As hotel owners and investors discuss strategies for success in the coming year, a careful review of current market conditions is imperative. While supply in the international hotel market remains growing and strong, room rates are beginning to soften, and smart owners should now consider a brand conversion strategy to stay ahead of the curve. In this article, Javier Coll, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Apple Leisure Group, shares why a conversion, with the right brand partner, is key to beating out the competition in a potentially oversaturated market. READ MORE

Consumers are spending increasing amounts of time on mobile devices, forcing brands to rely more heavily than ever on digital marketing to drive bookings and boost revenue. Unfortunately, the ever-changing digital landscape is becoming more difficult to navigate and control, often resulting in brand safety issues. From ensuring that ads don't run next to damaging content to preventing competitors and other nefarious "squatters" from exploiting the awareness you've built, marketers must take proactive measures to protect the value of their brand. As a scalable, efficient solution, a growing number of marketers are shifting to a real-time, programmatic, platform-based strategy. Here's why. READ MORE

While some hotel executives may manage only one hotel operation, most owners and operators oversee hotel chains big and small. Executives have a large order of tasks, employees, guests and more to keep straight-all while keeping the bigger picture in mind to ensure steady revenue and growth. Having a cohesive data system is of utmost importance whether managing hotel chains or singular locations-from a revenue, profits, employee and guest standpoint. One area that often gets overlooked but can greatly impact your bottom line is waste management. READ MORE

Hotels are in a unique position as a service based industry is as hotel owners are constantly replacing their technology on property. There are many advantages in how hotel technology can conform to Moore's law of advancement without experiencing a large capital expenditure every couple of years. As new technology incorporates the ability to display advertising targeted to the guest, all decision makers within the hospitality industry should be focused on the advertising revenue that is possible, along with considering options for the guest to be able to use these services easily before, during, and after their stay. READ MORE

Change and the mind-boggling speed at which it has shaped every aspect of our lives has been no more apparent than in our growing dependence on mobility. Just look around you – people clutching at their mobile devices as if their life depended on it. And maybe it does! Interestingly too, our dependence with mobility has been almost instant, a seemingly uncanny natural evolution. Almost every industry has been touched by what it offers, whether it be efficiency in the way we do things, or accessibility to data, however you define that to be. This article explores how this most disruptive technology has helped transform not only the hotel itself, but almost single handedly, every aspect of the guest experience. READ MORE