Hotel Insights by eHotelier

In this episode, Jennifer Klar discusses Six Senses’ industry-leading approach to wellness and sustainability.

Jennifer and I discuss the following:

1. How Six Senses incorporate sustainability practices into their wellness offerings, and how these initiatives contribute to the overall well-being of their guests, team members and local communities.
2. How to ensure that the resources you use align with sustainable practices and the steps to take to minimise the environmental and social impact.
3. How to create opportunities for cultural exchange and experiences for guests while respecting and preserving local heritage and the environment. 
4. How to measure the impact of sustainability initiatives on guest satisfaction and overall sustainability goals.
5. The role of technology in sustainability initiatives.
6. What is holding the tourism industry back from doing more for sustainability. 

In this episode, we discuss using personalisation on your website to increase direct booking conversion. My guest is Juanjo Rodriguez, founder and CEO of technology company The Hotels Network.

Juanjo and I discuss the following:

1. The biggest challenges hoteliers are currently facing and how technology can help.
2. Extending personal service to deliver online personalisation.
3. The latest machine learning and how AI can bring value to hoteliers.
4. How ChatGPT and generative AI can be used to create personalisation online.

About The Hotels Network:

We are an innovative technology company that believes in the power of extreme personalization. Based around the globe, we’ve brought together an awesome team with deep expertise in hospitality, product design and consumer marketing.

Learn more at https://www.thehotelsnetwork.com/

In this episode, we discuss the latest trends in wine and how to profit from wine sales in your hotel or restaurant. My guest is Adam Mogelonsky, Partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, renowned speaker, traveller and one of the industry’s most prolific researchers and writers.

Adam and I discuss the following:

• The impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry and the new trends today.
• Why restauranteurs and hoteliers should focus on wine in 2023.
• The psychology of selling wine!
• How wine list layout and structure affect the guest’s propensity to buy.
• The role of technology in increasing wine sales and profitability.
• How hoteliers can use wine to enhance TRevPAR.
• The emergence of LoCal/LoCarb and organic wine.

Learn more about Hotel Mogel Consulting here.

In this episode, we explore the the latest trends and developments in spa and wellness with Tammy Pahel, Chief Wellness Officer for Alchemy Wellness Resorts and VP of Spa & Wellness Operations for Carillon Miami Wellness Resorts.

Tammy and I discuss the following:

• The latest trends in Nordic spas.
• What makes a successful wellness retreat, and how can wellness be introduced into an existing hotel or resort?
• What’s new in anti-aging, and are these therapies at home in a hotel or destination spa?
• How spas coped, survived and modified their operations and product offerings to cope with physical distancing during COVID.
• Are touchless treatments a short-term solution, or are they here to stay?

About Alchemy Wellness Resorts:

Alchemy Wellness Resorts offers a highly specialized and pioneering approach to management services, prioritizing innovative wellness programs, strategic development and sustainable financial growth while significantly enhancing the guest experience.

Website: https://alchemywellnessresorts.com/

In this episode, we explore the development and launch of Appellation, a revolutionary new culinary-first hospitality-concept, with Ed Skapinok, Chief Commercial Officer.

The brainchild of celebrated Masterchef Charlie Palmer, CEO and former Four Seasons President of the Americas Christopher Hunsberger, COO, Appellation is defining a new form of culinary hospitality through its innovative experiential resorts.

Ed and I discuss the following:

• Why the name Appellation, and what is your purpose?
• How has Appellation achieved an immersive experience in the local environment?
• Pivoting the traditional hotel model to a culinary experience has attracted new markets.
• How technology plays a crucial role in enhancing the guest experience.
• Big plans for the Appellation group.

Visit eHotelier.com

Learn more about Appellation.

Recovery is well underway, with destinations opening worldwide, making substantial inroads back to consistent and reliable levels.

In this episode, Liz Ortiguera provides an update on the region’s recovery, the challenges facing travel, tourism and hospitality businesses and how the Asia Pacific region is the one to watch in the future.

