Walking through the front door, your lights are set precisely how you want them. The temperature is exactly how you like it. Your favorite music or television show is playing softly in the background. The "smart home" is becoming more popular these days, but this isn't your smart home. This is your "home away from home." This is your favorite hotel guestroom. A guest's experience at a hotel should reflect their experience – and level of comfort – in their own home. While design plays an important role in this goal, adopting modern technology is just as important in 2020. READ MORE

Is bigger better – or can independent hotels thrive in today's hospitality environment? David Ashen, president & CEO of interior design and brand consulting firm dash design, takes a look back at hotel trends over the past several decades to examine guest preferences over the years and how they tie to changes in culture and consumption. Ashen explores the push away from big brands, including what's driving the shift, risks and rewards, and how hotel owners and operators can successfully make the transition. In this piece, he shares examples of hotels that experienced success and cautionary tales of the challenges ahead. READ MORE

This article examines the importance of an engaged workforce for hospitality companies, where employees are working directly with customers all day and a positive guest experience is highly valued. An engaged workforce starts with cultivating talent and incentives to keep employees motivated in their work. This article also goes into detail on how hospitality companies can increase motivation, including cash bonuses, incentive travel and special merchandise. In using these tools, hospitality companies position themselves to succeed in any economic environment and helps prevent employee turnover. READ MORE

Alissa Gardenswartz and Airina Rodrigues, both shareholders at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, share legal insights around the potential impact of downplaying or concealing coronavirus risk and how it could result in consumer protection or false advertising lawsuits. The article takes a deep dive into why hotels, who have a duty to warn guests of any hidden or concealed hazards that are known or reasonably discoverable by the hotel, may face allegations of deception from regulators, consumers and competitors by not disclosing an exposure to coronavirus on their property. READ MORE

Hostels have significantly evolved since their inception in 1914. While many of their basic hospitality features remain the same, namely providing inexpensive lodging to mostly young travelers in locations and settings conducive to social interaction and cultural enrichment, they have now taken on features that are comparable to stylish boutique hotels. Many of the new hostels are beautifully designed with amenities that attract locals to enjoy music, food, cocktails, art and invigorating social interaction with its guests. Similarly Micro Hotels provide inexpensive lodging compared to their counterparts and feature miniaturized but well-appointed guestrooms, focusing investment dollars on high design and dynamic public spaces that attract guests and locals alike to engage in robust social interaction. READ MORE