The hospitality industry is abundant with more than 270 hotel brands globally. Nevertheless, this whopping number is not stopping Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, and Hilton from expanding their portfolios with even more new brands. Theoretically, broadening the supply of brands is favorable for generating revenues from various distribution networks, loyalty programs and supply channels. But just how useful, helpful or even good is all this for the customer? Has the hotel industry gone mad by over-saturating the market with brands that are not all that different from each other? READ MORE

This article focuses on evaluating external service providers for optimizing Food and Beverage (F&B) Department profitability, and is the second in a series on outsourcing services at hotels. As my colleague, Michael Doyle, asked in the first article in this series: “Why should hotels outsource, or challenge a traditional operations model?” The most common answer is to maximize profitability. Industry-wide, F&B revenue represents over 25% of total hotel revenue, yet generating a meaningful profit margin in F&B (which is difficult to measure with accuracy) can be challenging. In many hotels F&B can be an integral part of the guest experience, and a large source of revenue for the hotel. READ MORE

A tremendous opportunity exists today for hotels and resorts to once again raise the bar and incorporate experiences crafted around trends that are presently driving the fitness industry. Today's best operators know that the lines between the commercial health club offering and the hospitality based fitness center are becoming increasingly blurred. In the world of fitness, two significant trends are driving the landscape by which new facilities are born, and existing spaces re-imagined: Functional Training & Technology. Together, these two factors are powering the emergence of socially driven exercise and virtually guided training sessions that are shaking the landscape of nearly every aspect of the fitness industry. READ MORE

Travel and tourism remains one of the world's largest industries, representing over 10% of global GDP and forecasted to grow 3.7% in 20179. Wellness Tourism, or travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one's personal wellbeing, is growing twice as fast as the overall sector, and exists at nearly a $600 billion global enterprise. In her annual contribution to the Hotel Business Review, Mia Kyricos, an expert in wellness-driven hospitality, gives us the status of the wellness tourism industry as we know it today, as well as a glimpse of what new opportunities exist on the horizon. READ MORE

Properly operated hotel spas provide an owner the opportunity to boost property profits while driving additional value through the implementation of robust Social Media and Public Relations programming, and the sale of incremental, attractive room packages. The question is: are you providing your spa with the support and experience necessary to achieve these objectives? Unfortunately, it is all too common for Hotel Spas to be under-performing in some, if not all, the above categories. If that is the case, a spa asset manager may be a worthwhile investment for your property. READ MORE