Hotelmarketing'com

Daily must-reads for hotel marketers.

Authenticity and sustainability lead hotel design trends. More hotel public spaces give designers a larger playground to react to guest trends. Design and architecture firms that specialize in hospitality spaces are reexamining traveler preferences in order to weave trends into their project designs.

The future of hospitality design. Architectural and design experts shared recently completed case studies of projects that are welcoming guests into new possibilities in hospitality design.

Hotels opt for mobile tipping. In a near-cashless society, hotels are finally catching up and allow for digital tipping, and that could help ease staffing shortages.

Hotel members-only club model forges ahead. Interest in members clubs is growing as both work and leisure habit have changed fundamentally. A recent panel of interior designers and hoteliers discussed the ever-changing arena of hotel members’ clubs, all with a nuanced take on the concept.

In the shadow of the big brands. Small Luxury Hotels of the World believes its small properties can stand out from some of the other offerings in a crowded post-pandemic market.

Diverse hotel demand keeps all-inclusive segment growing. A great business case for making money for owners. The continued surge in leisure travel has helped support the rapid acceleration of all-inclusive resort development in the Caribbean, but that’s not the only driving factor.

US hoteliers gradually make headway against labor shortage. Bringing workers back has proved to be more challenging than bringing business back. Perks such as higher salaries, retention bonuses, finder’s fees for new workers, more flexible work schedules, and same-day payments appear to be drawing workers back into the industry.

Don’t tell me, show me. The hospitality industry is moving from a service culture focus to an experiential one, and hoteliers are realizing they need to invest more in ESG.

Service levels will determine luxury hotel success. Luxury hotels must transcend their brands to be all that discerning guests require. Performance in luxury hotels in 2022 was notable, but even the highest hotel segment might not sustain those levels next year and beyond, according to a panel at the European Hospitality Investment Conference.

Diversity is key in hospitality. 50% of direct reports to the CEO at Hilton are women, and the company has set a goal for 50% general managers to be women.

F&B design trends a feast for the senses, where a business lunch seamlessly flows into a wine tasting, then onto the rooftop for sundowners, and concluded with a nightcap in the member’s only “after-hours” venue.

How hotel room service has evolved. Picnic presentation, QR codes and easy eats. Food-and-beverage operators have had to rethink menus and delivery processes and make changes during the pandemic that are still mostly in place.

No vacancy for hotel renovations. Being busy all the time comes with its own unique set of challenges. While the high occupancy is certainly welcome, finding the best time to make updates to a property becomes complicated when there's lots of business on the books.

Why hotel developers need to reconsider F&B. Most U.S. brands don’t require hotels to have substantial F&B offerings. But for U.S. consumers, hotels are no longer just somewhere to sleep - they are increasingly finding hotels a place to relax and unwind.

What's in store for luxury travel in Asia Pacific post-pandemic?. Farm-to-table dining a rising trend in Asia hotels. The hospitality industry is particularly confident about recovery in Asia Pacific, with several hotel chains announcing ambitious expansion plans in the region.

Marriott on serving ads in private hotel rooms. Don't disrupt what you cam to do, but enhance everything around that. The idea is not to plaster ads everywhere but work with select brands to create a well-rounded experience for travelers who might be on the hunt for things to do or shop for on their trips.

Improving hotel virtual card use. The particular problem with using virtual cards for hotel payments is that the technology still has not quite caught up with the process.

How citizenM plans to disrupt the traditional hotel industry. Not just a place to sleep, but somewhere to work, relax and play. With four new properties in its 2022 pipeline, citizenM is taking its ‘affordable luxury’ lifestyle brand and signature style to new cities and locations spanning the USA from coast to coast.

How COVID changed the nature of hotel management agreements. Who has the right to make the decision to shut down the hotel, and what does that decision-making look like?. During the pandemic, owners and management companies spent a lot of time thinking about their relationship, focusing on how everyone’s interests can be more closely aligned.

Why your hotel needs a sleep program. Sleep science has gone mainstream with books, newspaper articles, foods, products and devices all offering ways to enhance one’s sleeping efficiency.

Innovation in hotels. Many hoteliers think that innovation is only about new products. However, any improvement to the guest experience is also innovation.

