In this increasing Internet of Things world, how can hotels give guests the personalized and memorable experiences they want? Is Alexa the answer? What about Siri? Or maybe Cortana? Can any of them give hospitality and deliver those immersive experiences so you can delight your guests and improve your team's productivity. And what about privacy policies? Will a hotel be able to use Alexa to eavesdrop? These are the questions that every hotel will have to answer – and soon. This article will help you begin that process. Read on...

Along with real property, equipment, furniture, fixtures and inventory is an oftentimes overlooked asset class: your hotel's intellectual property. No less valuable than these more tangible assets, your IP-brand name, proprietary systems, trade dress and unique designs, to name a few-has untold economic value that serves as a safeguard against infringement, increases the worth of your business, and can be exploited if and when you seek to sell, in whole or in part. But this is only true if your IP portfolio is properly protected by way of trademarks, copyrights and patents, depending, of course, on the particularities and nature of the IP in question. Intrigued? Read on. Read on...

Millennials, categorized as those people born between 1981 and 1996, have been described as possessing a whole range of shared characteristics and behaviors. In this article we will look at how this generation is impacting the hospitality industry and how hotel design is evolving to attract this rapidly growing traveling customer segment. Hotel companies, developers, owners and operators are developing new brands and reimagining existing brands to cater to this explosive new market. To attract this expanding customer base, new hotels need to address Millennials' preferences for personalization, social media, cultural context, wellness, cutting-edge technology and communal public spaces. Read on...

Video is an effective tool to enhance the power of social media marketing. Effective marketers use video as a tool to make meaningful emotional connections with target audiences and have measurable impacts on business success. Hotel marketers must experiment with video and stay abreast of how the channels connect with current guests and prospective travelers. Whether captured by a traveler or produced by the brand, the best-performing videos reel viewers in with a mix of compelling storytelling, relatable moments and emotional triggers that inspire action, from social sharing to buying. In this article, we lay out six tips hotel marketers should consider when creating video content. Read on...

This article is set in place to inspire hotel executives to create fundamental changes to meet and exceed the challenges of not only today but also what we see as an onset of new technological advances in the future. Hotel executives are perplexed by the amount, both depth and breadth, of models and applications. A new model that can easily be applied that takes into consideration some of the major tasks that hotel managers must consider is needed. This article is about getting the information needed to be successful in the right hands of these managers worldwide. Read on...