Lodging Leaders
318 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 74 ratingsLodging Leaders is an award-winning weekly podcast that examines news and topics trending in the hotel industry, shared through engaging stories told by co-hosts Jon Albano and Judy Maxwell, and amplified by interviews with hospitality experts and other thought leaders.
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Episodes
317 | Together Again: U.S. hotel industry begins to see return of small meetings
April 14, 2021 07:01 - 23 minutes - 25.7 MBGinny Morrison of Evanston, Illinois, is a 33-year veteran of Spire Hospitality, a hotel management company with a portfolio that spans coast-to-coast. As vice president of sales and marketing, Morrison saw the coronavirus pandemic decimate the meetings business. More than a year later, she’s witnessing a comeback as small-meeting planners are actively booking events for the last half of 2021 and beyond. As public health agencies expand COVID-19 vaccination programs across the U.S. and state...
316 | Pandemic Trailblazer: Hunter Hotel Investment Conference leads lodging industry’s 2021 event circuit
April 07, 2021 07:01 - 19 minutes - 32.8 MBThe Hunter Hotel Investment Conference will be the industry’s first large event to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The Atlanta event will be a hybrid format of in-person and virtual access, also an industry first. Lee Hunter, chairman of the conference, knows the level of expectation is high among other conference planners as well as industry professionals eager to network after more than a yearlong hiatus. Episode 316 of Lodging Leaders podcast features Hunter as he tells what it t...
315 | COVID Comp Sets: The pandemic has dramatically altered hotels’ playing fields
March 31, 2021 07:01 - 34 minutes - 51.1 MBThe coronavirus crisis has dramatically altered the traditional competitive set most hotels use to benchmark their business performance. During the pandemic, properties have reduced services; they’ve closed either permanently or temporarily; or they’ve transitioned to alternative uses by contracting out to essential travelers or social agencies in search of housing. Episode 315 explores the genesis of the hotel industry comp set and how the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the strategic busines...
314 | No Discounts Available: Smart rate management keeps hotels afloat amid COVID-19 storm
March 24, 2021 07:01 - 21 minutes - 32.3 MBMore than 1,760 hotels or 5 percent of U.S. room inventory have permanently or temporarily closed since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic first gripped the country, reports Kalibri Labs. Though last year was the worst on record for hotel business performance, the reason behind the change in the metrics is different than in previous economic crises. The shuttering of hotels as well as government restrictions on travel are skewing national averages in key performance indicators, includ...
01 | First But Not Last
March 18, 2021 07:01 - 31 minutes - 54.8 MBNextGen in Lodging launches its inaugural program with an episode featuring three self-starters carving unique paths in the hospitality industry. Their ventures encompass hotel investment, management and education. The entrepreneurs tell how they altered business strategy and professional goals amid the coronavirus crisis. NextGen in Lodging co-host Davonne Reaves leads the conversation with Purvi Panwala of Panwala Property Management Corp. and CRC Construction Corp; Andrea Aguilar of Typsy...
313 | Staging a Comeback: Hospitality leader Ron Vlasic helps industry build post-pandemic revival
March 17, 2021 07:01 - 24 minutes - 38 MBRon Vlasic has held several leadership roles over the course of his 30 years in the hospitality industry. While serving as COO at Hostmark Hospitality Group, the Chicago native has answered the call to help the U.S. travel and tourism industry recover from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. For the next two years, he will serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In an interview with Long Live Lodging, Vlasi...
312 | Spring Breaks for Homebodies: Staycations are a growing trend amid the coronavirus pandemic
March 10, 2021 08:01 - 22 minutes - 22.9 MBSpring breaks will be shortened or reduced as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact travel and tourism. Many schools and colleges are skipping the annual rite to party. But that doesn’t mean hotels have to give up trying to attract guests this season. Staycations are increasing as people tired of being cooped up seek a respite close to home. In this report, Long Live Lodging explores the origin and evolution of the staycation and how hotels can capitalize on people’s desire to get awa...
311 | Shelters From the Norm: Hotels used for hospitals and housing face unexpected problems
March 03, 2021 08:01 - 25 minutes - 25.7 MBA year ago, Darshan Patel, CEO of Hotel Investment Group in San Diego, California, was one of the first hoteliers in the U.S. to step up and offer properties to overwhelmed hospitals seeking places to care for COVID and non-COVID patients as well as vulnerable populations. As the crisis eases and Hotel Investment Group works to return the hotels to business, Patel is negotiating with local governments to pay for the wear and tear on the properties. Patel is not alone as many hoteliers are un...
