In an increasingly competitive global hotel environment, it is more vital than ever that hoteliers understand industry best practice and the latest supporting technologies to drive revenue performance. As such, many are turning to revenue management for accurate and detailed forecasting, so they can make optimal pricing decisions and grow revenue as a result. However, if hoteliers make the most of forecasting data, they can not only increase revenue, but also decrease costs across a hotel's entire operations and, as a result, bolster profitably. Having the ability to account for periods of higher or lower demand enables hoteliers to make better operational and staffing decisions and match their ordering from external suppliers to ensure wastage is minimized. READ MORE

Mobile technology is no longer the future of marketing: it's the present. App platforms are evolving to become more user friendly, there's no longer just one type of mobile website and the idea of mobile advertising is no longer a concept, but a practice. With all of this evolution it can create a constant battle between what your hotel should be doing and what you are actually doing. Depending on what type of property you manage, the type of mobile strategy you should have will vary. Throughout this article we will discuss different types of properties and the strategies that are working well for them. READ MORE

What is the necessary data or benchmarks to use in order to improve or simply gauge the performance of a hotel spa? Firstly, the percentage of in-house clients that use the spa facilities which is the “capture rate”. These percentages vary based on the type of hotel and can be quite different from one another. Understanding that the hotel clients' primary reason(s) to be there does not always include the need for spa treatments; therefore spa services must be attractive enough so that the clientele will want to patronize the spa. The percentage of retail sales compared to treatment sales is also extremely important to identify how well a spa is performing. This article will provide further details about some of the most important benchmarking metrics to use for hotel spa operations. READ MORE

Hotel property ownership and hotel management leadership in china has been a hot topic in the past few years, and there have been many meetings and discussions amongst foreign managers and with local leadership about how to build and operate a hotel or spa business. Most Chinese business owners have no history or knowledge about the hospitality industry and have therefore a lack of interest or understanding of what to do with a hotel. However, due to the increasing demand of quality of products and services across all industries in china this industry will also need to undergo some re-education, change in leadership and adjustments in business regulations, in order to be on par with the international market. READ MORE

In general, hotel managers are not comfortable making strategic decisions in times of rapid and uncertain changes. Most decision-makers have some feel about the occurrence of future events that range from a high degree of confidence to a vague and ill-defined level of discomfort. Change can actually be segmented into two components - anticipated and unanticipated. If change consisted only of anticipated components, then there would be little if any risk involved for the hotel. It is the unanticipated component that is the source of risk. Not knowing what the future will hold that strikes fear into managers. The challenge, then, is to make sure that any risk the hotel takes is a calculated risk. While this sounds easier said than done, there are several techniques you can use to minimize risk. In this article, you'll learn the top three. READ MORE