Sales & Marketing
New projects, strategies and trends in hotel and resort operations. A look at the different facets of lodging operations, including sales & marketing, housekeeping, human resources, food & beverage, engineering & maintenance and revenue management.
Can Room Key Be The Great Equalizer?
While sitting in the lobby of the JW Marriott at LA Live last month, John F. Davis III couldn’t keep his phone quiet. The CEO of Room Key was already a popular man, but now he was getting message after message about what Michael Shannon had just said on stage at the Nokia Theatre during the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. The managing director at KSL Capital ...
Is It Time to Change Hotel Management?
Change can be daunting. But for hotel owners and operators who suspect they’re not getting the most out of their property or properties, change can also be essential. Changing hotel management companies can have a potentially dramatic impact on your day-to-day operations, your long-term prospects and your bottom line. The big question, of course, is whether or not to make a change in the first place. ...
Carlson, Rezidor Go to Market As One
As the saying goes, perception is reality. That’s the rationale behind yesterday’s announcement of the formation of The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the merging of two lodging giants—U.S.-based Carlson and European-based Rezidor—as a platform to go to market under one identity. Since the two firms have different ownership structures—Carlson is private, Rezidor is publicly traded with Carlson as majority shareholder—the arrangement only involves strategic and tactical maneuvers. ...
Hotel Spas Look For Improved Performance in 2012
It’s been a tough five years for hotel spas, but 2012 should a better year, particularly for those hotel operators who approach their spas as businesses, rather than just property amenities. According to a new study from PKF Consulting, hotel spas had sharper declines in revenues and profits in 2008 and 2009 than did hotels overall. And while improvements in the hotel industry started in early 2010, the spa business didn’t begin to get healthy until a year later....
A Closer Look at the Launch of Room Key
The challenge of answering to six of the largest hotel brand companies who are also his biggest clients doesn’t faze John F. Davis III, the CEO of new hotel search engine Room Key. In fact, he says, it’s much easier than when he started THISCO (The Hotel Industry Switch Company now known as Pegasus Solutions) in 1989 with 16 hotel company board members....
How to Fight Back From a Hotel Recession
Like most lodging companies, Waterford Hotel Group has mostly rebounded from the hotel industry recession that started in the second half of 2008. The Connecticut-based operator of nearly 30 hotels in nine states reacted quickly to minimize damage from the downturn and get its diverse portfolio of properties back on track....
Vantage Hospitality Stays On the Move
In June of this year, Vantage Hospitality hit the 1,000-property milestone in the12th year since its founding. Last week at its annual convention and trade show, founder and CEO Roger Bloss made it clear Vantage was far from done. ...
Stash at 164 Independent Hotels and Counting
Stash Hotel Rewards was the perfect combination of Jeff Low’s two areas of expertise. “I know rewards programs,” says the CEO and founder of Stash, “and I’ve always loved independent hotels.” Stash was launched in May 2010 with 65 three- and four-star-rated independent hotels in the U.S. That number is now at 164 after recent and big-name additions like ...
Homewood Suites Chief Bill Duncan Pens Mascot Books
A lot of corporations have mascots, but few executives have gotten as involved in their companies’ symbols as has Homewood Suites’ Bill Duncan. Duncan, who is global head, brand management, for Homewood and its Home2 Suites sister brand, has authored three children’s books featuring Lewis the Duck, Homewood’s long-time mascot....
Boutique Bash: 2011 LBHDC Recap
Richard Millard, who’d probably look like he was having fun at a funeral, wants you. The quirky and always engaging CEO and chairman of Trust Hospitality—Tecton and Desires until recently—ended the opening general session at last month’s Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference with an impassioned plea about the allure of the lifestyle and boutique segments of the hotel industry:...
Partnerships Could Be Key to Tourism Rebound in Caribbean
Like the rest of the world, the Caribbean tourism industry was hard hit by the global recession. One way the region can pull itself back to success is through partnerships: public/private ventures as well as deals among two or more private firms. That was one of the themes discussed at length during several sessions yesterday at the Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit at ...