310 | Hotels Convert to Housing: Federal COVID-19-relief funds fuel transactions
February 24, 2021 08:01 - 25 minutes - 30.7 MBDhruv Patel, president of Ridgemont Hospitality, in October shared a bittersweet moment with his parents, Pravin and Sima Patel, when the family business sold the first motel that Pravin had built from the ground up more than 30 years ago. But they rest assured knowing it was the right decision because the 22-room property is being converted into affordable housing for military veterans at risk of homelessness. The transaction is among hundreds taking place across the U.S. as state and local...
309 | ‘Stay the Course’: Kathleen Bertrand recalls hospitality career focused on growth through diversity
February 22, 2021 08:01 - 25 minutes - 26.6 MBKathleen Bertrand believes Atlanta is a city where dreams can come true. A jazz recording artist, she served at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau for more than 30 years, finding new ways to promote to the world the best things about the city she calls a “melting pot” of races and cultures. In Episode 309 of Lodging Leaders podcast Bertrand gets vocal and tells her story of rising through the ranks as one of the few Black women in leadership in the tourism industry. This session is p...
308 | From Guests’ Mouths to Managers’ Ears: J.D. Power study reveals what satisfies hotel customers in COVID-19 age
February 17, 2021 08:01 - 20 minutes - 22 MBCrestline Hotels & Resorts, a third-party management company in Fairfax, Virginia, recently celebrated its first-place position in J.D. Power’s inaugural Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark. Long Live Lodging features Aaron Olson, senior vice president of operations at Crestline, and Andrea Stokes, who led the benchmark study at J.D. Power. They share best practices hotel managers are implementing to keep guest satisfaction at an all-time high, especially in the midst o...
307 | ‘A National Story’: Black travel in America evolved with the Civil Rights Movement
February 15, 2021 08:01 - 30 minutes - 27.3 MBNoelle Trent is director of interpretation, collections and education at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum is in the historic Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The venue is hosting the Smithsonian Institution’s The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition, which tells the history of Black travel in mid-20th-century America. In this report, Long Live Lodging explores how African Americans travelers learned to safel...
306 | Calculated Risks: Catastrophic 2020 means higher insurance costs for hotels
February 10, 2021 08:01 - 21 minutes - 26.5 MBBen Seidel is founder, president and chief executive of Real Hospitality Group, a third-party manager with a portfolio of more than 100 hotels. Like most owners and managers, Seidel and his team view the coronavirus pandemic as the biggest risk facing hotel performance but acknowledge that other threats also loom large. The number and severity of climate-related catastrophes in the U.S. broke a record in 2020. As a result, Seidel has seen property insurance costs dramatically increase for 20...
305 | ‘Traveling on Hospitality’: Andrew Young remembers life on the road toward civil rights
February 08, 2021 08:01 - 27 minutes - 21.6 MBAndrew J. Young Jr. became a civil rights activist 65 years ago, starting as a Baptist minister in Georgia. For more than a decade he traveled alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in pursuit of racial equality in America. Young, 88, has a storied career of public service. He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a U.S. congressman and mayor of Atlanta. In this special report, Young shares his remembrances of hoteliers and private homeowners showing hospitality to civil ri...
304 | ‘This is Huge’: Choice Hotels makes history with Black-owned multi-unit deal
February 03, 2021 08:01 - 32 minutes - 27.3 MBAs a former analyst with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fred Washington knows commercial real estate development, if done with the community in mind, can change residents’ quality of life. Washington wants to do the same thing with the six hotels he’s building in Florida. A new hotel investor, Washington recently made history when he signed Choice Hotels International’s first minority-led multi-unit franchise development deal. This report kicks off Long Live Lodging’s ...
303 | Hotel Tech Goes Viral: COVID pandemic forces industry to modernize operations
January 27, 2021 08:01 - 27 minutes - 28.9 MBThe coronavirus pandemic is forcing hoteliers to deploy new technology to run more cost-efficient businesses and to ensure customers that properties are safe by providing such services as contactless check in and mobile key. Long Live Lodging explores how the COVID-19 outbreak has invigorated hotels’ adoption of tech solutions and looks at what types of products owners and operators are investing in during the coronavirus crisis and for the post-pandemic era. This report is part of Long Live...
