05 outubro 2012

Candiota Editora

Queridos amigos, seguidores, interessados e afins,

Agradeço a atenção e sugiro fortemente que vcs sigam e apreciem a comunicação da Candiota Editora. Empresa que fundei agora pra desenvolver e publicar trabalhos focados em Turismo, Hotéis, Artes, Destinos e Eventos, etc.. Tudo bem Brasil.


Para seguir a  Candiota Editora nas redes sociais, por favor:

- Assinem o blog www.brasilexclusivo.com.br
- Curtam a página no Facebook CandiotaEditora
- Sigam no Twitter a CandiotaEditora

Obrigado pela atenção e carinho de todos e a Editora continuará boa parte do que acreditamos.

Esse nosso blog Brazil Hotels ando atualizando pouco e deve continuar assim, ou talvez eu o desative. Estou pensando.

Obrigado e obrigado e abs e bjs a todos

Felipe Candiota


16 maio 2012

""Relationship First" - The Secret to Successful Hospitality Partnerships"

The secret to maintaining successful business and personal relationships is to find out why these types of relationships typically fail in the first place.  For example, if you go to Divorce.com, you can look at the top 10 reasons as to why marriages fail: the top 2 of which are identified as a lack of two-way communication whether it involves financial issues or general communication problems. Similarly, in business, one of the top reasons for failed relationships with clients is poor communication.  The issue of communication probably also ranks number one when talking about a manager’s failure to get the best out of their co-workers and awful employee retention rates. There are thousands of articles online regarding the success and failure of business and personal relationships.  While these two types of relationships may differ in nature, the theme of communicating well to maintain relationships reigns supreme.  When struggling with some issues in my personal and professional life, I went to a counseling session with a pastor.  We discussed marital issues and problems I perceived in the work place dealing with people and situations.  His first comment was “relationships first” – I stopped for a minute to figure out what that actually meant.  Then the following items hit me, and they all involve good communication: 1. Regarding the people in your personal life:  when you come home or see your family members for the first time in a day, do you immediately complain or tell them to do something, or do you greet them with a “Hello,” “I love you,” or “What’s going on at work or school today?” 2. Like family, when interacting with coworkers – even if there is an issue – start with “Good Morning,” or “Hope all is Well,” or another saying to put the relationship first.  Do the same thing when writing an email or making a phone call too.  In person, sometimes you can ask how they, or their family, are doing.  A compliment up front about someone can go a long way in helping to maintain a relationship. 3. What about your customers and prospects?  People do business with people they like: guess what that is – a relationship! Creating relationships starts with finding common ground and building rapport during the initial contact, and it grows from there.  Even after business is secured, it’s the relationship that keeps the business steady, helps the business grow, and even brings on new referrals.  A simple greeting such as “Good Morning,” or “Good Afternoon,” or “Hi – I saw your son/daughter at the store the other day” can start a conversation with a focus on the relationship. It doesn’t take an expert to write these tips, nor to live them. Did you notice the first line of this article?  Yes – it truly is relationship first! By Bill Caraway http://ehotelier.com

"Hotels with poor websites face drop in profits"

Hotels which fail to spend time and money on their websites face a drop in bookings and profitability, according to a new study. Customers expect a host of features on hotel websites, even when looking at small hotels in developing countries, according to the researchers from the University of Portsmouth. Arunasalam Sambhanthan, a recent graduate, and Dr Alice Good, both from the School of Computing, published their research in the International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector. They studied hotels in Sri Lanka which aim to attract western business travellers, but say their findings apply broadly across the sector. Dr Alice Good said: “Hotels that rely upon web bookings are undoubtedly going to face a drop in bookings if they fail to keep pace with website design and the importance of it to customers. “There is extensive research in how poor web design impacts upon both usability and accessibility in relation to e-commerce websites, with numerous examples of companies going out of business because of poor website design. Circle Source: Breaking Travel News

