TODAY: Affluent travelers want exclusive experiences, Hong Kong's great outdoor, Singapore and testing the wisdom of traditional check-in/check-out times.

Affluent travelers want exclusive experiences and view hotels as trusted travel partners
Thursday, 22nd November 2018

The newly commissioned study found that hotels are perceived as pillars in their community, connecting guests, whether from abroad or locally, to the true character of the destination.

Luxury travelers view the role of a hotel beyond curating authentic local experiences, 93% consider the hotel an important part of the travel experience >>

Hong Kong and NatGeo launch Great Outdoors Campaign
22 Nov 2018 : Visitors to Hong Kong will discover some of Hong Kong’s most picturesque nature trails through the contrasting lenses of National Geographic photographers and trail experts as part of HKTB's campaign: 'One Place, Two Perspectives' >>

Singapore awarded as Smart City of 2018
22 Nov 2018 : The city of Singapore has been chosen as the Smart City of 2018 at the Smart City Expo World Congress during a gala to reward the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the urban innovation and transformation industry >>

School of Hotel and Tourism Management establishes the Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance
22 Nov 2018 : The School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the School of Tourism Management of the Sun Yet-Sen University in Guangzhou, and the Institute for Tourism Studies in Macau, signed a MOU for establishing the Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance >>

Innovative tourism experiences through real-world games
22 Nov 2018 : The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has partnered with one of its newest Affiliate Members, real-world games developer Niantic, to enhance global tourism through the use of mobile augmented reality game experiences >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Testing the Wisdom of Traditional Check-in/Check-out Times
Thursday, 22nd November 2018

Because the cleaning needs to take place in a dedicated wave, outbound guests need to be gone by late morning. New arrivals must have it clear in their heads that check-in will not ever start before 2pm.

The reason is that it gives the staff time to refresh the hotel, it gives everybody a predictable system that be relied on. But in the age of constantly changing hospitality options, all types of friction to the guest experience are in danger. Guests now have a direct influence on the global reputation of a hotel >>

Performance Report: Spa Department
Spas are becoming influential assets for hotels and resorts given the increasing demand related to wellness and lifestyle programs. With growing hotel and resort pillars being developed and dedicated to well-being, examining the depth of spa and wellness performance has become a fundamental factor of strategic growth and valuation >>

Five Ways to Create Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty, this is what companies strive for, to create loyal customers, some companies have earned a reputation that keeps bringing their customers back, again and again. How do they do it? >>

What Does Dubai’s Growing Digital Economy Mean?
Dubai is looking to a digital future as it moves beyond its traditional reliance on trade, tourism and real estate in its growth strategy and the UAE city has recently announced several changes aimed at nurturing innovation, including the adoption of open data and higher levels of e-commerce and sharing platforms, as well as the development of artificial intelligence and robotics >>

The Big Creep: Limited-Service Hotels & Rising ADR
Limited-service hotels are offering more and more, so much so that limited doesn’t even seem like the right term anymore. Everyone expects a gym, now, right? And some in-room tech. And a swimming pool. What about the all-inclusive breakfast buffet?

And once guests expect it, well, you’d better deliver or else they’ll move on down the road. All these new amenities are blowing the budget >>