The rise of sleep tourism. Interest has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Sleep tourism has been growing in popularity for a number of years, with an increasing amount of sleep-focused stays popping up in hotels and resorts across the world.

Hotels on the rails. Why wouldn’t hotel companies go after luxury train travelers? It’s a way to offer yet another new experience to the booming leisure travel segment.

Hotels capitalize on airline chaos. Hotels accommodate inconvenienced guests – and increase their incremental revenue as slight disruption has become a near daily occurrence.

The role of operations in hotel brand experience. The line between marketing and operations in strong hospitality brands is blurry. Operations is so important because of the coordination required between product development and service delivery to ensure a differentiated guest experience.

Hybrid hospitality unpacked. New white paper examines the rise of hybrid models in the hospitality industry including concept creation, coworking and community building.

Economic climate ruling out the classic luxury hotel. International, high-end guests increasingly interested in serviced apartments. Flexibility of space, length of stay and of operations means that the global hospitality pipeline is moving away from the traditional concept of a luxury hotel.

10 new standout hotels in Asia. The NYT portraits 10 noteworthy newcomers that stand out because of their architecture, location, creative social spaces, or sheer opulence.

Hotels go modular. Design firms are creating modular hotel properties that can turn an aspiring land owner into what’s essentially a hotelier-in-a-day.

Do alpine hotels have a future? How alpine hotels can respond to the challenges of the climate crisis, appeal to younger demographics and be as authentic as possible.

Wellness reframed. While the focus on personal well-being is not necessarily new, it is now less an indulgence and more of a non-negotiable essential for today’s travelers.

A hotel in orbit. Hilton is designing hospitality suites and sleeping arrangements for Voyager's private space station Starlab.

The future of luxury hotels: Pay more but expect less. Luxury and limited service not mutually exclusive anymore. If shifting levels of service are on the table and prices are going higher, what does this even mean for the luxury hotel sector?

The pandemic changed how we travel, hospitality should follow suit. Choice Hotels on emerging travel trends and navigating the post-pandemic era in the hospitality sector. From workations and bleisure trips to longer and more sustainable holidays, the hospitality sector must adjust to the new needs and desires of guests.

High rates press hotels to deliver better onsite experience. Time to invest in maintenance and renovations that improve quality in the eyes of guests. As demand has climbed above pre-pandemic levels and consumers are paying record rates for hotel rooms, expectations are rising rapidly.

More than a chef. Hotels seek to combine kitchen leader and food and beverage director role. Some hotels are looking to combine the job of executive chef and food and beverage director as staffing issues, inflation and changing consumer behavior have taken on a whole new flavor.

Marriott CFO pins optimism. Lessons learned from pandemic strengthen hotel industry. Demand for travel to keep the worst of a recession at bay while hoteliers' ability to adapt and learn from the pandemic should keep the industry strong.

Hospitality industry enters the metaverse. A further acceleration of a dynamic in which our digital and real lives blur. While hotels in the metaverse may be an expensive marketing tactic, next-generation NFTs offer tangible rewards to their owners - and hospitality brands—by bridging real and virtual worlds.

SiteMinder: Hotel SWOT analysis. Performing a SWOT analysis focuses your attention beyond immediate needs and enables you to take strategic action for your hotel business.

Hotels focus on efficiency to protect profits. Wage increases are now a universal phenomenon. Rising cost pressures are making it more difficult to maintain profits at hotels, but a combination of strong rate growth and more efficient operating models have helped keep their businesses thriving.

Why operations should be your #1 priority now. Happier guests, better staff, and more profits for your investors. To succeed in hospitality today, you need to focus on operations above all else: sales, marketing, design, technology, or revenue management.

For hotel lovers. A list of 13 luxury hotel brands, how their properties got started and the evolution of their businesses that have helped them maintain their reputation as pioneers in luxury hospitality.

Is this the future of luxury hotels? Housed in a glass tower in downtown Minneapolis, this hotel gives an idea of what Four Seasons - and others who will follow their lead - thinks we want.

There’s nothing quite like a great hotel stay. Hotels want you back, and they are thinking outside the standard room to make it happen. Pandemic-era marketing has highlighted the familiarity of the hotel experience, increased flexibility around cancellations, connection with others and dedication to wellness and stress-free travel.

