Japan gears up for a rugby uplift, Thailand's special stimulation measures, increase direct bookings and cut distribution costs and how hostels went from grit to glam.

Japan gears up for a rugby uplift
Wednesday, 16th January 2019

Japan’s hotel sector is already prepping for the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC).

The rugby tournament will take place in 12 cities around Japan between September and November, tapping into a wider trend that has seen greater numbers of visitors who have already been to well-trodden urban centers head to provincial cities >>

Fairmont opens first hotel in Riyadh
16 Jan 2019 : A key centerpiece of the Business Gate community in Riyadh, an ambitious mixed-use development project and business district featuring over 70 multinational and regional companies. The 298-room Fairmont Riyadh is the closest luxury hotel to the International Airport >>

Thailand Board of Investment approves 2 special stimulation measures
16 Jan 2019 : The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) recently approved two new measures aimed at developing the rail industry and further enhancing tourist destinations in the country, particularly those in second-tier provinces >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Ways Limited And Select Service Hotels Can Increase Direct Bookings And Cut Distribution Costs
Wednesday, 16th January 2019

OTA’s and other third parties are important to the channel mix. However, the colleague at your front desk right now can be your hotel’s best resource for increasing the most profitable of all channels, which is of course your direct bookings >>

Innovative Hotel Websites That Are Fighting Back!
It’s taken years of investment, mistakes and hard work, but hotel marketers are now rapidly catching up with the digital savvy of the OTAs. Today we want to share a few real-world examples of recent collaborations with our clients that have led to exciting hotel website innovations >>

2019: The Year of Connectivity
If there’s one buzzword for the hospitality industry this year, it’s 'connectivity' and hoteliers are helping travelers feel more connected than ever to their destination, from food and beverage programming to design to the brand itself >>

Marketing Tactics Hotel Sales Managers Should Be Using
Put those cold calls on hold and instead, personalize the group sales process with intentional social selling. For years hotel sales managers have leaned on old-school sales tactics to engage with meeting planners, primarily cold calls or cold emails that run the risk of annoying the planner or getting deleted >>

Unlock More Profit With Every Group
There is more data available today than ever before to help revenue and sales managers make smart decisions when quoting group business, while we’re seeing more collaboration between the two departments, unfortunately complications around compiling and analyzing the data remain >>

How Hostels Went From Grit to Glam: Rise of Poshtels
Hostels have traditionally been for backpackers happy to share rooms with strangers, trek down hallways to shower and cook their own meals in basic kitchens in exchange for cut-rate accommodation, but now hostels are increasingly borrowing ideas from more highly-rated hotels: barista-served coffee drinks, late-night cocktails, plush bedding, big-screen TVs and free wi-fi >>