Fashion hotels show jet-setters luxury Italian style

From Dubai to Jamaica, Australia to Brazil, high-end fashion hotels are mushrooming as growing numbers of luxury travellers seek a taste of the glamour and indulgence that only stardom used to bring. Offering presidential suites with everything from private cinemas to personal chefs, Italian brands are investing heavily in the latest fad — creating “lifestyle experiences” which guarantee guests designer perfection. “This is a massive area of investment for designer labels,” saidSalvo Testa, professor in fashion management at Milan’s Bocconi University. “It’s no longer just about getting you to wear Armani, for example, it’s about getting you to eat, sleep and dream Armani as well.” Despite the economic crisis, Italian labels in particular are a driving force in the sector, with a Bulgari hotel opening in London in April and hotels planned by Missoni and Armani for Kuwait, Oman, Cape Town and Marrakesh. “American brands are not luxurious or aspirational enough to interest rich clients, especially in Asia, the Middle East or South America — and French designers worry about over-exposing their brands,” said Testa. “Italian brands, meanwhile, have been gradually innovating with secondary fashion lines and homeware, and have even broken into the restaurant business — all of which are elements then incorporated into their hotels,” he said. As the well-heeled flock to Milan in these days for fashion week, catwalk shows are followed by parties in the Bulgari hotel, or celebrity-packed dinners in the city’s Dolce & Gabbana, Just Cavalli and Moschino restaurants. Those searching for a more intimate dining experience can head to the Armani hotel, where it’s possible to book a table in the kitchen and watch the chef rustle up a fare dreamt up by the billionaire designer Giorgio Armani himself. The hotel is the 77-year-old’s second venture into the luxury lifestyle business — his first opened in Dubai in 2010 — and he regularly checks in on an experience which can cost guests up to 11,000 euros ($14,800) a night. “He lives just round the corner from the hotel. I see him around a lot, popping in and out. He’s a renowned perfectionist,” said taxi driver Giancarlo. “I took his manservant once to get the Versaces’ three Persian cats washed. Money down the drain, it’s not the sort of world for me,” he said. The Armani ideal, however, is to welcome guests from any background and make them feel at home — so much so that they have highly trained personal “lifestyle managers” who are on call 24 hours a day to attend to every whim. Newly-weds who have blown their savings on a night of luxury but have nothing to wear for their romantic aperitif in the bar overlooking Milan’s famous cathedral can ask their personal manager to get them kitted out. “You’re heading out to a party and need a fashion advisor? We’d arrange one for you, or of course you could shop in the Armani clothing store downstairs,” said Andrea Zeno Villa, the hotel’s marketing and communications manager. “What party? Everything you could ever need is right here,” said his colleague Viviana Giussani as she showed off one of the signature suites, which cover two floors and come with a kitchen and private gym or cinema. The brand’s in-house shops also sell Armani flowers, chocolates and books. “It’s a win-win situation for the fashion houses. They enter into partnership with large hotel chains which fund the venture, rake in the royalties and build up brand awareness and brand loyalty,” said Testa. “They start attracting VIPs, and celebrities like Lady Gaga hire a room to change for a concert and come to use the hotel as a second home,” he said. While the flagship stores cater for guests looking for authentic Made-in-Italy luxury, it is the hotels in wealthy and emerging markets which draw in what the Burberry brand calls the “travelling luxury consumer”. “China is the most tangible emerging market for luxury growth. Chinese are travelling abroad and spending up to six times as much overseas as they do at home,” said Isabel Cavill, a luxury expert with Planet Retail research group. Testa said most guests were likely to be searching for a sumptuous experience coloured by a Mediterranean generosity and good hospitality. “The vastly wealthy Chinese and Russians are travellers who place their money and trust in Italian fashion brands because there is such a dearth of culture and intimacy in their own luxury services back home,” he said. Source: www. yahoo.com

20 fevereiro 2012

Pousada do Toque



How Hospitality Companies are Using Social Media for Real Results


At the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, social media has become immersed within the hotel’s unique culture. At its core, the Roger Smith Hotel is about storytelling — with a focus on art and people — and social media has become the way in which the hotel can share these stories and create new ones.
In fact, Brian Simpson, the hotel’s director of hospitality, says that while the hotel certainly attempts to connect the dots between social media and sales, ROI is not the focus of the team’s social endeavors. “We’re less concerned about how many rooms are booked because of social media, and more focused on telling stories and connecting people … you can’t pay a marketing firm to make those connections.”
It’s this type of open thinking that keeps The Roger Smith at the forefront of the social media curve.
Simpson primarily relies on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the hotel blog to distribute and collect stories, but also recognizes the value of location-centric social networks like Foursquare and Pegshot. He approaches each social site with a different strategy, saying, “We take all of these stories and figure out which social media networks support them best.”
Simpson points to an event from 2009 as a catalyst for some of its creativity. The artsy hotel then hosted a Social Media Breakfast, which led to interest from other social media and web groups, and ultimately inspired Simpson to actively immerse himself in the social media culture.
Because The Roger Smith is independent, Simpson found ways to bend the rules for groups and startups, making the hotel inviting to all types of social media event organizers. For Simpson, exposure is key and hosting these events helps get the hotel’s name out there. Today, the hotel is essentially the social media-friendly hotel of New York; events are booked for each night of the week and its become the official hotel of many a New York web conference.
“We’ve made social media a part of the hotel,” says Simpson. “If we stopped doing social media, the culture wouldn’t change, but the stories that get told about us would change, and that would change the perception of the hotel.”
With storytelling at the center of everything the Roger Smith does online and off, Simpson is also looking for the next great way to engage current and potential guests. He says, “now that everyone’s on Twitter, and everyone has a Facebook Page, our objective is to find out what’s next and stay ahead of the curve.”
The hotel is also being extremely avant garde with its approach to installation art. They’ve commandeered an art studio on Lexington Avenue outside the hotel and turned it into an experimental space where art meets social media. The space is dubbed the RS Pop-Up Shop, or RS POP, and it’s open to up-and-coming designers and artists who want to showcase their work with social media flair. Each selected RS POP participant is heavily supported with social media exposure, so artists and designers are featured both in the art studio and online via the hotel’s social media channels.
Disclosure: The Roger Smith Hotel has hosted Mashable events.
Posted: Steve Denes
Source: mashable.com

