THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Nathan Greenhalgh , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : ngreenhalgh @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Assistant Editor 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mary Gostelow , Adam Kirby
PUBLISHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Chief Executive , ITC Hotels Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Eric Danziger President and CEO , Wyndham Hotel Group , Parsippany , New Jersey
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Laurence Geller President and CEO , Strategic Hotels & Resorts , Chicago
Kirk Kinsell President , the Americas , IHG , Atlanta
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
Kathleen Taylor President and CEO , Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Making headlines
Aside from the geo-political , economic and natural disasters that impacted business in 2011 , many of the secondary industry stories often originated online and placed owners and operators in somewhat unfamiliar territory , grasping for the proper response . There has been a long learning curve about how to respond to negative TripAdvisor reviews or damning Tweets from celebrities with thousands of followers .
How do you stand out from the clutter in a positive light in a world gone mobile and mad with media ? Take a cue from marketing maestro Ian Schrager , who just launched a US $ 1 per night rate for three rooms over a 90-day period at his new Public hotel in Chicago . He is using social media to publicize the event , and the media attention alone will be worth its weight in gold . The lesson here is that bold steps are increasingly necessary to make a mark .
So , what will make headlines in 2012 ? Will Hilton go public ? How big will Barry Sternlicht ’ s next move be ? While it is difficult to predict the jaw-droppers to come , I will share some thoughts on some of the trends and potential news stories you might very well be reading about in the months ahead .
Outbound Chinese . And not just Chinese travelers making their way to Paris and New York . I refer to the likes of China ’ s HNA Group Co . buying companies like Amanresorts , as was rumored at press time . Chinese business leaders are taking quite a shine to travel and tourism and are looking to extend their reach beyond China . I also expect Middle Eastern investors to acquire more trophy assets , as evidenced by the Qatar Investment Authority ’ s recent purchase of Raffles hotels in Paris and Singapore .
Boutique “ brands .” Keep an eye on the growing influence of larger
boutique players such as Morgans , Kimpton , Lungarno , Unlisted Collection and the new Joie de Vivre- Thompson hotels tandem to have more influence with owners looking for alternatives to traditional brands .
Demanding owners . The de-flagging of the first Edition in Honolulu and a judge upholding the Turnbury Isle ’ s decision to terminate Fairmont hotels from its management contract might be the start of a trend whereby owners wield more power .
“ Glocalization .” Look to F & B departments to further focus on casualizing their restaurants , sourcing products hyper-locally , taking guests to the market and then into the kitchen , as well as providing more attentive and timely service to keep guests in-house . This is all part of the green movement by hotels that will continue to gain momentum in 2012 .
Internet garden . The rapid expansion of social media and mobile consumerism is going to make even the most old-fashioned operators sit up and take notice . Connecting with guests more personally and monetizing the efforts on Facebook , Twitter and the crowdsourcing websites that are growing in influence is going to receive more attention and create even more headaches than just about anything else in 2012 .
My advice : Take two aspirin and show your guests you care before , during and after their stay .
Editor In Chief
www . hotelsmag . com January / February 2012 HOTELS 5