HOTELS LIVE
“ Hotels are looking at new tools to better forecast occupancies as existing tools are heavily dependent on historical data , which is of very limited value because of the pandemic ,” Pillsbury said . “ At the same time , hotels are scurrying to look at labor planning and productivity tools … Owners and operators who are not focused on this change will be at a significant disadvantage .” Pillsbury also recommended focusing on F & B offerings , again suggesting Gen X is driving demand for creative concepts like farm-to-table . “ To succeed , hotels will need to tell a compelling story about the experience travelers will have at their properties ,” Pillsbury said . “ Canned , standardized products and services are giving way to customized , tailored offerings that capitalize on the unique aspects of the hotel , its environment , its people and its location .”
On the marketing front , Pillsbury further referred to rapid transformation . He pointed to third-party cookies , the leading source of identity data , which are rapidly going away due to new privacy legislation . He believes it is leading to a shift in how customers operate their devices and browsers . “ Permission is the new buzzword when it comes to data collection and sharing ,” he added .
OPERATIONAL PIVOTS
Among the panel discussions that followed included a session on how to pivot and reinvent hotel businesses during COVID . The session was led by Rami Zeidan of Life House Hotels and included Sloan Dean of Remington Hotels , Richard Millard of Highgate , Jason Liebman of Auric Road and Raul Leal , advisor to Virgin Group .
Multiple sponsors , such as IDeaS Revenue Solutions , exhibited at HOTELS Opportunities Conference
58 hotelsmag . com May / June 2021