Andy Hermo from Sabre Hospitality joins me to provide insights into the challenges facing enterprise hotel groups in managing inventory in a period of uncertainty and providing personalisation at scale. Sabre Hospitality is the leading technology provider for the hospitality industry, serving more than 40,000 hotels, resorts, and chains spanning 160 countries. From independent properties to large global chains, hotel organisations at all levels rely on Sabre Hospitality Solutions to optimizing r...
Apr 30, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Leadership and management are terms that seem to be used interchangeably within the industry. We discuss the difference between leadership and management, and the important skills of hotel professionals in the future. The common qualities shared by the most effective leaders over the past 12 months. How the impact of the pandemic has inspired hoteliers to reinvent their people structures. The most important qualities of a leader particularly as we move the recovery. How we can most effectively d...
Apr 22, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 20
The pandemic has had a major impact on the sales function. Paige Duke from Strategic Solution Partners and I discuss how the sales function may change as demand returns for business and MICE travel. Paige is a Visionary sales and marketing director with 20+ years of experience leading teams to build customer relationships and drive revenue results, including Starwood Hotels, HEI Hotels and Resorts and Fairmont. We discuss: What needs to be done now to ensure sales teams are fit for recovery. How...
Apr 19, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 19
The Park Hyatt New York is an iconic New York City hotel, having been awarded both the 2021 Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award as well as the 2021 U.S. News & World Report, Best Hotels in NYC. In this episode, Area Vice President and General Manager of the Hyatt New York, Peter Roth and I discuss the reopening of the hotel on 1 April 2021. We discuss: How the Park Hyatt New York has been able to turn the past 12 months challenges into opportunities. How the lifting of domestic and internati...
Apr 16, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 18
There are positive signs that demand is increasing in specific markets, particularly domestic leisure. Forward bookings through the summer in the northern hemisphere are perhaps indicating a pent-up demand which is supported by flexible hotel cancellation and insurance policies. In this episode, we discuss which markets are likely to recover first and a range of new emerging markets. We discuss: How guest expectations may change as a result of travellers holidaying locally. Opportunities created...
Apr 16, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Reviewing 2020 by the numbers around the globe, with David Eisen from HotStats. David is the Director of Hotel Intelligence and Customer Solutions at HotStats, the world’s largest monthly profit-and-loss database in the hotel industry. With uniquely intelligent benchmarking and performance software, HotStats looks far beyond REVPAR, offering an unparalleled opportunity to understand the industry like never before. We review the Profit Matters, Global Hotel Performance Review 2020 report publishe...
Apr 12, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 16
A fascinating discussion with a professional hotelier, educator and experience professional on the challenges hoteliers face through reopening and rebuilding. John Nielsen is the General Manager at Fivelements Retreat Bali as well as Senior Learning Facilitator with The Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School at Torrens University. John’s experience includes roles with Hyatt, Ritz Carlton and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Groups, as well as extensive senior management and entrepreneurial ...
Apr 07, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 15
We discuss the changing expectations of communication with hotels, and how hoteliers can scale personalised communication to build trust through AI. Book me Bob is an AI chatbot for hotels, providing real-time answers to questions about the property and its services. We discuss: How the pandemic has impacted guest expectations of their communication with hotels. How the pandemic has impacted communication and in particular, the level of trust between a prospective guest and the hotel. Why AI ado...
Mar 31, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Today as forecasts are predicting increasing demand, we discuss how hoteliers can plan to outperform the market with fewer resources with Michael McCartan from Atomize. Atomize helps hotels around the globe to maximize their revenue, by automatically setting the optimal price per room type. Used in more than 50 countries, across five continents, by properties in the wide range of 50 to 1250 rooms. We discuss: Current trends in market demand and how does demand differs across different regions. H...
Mar 29, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Dave Kelly, CEO and Founder of AnalyticsIQ joins me to shed some light on the people who are considering dipping a toe back into travelling and what businesses can – or should – be doing now to reach them. AnalyticsIQ is a predictive analytics firm that blends cognitive psychology with sophisticated data science to help marketers understand how and why individuals make decisions. We discuss: Whether consumers are ready to dip their toes back into travelling again. The drivers behind people’s wil...