The end of labor as we know it: Implications for hotels. Never before has the hospitality industry faced such a large-scale and systemic talent crisis. If this paradigm shift in the labor market implies that younger generations value flexibility and freedom more than career opportunities, there are three things the industry can do about.

Aman resorts: Next stop, luxury retail. The goal is to create a standalone luxury retail business. Luxury resort operator Aman is planning a full-scale development of its branded product offer, including leather goods, skincare and expanded ready-to-wear.

Airbnb's recession plan includes ramping up supply. Unlock the next generation of hosts. The focus of Airbnb's business in the near to medium term is not on preparing for a demand shock but on growing its base of hosts to service continued demand growth.

A glimpse of the future at Marriott's new headquarters hotel. After 7,999 hotels, what might the contemporary traveler find in the latest?. As the closest hotel to CEO Anthony Capuano's desk, Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ encompass the latest thinking on how Marriott hotels should be designed, built and operated.

Hyatt goes all-in on all-inclusive. The company is letting consumers know that it is in the all-inclusive business in a significant way with the newly named Inclusive Collection, now including nine brands.

The hotel spirit. Hotels once filled a crucial niche in the American housing ecosystem. And now they should again. It’s already happening, quietly.

Less Moxy, more Airbnb. Unlike hotel attempts at courting younger travelers with supposedly hip brands, vacation rental platforms managed to grow market share.

Airbnb's key competitive advantage. The company can grow supply from millions of hosts who are on the frontlines and can immediately respond when they sense a pickup in local tourism.

Marriott launches The Curiosity Room by TED. Partnership debuts first-ever immersive guest rooms. Aimed at sparking curiosity and enriching the experience of global travelers, the rooms feature interactive, mind-bending activities integrated into the guest room design.

Understanding Airbnb's redesign. Design can be one of the most important levers of growth. How seemingly small design changes have the potential to deeply impact a business and likely the travel industry as a whole.

Deloitte's hotel of the future. New experiences, new opportunities. Technology innovations, changing customer demands, and new competitive threats are pushing hotels to offer increasingly personal, uniquely tailored experiences for every guest on every visit.​

Hotel packages make up for 'lost experiences'. Outdoor experiences and dining expected to continue to be popular this summer. With leisure demand thriving in many markets and corporate groups returning, hoteliers across the U.S. are offering packages and programming to further drive revenue.

Hotels go LGBTQ-friendly. Hotels make an effort to foster inclusive lodging, including aesthetics, events, sponsorships and employee training.

Blurring the design lines in hospitality. Flexibility has become the holy grail of hospitality design. A hotel room is no longer just a place to sleep, an office is no longer simply a place to work - being able to provide well-designed multi-disciplinary space is now a necessity.

New hotel labor models emphasize flexibility, responsiveness. Revenue managers have to strategize around availability of housekeeping. Hotels generally were more prepared for staffing requirements going into this summer travel season, but the lingering labor shortage means solutions also are limited.

Do we really need digital hotels? The Genesis Collection will offer users a variety of experiences, events and digital “outposts,” all from the comfort of their home.

Lasting pandemic changes. Most of the ongoing trends in hospitality were already there before, but the pandemic has accelerated them.

Hotels have gone to the robots. The pandemic has exacerbated an existing labor shortage in the industry, turning it into a “crisis,” and attitudes about robots have shifted.

Hoteliers adjust operations to balance new travel behaviors with leaner staffs. This year is all about operating hotels in ways that reflect how guests are traveling differently now. As life and work patterns change as a result of the pandemic, so, too, have travel behaviors, and hoteliers are shifting their operations to reflect these new travel trends.

A new hospitality revenue segment in the making. More hotel brands to follow Marriott's push to sell digital advertising. Companies that own reams of personally identifiable information derived from apps and websites are wizening up to the fact that those assets are very monetizable.

Marriott has 'great confidence in resilience of travel'. Industry must do more to show opportunities hospitality offers workers. "Guests reasonably expect great product and service levels to be commensurate with the pricing power we’ve achieved, so we’ve got to get those properties staffed," CEO Tony Capuano said.

The hottest new hotels in the U.S. Tripadvisor reveals the top 25 hottest new hotels in the U.S. based on an algorithm analyzing reviews and ratings over a 12-month period.

