Most progress in human thought occurs by challenging common assumptions; sometimes at great personal peril. Galileo Galilei was placed under house arrest for the last eight years of his life for championing the heliocentric view of our solar system described by Copernicus. It was heresy to suggest that the Earth and the rest of the planets revolved around the sun. Germ Theory of Disease was ridiculed by the leading medical minds of the time. It was not until 300 years after the concept was introduced that it finally trumped the Miasma or “Bad Air” theory of sickness transmission. READ MORE

According to Google Research, Generation C is a powerful new force in consumer culture. It's a category of people who care deeply about creation, curation, connection, and community. It's not an age group; it's an attitude and mindset. Brands that take the time to understand Generation C and better engage with them will find a willing and influential audience. For this new group of consumers, the internet no longer sits behind a screen - it's a way of life - engaging with technology whenever they want. Gen C wants access to goods and services from all their devices in the fewest possible clicks. READ MORE

Meetings are out. Experiences are in. That's the message that emerges from research Development Counsellors International (DCI) conducted earlier this year, in partnership with the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), to determine what will be required in the meeting rooms of the future. In a detailed survey of more than 150 meeting planners from five continents —including those specializing in corporate, association, and government meetings — 75 percent of respondents said their job is increasingly about “experience creation.” Before mobile phones and Wi-Fi, meeting participants had no choice but to sit down and engage with what was being presented. READ MORE

From content consumption to meeting and function room design, millennial mindset will continue to be the primary change agent at properties. Millennial: It's a buzzword that we see in just about every article today, but there's good reason for that. By 2025 millennials will make up over 75% of the workforce, which means they're an ever growing portion of hotel guests, attendees, and the event planners you're trying to reach. Asking how to reach millennials today, is really more like asking how to connect with the dominant mindset in hospitality (and every other industry for that matter). READ MORE

In July 2016, Starwood Hotels & Resorts opened a new hotel in Havana, Cuba. Once unimaginable for a U.S. hotel company, the Four Points Havana offers more than its 186 guest rooms and modern spa; it provides an authentic Cuban experience where guests can enjoy traditional Cuban cuisine in the Don Quixote restaurant, sip on the island's most popular beers, Cristal and Bucanero, in Starwood's signature bar “Best Brews,” and experience Cuba's most sought after cigars with the guidance of a cigar sommelier in the hotel's 5th Avenue Cigar Bar. As the first U.S. hotel in Cuba in nearly sixty years, the Four Points Havana signals the beginning of a new era, as previous forays into the hotel industry in Cuba did not end auspiciously for U.S. investors. READ MORE