Tag Archives: Forbes

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Millennials Have Youth, Baby Boomers Have Time and Money”

A recent Preferred Hotel Group survey found boomers want unique interludes for themselves and for multigenerational family groups. Yet, they typically don’t want to sleep in the same room as their children or grandchildren.Boomers-620x330 Seeing this trend, Preferred created a family rate that allows boomers to book two rooms—one for themselves and another for family at a 50 percent discount, says Michelle Woodley, SVP of distribution and revenue management. Promoting this sort of accommodation, distinct from inventory of traditional rooms, drives incremental revenue for the properties.

Hotels are going sleek and techie to woo millennials. But it’s the baby boomers who have the promise to keep brands’ pulses racing throughout a long relationship. Forbes estimates brand-loyal boomers spend a none-too-paltry $157 billion on travel every year. “Millennials are getting the buzz, but boomers are still the most valuable customers,” says Richard Jones, COO of Hospitality Ventures Management Group. “They have time and money, and leisure travel is their most desired activity. Projections show by 2017, 50 percent of the population will be over 50, control 70 percent of U.S. disposable income, and inherit $15 trillion over 20 years. Hotels can be a beneficiary of that.”

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “How Tech Will Make Your Hotel Room Feel Like Home (Or Better)”

In the wireless Internet age, guests increasingly expect a personalized experience abroad as well as at home. That can be tough on hotels, as rapid changes in technology makeforbes it difficult and expensive for them to adapt. A few years ago, hotels equipped themselves to handle two mobile devices per guest. Now, guests may have three or more, and just when they thought they had needs covered, hotels have to build more robust networks.

When you receive your morning wake-up call at theWit hotel in Chicago, there’s no robotic voice intoning, “It’s time for your wakeup call.” Instead, you can be rousted by a very different message:

“Hey you dirty rat, this is Al Capone reminding you to get your rotten bones out of that sack. Now get moving—I’ve got an overdue Valentine’s Day gift for Elliot Ness I’ve still got to deliver! [Laughter and gun shots].”

Or perhaps you’d rather hear Muddy Waters. Or Ann Landers. The touchscreen next to the phones in all of the hotel’s 310 rooms lets you choose who will urge you to rise and shine. Touch that same screen to request extra pillows, get a toothbrush or order meals—without ever picking up the phone.

For more: http://onforb.es/1uwkOOA

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Hotels Dazzle Guests With High-Tech Amenities”

“…Hotels should exercise caution before taking random leaps into the world of modern gadgetry.Image The first consideration must be the customer. Some people may find apps that know what movie they’re watching, where they’re going or whether they’re sleeping to be creepy. Other guests might not like the sight of a lobby full of high-tech devices…”

At Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle, guests who want to sleep late don’t have to hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on their doorknobs. Each of the hotel’s rooms contains an infrared sensor that detects body heat and displays the results to the housekeeping staff on a door panel (unless the guest doesn’t want it to). If the sensor shows someone is in the room, the cleaners skip it and move on.

For more: http://onforb.es/ShWu45

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology