EDITOR ’ S DIARY
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com Barbara Bohn , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : bbohn @ hotelsmag . com Chloe Riley , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : criley @ hotelsmag . com Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Judith Crown , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING David Wood , Publisher 1.312.274.2225 dwood @ hotelsmag . com Bill Kinross , Vice President , Group Publisher 312 / 274-2214 bkinross @ meatingplace . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo Susan Terry Vice president of culinary and food and beverage operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICES , HOTELS Marketing and Technology Group 1415 N . Dayton Street Chicago , Illinois 60642 USA 1.312.274.2200 ; edit @ hotelsmag . com
Subscriptions / Change Of Address For address changes or subscription questions , please contact : Customer Service , HOTELS , 1209 Dundee Ave . # 8 , Elgin , Illinois 60120 USA . E-mail : PrintCirc @ hotelsmag . com or call : 800.697.2111
3 IDEAS for
2019
Always evolving — seemingly never fast enough in a world that devours instant gratification for breakfast , lunch and dinner — the hotel industry deserves more credit for its evolution and transition into the technology-enabled information age . It struggles to balance profitability with integrating disparate systems , slowly finding its way with data science-driven initiatives and age-old retention issues , but the days of selling “ boxes ” with no soul are all but gone .
Hoteliers are improving on meeting guest needs , enabling them to travel on their terms , be it self-service with text messaging to manage
Editor In Chief requests , or with 21st-century amenities , experiential opportunities and spaces that better match preferences . Just look at two newcomers , among others : Hilton ’ s responsive and flexible Motto and Rami Zeidan ’ s sizzling Life House , which emphasizes a cheap chic experience and local culture .
But as we prepare to turn the page on another year , I have a few thoughts about priorities for 2019 that might better serve your guests and maybe even your bottom lines .
Go mobile first in everything . No huge revelation here , but smartphones have dramatically changed how consumers manage their lives . Every decision you make , be it for the front or back of the house , should be viewed first from a mobile perspective . Find better ways to use social media as a sales platform as commerce tools improve . You can even use social media to communicate with your internal teams as well as build and reaffirm company culture . Don ’ t be afraid to let guests opt in to direct messaging options to further frictionless service processes , and train team members on best practices for using these systems .
Cocoons matter . With so many developers creating smaller guest room footprints , I want to advocate for either reversing that trend where possible or giving smaller rooms an even homier feel . We all seem to be traveling with more stresses and less down time , so guest rooms that provide an escape are growing in importance and offer another selling point in response to alternative accommodations . Yes , create the communal lobby , the great coffee / cocktail bar and grab-and-go spaces that drive incremental revenue , but that ’ s not the end all , be all . Be it a nice throw and more pillows on the bed , more thoughtful lighting or bringing back soaking tubs , give rooms more warmth . Bring wellness into the guest room .
Go greener yet . Sustainability will resonate more as you market to next-gen travelers and planners . Building and operating more sustainably matters to both internal and external constituents . Yes , green programming can conflict with guest preferences and create housekeeping issues , as evidenced by Marriott International ’ s recent labor negotiations , and those must be properly researched and solutions must work for all . Issues related to growing water shortages , F & B sourcing and waste reduction , especially harmful waste , matters more each day . Adopt a triple bottom line ( social , environmental and financial ) to evaluate performance to create greater business value . Acting responsibly is simply the right thing to do .
Here ’ s to another great year of innovation for owners and operators working hard to compete in a rapidly evolving market place .
December 2018 hotelsmag . com 7