A bold and perhaps perplexing question, but the unfortunate reality is that almost all third-party Quality Assurance audits are designed either to increase membership in a club that guests used to use as a barometer of whether or not a hotel or resort would be good (where mostly today they make these decisions based on social media/OTAs); or to be included in a magazine that some guests refer to for the same reason. The goal of those participating does not necessarily add up to improved service and guest experience-more to influencing guest perception and awareness of the property and so strengthening sales. READ MORE

When it comes to hospitality design experiences, we know that the best hotels support the business traveler, the leisure traveler, and the growing blur between them. The business traveler, specifically, is the most active and engaged guest when it comes to hotel amenities and usage. This is largely due to the fact that they are often spending the bulk of their time in hotel meeting spaces, business centers and conference rooms. So what can be done to make these typically enclosed spaces a source of task, social, entertainment, discovery and aspiration? The answer is likely beyond the walls. READ MORE

As global discussions around climate change become more prevalent, so do conversations around human connection to nature. Incorporating nature and its elements by way of biophilic design is occurring everywhere – throughout our cities, workplaces, hospitals, academic institution and more. Exploring where the hospitality industry fits into these discussions is not only timely, but extremely relevant for hotel operators. Through their decades of industry knowledge and research, HKS Principals Mary Alice Palmer and Sergio Saenz, will discuss how biophilia can influence the psychographics of the guest, transform their hotel experience and guide them to making better decisions for the natural environment. READ MORE

For the hospitality and travel industry, giving the customer the ability to personalize their experience, and thusly pay the right price for that experience, is all the rage. Airlines, restaurants, and even some resorts have pioneered new ways to give the people precisely what they want, but for the standard hotel operation, it's not proven to be so simple. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the hurdles hoteliers face when it comes to instituting customer-choice pricing into their sales processes, and we'll take the pulse of personalization in the industry and the evolving guest expectations driving this shift. READ MORE

Developing next generation destinations is a hot topic. We are travelling overseas more than ever before, looking for great places – new or old – to visit, stay, eat, enjoy, work and entertain. However, with issues of environmental degradation, overtourism and waste management in the spotlight, it is imperative to develop destinations in ways that regenerate, protect and nurture the very things that attract tourism. Today, a successful destination development framework secures buy-in from investors, masterplanners, governments and visitors. It should also be sustainable. So, who are the visionaries out there and what are they doing? READ MORE