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Read here articles related to management issues, business and development, industry related issues, world's events, reviews and more.
| How are China's Emerging Technologies Shaping The Future of Luxury Experiences?
Chinese consumers today spend over USD$750 billion online – more than the US and UK combined | Does This Dress Make My Butt Look Big?
We must always be honest with our customers, even if it is something the customer doesn’t want to hear | Just How Unique Are Luxury Hotel Guests?
Our latest hotel report, From Search Engine to Booking Engine, in collaboration with Google, garners a view of the hotel guest’s journey over the entire path to booking, however, not every guest and their pre-booking behaviors are ali... | Hotel Sales Best Practices For The Era Of Electronic Inquiries.
As anyone who has worked in the profession of hotel sales and catering sales for 10 or more years knows, the skill-set required to be a top performer is quite different these days; Today’s sales superstars still have to have exception... | What Has Changed in Customer Service?
Every week, I’m asked, 'What is changing in customer service?' The expected answer is that I’ll talk about all the new ways customer service and support is conducted – and I do: There’s self-service solutions that in... | Legislating Against OTAs: Does It Ever Work?
The news broke recently that the American Hotel & Lodging Association (which counts Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott as members) are planning to lobby the US administration to limit the harmful duopoly on online travel held by Priceline Group... | When Less is More in Hotel Design.
Wardrobes, trouser presses and fruit bowls have long been among the hallmarks of hotel bedrooms – but their days are numbered in many major mid-range chains, next time you stay in a hotel look at the length of the mirror in your bedro... | A Brand Without the Branding: Dan Lynn and ZUZUHOTELS.
A chain hotel experience without the chain: The complexity of hotel distribution is almost unfathomable, small independent hotels often don't have the resource to manage it properly - but they also might not be in a position to join a... | The Shocking Truth About Todays Hotel Industry!
After 3+ years as Chief Operating Officer of a fast moving, positively disrupting and creative Hospitality company, I decided to take a 4 month creative break spending my time travelling, searching for new inspiration, recharging and re-ene... | The Force Within.
I’m often asked, 'How many people in an organization does it take to create a culture focused on Customer Amazement?' The short answer is: all of them, but, the process has to start somewhere | Why Your Customer Service Should Influence Customer Engagement.
Engaged customers are extremely valuable, and can be described as those who have a personal connection to a brand, research from Rosetta found that engaged customers spend 60 percent more per transaction, while they are also three times mor... | The Future of Meeting Rooms.
Sometime within the last year, The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport went through a major renovation, the result is an exemplary convention venue with two new ballrooms, able to accommodate groups up to 2,200 | 'Fine' is the F-Bomb of Customer Service.
Not long ago I was interviewing Kevin Berk, founder and CEO of ServiceGuru, on Amazing Business Radio, we were talking about the word fine and he commented that it is a four letter that begins with the letter F that you never want to hear f... | Hotels Take a Fresh Look at Communal Spaces.
From hip lobbies with a coffee shop ambiance to shared living spaces linking guest rooms, more hotels are turning their focus to providing inviting community areas | How to Orchestrate Innovation: 3 Ways to Boost Creative Alignment.
Although having different perspectives is critical for innovation, diverse teams rarely run smoothly, so how it is possible to enable these teams for success? What needs to be done in order to boost creative alignment? Most musicians ... | As Hotel Technology Turns the Corner, Properties Should Carefully Examine Systems.
Many hotels today are like older cars, in that technology has enabled them to really push their performance, but it also becomes a limiting factor if the existing structure cannot keep bolting on new solutions to old systems | Leveraging the Franchise Lifecycle Model.
Mitigate risk and drive profits with the franchisor-franchisee relationship - The traditional franchisor-franchisee relationship is evolving in response to a riskier legal and regulatory environment | The Millennial Traveller: Travel Must Set the Benchmark for the Future Working Economy.
Preparing talent for a new economy is a question that pervades every industry | Paying the Intermediaries: An Analysis of Hotel Commissions.
The increasing incidence of intermediaries selling hotel rooms and other services is a major topic of discussion among hotel owners and operators; From online travel agents to convention housing companies, third-parties are placing themselv... | Maybe the Best Customer Service Line Ever.
I recently had the good fortune to meet Frankie Saucier, the former director of social media customer service (also known as social care) for a major cable company, when the cable goes out, upset customers call, email, tweet, post on Facebo... | I Love The Plum Guide of London.
I do not advertise any product; never did and never will, however, I am occasionally impressed with the way certain people do things, especially as compared to the way other people do it | These Categories Are Most Positively and Negatively Impacting Hotel Ratings.
