The hospitality industry is constantly reinventing itself to stay on trend with not only what competitors are doing, but also what is expected and desired from consumers. That said, rebranding a hotel is not something new, it is likely something many of us have been part of more than once and will continue to cycle through in our careers. READ MORE

The wellness experience in hotel amenity spaces can and should be developed to create a single total integrated health experience consisting of fitness cross-training, relaxation, nutrition education, entertainment, and spa. This experience should not only exercise and relax the entire body and mind, but it should also be easy to organize, schedule and partake in. Often however, these amenities, when they exist, are not well thought-out, are self-service and are poorly integrated into the guest experience. The wellness experience represents a unique opportunity to connect with the patron. When it is manifest in an afterthought, even an aesthetically well-designed one, it is likely a missed opportunity. Done properly the synergistic wellness experience generates revenue and changes the way patrons think of hotels and resorts. READ MORE

Adaptive reuse hotel projects have been increasingly popular the last few years due to growing competition for quality locations and with prime urban hotel development sites at a premium. But today, its not just hotel owners and developers proposing historic buildings as revenue generators, it's also customer demand, as consumers are hooked on the concept of unique travel experiences. This increase in interest from the consumers, Millennials in particular, is redefiniing and shaping the industry's approach to design, requiring us to be even more transparent about the historic adaptation process. Millennials don't just want to see a beautiful atrium and be told it's historic. They want to know who originally built it and why, what is it made out of; they want the story. READ MORE

Marketers and social researchers have long brandished labels like 'Silver Surfers', 'Gen X&Y' and 'Millennials.' More and more, these demographic terms resonate amongst savvy hoteliers who realise that each generation has very different ways they research, book and evaluate their stays. Hoteliers looking to maximise occupancy and revenues from an increasingly fragmented booking environment must understand what motivates each major generational demographic and understand how their property would be perceived by each generation in order to price and market themselves effectively. READ MORE

Weddings, often considered filler weekend business for hotels can be extremely profitable when the effort is made to turn a wedding reception into a wedding event for local as well as or out-of-town guests. With the upturn in the economy the spend on the Food & Beverage portion has risen by several percentage points which is always good for business. However, catering to the entire occasion by offering welcome baskets, turndown amenities, a flavored coffee with a croissant or bagel as a departing gift and planned recreational activities can mean thousands in additional revenue for a property. READ MORE

The prevalence of workplace violence poses alarming concerns. Consider the statistics: OSHA reports nearly 2 million workers annually claim they are victims of workplace violence, with homicides as the fourth-leading cause of workplace fatalities and the leading cause of death for women in the workplace; Justice Department statistics show non-fatal incidents are even far more prevalent with approximately 1.7 million workplace violence incidents between 1993-1999; and in a 2012 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 36% of the entities responding experienced incidents of workplace violence. The good news is there are measures to curb these risks. READ MORE

The mobile revolution has changed consumer behavior dramatically. With technology infused into the DNA of modern travelers, the hospitality industry has been under tremendous pressure to match the pace. Easily available public information coupled with guests' increasing demand for the perfect user experience has thrown a challenge that many hoteliers are finding difficult to cope up with. The hotel marketplace is tumultuous and new technological services are being introduced everyday. Evaluating and interpreting these changes and adapting them to their businesses are a constant struggle for hoteliers. So how do hotels attract these ultra-connected guests effectively? READ MORE

We are introduced to the concept of sharing in childhood, and we are taught to incorporate this into our daily lives both personally and professionally. Sharing is not a new notion, but over the last few years the simple idea of sharing has become a major international economic trend that is having an impact on how hotels are designed and run. READ MORE

An international hospitality practice, specializing in emerging markets offers creative opportunities, unique challenges, and financial rewards. The pursuit and execution of projects in emerging areas carries with it certain risks that should be weighed before making the commitment to expand into these markets. The hospitality market has entered an interesting phase of its evolution, with personalization being a rising priority. Whether a luxury brand or a mid-market brand, each touch point of the guest experience is expected to offer some level of personalization. From check-in, room selection, choice of bedding, meals, and activities-everything is expected to be customized, personal, and reflective of the local culture and traditions READ MORE

What makes hotel design unique? Is it grand staircases, spectacular chandeliers, awe-inspiring art collection? Today, it seems that hotels try to outdo each other by investing in distinctive design features. Why has there been this noticeable shift brand thinking? Some might say investing in design for design sake, but is this the case? Is it worth the time, effort and money? Brand Identity and lifestyle brands were an important genesis for differentiation in the hospitality segment, however, this has evolved to be a competition of sorts with many vying for the coveted spot of the being the must see property in the market. This in turn, helps generate "the buzz", the best and most glowing reviews, which in turn hopefully lead to greater occupancy. READ MORE

For those who travel as much as I do, you have probably lived "Groundhog Day" more than once when you wake up in a hotel room and experience a moment of panic. The bed, desk and TV screen are placed in the same spots of the room as that of the last hotel you were in. Familiar bed covering patterning. Same upholstered chair. Same lamps. The art on the wall is generic for Anywhere USA as are the rest of the finishes throughout the room. "Where am I and which city am I in?" READ MORE

The biggest source of hospitality customer feedback isn't being used much, at least not yet. Experts at Gartner, Forrester and IDC estimate that somewhere around 80% of the world's data is unstructured. And unstructured data is growing at 15 times the rate of structured data. Unstructured data is the kind of data that doesn't fit neatly into columns and rows, and isn't easily analyzed with traditional tools. Things like e-mails, Word documents, customer feedback, blogs, online reviews, instant messages, pictures, videos, etc. Clearly there is a significant competitive opportunity in doing a better job using unstructured data. READ MORE

When we go about analyzing a brand's logo, so much attention is given to the symbol used and the text. While it's crucial to calibrate both of these to perfection, the use of color is a vital third component. Different hues on the spectrum are perceived with dissimilar sentiments and, as it concerns hotels, they can establish certain expectations for a brand. As well, the correct use of color - in all its iterations onsite and online - can work as a passive marketing tool to increase brand awareness and retention versus your competitors. READ MORE

Twitter, with its 140 character limit and insider conventions such as hashtags, can be intimidating. But for hotels it also provides a fantastic marketing and sales opportunity. And it's crucial for customer service these days. Whether you want to post your own tweets or not, you have to keep an eye on Twitter to see what people are saying about you, and respond quickly if there's a problem. This article covers the basics of Twitter and ways your hotel can use Twitter to boost bookings and revenues. READ MORE

Guests are in the pursuit of a great experience. In today's age, we are in a circumstance where we are comfortable and we enjoy many conveniences. Without a doubt, the opportunities exist here to ensure that we take our hospitality establishments to the next level, by being more in tuned with the concept of physical and psychological customer service, communication within department (via the use of technology, for example) as this can liberate the administrative task and have it more automated, while focusing more on the personal service we should traditionally be executing. READ MORE