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Tune in to this on-demand podcast episode of the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live session we streamed live on LinkedIn and Youtube on 13th October 2021, with special guest Jens Egemalm, Director of Distribution at Pandox AB.

Based on the 18th edition of The Hotelier PULSE Report, Jens Egemalm discussed together with the hosts Pedro Colaco and André Baljeu current hotel and travel market developments and how Pandox is responding in terms of commercial strategy, distribution, and digital marketing.

Some aspects discussed were among others:

What are hoteliers seeing in their business today, and what are the expectations for the next 12 months? 

What are Jens's expectations, and what should Hoteliers be doing to capitalize on this? 

What are Jan's expectations for the recovery of this segment, and what are the implications for hotels impacted by business travel? How should Hoteliers adjust their strategies to align with this?

Considering the rise of Google MetaSearch in 2021 and how Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are reverting to pre-pandemic visibility marketing efforts, what are the implications to distribution, and what should Hoteliers be aware of when planning their strategies for 2022 and beyond?

If you prefer watching the video version of this session, find it here. Find the original live broadcasting Linkedin link, including all comments and questions from the audience, here.

The techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions are co-hosted by Pedro Colaco, CEO at Great Hotels of the World and Guestcentric, and André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel. 

Pedro and André discuss with their changing guests the latest findings of The Hotelier PULSE Report and its implications for the respective markets represented and overall market developments impacting the hospitality and travel industry.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live sessions here and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions here.

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The return of the MICE business - Learnings from US meetings and events market data, and how to leverage Technology to win more groups business - faster. That's what is discussed in this COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT session, that was streamed live on Linkedin and Youtube 5th October 2021.

KRISTI WHITE, Chief Product Officer at Knowland and DAN HUMBY, Vice President Sales at Groups360 join co-hosts RITA MACHADO from Great Hotels of the World and our LEA JORDAN to share their insights, and to discuss with the techtalk.travel community

The Collective #MICEBEAT sessions are data-driven live think tanks focusing on the Meetings & Events industry’s future. Taking stock of where we as an industry are, where we need to go, and how we will get there, co-hosted by Rita Machado, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Great Hotels of the World, and Lea Jordan, Co-Founder at techtalk.travel. Providing a platform for the hospitality industry to exchange knowledge, pollinate ideas and connect.

If you prefer tuning in to the video-version of this session, find it here and on our YouTube channel. Also, find the original Linkedin Live Video, including all comments and questions from the audience here.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT live sessions here, and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Technology, F&B, restaurants & events - opportunities & challenges in tomorrow’s events business - that's what is discussed in this COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT live session, that was streamed live on Linkedin and Youtube 8th September 2021.

The Collective #MICEBEAT sessions are data-driven live think tanks focusing on the Meetings & Events industry’s future. Taking stock of where we as an industry are, where we need to go, and how we will get there, co-hosted by Rita Machado, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Great Hotels of the World, and Lea Jordan, Co-Founder at techtalk.travel. Providing a platform for the hospitality industry to exchange knowledge, pollinate ideas and connect.

If you prefer watching the video-version of this session, find it here. Also, find the original Linkedin Live Video, including all comments and questions from the audience here. 

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT live sessions here, and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE sessions here.

'Now is THE time for a career in Hospitality. Everything is possible.' - states Inès Blal, Managing Director & Executive Dean at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in this in-depth interview.

André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel sat down with Inès Blal at the EHL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. In this conversation, Inès shares her thoughts and views about how higher education and hotel business schools adapt to the change accelerated by the crisis and how the EHL community navigated through this difficult time. She speaks about what future challenges educational institutions face, the importance of the learner's journey, customer-centricity, the problem of hospitality businesses copying each other, the EHL Innovation Village, and much more.

Time-stamps:

00:35 - Adjusting to radical change 

09:06 - Key messages to students and faculty

11:40 - Future challenges for educational institutions   

19:56 - Vision on digitization in higher education

24:21 - Why choose a career in hospitality now? 

30:53 - Retaining talent and future leaders

34:34 - The EHL Innovation Village

37:24 - Digitizing the academic portfolio and learning experience

39:04 - Inès' favorite hotel and hotel experience

42:28 - Inès' favorite restaurant and food

If you prefer watching the video-version of this conversation, find it here and on our Youtube Channel.

Inès  holds a PhD in Strategic Management in Hospitality and Tourism from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an MBA in Hospitality Administration from EHL, and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the INSEEC Group.