Friendliness of staff most positively impacts hotel ratings, while bathrooms are dragging hotel ratings down most often | Tech Teams Falling Short On Enabling Personalization, Hotel Loyalty.
Any effective hotel loyalty strategy today starts with personalization, and often requires a broad directional shift to place the customer at the center of every transaction | Direct Messaging Guests: The On-site Experience.
We have previously talked about direct messaging, so you might already know why it’s important to not be afraid of direct messaging your guests and the do’s and don’ts of the process and with technology... | Ten Years After – Hospitality Technology 2017.
No, for those of you who appreciated Alvin Lee and Ten Years After as a kid, this is not about music, this is about the 10 year anniversary of the technology explosion caused by Facebook, Twitter, iPhone and Android | Sky High Demand: The Surge in Skyscraper Hotels.
Hotels are well versed in making their guests feel on top of the world but a growing number are now allowing them to wine, dine and sleep hundreds of meters above ground level as well | A Professional Insight into the Swiss Hospitality Industry.
With a view to gather further information about the hospitality industry in Switzerland, our GM James Osmond arranged an interview with Mr Thomas Allemann of hotelleriesuisse; The association is put in place to protect the interests o... | The Best Available Room.
I recently checked into a hotel in Chicago, the front desk clerk was so enthusiastic and upon checking me in she stated, 'I’ve put you in the best available room', I was only there for one night, so I thought she was upgrading me | How is Brexit Hitting Hotels? An Analysis and Recommedations.
On March 29th, British Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 to start the process for the UK to leave the European Union, then, less than a month later – April 18th – the PM called for a snap general election; Bre... | How the Phone Is Answered Is an Important First Impression.
When was the last time you called your business? I recently spoke at a conference, after the speech, the client gave me a gift: the list of everyone in the audience with their contact information, she suggested I pick up the phone and... | Stop Chasing Millennials. Instead, use Data to Drive Marketing.
It is amazing how many large companies talk about how they are boosting their efforts to capture the attention of millennials: 'We need to tap into the millennials' and 'How can we improve our brand to target millennials more effectively' | The Big Tech Drive to Encourage Loyalty.
Technology is proving to be something of a double edged sword for the big hotel chains: On the one hand it’s helping them to engage with guests through easily scalable and cost-effective initiatives and drive loyalty in new ways | It’s a Little Thing, But It Makes a Difference.
Every week I stay at different hotels around the world as I travel for my speaking engagements and, every morning I get up in these hotels and take a shower, I reach in to turn the knob for the water, which is usually a few feet below the s... | Entrepreneurs’ Corner: In Conversation With An Innovative Modular Hotel Real Estate Developer.
At last month’s International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin, the event organisers arranged a panel discussion with four entrepreneurs and (co-)founders of new hotel concepts, the question up for debate: 'Where is the innovation?'&n... | Airline Service: Stop Complaining, Be Grateful For Super Low Fares!
As a hotel industry customer service trainer and conference speaker, I am on the road nearly every week, being based in a large metropolitan area such as Ft Lauderdale / Miami, FL, it is not logical to stay loyal to one airline; I find it b... | Is it Illegal for a Hotel to 'Walk' a Confirmed Guest?
'Ladies and Gentlemen, our flight is overbooked today and we’d like to ask if there are any volunteers to take a later departure', the recent incident in which a bona fide paying seated customer of United Airlines was forcibly removed... | Accessible Tourism for All: An Opportunity within Our Reach.
All tourists want unique experiences tailored to their needs and among the more than one billion international tourists that travel each year, a high percentage consists of families with young children and/or seniors, and persons with ... | Coffee, Tea or Laptop?
Last week was a bad week for the airlines, the United Airlines customer service debacle hurt all airlines, not just the United brand, although It’s not uncommon for flights to be overbooked, delayed and cancelled, passengers get angry... | Are Asian Hoteliers Today Overwhelmed by Data?
Exclusive Interview: Over recent years, Asian hoteliers have witnessed a huge influx of data delivered by online reviews, social media and the ever-increasing number of travel sites | The 'NEW' Hotel General Manager.
The position of general manager has never been a static one: When you're checking the financials one minute and tasting new dishes in your restaurant the next, you cannot afford to be a specialist, you need to be generalist, hence the title | Lose the Customer's Confidence and You'll Lose the Customer.
My wife and I were on the phone with our bank, they take care of our checking accounts and credit cards for our entire family, and we were having a problem transferring money from one account to another, the frustration began with fifteen m... | Under-The-Radar Advantages for Independent Hotels.
