Industry voices

The Weatherdon Project scholarship is awarded each year to a hospitality student of the International College of Management. Presented by the Weatherdon Corporation in association with the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), the scholarship is a testimony to innovation in the hospitality industry. This year it was presented to Norwegian student, Marius Lie. Mr Lie came up with the …

Cross channel marketing. Those three words strike fear into the hearts of many accommodation providers. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Cross channel marketing isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Once you’ve got your head around the concept, it’s just a matter of harnessing the opportunities cross channel marketing provides to increase your customer base and loyalty to …

Maintaining facilities to the standards expected by guests, and determining how and when to upgrade those facilities, is one of the biggest challenges faced by any accom owner. It is a simple fact that eventually every property will need an upgrade. However, there are strategies that can be followed to minimise disruptions and maximise the potential benefits of a renovation. Accom owners that …

Customer friction is one of many barriers that may prevent a traveller from completing their booking, but the good news is, it’s one of the easiest to solve. Customer friction is usually caused by a problem, or multiple small problems, that adversely affects the guest experience, causing the guest to abandon a booking or leave a negative review. Arising in …

The “walk- in”: possibly the lowest cost channel available to us, just not enough volume or consistent volume to totally rely on (unless of course you’re yield managing a car park, in which case up to 80% of your guests could be “walk-ins”). The “walk-in”, however, is still a lucrative source of revenue. The value of the “walk-in” channel to …

We all know the internet has come along leaps and bounds in the last decade but just how far have we come in terms of convenience and security? When ‘the cloud’ became a reality a few years back, many managers breathed a sigh of relief at the idea their information was safe and sound in a cushion of floating security, …

Corporate guests are a market that can be available to hotels all year-round. Unlike leisure, business travel rarely has an off-season and if hotels work hard to attract bookings and build loyalty, they can create a secure revenue stream for their property. Another good thing about corporate individuals or groups is that their needs are often easier to narrow down …

There are many points of view on whether a loyalty program is a valuable and viable strategy for travel and accommodation providers. The proof of their success is hidden in the financial reports of each business that has one, and the various media stories (just search ‘hotel loyalty program mergers’) that share how many members the various programs have and …

Managing a hotel is akin to a juggling act. Hoteliers are constantly switching between tasks, projects, and priorities – everything from revenue management to delivering a great guest experience. New research from SiteMinder has revealed what keeps hoteliers, all around the world, awake at night. The cloud platform asked hoteliers, both independents and groups, to rank the biggest challenges they believe their …

A market gamechanger since it boomed on the scene over the last decade, Google AdWords is unparalleled for revenue generation. Harnessing the power of the mighty AdWords can seem like a daunting task, particularly if you have little to no experience with paid online advertising. Then, once thrust into de facto campaign set-up and management, the tourism business owner can find themselves …