“ THE OPPORTUNITY [ CREATED BY BLOCKCHAIN ] TO INCREASE PRIVACY , SECURITY AND REDUCE COSTS FROM THIRD PARTIES LOOKS PROMISING .”
REVPAR GROWTH
DURING W SCOTTSDALE ’ S WAKE UP CALL :
SEPT . 30 |
OCT . 1 |
OCT . 2 |
34.4 % |
25.2 % |
40.2 % |
H : Looking forward , are there other regions already on the list for the future ? PH : There has been a lot of interest . The next stop is going to be Dubai . And we ’ re really excited about Dubainbecause will be a newly opened hotel by the time that we do the festival .
H : Experiential perks feel like the name of the game for Marriott , especially after the announcement around the loyalty merger . What ’ s the ultimate ROI on this ? PH : Moments have been a fundamental component of the loyalty program since the beginning . Members have always had the opportunity to use their points to bid on Moments . So , that is a big part of the festival ... Whether it ’ s a DJ class , a oneon-one DJ class , or an intimate meetand-greet with your favorite artist . The festival ecosystem , in general , is conducive to creating incredible experiences .
INTERSTATE ’ S E-COMMERCE VISION
Arlington , Virginia-based Interstate
Hotels & Resorts recently named Mike Wylie head of e-commerce . For the past decade , Wylie ran his own digital marketing company , Standing Dog Interactive , and prior to that he developed e-commerce strategies for Wyndham International . Interstate , which both owns and manages , represents 550 properties in 12 countries , with a recent push toward Europe . HOTELS spoke with Wylie about his plans for Interstate and what lies ahead for the industry .
HOTELS : What did you learn from your company that can be applied to e-commerce ? Mike Wylie : Online marketing supports e-commerce , so if your online marketing strategies are strong , it will generate more e-commerce .
H : Looking past the traditional ways we think about e-commerce , what ’ s next ? MW : I ’ m paying attention to blockchain ’ s impact , and I am still wrapping my mind around it . The opportunity to increase privacy , security and reduce costs from third parties looks promising . However , from a consumer standpoint , I am much more interested and excited about the impact of Google Duplex . Your voice assistant is making actual calls for you and booking appointments , restaurant reservations and eventually hotel rooms . Initially , this is positioned to interact with businesses that do not have online booking , but I think for travel , it will be your AI voice assistant talking to a hotel brand ’ s AI interface to search for and book a room . This will be exceptionally easy for loyalty members booking frequent travel .
H : What ’ s your short- and longterm strategy ? MW : I want to execute cost-effective programs not heavily supported by the brands to generate increased revenue for our hotels and steal market share from competitors .
Keep your eyes on our new lifestyle management division , Intrigue Hotels & Resorts . Intrigue will include select independent and soft-branded properties , including urban boutique hotels , upscale restaurants , spa retreats and international properties . This is where my team can be creative and dynamic , with greater control over the websites and online marketing , rather than being limited by a brand website .
H : What ’ s your prediction about e-commerce in the coming year ? By the end of 2019 , Siri , Alexa and Google Home will have actual twoway conversations to help us get better answers to our questions and perform complex tasks . They will not be quite as intelligent as something like Jarvis in “ Iron Man ,” but we will at least see the promise of this technology beginning to deliver .
“ THE OPPORTUNITY [ CREATED BY BLOCKCHAIN ] TO INCREASE PRIVACY , SECURITY AND REDUCE COSTS FROM THIRD PARTIES LOOKS PROMISING .”
MIKE WYLIE
September 2018 hotelsmag . com 51