What is servitization?. From product-only to product-service bundles. As increased digitalization disrupts the hospitality industry, servitization could be considered the customer-facing component to appeal to digital natives.

Hilton summer road trip hacks. The company is revealing its 'game-changing tips' to help travelers make the most out of their stay, their budget and their time.

Marriott to launch media network to let advertisers reach its guests. The hospitality industry’s first global omnichannel media network. The hotel group will use anonymized customer data from past searches and reservations performed on its sites and app to enable brands to display ads relevant to travelers.

Hotel franchises gain steam in Europe. The risk revealed by the pandemic has some European investors shifting from the continent's historic model of hotel leases to a franchise model.

Clouds linger over sunny forecasts for European travel. Hotel industry hurdles include airlift, labor, environmental issues. Chief among those worries are continued labor shortages, and the costs associated with them, the increasing need to adjust operations to make businesses more sustainable.

The strange case of lodging REITs. A significant portion of Marriott’s hotels are owned by Host Inc., a lodging REIT that reports $3 billion in revenue but effectively pays no taxes.

Why are global hotel firms still operating in Russia?. The ethics of travel companies continuing to do business in Russia. Marriott, InterContinental Hotels and Hilton all announced they were closing their corporate offices in Moscow, yet hotels in Russia continue to operate under all three companies' flags.

Can the hotel industry reach a carbon positive future?. Carbon positivity is emerging as the next step in eco-focused hospitality. Construction has started on Populus, a carbon positive hotel designed by Studio Gang in downtown Denver. It’s the latest in a wave of hospitality destinations that are stepping up the sustainability factor.

Upscale hotels bet on personalization that goes deeper. True hotel luxury means choosing what my hotel room looks and feels like. Personalization is a buzzy word on many hoteliers' lips. But only a handful of operators, brands, and agencies seem to be truly learning how to deliver individualized service.

Radisson targets influencers, gamers with new hotel brand. An upper midscale, limited-service brand in metropolitan markets attractive to digitally savvy travelers. The first hotels are slated to open in the U.S. this fall, each with what the company calls a “Creative Content Studio” that will be filled with large monitors and gaming chairs and promises high-speed internet connectivity.

The fine art of being a good hotel guest. While hotels do their part to offer a host of perks, amenities, and accommodations, the guest plays just as important a role in fostering a pleasant experience.

Trump Hotel sale will end an era. The $375 million sale of a Washington hotel that served as an influence and access bazaar for lawmakers, administration officials and other Trump allies is slated to be finalized this month.

Five trends shaping the design of hotel public areas. The idea of shared values, of community, is being made tangible in the public spaces of hotel. The public space in any hotel is where the designer makes the opening comment. It tells the story of what is to follow behind closed doors, and as such is key to the brand narrative.

Transforming the hotel experience. With the post-pandemic environment encouraging innovation, creating inclusive experiences for travelers will become vital for hospitality leaders.

The new era of luxury in hotel design. Leading designers and architects explore hotel luxury deeper than surface level. The boundaries between luxury and lifestyle have no-doubt been blurred in recent years, as hotels adapt to new demands from modern travelers.

The next era of brand-hotel partnerships. A whole new generation of brand-hotel collaborations are on the way. Luxury brands have long supplied hotel bathroom products and sold goods in the lobby. Now, deeper partnerships are forming with hotels. A win-win scenario?

How hotels are becoming better places to work. Shift towards creating more thoughtful and private spaces. Many hotels are now betting that the routines established in the crisis have permanently changed the ways in which we travel, whether for work or for pleasure (or increasingly for both).

Hotels are getting creative. As resorts look to the summer travel season, they are adding new room experiences, introducing promotional rates and waiving fees.

Rethink of hospitality/real estate. Restructuring and rethink of accommodation real estate and the rise of digital nomads will be two of the biggest changes coming out of the pandemic.

Top 25 U.S. hotels of 2021. From California and New York to Texas and the Carolinas, here are the top 25 U.S. hotels of 2021 according to TripAdvisor.

Hybrid hotels, beyond recreating the comforts of home. Properties geared not towards transitory tourists but rather towards promadic travelers. As the traditional definitions associated with travel, work, and living continue to expand and overlap, hoteliers are also rethinking their approaches toward the transient space.