The independent hotel market in Europe is a big business, in terms of employment, tourism and contribution to local economies but most importantly for the players in the industry, independent hotels are big in terms of room inventory &ndash... | Snake Oil for Sale: The True Cost of Inaccurate Hotel Photos.
The 19th century was arguably the zenith of con-artistry: A traveling salesman would set up a public demonstration to convince the townspeople that snake oil had miraculous properties, or that certain investment opportunities simply could n... | The Achilles Heel of AirBnb.
AirBnb has been one of the great success stories — perhaps the single greatest — of the hospitality industry in recent years, countless blogs, business journals and news programs have sung its praises whilst many conference hour... | Why Instant Gratification Isn’t the Answer for Luxury Brands.
A recent Luxury Daily article entitled 'Is fashion’s love affair with see-now, buy-now over?,' questioned whether this emerging trend in the luxury market may well have hit a wall, Tom Ford has announced that after one year of testing... | How Loyalty Programs Help Your Hotel’s Reputation.
Hospitality has always been a highly competitive industry, especially nowadays - with additional options from Airbnb and similar companies, therefore, hoteliers need to step up their game and engage with their customers at a deeper level th... | Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet.
Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet was a hit song in 1974 by the Canadian rock band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive in the album titled Not Fragile | Hotels and Home Rentals are Moving Forward Together.
When the likes of Airbnb and HomeAway first made inroads into the travel industry they created two distinct clubs; established hotels on one side and home rentals on the other and now, the lines between the two are blurring as the wider tra... | Mitigating Risks in the Sharing Economy.
The sharing of transportation and accommodation services facilitated through companies such as Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, has massively transformed leisure travel | Don’t Put the Onus on the Customer.
One of our faithful Shepard Letter subscribers, Warren Danziger, emailed a great story worth sharing with everyone, the short version of the story is as follows | Social Customer Care Cannot Be Ignored.
Just last week I attended Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, so, what does a social media marketing conference have to do with customer service? Plenty! It’s been said that customer service is the new marketing |
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Complimentary Should Mean Free.
Saturday, 24th June 2017
My buddy went to dinner with his wife to celebrate their anniversary, the server overheard them talking about how many years they had been married and was flattered they chose to spend their special night at the restaurant, so, he brought them over complimentary champagne, they were surprised and most appreciative, until the bill came
Creating extraordinary customer experiences with technology.
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
Recently, we have been fascinated by the possibilities of Virtual Reality (VR), as a result, when Joyce saw her friend Terry Brock’s blog and interview with Dave Hodgson, president of 3-D Solutions, discussing various business applications, she knew she had to share the applications of technology with you
Consumer Research Reveals Guest Preferences and Expectations for Direct Hotel Communication.
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
Once a traveler becomes a guest, the lines of communication open up: In this research, we sought to identify the guest’s experiences and expectations through the means of digital correspondence between guests and their overnight stay providers
The Gay Travel Paradox.
Tuesday, 20th June 2017
A year or two after I graduated from college, I took a short vacation and went to Provincetown, Massachusetts, which I had heard was a gay destination (I was a late bloomer); On the first day there, I was riding my bicycle down Commercial Street when a guy on the sidewalk whistled at me and yelled out 'Sexy legs!' At that moment, two things happened: First, I almost tumbled head over wheels into the car driving ahead of me; and, second, I knew the freedom and pleasure every straight high school kid who ever sat on a park bench in the afternoon sun kissing the boy or girl they were going steady with had felt |
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United Airlines Computer Outage Is Customer Service Crisis Case Study Saturday, 4th February 2017
Last week United Airlines had a computer outage that lasted two and a half hours and caused 200 flight delays and six cancellations - keep in mind, this wasn’t a single unhappy customer complaining to a gate agent at the airport - this situation involved thousands of people who were inconvenienced, I would describe a two plus hour delayed flight as a Moment of Misery™
Up Close and Personal Digitally Sunday, 5th February 2017
The Wall Street Journal reports on how retailers are striving to keep consumers, current and potential, on their sites, physical and virtual and the tools and technology they have deployed offer a template for hoteliers to emulate and even enhance
The Hotel Matrix: How Information Shapes Success in Hospitality Tuesday, 7th February 2017
Remember that scene at the end of The Matrix where Neo sees the entire world in binary code? Armed with the understanding that everything is information, he can suddenly do whatever he wants, not even the secret agents can compete with his ability to access and interpret data |
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