302 | Value Judgment: Hotel asset pricing in COVID-19 age is different from previous recessions
January 20, 2021 08:01 - 31 minutes - 25.7 MBHotel appraisers and brokers expect distressed assets to come to market as the pandemic recession continues into 2021. Analysts say billions of dollars in private equity are waiting in the wings to acquire hotels underperforming as a result of the coronavirus crisis. But pricing will be different than in previous economic downturns. While a transaction may be distressed, it will not necessarily reflect distress pricing,” said Daniel Lesser of LW Hospitality Advisors. Long Live Lodging explor...
301 | The Road Warrior Ahead: Business travel will come back ‘with a vengeance,’ say experts
January 13, 2021 08:01 - 33 minutes - 31.2 MBGlobal business travel is a $1.4 trillion industry. The Global Business Travel Association calculates the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 resulted in a loss of $113 billion in business travel spend in hotels, airlines and other sectors of the travel industry. But all is not lost. GBTA, industry analysts and travel management companies see some green shoots of hope for 2021 as the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out and corporations put some of their people on the road again. This report is part of Long ...
300 | 2020 Hindsight: Lodging Leaders reviews hot topics, gives sneak peek of what’s ahead
January 06, 2021 08:01 - 54 minutes - 41.8 MBLong Live Lodging, an online multimedia news organization that covers the hospitality industry, found itself tossing aside its plans for news coverage late in the first quarter of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. and devastated the hospitality industry. The year turned out to be ground-breaking for Long Live Lodging, which developed the industry’s first live digital conference, and its podcast, Lodging Leaders, which increased its followers through timely, credible and balanc...
299 | Conserve Cash, Save the Hotel: What asset managers are doing to survive the long COVID winter
December 30, 2020 08:01 - 26 minutes - 22.7 MBThe damage wrought on hotel businesses by the coronavirus pandemic is wide and deep. But the longevity of the pandemic is proving to be truly devastating, especially as the U.S. experiences another surge in the infection rate. In the early days of the crisis, owners, operators and asset managers acted quickly to prevent hotels from closing. Some advisers helped owners weigh the pros and cons of remaining open or temporarily closing. As the pandemic continues its assault, hotel operators are ...
298 | Ready to Order: Ghost kitchen concepts may save the restaurant industry
December 16, 2020 08:01 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBThe coronavirus pandemic has forced restaurants to close or scale back in-house dining operations in response to government mandates and residents sheltering in place. The crisis is accelerating the emerging trend of “ghost kitchens,” restaurants that cook up delivery-only menus and depend on third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats to serve their customers. Adding a tech-driven delivery model to any restaurant, whether it’s stand-alone or inside a hotel, could generate n...
297 | Reply All: How hotels can use email to build back business
December 09, 2020 08:01 - 24 minutes - 21.3 MBThe coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of business. Consumer buying habits are no exception as more sales than ever have shifted online. Omnisend recently charted a dramatic increase in consumers’ response to emails from retailers since the start sheltering in place. The hospitality industry can take a page from retailers’ email-marketing playbook as hotels and other accommodations brainstorm for creative ways to reach out to a captive audience of travel consumers. We ex...
296 | Flexible Business Model: Apartment-hotels are an emerging trend in an industry in crisis
December 02, 2020 08:01 - 36 minutes - 28.1 MBIt’s well known extended-stay-hotel and short-term-rental sectors have done better than their transient hotel counterparts during the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the crisis hit, residential-type accommodations were seeing a growth in interest from travelers as well as investors. The COVID-19 outbreak is proving mixed developments of hotel rooms, leased apartments and owned condominiums offer a unique value proposition during and after the pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodg...
295 | Doing Well: Coronavirus pandemic advances wellness design and programs in hotels
November 18, 2020 08:01 - 34 minutes - 28.2 MBThe coronavirus pandemic is forcing the lodging industry to rethink health and wellness. Designers such as Blanche Garcia of B. Garcia Designs see this as an opportunity for hotels to revise their messaging beyond clean and safe by introducing wellness products and programs they can market and attract guests who want to feel good during their stay and return home feeling better than when they left. Those who promote healthy buildings as well as safe travel are exploring how implementing elem...
294 | She is a Hotel Investor: What She Has a Deal can teach every hotel investor
November 11, 2020 08:01 - 34 minutes - 29.8 MBShe Has a Deal, a program that promotes women as hotel owners, last month minted several new investors through its inaugural pitch competition. Long Live Lodging examines what it took for the three women who comprise the team called Datcher to win the top prize of $50,000 in equity in a fund that would include their $27.4 million project proposed for downtown Detroit. Two additional projects proposed during the competition were selected to benefit from She Has a Deal’s first investment fund....