Hotel brands switched back to growth mode. Hyatt, Accor stress need to focus on guests. It's no longer about what's the next thing to put in the hotels to differentiate, it's more about understanding what that guest wants when they travel.

Hotels elevating hospitality design for travel. Hotels are incorporating new approaches as they reimagine guest experiences. Hotels are a hub for commerce, transportation and culture. Today, interior designers are redefining hospitality spaces to accommodate new forms of travel, communication and rest.

To win market share, hotels need to focus on sustainability. It is essential for hotels to include environmental and social questions in their strategic planning. Being environmentally and socially responsible is critical for hotels to accomplish a competitive cost advantage and earn broader community recognition.

Digital nomads influencing design. Opportunity to transform empty offices into spaces that support various activities. As our spaces continue to adapt to our future needs, we’ll likely see more collaborative, communal zones where people can relax, shop, and work.

How hotels smell. A successful scent program needs to factor in a hotel’s interior distribution strategy, its location, and perhaps even seasonality.

What does “luxury” mean to you?. How the luxury hospitality industry is reinventing itself. It feels like there is now a definition of luxury for every day of the week: boutique luxury, affordable luxury, lifestyle luxury, ultra-luxe - you can, quite literally, pay your money and take your choice.

Why some travelers prefer independent hotels. Today’s traveler wants experiences that go far beyond what they already know. Independent hotel and resort collections have been growing bigger in the hotel and resort industry for about a decade or so, but they’re growing even more important to the industry now.

How hotels will change in 2022. Hospitality is becoming more and more niche. Massive resorts with thousands of rooms will be replaced by smaller, more private properties that offer more facilities and accommodate longer stays, says hotel designer Jean-Michel Gathy.

Bad news? Send an AI. New research suggests that when a product or service offer is worse than expected, consumers respond better when dealing with an AI agent.

Hoteliers discuss amenity creep issues. What do the guests actually need? What are they willing to pay for?. "Amenity creep" was a real problem for the hotel industry pre-pandemic, but the past two years have given hoteliers the opportunity to reset their operating model and make some cuts.

Will travel for pancakes. Breakfast reigns supreme when it comes to travel, with complimentary breakfast being the top value amenity guests are looking for when booking a hotel.

The best hotels. U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 ranking of the best hotels after evaluating more than 35,000 hotels and resorts across North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Are hotel brands still valuable?. With so many brands launched every day, are they diluting the benefit. At a period when many hoteliers are hyper-focused on preserving profits, many may be wondering whether the fees paid to brands are still ultimately worth it.

Times have changed. So has wellness travel.. What wellness means has shifted, and what travelers are looking for has changed. The trend toward wellness and transformative experiences is a popular one in the tourism and hospitality industries, but many companies are missing the point.

Key considerations for hybrid hospitality projects. Multi-use operating model within a single structure. Hybrid hospitality projects offer day-to-day flexibility to end users, with a “hospitality first” experience that creates not only a place to sleep and eat but also to meet, collaborate, socialize and work.

An new kind of wellness. The wellness strategy a hotel adopts in a post-pandemic era is important. The wellness world has exponentially expanded and there are now so many ways wellness can come to life in a hotel environment yet not always the easiest to accommodate.

Bottom line, guest satisfaction remain focus for hoteliers. Hotel CEOs expect labor, inflation pressures on profitability to be long term. The desires to deliver positive experiences for guests and maintain profits have never been more at odds in the hotel industry than they are now.

HSMAI predictions for 2022. Consumers are willing to adapt to technology solutions and will become more loyal to brands’ apps and the personalized benefits.

What is the future of the wellness economy?. Wellness is becoming embedded in mainstream consumer lifestyles. Consumer interest in all things related to wellness has been rising rapidly, and in many ways, interest accelerated during the pandemic.

Airbnb hotels - a look into the future of lodging. The line between Airbnb, hotels, and short- and long-term rentals is blurring. An increasing number of companies have formalized a model that combines Airbnb booking arrangements with the basic structure of an average hotel—so-called “Airbnb hotels.”

The rise of the urban resort. As lines between work and leisure continue to blur, more guests want to experience the decompression of a resort even when in an urban environment.

Guests demand hotels designed for human comfort. Wellness design strategies deliver strong ROI. Building from that foundation, design can transform guest rooms, restaurants and lobbies into multisensory oases of wellness.