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.

1. The common qualities shared by the most effective leaders over the past 12 months.
2. How the impact of the pandemic has inspired hoteliers to reinvent their people structures.
3. The most important qualities of a leader particularly as we move the recovery.
4. How we can most effectively develop emerging managers and leaders of tomorrow.
5. The importance of emotional intelligence in leadership.

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:

1. What needs to be done now to ensure sales teams are fit for recovery.
2. How technology has impacted the sales role.
3. How to foster a positive team given the uncertainty.
4. How a salesperson can target and win the right accounts.
5. What tools will be required for your team to give them the best chance in succeeding.
6. The future of the site inspection.

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:

1. How the Park Hyatt New York has been able to turn the past 12 months challenges into opportunities.
2. How the lifting of domestic and international travel restrictions is reawakening New York City
3. The differences guests will see at the Park Hyatt New York as a result of the pandemic.
4. How the Park Hyatt New York is consistently delivering a five-star service for all guests in the wake of the pandemic.
5. The importance of communication at all levels through the closure and during reopening.
6. Staffing challenges facing hoteliers now and in the future.

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 by travels bubbles between select countries.
• Changes in business activity with a shift online and how this may impact business travel in the future.
• The impact and changes in major events sector changing longer term.
• The benefits of industry working together as travel returns.
• What hoteliers can do to prepare for changing customer demands both in the near and longer term
• Challenges providing an authentic experience in the luxury sector as demand returns.

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 published by HotStats.

You can download a copy of the report here.

We discuss:

• The impact of pandemic restrictions on hotel performance by region
• The regional impact on TREVPAR
• How staff reductions have impacted payroll costs and the flow on impact to GOPPAR
• Regional performance in the first quarter 2021 and expectations through 2021 as restrictions are eased
• Forecast changes as demand returns, by market and region

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 experience across Asia, Europe and Australia.

The Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School is the number one hotel management school in Asia Pacific and an eHotelier partner in providing executive development to current and aspiring leaders globally, including the 10 Leadership courses provided to over 4,500 leaders in Q1 2021.

We discuss:

1. For hotels reopening, or forecasting a rebuilding of occupancy in the coming months, what hoteliers should be focussing on now
2. How can hoteliers can maximise revenue, beyond room rate, to capitalise on higher occupancies
3. How guest expectations may have changed over the past 12 months, and how hotels can prepare to ensure they exceed these expectations
4. Expected staffing challenges we may face in the coming months
5. The importance of communication at all levels of the business
6. How a hotels approach to sustainability will impact business in the future.

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:

1. How the pandemic has impacted guest expectations of their communication with hotels.
2. How the pandemic has impacted communication and in particular, the level of trust between a prospective guest and the hotel.
3. Why AI adoption in hotels has lagged behind other industries.
4. The customer journey and the role of AI.

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:

1. Current trends in market demand and how does demand differs across different regions.
2. How an automated Revenue Management System can guide hoteliers through market recovery.
3. What data sets should be included today in forecasting for the future.
4. How data sets will change as we move forward.

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:

1. Whether consumers are ready to dip their toes back into travelling again.
2. The drivers behind people’s willingness to travel in the next 3 months.
3. What hotels need to understand in order to attract consumers who are considering travelling again this summer.

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:

1. How conversational AI help hotels reimagine how they serve their guests safely.
2. How interacting with guests via messaging helps with loyalty
3. How this type of technology helps hotels work efficiently when dealing with leaner staff without sacrificing service.
4. The opportunities for using this technology to drive revenue.