293 | Crisis Managers: Coronavirus challenge redefines GM role
November 04, 2020 08:01 - 43 minutes - 47 MBGeneral managers of hotels throughout the U.S. are redefining their job descriptions as they make beds, do laundry, vacuum lobbies and patrol parking lots – all jobs once done by employees they’ve had to lay off when the coronavirus pandemic struck in March. GMs also are charged with cutting costs and finding ways to maintain asset values amid a steep downturn in business. A recent study shows that even though hotels are calling some employees back to work, the number of hours GMs are spendi...
292 | People of Persuasion: Travel influencers grow in sophistication and significance in COVID-19 age
October 28, 2020 07:01 - 34 minutes - 26.7 MBHoteliers might think of a travel influencer as a selfie-obsessed millennial looking to wrangle a free night stay in exchange for a positive review. But in the COVID-19 age even influencers would agree: Nobody’s got time for that. Influencers have come of age and are turning out to be digitally savvy sophisticated content creators who can be part of a hotel’s marketing strategy as it works to emerge from the coronavirus crisis with new business on the books. Long Live Lodging peeks into the ...
291 | On The Brink: Hotel associations lobby on Capitol Hill to ward off disaster
October 21, 2020 07:01 - 35 minutes - 29.2 MBLeaders at AAHOA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association say time is running out for the nation’s 57,000 hotels in need of federal government financial relief as the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. heads into its eighth month. Cecil Staton, president and CEO of AAHOA, and Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA, are tirelessly rallying the industry to implore Congress to act soon before half of the country’s hotels go into foreclosure. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the ...
290 | DAY-CATIONS: Hotels turn guest rooms into private office spaces
October 14, 2020 07:01 - 36 minutes - 27.3 MBWith hotel occupancies hovering around an average of 50 percent, owners and operators are seeking new ways to generate revenue beyond traditional overnight stays. One solution in the works is day use of hotel rooms. Hotel companies such as Red Roof, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Hilton are promoting the practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the curve is HotelsbyDay.com, a day-use booking platform that is marketing hotels as the new office space. Long Live Lodging explores the unconvention...
289 | OTA Protest: Reform Lodging members to blackout rooms
October 07, 2020 07:01 - 36 minutes - 28.6 MBReform Lodging is a new organization of hotel owners formed to address problems its members are facing as a result of the downturn in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. First issue on its list is the size of commissions levied by online travel agencies. Reform Lodging is asking its nearly 2,000 members to remove their rooms from OTA inventory on Friday and Saturday to protest the compensation practice. Long Live Lodging reports on the “Lights Out, OTA!” campaign and explores the finan...
288 | ‘The Big Pause’: Hotels retooling employment policies as business slowly returns
September 30, 2020 07:01 - 35 minutes - 28.1 MBTwo viruses emerged in the U.S. this year – COVID-19 and society’s backlash against racism. The coronavirus pandemic forced hotels to close or drastically cut back on their workforces as occupancy plummeted to unprecedented lows. And America’s streets resounded with the voices of citizens protesting racism as businesses began to respond by promising new and better commitments toward diversity, inclusion and equality in hiring and promotion. In Episode 288 of Lodging Leaders podcast, we explo...
287 | The Long Haul: Extended-stay hotels show their strength in a crisis
September 23, 2020 07:01 - 31 minutes - 28.3 MBExtended-stay hotels are weathering the coronavirus crisis better than their transient cousins, according to reports. The Highland Group’s half-year report shows economy and mid-priced extended-stay hotels are faring better than upscale extended-stay accommodations. Second-quarter earnings reports from companies such as Extended Stay America prove the resiliency of the sector, especially when sales teams shift their focus to new prospects such as college students, leisure travelers who value...
286 | Care Packages: Hotels can attract business with cause marketing
September 16, 2020 07:01 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBThe coronavirus pandemic has altered the wants, needs and desires of consumers. Buying habits have changed. The crisis has changed the way consumers value businesses. Hotels have an opportunity to succeed during and after the pandemic by adopting sales and marketing strategies that acknowledge the COVID-19 reality and embrace consumers with the warmth of heartfelt care. Long Live Lodging examines how the traditional sales tactics have been pushed aside as hotels reexamine the ultimate goal o...