Mar 25, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode we explore how conversational AI can help the hotel industry reimagine what it means to deliver 5 star service, with Rob LoCascio, Founder and CEO of Liveperson. The Liveperson AI platform makes it easy for consumers to receive support and make purchases in the messaging channels they use every day. It counts some of the world’s biggest brands as its customers including Delta and Hawaiian Airlines the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Virgin Atlantic. We discuss: How conversational AI help ...
Mar 17, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 11
SiteMinder’s unique global perspective on the travel market provides an insight into future booking trends in all accommodation sectors, particularly through SiteMinder’s World Hotel Index . The World Hotel Index is sourced from SiteMinder’s guest acquisition platform, used by 35,000 hotels and connected to more than 400 hotel booking channels globally. In this episode, we explore the current trends across all regions and what these trends will mean for accommodation providers. We consider: Curr...
Mar 10, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 10
How are customer buying behaviours changing as a result of COVID-19? How will they continue to change and how must hoteliers and revenue managers adapt to meet these changing behaviours and new expectations? In this 15 minute podcast episode, we explore: How COVID has changed customer behaviours how have these changes are impacting revenue management. How customer buying behaviours are impacting the customer journey. The implications for hoteliers in understanding their customers requirements, p...
Feb 23, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The global pandemic has created economic conditions in the market that we have never seen before. But is forecasting accurate or relevant today or are we starting with a blank sheet of paper? In this episode we explore the relevance a revenue forecasting through the pandemic. In this 15 minute podcast episode, we explore: Whether a forecast is still relevant New information managers should source to assist with the accuracy of their forecasts The relevance of total revenue in forecasting today H...
Feb 03, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Technology has historically been seen as a tool within the travel industry, supporting business processes, particularly in an industry so reliant on service. The impact of COVID-19 has seen a new pace of technology evolution, where technology is now seen as vital to business success. In this episode, we explore: H ow technological advances are impacting on the hospitality and tourism industries in response to the pandemic. Whether there is any hope of recovery for international tourism. Whether ...
Jan 28, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In our report titled “Hospitality in the Post COVID-19 World”, author Professor Peter Jones MBA observed: “ This pandemic has caused a fundamental massive disruption and fracturing of the existing economic models on which all countries, institutions and governance models have come to rely. These models will no longer hold true and new and different economic models will emerge based on new realities and society values. “ In this 15 minute podcast episode, we explore the impact economics and polit...
Jan 18, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode we talk about Revenue Management with Klaus Kohlmayr from IDeaS Revenue Solutions, focussed on Revenue Management Systems. Klaus is the Chief Evangelist at IDeaS, having worked in Revenue Management for almost 20 years. IDeaS support more than 14,000 clients in 140 countries. In this 15 minute podcast episode, we discuss new trends and best practise for hoteliers on a mission to maximise revenue. We discuss: What value does an automated hotel RMS provide under the current conditi...
Jan 12, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this podcast we focus on the first two quarters of 2021 with my guests Larry and Adam Mogelonsky from Hotel Mogel Consulting and the world’s most published writers in hospitality. We consider: Urgent priorities for hoteliers today. Which markets will bounce back first, and how you can identify signs of recovery. What to focus on now to be prepared for the inevitable later in 2021.
Dec 17, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this podcast we discuss Revenue Management with Damiano Zennaro from IDeaS Revenue Solutions, particularly focussed on the role of Revenue Managers as a result of COVID-19. Damiano is the Director, Global Advisory Services at IDeaS Revenue Solutions, based in Milan, Italy. Damiano leads a global team of professionals who strategically support the travel and hospitality industries in embracing automation and finding the winning balance between people, processes and technology and previously sp...
Dec 15, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In our report titled “Hospitality in the Post COVID-19 World”, author Professor Peter Jones MBA opened: “The incredible revolution, disruption, discontinuity and change that the world is currently experiencing has never been seen before at this scale and speed. It has turned upside down our understanding of “normal”, it is changing our priorities and values, and will have a major impact on the way that we interact with each other for the foreseeable future.” In this 15 minute podcast episode, we...
Dec 09, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this podcast we discuss Revenue Management with Mike Chuma from IDeaS Revenue Solutions, particularly focussed on the commercial impact of COVID-19 on hotels. Mike is the Vice President, Global Marketing at IDeaS Revenue Solutions, based in Minneapolis, responsible for leading IDeaS Global Marketing, Engagement & Enablement teams, encompassing product marketing, demand generation, branding, communications and client, academic and industry education and learning development. In this 15 min...
Dec 08, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 1