Connect with Inès on LinkedIn.

Founded in 1893, EHL is considered one of the best hotel management schools in the world. Inès heads up 170 people on the faculty and 3,700 students. 

EHL has two campuses in Switzerland, in Lausanne and Chur-Passugg, plus a new campus in Singapore. Each campus brings the strengths and trends of their surrounding industry regions to augment the quality of the student experience. Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management students can request to spend a semester on a different campus from where they are based.

Visit EHL's website.

 Resources

Also, find these interviews with inspiring hospitality industry professionals and leaders:

Season 4

Interview episodes with Philip Ibrahim, General Manager at The Student Hotel Berlin; Grit Pauling, General Manager at The 25hours Hotel The Circle Cologne; and Kevin King, COO at Shiji Group.

Season 3

Interview episodes with Pontus Berner and Lars Becker from berner+becker revenue management; Leif Jägerbrand and Alexander Erdström from Atomize; Thibault Gence and Florian Montag when with Hotelhero; Moritz Klussmann from Customer Alliance; Kristian Valk from Hotelchamp; John Burns; Connie Reams when with Beekeeper; Mark Fancourt & Cheyne Colefrom TRAVHOTECH & Testbeds Vegas; Mike Ford from SiteMinder; and Adam Harris and Richard Castle from Cloudbeds.

Season 2

Interview episodes with Michael Curtis when with Airbnb; Yannis Moati from HotelsByDay; Sarah Fults from MGM Hotels & Resorts and when President at HEDNA; Erik Tengen from Oaky; Maarten Plesmann when with Revinate; Brendan May from HERA Hotel Res Bot; Ben Stephenson from Impala; Martin Stockburger from Concept Hotels; Ulrich Pillau and Martin Reichenbach from apaleo; Iris Steinmetz when with Snapshot; and Ricco de Blank from SHKP

Season 1

Interview episodes with Ullrich Kastner from Myhotelshop; Johannes Thomas when with Trivago; Robin Rossman from STR; Rajesh Vohra from Savora Hotels in UK; Steve Rubin from TRI Hospitality; Mike Keriakos from Curacity; Kurien Jacob from Highgate Ventures; Maximilian Waldmann when with Conichi; Wilhelm K. Weber from SHS Swiss Hospitality Solutions; and Erik Munoz when with Vertical Booking.

Tune in to this on-demand podcast episode of the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live session we streamed live on LinkedIn and Youtube on 29th July 2021, with special guest João Pinto Coelho, Sales Director at Onyria Golf Resorts.

Based on the 16th edition of The Hotelier PULSE Report, João Pinto Coelho discussed together with the hosts Pedro Colaco and André Baljeu current hotel and travel market developments and how Onyria Golf Resorts is responding in terms of commercial strategy.

The number of Hoteliers that expect revenue in 2021 to outperform 2020 has fallen sharply according to the latest survey results. 

Travel restrictions have impacted consumer confidence, and in June 2021, hotel bookings once again dipped below pre-pandemic levels. 

Recent editions of The Hotelier Pulse Report show a steady increase in international travel bookings. 

In our Question of the Month this edition, we asked Hoteliers to share their top concerns for their hotel (group) this summer. The majority voted to 'Maintain Direct Channel Resilience & Growth'. Does João agree with this sentiment for Onyria Golf Resorts business on the road to recovery? Why is that?

If you prefer watching the video version of this session, find it here. Find the original live broadcasting Linkedin link, including all comments and questions from the audience, here.

Also, make sure to read the spotlight interview with João, you can find it here.

The techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions are co-hosted by Pedro Colaco, CEO at Great Hotels of the World and Guestcentric, and André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel.

Pedro and André discuss with their changing guests the latest findings of The Hotelier PULSE Report and its implications for the respective markets represented and overall market developments impacting the hospitality and travel industry.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live sessions here and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions here.

Tune in to this podcast episode of the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live session we streamed live on LinkedIn and Youtube on 24th June 2021, with special guest Ben Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Penta Hotels.

If you prefer watching the video version of this session, find it here. Find the original live broadcasting Linkedin link, including all comments and questions from the audience, here.

Also, make sure to read the spotlight interview with Ben, you can find it here.

The techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions are co-hosted by Pedro Colaco, CEO at Great Hotels of the World and Guestcentric, and André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel. 

Pedro and André discuss with their changing guests the latest findings of The Hotelier PULSE Report and its implications for the respective markets represented and overall market developments impacting the hospitality and travel industry.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live sessions here and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions here.

