2024 is set to witness significant changes in how travelers book accommodations, with online travel agencies (OTAs) playing a crucial role. From the return of corporate and group travel to the advent of AI-powered travel planning, these new OTA trends are reshaping how accommodations are researched, booked, and experienced. 4 Most Important OTA Trends for 2024 Lodging operators who aim
A hotel’s commercial team—revenue management, sales, and marketing—is critically important to the financial health of a property. When working harmoniously, these functions combine to ensure a property is filled with high-value guests while minimizing acquisition costs as much as possible. However, “harmonious” is an unlikely descriptor for many hotel commercial teams. 3 Ways to Build an Effective Commercial Hotel Organization
As a revenue manager, one of your essential daily inquiries is, "What was yesterday's pickup?" It's a question that sets the tone for your day and helps you make informed decisions about selling the right room, to the right guest, at the right time, at the right price. Setting the correct room price is undoubtedly the cornerstone of revenue management,
Time and effort going into answering guest queries should not be underestimated. How to optimize the process to benefit your guests and your staff? This article explores how hotel tech solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can help you do that. Still, first, it outlines the reasons behind the high volume of guest questions, the value of achieving the gold
Today’s travelers aren’t just better-educated and better-informed, they’re more concerned than ever about adopting responsible practices around their journeys. The upshot is that these savvy travelers actively seek experiences and accommodations that align with their values — especially concerning environmental and sustainability practices. Reasons Behind the Popularity of Sustainable Travel There are compelling reasons behind this trend. First, heightened awareness
OTAs show "breakfast included" as a primary search filter for hotel guests. It's not surprising that guests want to maximize their time and energy by enjoying breakfast within the hotel. It's one less decision they need to make. In this article, you'll see how thinking of breakfast as a profit center – setting, food, service, environment – impacts your hotel's
While data certainly supports the practice under the right circumstances, overbooking is a subject that can easily put hotel staff on edge without careful implementation. No one is thrilled by the prospect of needing to relocate or “walk” a guest to another property because a statistically likely cancellation never materialized. 4 Useful Tips for a Smart Overbooking Approach Plenty can
The industry’s adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) keeps pushing the boundaries of personalization and efficiency of guest communications. The emergence of generative AI models, like ChatGPT, is yet another revolution in that area. While it enhances the already existing benefits of platforms and tools powered by conversational AI, it also poses some challenges hoteliers need to consider before deciding on
Are you a hotelier struggling to maintain rate parity in today's ever-changing hospitality industry? If so, you're not alone. Despite the challenges of the last few years, rate parity remains a significant issue for hotels, and it's only getting more complicated. Top 3 Hotel Rate Parity Issues As a result of the pandemic, many hotels focused on generating short-term business
A revenue management strategy is a common practice among hotels. What’s less common is having an ancillary revenue strategy, though. Nevertheless, it’s beneficial for hotels to have one. It’s one of the first steps to unlocking a new, powerful revenue stream and improving the hotel’s positioning and branding while enhancing the guest experience. Here’s a closer look at the other
In the ever-evolving landscape of the hospitality industry, it can feel hard to stay ahead of the curve – or even in the middle of it. However, changing habits, attitudes, and trends send a clear message: the status quo is no longer sufficient to meet the complex needs of modern guests. The solution? Embrace a flexible tech stack and adopt
In this article, we interview Matthijs Welle of Mews. Matthijs is revolutionizing property management and hotelier experiences with high-tech solutions. Mews provides hoteliers with powerful, cutting-edge functionality that will allow them to focus on the guest experience rather than tedious administration. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Although I've been CEO
While the evolution of all hotel operational technologies has been a fascinating study, the evolution of hotel revenue management systems (RMS) has been particularly interesting, as it has gone through so many distinct and completely different phrases in a relatively short time (approximately the last ten years). RMS Transformation - From Ledgers to AI Cloud Systems Through this evolution, revenue
Partnering with a strong digital marketing agency can propel your property to new heights. But when that partner fails to innovate, falls short on reporting, or cannot adapt, the relationship can become an obstacle to growth. Here, you find five signs that it’s time to consider a new digital marketing partner, and how to find a synergetic fit. 5 Crucial
In recent years, the hospitality industry has navigated unique challenges. As we forge ahead into 2023 and 2024, the landscape of revenue management within this sector is undergoing transformative changes. These changes, crucial for adapting to new market conditions, enhancing efficiency, and aligning with customer preferences, notably accelerate technological integration. Revenue Management Trends in the Hospitality Industry This article delves
In this interview, we speak with Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, the president and co-founder of IDeaS. As the son of an electrical engineer and avid chess player, he became interested in technology and how it can be applied to modeling real-world scenarios to help improve decision-making ability. With his friend Sanjay Nagalia, he co-founded IDeas, one of today's leading
For some, advancements in automation bring a profound sense of dread. Worrying about the big-picture societal challenges that may come with the widespread adoption of new, advanced generative AI tools is understandable. But instead of fretting about whatever dystopian worst-case scenario automation may bring, it's time to take a step back for perspective and think of how automation may apply
At first glance, AI and hospitality might not seem like the most natural fit. What makes hospitality unique is its human touch – the provision of experiences that are unique and special to the individual traveler. But AI doesn’t stop that. In fact, it can enhance it. Personalizing Stays and Streamlining Operations There are two ways in which AI enhances