Business travelers go where their work takes them, but their choice of accommodation, even within a travel policy, is driven by personal preference. Hotels, airlines and other travel suppliers recognize this, and personalization has become a primary focus over the last several years. Look no further than Uber's integrations with Pandora and Spotify, which allow riders to play their favorite music while en route. As a hotel, the key to standing out from the crowd is in understanding the corporate traveler's preferences and responding with a compelling and relevant offering up front in the booking process. READ MORE

Today's primary travel market is no longer Matures or Baby Boomers. It is Millennials. How can we keep up with this changing landscape of mobile technology, younger travelers and today's booking patterns? We must use comprehensive personalized content, a loyalty plan that includes customer relationship management (CRM) and optimize our marketing spend by building a community of travelers. We as hoteliers need to think like a customer. And today's customer is increasingly likely to use a mobile phone to do everything. Assuming we all have web sites that are optimized for mobile, do we have a compelling story? READ MORE

You know that technology has had a significant impact on the guest experience. Online bookings, mobile check-ins, hotel apps and the prevalence of social media have fundamentally changed the hospitality industry at an unprecedented rate. IT is now front and center to business operations and a top priority for large chain establishments and mom and pop hoteliers alike. In the years ahead, technology will continue to exert its massive influence on hospitality, with the launch of 5G playing a lead role. 5G represents a paradigm shift in connectivity that will catapult hotels into a new era of guest services and operations. READ MORE

How do guests want to interact with your brand? It used to be we focused on feedback from the guest after they departed to correct any issues before they told friends and family at gatherings. Then it changed to capturing their feedback before departing so they didn't go home and post unfavorable reviews on social platforms and travel review sites. Now of course, with more mobile, technology-minded guests, they can post feedback instantly, perhaps before they've had a chance to understand the entire situation. All the more the reason why hotels and resorts today must be incredibly responsive, in real-time. READ MORE

The bells and whistles of Connected Room devices are hard not to notice. There are machines literally calling out to you by name. The clamorous attention is well-deserved as the technology has immense possibilities for functionality, ease of use, and work efficiency. But how can your hotel keep from investing in shiny promises that don't deliver or are destined for a museum slot next to the Betamax player? Follow these key adoption practices to get the most value from Connected Room and 'wow' guests with new technology. Connected Room technology is here, and it won't be long before it becomes a guest expectation. READ MORE