Resources

Tune in to this podcast episode of the techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT live session with special guests Lidia Sakarapani, Head of Sales & Marketing at Principal. Global Events and Tracy Scott, Chief Executive Officer Hotel Division at CWW connectworldwide. The session was streamed live on Linkedin and Youtube on 25 May 2021.

As we learned in the previous COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT session in the US, with large-scale vaccine roll-out, events are coming back. Slowly but surely. In this session, we discuss with the audience, amongst others, these questions: 

Tune in to this session to hear what our expert panelists are seeing and what the buyers (event agencies, etc.) are currently learning from their clients and hotel partners.

The Collective #MICEBEAT sessions are data-driven live think tanks focusing on the Meetings & Events industry’s future. Taking stock of where we as an industry are, where we need to go, and how we will get there, co-hosted by Rita Machado, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Great Hotels of the World, and Lea Jordan, Co-Founder at techtalk.travel. Providing a platform for the hospitality industry to exchange knowledge, pollinate ideas and connect.

If you prefer watching the video-version of this session, find it here. Also, find the original Linkedin Live Video, including all comments and questions from the audience here. 

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT live sessions here, and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE sessions here.

Tune in to this podcast recording of the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live session we streamed live on LinkedIn and Youtube 29th April 2021, with special guest Daniella Boeken, Group Vice President Commercial at Ruby Hotels.

Are you experiencing this in the Ruby Hotel’s City properties as well, particularly in partially-reopened hubs such as London? Why do you think that is?

On a more optimistic note, Hoteliers seem less concerned with previously dominant issues that impacted consumer demand, such as Health & Safety concerns, tighter consumer budgets, and flight capacity. As such, Hoteliers continue to prioritize reshaping their marketing strategies to reach new markets and cater for domestic travelers. Do you agree with this sentiment? 

If you prefer watching the video version of this session, find it here. Find the original live broadcasting Linkedin link, including all comments and questions from the audience, here.

The techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions are co-hosted by Pedro Colaco, CEO at Great Hotels of the World and Guestcentric, and André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live sessions here and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions here.

Resources 

Tune in to this on-demand podcast recording of the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live session we streamed live on LinkedIn and Youtube 27th May 2021, with special guest David Chestler, Partner & Senior Managing Director, PROVision-Partners.

Aspects discussed are amongst others:

If you prefer watching the video version of this session, find it here. Find the original live broadcasting Linkedin link, including all comments and questions from the audience, here.

Also, make sure to read the spotlight interview with David, you can find it here.

The techtalk.travel COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions are co-hosted by Pedro Colaco, CEO at Great Hotels of the World and Guestcentric, and André Baljeu, Founder at techtalk.travel.

Read more about the COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE live sessions here and make sure to join the upcoming ones too.

Also, find all past COLLECTIVE #hotelierPULSE sessions here.

RESOURCES

Tune in to this podcast episode, the HN world panel live TECHNOLOGY session we streamed live on Linkedin and Youtube, Wednesday, 12th May 2021.

TECHNOLOGY IN HOSPITALITY -  SHIFT + DEL! Do we need a massive reset? 

That's the central question the audience and host André Baljeu discussed with these panelists, who shared their views and perspective on the complexity, and fragmentation of the hotel technology space:

This viewpoint provided by Ian Millar initiated the debate:

From the days of holidex, Fidelio v6 and Micros 2700 we have for the last 30 years been adding technology upon technology in hospitality. In my previous classes with my students (online), one reoccurring question was always, "why is there not one solution that can do everything". Once we discussed this more (language requirements, local fiscal reporting, support, etc.…), the students got the complexity of using software and systems to run businesses. But moving forward, future managers will want their hospitality software to behave more like WhatsApp, Instagram, or Snapchat. Download, install and work. No training or massive configuration is needed. 

So, where does this leave the hospitality industry? 

Do we keep going with our "Lego" approach, or do we need to say hold on, that's enough? So let's restart from scratch. What would that look like, and how could we conceivably even do that?

Read here 20+ responding viewpoints from industry experts.

If you prefer watching the video version of the session, find it here. Find the original live stream video, including all comments and questions from the community as well, here. 

The HN world panel live TECHNOLOGY sessions are a joint project of Hospitality Net and techtalk.travel, and are co-hosted by André Baljeu and Henri Roelings.

Also, find these HN world panel sessions