar aid in transforming data into actionable insights for optimizing strategies and managing costs effectively.

2 min

WeRoad releases Winter Travel Report with…

🏖️ WeRoad is set to take 30,000 travellers on trips from December 1st to January 15th across destinations like Morocco, the Nordics, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the USA, with an average trip duration of eight days. Spending is up by 18%, with 73% of travellers choosing long-haul destinations. UK travellers favour cold Nordic regions for experiences like viewing the Northern Lights, as bookings show early planning with expanded booking windows. Non-traditional destinations like the Maldives, Turkey, Costa Rica, and India are also gaining popularity.

4 min

Hospitality’s Future: Grounded in Connection, Powered by Tech

📌 Hotels are incorporating digital onboarding and training to enhance efficiency and sustainability, while also focusing on human-centered service. Eccleston Square Hotel in London and Shashi Hotel in Mountain View, California, exemplify a balance of high-tech features and personalized service. Initiatives include AI chatbots, IoT for smart room controls, and data-driven personalized experiences. Emphasis on human connections in hospitality remains vital, with technology complementing but not replacing personal interactions. Kathleen Lin Hurtubise of AlohaHP champions a blend of technology with the Aloha spirit.

2 min

IDeaS Releases Annual Trends Report for 2025

🏨 IDeaS, a SAS company, released its "5 Predictions That Will Shape Hospitality in 2025" report, with insights from hoteliers and tech partners. Predictions include a "generational changing of the guard," addressing travel demand from Baby Boomers to Millennials; new opportunities in experiential travel to combat over-tourism; increased online booking for events; investment in AI for revenue management; and accelerated cloud migration for hotel systems. Klaus Kohlmayr emphasizes the need for data-driven insights and innovative solutions to enhance guest experiences and stay competitive. Partners contributing insights include Amadeus, Bookassist, and Sabre Hospitality, among others.

4 min

Why Your Hotel’s Direct Bookings Are Stuck in Neutral

💾 Direct bookings in hotels have increased by 2% since 2019, now representing 21% of total bookings, while OTA shares have stabilized at 36%. The h2c Direct Booking Acceleration Study 2024 highlights the industry's struggle with tech fragmentation, causing poor user experiences and missed opportunities for direct bookings. To combat this, hotels are advised to focus on integration, clean data, optimized booking engines, align team goals, and leverage AI. AI adoption in IBEs is expected to double in two years, particularly in personalized booking features. Incremental updates and cross-departmental alignment are key for improving direct booking strategies.

54 hotel conferences and trade shows to attend in 2025

📆 Attending hospitality industry events in 2025 offers networking, learning about trends, and discovering innovations. Key events in the US & Canada include: HEDNA in San Diego (Jan 27–29), Women in Travel and Hospitality in Westlake Village (Feb 20), HUNTER in Atlanta (Mar 18–20), AAHOA Convention in New Orleans (Apr 15-17, 6,000 attendees, 500 exhibitors), BITAC® Operations in Newport Beach (Apr 27–29), Hotec Operations in Orlando (May 19–21), NYU IHIIC in New York City (Jun 1–3), Boutique Hotel Investment Conference in NYC (Jun 4), HITEC in Indianapolis (Jun 16–19), HAC Conference in Ottawa (Jun 16–17), Hotel Data Conference in Nashville (Aug 6–8), Skift Global Forum in NYC (Sep 16–18), Independent Hotel Show in Miami (Sep 17–18), Boutique Hotel Owners Conference in Los Angeles (Sep 29–30), Glamping forum in Aurora (Sep 30–Oct 1), The Lodging Conference in Phoenix (Oct 6–9), The Hospitality Show in Denver (Oct 26–28), NEIRA in Newport (Nov 5–7), Phocuswright Conference in San Diego (Nov 18–20). In LATAM, ANATO in

Contactless guest experience: How integrated technology makes it possible

🛌 A 2022 Statista survey revealed 50% of respondents desire permanent adoption of contactless hotel services. Sweet Accommodations, using Cloudbeds, increased upsells and repeat customers by 20%, dedicating 16 extra hours weekly to guest experience enhancement. Contactless technology includes online check-in, AI communication, and digital keys, with chatbots potentially boosting booking rates by 30% and upsells by 55%.

3 min

SHR partners with Saudico to supercharge Saudi Arabia’s hotel loyalty programs

🏨 On November 20, 2024, in Houston, TX, SHR, a hotel technology specialist, partnered with Saudico Electronic Systems, a leading Oracle Hospitality provider in Saudi Arabia, to revolutionize the kingdom's hotel loyalty programs. Saudi Arabian hotels, facing low direct bookings despite high repeat business due to undeveloped loyalty programs, will now have SHR's advanced software solutions integrated with Saudico's local expertise. This includes SHR's Central Reservations System (CRS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Revenue Management System (RMS), and digital marketing solutions. The collaboration aims to decrease OTA dependency and enhance direct bookings. Saudi Arabia expects to add 320,000 hotel rooms by 2030 and aims for 150 million tourists annually, presenting significant revenue opportunities for hoteliers. Alexander Barder of SHR and Soufyan Al Kabbani of Saudico expressed enthusiasm about bolstering the Saudi hotel industry and improving guest experiences through this partnership.

5 min

Tell Newsletter #83

💾 Zoox, Amazon's autonomous vehicle company, plans to introduce custom robotaxis in San Francisco and Las Vegas, initially for employee use, with public roll-out set for the following year. AI-powered booking agents like Bookline.io and HotelPlanner.ai manage thousands of calls daily, despite 22% of hotel bookings still being made over the phone. Klairhaus offers high-quality home office accessories made from natural materials by European artisans. McKinsey report points out the $1 trillion potential value of travel experiences, noting that nearly 50% of these bookings occur offline. Hopscotch Labs introduces AI and headphones for location-based information, suggesting a screen-free future for augmented reality. In the hotel industry, top talent retention is linked to structured environments, not freedom. Citate.ai aims to influence AI chatbots, raising questions about AI's role in reputation management.

Virtuoso on technology, longevity and diversity in luxury travel

🚀 Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, emphasized on Nov 22, 2024, that technology, particularly AI, enhances rather than replaces travel agents. With six generations traveling simultaneously, a historical first, luxury travel requires personalized experiences. AI streamlines logistics, enabling agents to focus on creating tailored journeys. Innovations like three-way video calls with local experts, such as those in Rwanda, add value to travel planning.

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