The Travel Channel just launched their new show “Hotel Impossible”. Think “Bar Rescue” for hotels with maybe just a little bit less yelling.
Check out the preview below:
You can also find a bunch of great videos on the Travel Channel’s website here.
We are excited to find out that HFTP has launched a new app for either iPhone or Android. The app has information about upcoming HFTP events and the latest industry news. From the HFTP press release:
“HFTP is a technology-based association, so it is only fitting that we provide technology-friendly member benefits,” said Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP. “This app gives HFTP members and interested hospitality professionals easy access to important information about our association and HFTP Global events.”
If you are not familiar with the HFTP (Hospitality Financial and Technologies Professionals) organization, check them out by clicking the links below.
Links:
Since we posted the recent AAA TrueGuest Award winners, many people have asked about the Forbes Travel Guide List. Forbes now rates 57 hotels in the world as 5 Star.
Here is the 2012 list:
CALIFORNIA
The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
Chateau du Sureau, Oakhurst
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, San Francisco
Montage Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills
The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills
L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills
The Grand Del Mar, San Diego
The St. Regis San Francisco, San Francisco
The St. Regis Monarch Beach, Dana Point
For the year 2012, 9 new hotels have attained AAA’s highest property rating. 7 hotels have lost their 5 Diamond status, bringing the total AAA 5 Diamond hotels to 126.
The new Five Diamond Hotels are:
ARIA Sky Suites, Las Vegas, Nev.
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, S.C.
Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, Jumby Bay, Antigua
Mandarin Oriental, Miami, Fla.
Montage Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Ocean House, Watch Hill, R.I.
The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Calif.
The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The St. Regis Houston, Houston, Texas
A few other key notes from AAA’s press release:
Just a few months ago, we wrote about how Starwood was the first to allow guests to post reviews on the Starwood website. Now, Four Seasons is unveiling a brand new website with ‘social media integration’. Those are fancy words that mean you can now share with Facebook and Twitter or connect with their pages. Overall, the new website design looks terrific. The photography is exceptional. A few highlights from the press release:
As the first luxury hotel brand to fully embrace social media,Four Seasons moved digital to the forefront early on with Four Seasons Magazines Online , the introduction of blogs such as Have Family Will Travel, and a strong presence on social networking sites to suit the ways guests and travel partners communicate. The newFour Seasons website was thoughtfully designed in the same vein, to deliver an immersive and effortless experience tailored to every user. The brand’s signature service, locations and experiences are showcased through photo-rich, informative property and destination pages. Key features of fourseasons.com include: Continue reading
Starting at the end of 2011, Four Seasons will offer 15-minute Room Service in all of their hotels (20 minutes in some locations with kitchens not easily accessible). From the Four Seasons press release:
“Whether needing to quickly replenish after a workout or wanting to toast the perfect sunset, 15-Minute Room Service provides quick and delicious meals for those who want it right away,” says Christopher Hunsberger, executive vice president, global product and innovation at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “It’s also ideal for those who are on the go. Ideally, every meal would be enjoyed at leisure, but at times we really just need to grab a bite quickly – and there’s no reason that it can’t be freshly-made with quality ingredients, and entirely delicious.”
We have been talking about hotels managing their internet reputation ever since the days of MySpace. Yes, that long ago! One of our recommendations was to allow guests to post reviews directly onto your own website, instead of a third-party site like TripAdvisor. Finally, a hotel company has gotten it right! Starwood.com will now allow guests to post reviews (good and bad we assume) after check out. Guests can post a review for a visit within 18 months after logging in and verifying that they were a guest of the hotel. They currently have the following guidelines for posting reviews:
NextAdvisor.com, a website that offers independent research on all different types of products from Auto Insurance to Web Hosting, just released their analyst on reward credit cards. Three hotel-branded credit cards made it into the top 8 with the Starwood Amex taking the top spot. The other 5 reward cards are all airline cards.
The Starwood Amex returns about 2.1 cents per point, the highest in the study. The Marriott Rewards card came in 7th place with a return of about .8 cents per point. The Hilton HHonors card was 8th with a return of .5 cents per point. For a full list, hit up the link below.
Source:
We have not checked in with our favorite financial blog, Calculated Risk, in a while. We are pleased to see the incredible progress hotels have made in both occupancy and ADR. Occupancy has now recovered to the median after falling off a cliff in 2008. REVPAR is now about 3 percent below the median. Check out the full details by clicking on the graph.
Source: Calculated Risk
One of the biggest areas of struggle during our Service Experience Audits is the use of the guest name. The use of the guest name is one of the most important tools you have to build loyalty with your guests. Rather than providing your associates with general instructions such as ‘use the guest’s name during every interaction’, focus on the key areas of when the name should be used. Our method is simple but very effective.
Use the guest’s name once to open the conversation and once to close the conversation.
By doing this, it will become second nature to your associates. They won’t even have to think about using the guest’s name. They will just do it.
Here are some examples for a few departments on how to use the guest name:
Phone Calls: As soon as the phone rings, the PBX operator should pull up the guest’s information on the computer and get ready to use the name. The PBX operator should immediately greet the guest by name. After handling the call, the operator should end the call by using the guest name.
Check In & Check Out: As soon as the guest gives the name or room number, the GSA should immediately use the name once. The GSA should close the conversation with “have a great stay, Mr. Smith.”
In Room Dining: The server should double check the name just prior to knocking on the door. Once the analyst opens the door and invites them in, the server should greet the guest by name. Then once the guest signs the check, the server should thank the analyst by name on their way out of the room.
Housekeeping & Engineering: The associates should double check the name just prior to knocking on the door. Once the analyst opens the door and invites them in, the server should greet the guest by name. To close the conversation, the associate should say something like “enjoy the rest of your stay, Mr. Smith.”
The real key to the successful use of the guest name is repetition. If you require all associates to use the name once during the greeting and once during the closing it is very easy to monitor and it won’t be long until everyone on your team is using guest names.