The on-property guest experience represents the fourth-screen in digital marketing. Savvy hoteliers recognize the value of providing a Guest Portal in terms of customer service and revenue potential. It is a practical way to push unique content to guests staying at the hotel and visiting the lobby. Managing and pushing content to a Guest Portal is easy and cost efficient. The main benefit to a Guest Portal is an improved experience for guests. Additionally, the hotel will experience a boost in revenues from on-site amenities such as their restaurant, spa and any on-property promotions. Serving the same experience to guests, regardless of whether they have made the booking or are currently staying at the hotel, is not an effective way to communicate with or make your guests happy. By serving a fourth-screen, or Guest Portal experience, any hotel can offer an improved guest experience which in turn leads to higher review ratings, increased guest satisfaction and repeat bookings. READ MORE

Mobile technology has empowered the hospitality industry to connect with and get to know travelers in an entirely new way, and as of recent, mobile features that enable collection of location related data are among the most popular ways to maximize a mobile strategy. This article discusses the specific trend of geo-fencing and how it can improve a brand or hotel's relationship with guests. READ MORE

This year, 106.3 million people will actually book travel online, and a third of them will book via mobile. This is a powerful statistic that will only continue to grow, and it makes total sense. Travel is a completely mobile experience and it should continue to be. Whether it's using your phone to check for directions, researching dining in the neighborhood or even looking up a local telephone number, the mobile device is always by our sides when we're on the move. This, combined with the increasing number of travelers out there who expect more and more from their travel experiences, is why we work in Guest Relationship Management. Marrying these two together to provide the guest with a travel experience that starts as soon as they've booked and goes on well after check-out is what we do and is what's driving growth in the travel industry. READ MORE

As we witnessed different technologies, such as telephones, cameras, and GPSs, converge into one smart mobile device, what did this convergence bring to the hotel industry? The speed of mobile technology penetration is fascinating, and provides important implications for the lodging industry and the society at large. According to the Pew Research Center, by the beginning of 2014 90% of American adults had a cell phone, and 58% of American adults had a smartphone. Moreover, 63% of adults use their mobile devices to go online, and for 34% of them mobile device is a primarily way of accessing the Internet. Cisco estimated that in 2013 mobile data traffic grew by about 80% over the 2012 mobile data usage, and 18 times exceeded the overall web traffic generated in 2000. READ MORE

I read somewhere that anyone can tell you to exercise more. But matching it to travelers' lifestyles and making it fun forever is hard. That is both the challenge and opportunity for every hotel everywhere in 2014 and beyond. We all want to live longer and better. And with rising health care costs, more of the responsibility to do so falls on our individual shoulders. That's why the media, the government, and business are admonishing us to eat healthier and exercise more. Hotels can be an integral partner in helping their guests maintain fitness as part of their traveling lifestyle. In this article, you'll read about five fabulous fitness trends for your hotel which I call the Fab Fitness Five. READ MORE