We discuss:

• The current state of the industry’s return in the Asia Pacific region.
• The pace of the return of international leisure business.
• How business and mice segments are recovering and how these segments will continue to build.
• The impact and longevity of airline disruptions.
• How the lack of talent is affecting travel businesses.
• What we must do as a collective, and the focus to maximise opportunities.
• How to harness changing consumer sentiment.
• How to rebuild a better industry, particularly with a focus on regenerative travel?

About PATA:

PATA is a non-profit public/private sector organization acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with PATA’s private and public sector members, the organization enhances the sustainable growth, value, and quality of travel and tourism to, from, and within the region.

The tourism and hospitality industry constantly evolves with new technologies, trends, and customer demands. Hotels have had to adapt to compete with online travel agencies to attract future guests to book direct.

As hotels experiment with retail-hospitality convergence, they are learning how to create unique customer experiences through new products and services that will grow revenues and keep guests returning.

In this episode, Frank Trampert, Senior Vice President and Global Managing Director of Community Sales at Sabre Hospitality Solutions, and I explore the latest trends in the hotel and retail convergence and discuss how it changes the guest experience and the whole proposition of accommodation-centric operations.

We discuss the opportunities for owners and managers who want to leverage retail convergence and the opportunities this emerging evolution provides.

We discuss:

The ongoing challenges and opportunities hoteliers are facing?

• Attribute-based selling and why we now need to move away from the ABS model in the future
• Leveraging lessons from retail to deliver future benefits to hotels through technology
• Early hotel adoption and the results they are seeing
• The benefits from the convergence of retail and hospitality for operations, guests, and shareholders

About Sabre Corporation

Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving various travel companies, including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The Company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveller experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre’s technology platform manages more than $260 Billion of global travel spending annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries worldwide. For more information visit www.sabre.com.

June is World Ocean Month and we’re talking with Theresa van Greunen, about the ways in which Aqua Aston Hospitality are integrating the expertise of local destinations while holding community and environmental stewardship as priority brand pillars.

We discuss:

• How Aqua-Aston Hospitality protects the surrounding natural environment and beauty of the destinations it operates in.
• Some simple ways that the hospitality industry can operate more sustainably and minimize its overall impact.
• Measures that Aqua-Aston’s properties have taken to be more eco-friendly.
• The one thing brands forget about when it comes to being green!
• The short and long-term commercial benefits.
• Environmental targets and how to measure their achievement.
• The benefits to staff and guests of taking a proactive stance on the environment.

About Aqua-Aston Hospitality:

Founded in 1948, Aqua-Aston Hospitality provides management, marketing, and communications services to an array of hotel, resort and condo-resort brands in Hawaii, continental United States and Central America.

Based in Honolulu Hawaii the company prides itself on understanding today’s traveller by integrating its expertise in local destinations where each of its properties reside while holding community and environmental stewardship as priority brand pillars.

Professor Kimes is considered to be one of the top thought-leaders and experts in Revenue Management in the world. Sherri has been working in Revenue Management since 1988 and has had the privilege of helping to educate some of the top leaders in Revenue Management.

We discuss:

• How room revenue management impacts F&B revenue management and how the two should work together.
• How F&B revenue management can positively impact the customer experience.
• How General Managers might approach F&B revenue management.
• The importance of managing conference and banqueting space in the overall F&B revenue management process.
• The importance of F&B revenue management to leisure resorts, such as ski resorts, golf resorts and cruise lines.
• How to revenue manage leased F&B outlets.
• The principles of F&B revenue management, including market segmentation, forecasting, pricing and distribution channel management.
• The importance of F&B revenue management to hotel owners in the optimization of the asset.

Learn more about Sherri's work at https://sherrikimes.com.

At The Red Sea Development Company and AMA.ALA, John is leveraging his 38 years of international experience in delivering large scale multi-billion-dollar developments.

Since 2018, John has led The Red Sea Development Company's growth from the ground up and is creating a unique eco-luxury, sustainable, regenerative tourist destination that will contribute to transforming the global tourism industry and to the diversification of the Saudi Arabian economy.

We discuss:

• The key considerations in the design of resort developments in different ecological locations.
• How to approach sustainability when developing in environmentally precious locations.
• How are guests’ expectations changing regarding the desire for transformative experiences.
• The placement and integration of the property within its locality
• How to approach the appointment and development of team members who may also be transitioning from alternative industries.