285 | ‘Allure of the Door’: Exterior-corridor hotels trending in COVID-19 pandemic
September 09, 2020 07:01 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBAlmost overnight, the roadside motel is a hot commodity. Travelers are going by car and when they stop they want the safest stay possible. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed health and safety to the top of hotel guests’ most-favored-amenity list and exterior-corridor properties appear to provide more of a risk-free stay than their interior-corridor cousins. Long Live Lodging examines the new shine travelers have put on exterior-corridor motels during the COVID-19 crisis and how brands heavy...
284 | Sharing the Wealth: Hotel industry leaders want to bring Black investors into the fold
September 02, 2020 07:01 - 26 minutes - 23.2 MBThe coronavirus pandemic and the resulting downturn in the travel industry will make it difficult for investors to find the capital they need to acquire and develop hotels. That means minority investors, in particular Black Americans, might face an uphill climb in qualifying for bank loans unless they can close the ever-widening equity gap. Several read more The post 284 | Sharing the Wealth: Hotel industry leaders want to bring Black investors into the fold first appeared on Long Live Lodg...
283 | Seizing the Moment: Black hotel owners and investors see opportunity to prosper
August 26, 2020 07:01 - 29 minutes - 23.6 MBIn a recent Zoom conference hosted by the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, hospitality entrepreneur Kristin Kitchen talked about her lodging company that showcases Black heritage and supports minority-owned companies. Kitchen is part of a trend toward building hospitality ventures related to Black history and culture, a sub-sector of read more The post 283 | Seizing the Moment: Black hotel owners and investors see opportunity to prosper first...
282 | ‘People Have Changed’: Hospitality industry deals with workers’ mental health in the age of COVID-19
August 19, 2020 07:01 - 38 minutes - 31.9 MBThe coronavirus crisis has put unprecedented amounts of stress not only on health care systems and economies but on workers’ mental health. That’s the first and bottom line of a recent study by the Society of Human Resource Managers. The professional association surveyed more than a thousand workers in mid-April and found that nearly half read more The post 282 | ‘People Have Changed’: Hospitality industry deals with workers’ mental health in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live ...
281 | Rescue Capital: Hotel financiers seek opportunities to invest in distressed assets
August 12, 2020 07:01 - 31 minutes - 26.1 MBIn June, Watermark Lodging Trust, a Chicago REIT, sold its Hutton Hotel in Nashville for $70 million. The price is $7 million less than what the REIT said it paid to acquire and upgrade the hotel seven years ago. A month later, Watermark said it signed a deal in which it sold shares worth $200 read more The post 281 | Rescue Capital: Hotel financiers seek opportunities to invest in distressed assets first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
280 | Premium Letdown: Hotels challenge property insurers’ refusal to cover COVID-19 revenue loss
August 05, 2020 07:01 - 28 minutes - 26 MBAs the hospitality industry struggles to mitigate the massive loss of revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of hotel owners are filing lawsuits to force their property insurance providers to cover their financial casualties. Meantime, state and federal lawmakers are considering legislation that would mandate U.S. insurance companies pay for business losses related to read more The post 280 | Premium Letdown: Hotels challenge property insurers’ refusal to cover COVID-19 revenu...
