Under the eye of storm for a while, Rate Parity has become one of the biggest challenges for hoteliers today. Is it just another headache or will it turn out to be the primary influencer when it comes to online sales? Is rate parity restricting your ability to maximize your revenues or presenting an opportunity to go for fairer Net Based Parity. With the recent UK Office of Fair Trade's ruling, hotel industry is debating whether this finally brings the death nail for parity as we know it. But does end of parity going means end of worry for hoteliers? Let's explore the ongoing debate over rate parity and what it means for the hotel industry. Read on...

Big data is playing a major role in the hospitality industry, as hotels explore different approaches to conquer the data and gain customer insights. But in reality, it is likely that hoteliers don’t know how to mine this data to gain intelligent insights in a sustainable manner.  The main factors hindering a hotel to evolve into an analytic-orientated organization are: a dated operating model made up of disparate systems, silo’d business units, ad hoc manual processes, and a workforce relying more on experience than information. To achieve data analytics nirvana, hoteliers must adopt a phased “crawl, walk, run, zen” approach. Read on...

As the green movement in the hotel and resort industry continues to blossom, we now find a variety of hotel types that are embracing environmental sustainability in order to reap the substantial benefits that come with it. We have identified several types and subtypes of hotels that have environmental responsibility as a hallmark, including downtown business and leisure hotels, airport hotels, desert resorts, multi-branded hotels, convention hotels, country inns, casino hotels and golf resorts. In this article we will delve into the unique challenges and opportunities that relate to their typology in achieving their environmental goals. Read on...

For today's global hotel business, the more compelling your content, the more customers and guest loyalty you are likely to see over time. But as hard as your teams work to produce enticing video tours, property descriptions and marketing campaigns, those materials aren't very useful if they don't resonate across your international audience base. For impactful content in every language, you need to localize and adapt your message for each market. The easiest way to do this is by creating content while adhering to globalization standards from the start. It's a practice that can save you a great deal of time and costs, so you can dedicate your efforts toward making a bigger splash in each locale. From avoiding region-specific lingo to separating text from graphics, discover the best things you can do to ensure that translation and localization proceeds much easier and faster. Read on...

While we many not think of restaurants much beyond our hotel's coffee shop or dining room, or even our favorite neighborhood grille or pizza place, the fact remains that, collectively, eateries are a bellwether of consumer and marketing trends. By watching what is happening in this industry, we can gauge what our guests will be looking for from us. In this article, you'll see how restaurants can give you a heads-up as to what will be driving your guests and potential guests and how you can bend your marketing around these trends. Read on...