279 | Inclusion is a Unicorn Part 2: ‘We are actually doing badly’
July 29, 2020 07:01 - 51 minutes - 31.6 MBWe’re trying something different today. We’ve teamed up with a group called Next Generation in Lodging, a diverse team of mid-career hospitality professionals who want to have significant input into the future of the hospitality industry. We’ve worked with them to produce and provide a platform for a panel discussion about diversity and inclusion in read more The post 279 | Inclusion is a Unicorn Part 2: ‘We are actually doing badly’ first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
278 | CMBS Distress: Thousands of hotel owners seek relief from billions of dollars in debt
July 22, 2020 07:01 - 29 minutes - 24.3 MBSince the beginning of March, the hotel industry has lost more than $40 billion in room revenue. Hotels continue to lose $400 million every day, according to STR and Tourism Economics. The historic loss of income caused by the coronavirus pandemic is rendering hotel owners unable to pay their property mortgages. While many have worked read more The post 278 | CMBS Distress: Thousands of hotel owners seek relief from billions of dollars in debt first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
277 | Contagious Ideas: Hospitality brand and design experts search for creative solutions in the age of COVID-19
July 08, 2020 07:01 - 43 minutes - 42.8 MBIn the introduction of his book, “Hotel, an American History,” A.K. Sandoval-Strausz writes: “The hotel as we know it today did not evolve randomly or naturally, nor did it develop as some sort of automatic response to structural needs. Rather, it was the deliberate creation of an identifiable group of people who lived in a read more The post 277 | Contagious Ideas: Hospitality brand and design experts search for creative solutions in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
276 | A Measured Response: Hotel industry hires for diversity but fails with inclusion
July 01, 2020 07:01 - 32 minutes - 24.4 MBMany companies in the hotel industry claim they practice diversity in their hiring practices. When questioned about how many Black people they employ, most companies can back up their hiring outcomes with data. That’s all well and good, but what’s missing in most employment demographics is a measurement of how inclusive the company is not read more The post 276 | A Measured Response: Hotel industry hires for diversity but fails with inclusion first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
275 | ‘Inclusion is a Myth’: Next Generation in Lodging challenges industry’s status quo on race and diversity
June 24, 2020 07:01 - 24 minutes - 24.1 MBImagine holding a conference on racism, diversity and inclusion in Corporate America and seeing your event invaded by outsiders shouting racial epithets and vulgarities while flying both the Nazi and American flags. Actually, there is no need to imagine it because it happened earlier this month during a digital event organized by the founders of read more The post 275 | ‘Inclusion is a Myth’: Next Generation in Lodging challenges industry’s status quo on race and diversity first appeared on...
274 | Construction in a Pandemic: Hotel builders face unexpected challenges
June 17, 2020 07:01 - 35 minutes - 30.9 MBIn the first quarter of this year, more than 140 new hotels opened in the U.S., reported Lodging Econometrics. In March, the U.S. had 150,000 rooms under construction, said STR. It’s the highest end-of-month total the company has reported. Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said he expects hotel construction to read more The post 274 | Construction in a Pandemic: Hotel builders face unexpected challenges first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
273 | Digital Divides: Technology builds a hybrid of meetings and events in age of COVID-19
June 10, 2020 07:01 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBThe U.S. hospitality industry is slowly getting back to business. Leisure travelers are responsible for occupancy boosts in late May, especially Memorial Day weekend, STR reports. Leisure travelers will continue to drive demand as the coronavirus crisis begins to ease, experts say. Meanwhile, Oxford Tourism Economics reports that business transient and group bookings are not read more The post 273 | Digital Divides: Technology builds a hybrid of meetings and events in age of COVID-19 first ...
272 | A New Digital Reality: Hotels turn to technology to redefine guest engagement
June 03, 2020 07:01 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBAs the U.S. lodging sector begins to get back to business amid the coronavirus crisis, technology will play a much bigger role in operations than before the outbreak paralyzed the industry. Technological solutions in operations and guest management were emerging in hotels before the COVID-19 pandemic. But experts say the next generation of tech is read more The post 272 | A New Digital Reality: Hotels turn to technology to redefine guest engagement first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
271 | Clean Breaks: Hotels face new expectations of health and safety in the age of COVID-19
May 27, 2020 07:01 - 38 minutes - 38.9 MBThe U.S. hotel industry has begun its comeback as all states are reopening their economies. The numbers show that occupancy is slowly but steadily increasing as hotels get back to business. But, to be sure, it is not business as usual. Relatively few hotels completely closed during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80 percent remained read more The post 271 | Clean Breaks: Hotels face new expectations of health and safety in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
270 | Critical Messages: Hotel marketing in the wake of COVID-19
May 20, 2020 07:01 - 25 minutes - 26.1 MBWith more than half of the states in America reopening their economies, owners and operators of lodging accommodations might be tempted to return to business as usual. That includes sales and marketing strategies that management was deploying before the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the hospitality industry. But hotel marketing experts we interviewed say business will be read more The post 270 | Critical Messages: Hotel marketing in the wake of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
269 | Rays of Light: Hotels are guiding beacons as states reopen economies
May 13, 2020 07:01 - 28 minutes - 29.3 MBThe COVID-19 crisis is far from over. How long the crisis remains is still an unknown. As many states are taking steps to reopen their marketplaces, government leaders and business owners may want to look to the hotel industry for some best practices. While nearly 20 percent of the nation’s 57,000 hotels have closed, according read more The post 269 | Rays of Light: Hotels are guiding beacons as states reopen economies first appeared on Long Live Lodging.