22 janeiro 2012

Comparing Same Hotel Across Five Global Regions

Comparing Same Hotel Across Five Global Regions
Posted: 21 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST


I always wondered how a hotel would operate financially if it were located in different parts of the world. To demonstrate these differences and show the impact on the net income, I developed the following side-by-side comparison of the revenue and expense for a proposed 200-room Marriott type hotel, assuming it was located in the following five regions: China, Europe, India, South America and the U.S.

Let’s assume the projected occupancy and average rate are the same in each market, which will produce identical rooms revenue. The rest of the revenue and expense items will be projected by my local HVS partners based on how this Marriott hotel would be designed and operated in that particular region. For example, in India, a Marriott hotel would typically have significantly more food, beverage and banquet outlets thereby generating more food and beverage revenue than a Marriott hotel in the U.S.

Base on the financial statements set forth, it is apparent there are many similarities and differences in the mode of operation and the resulting impact on revenues and expenses for hotels in various parts of the world. Let’s take a closer look.

Rooms Revenue
The underlying assumption for all five markets is the subject property is a 200-room Marriott hotel in its fourth year of operation in 2014. The occupancy is 71% and the average rate is $250, which produces rooms revenue of $12,958,000.

Food and Beverage Revenue
India shows the highest food & beverage revenue of $9,517,000 compared to the lowest, with China at $6,312,000. Indian hotels typically have extensive food and beverage outlets – usually several restaurants and extensive banquet rooms. Some of the best restaurants in India are located in hotels. The large Indian weddings are often held in hotel banquet rooms. Travelers also appreciate dining in a hotel since driving in the large cities can be challenging and time consuming. Hotels in China also attract banquet business, but their restaurants don’t cater to as many locals as Indian hotels. The European Marriott is second to India in food & beverage revenue with a volume of $7,390,000. Locals in Europe will often frequent hotel restaurants and utilize their banquet facilities. South American and U.S. hotels derive similar levels of f&b revenue.

Telephone Revenue
India and South America show the highest telephone revenue with a volume of $630,000 and $466,000 respectively. India hotels derive significant revenue from Internet charges, which are very expensive in this region. The U.S. telephone revenue is $96,000 and Europe is a low $22,000. China does not separately account for telephone revenue but puts it in Other Income.

Rentals and Other Income
South America and the U.S. have the highest rentals and other Income at $932,000 and $829,000 respectively. China is the lowest at $371,000.

Spa Revenue
India’s spa revenue is the highest at $950,000. Upscale Indian hotels typically have extensive spa facilities that cater to both hotel guests and the local community. Spa revenue for China, Europe and the U.S. ranged from $241,000 to $413,000. South America does not show spa revenue because hotels of this size typically have very small spas and the income is insignificant.

Garage Revenue
A hotel in China typically has garage revenue and for this property it was estimated at $307,000. The other regions did not specifically include garage revenue, but it could be included in other income.

Total Revenue
The resulting total revenue ranges from $24,560,000 for India down to $20,361,000 for China. Europe, South America and the U.S. are similar at approximately $21,000,000.

Rooms Department Expense
Major financial operating differences among the different regions become apparent when the rooms department expense percentage is compared. India has the lowest at 10.4% and Europe is the highest at 30%. China, South America and the U.S. are similar at around 22%. India’s extremely low labor cost is the primary reason why the rooms department expense is so low. Indian hotels appear overstaffed, and usually provide a high level of service. However, wages are extremely low there, which results in a highly profitable department. Europe’s labor costs are very high. Unions, government regulations, vacations and benefits, high cost of health care and social security contribute to staffing costs and a high rooms department expense.

Food and Beverage Department Expense
Again, India with its low labor cost has a f&b departmental expense ratio of 45.5%. The other regions of the world are fairly consistent with a cost ranging from 64% in China to 68.6% in the U.S. It appears Europe’s higher f&b volume helps control the expense ratio at 67.8%. Food & beverage labor is not as large of a component of the f&b department as it is in the rooms department.

Telephone Expense
In all areas of the world, the telephone department makes a small profit except the U.S., where it loses money. This can be attributed to the low telephone revenue in the U.S.

Spa Expense
India has the lowest spa expense at 40.8%, with China at 55.9% and Europe and the U.S. at 76.1% and 73.4% respectively. Again, these differences are typical labor cost related.

Garage Expense
Good profit is made in the garage of China hotels with an expense ratio of 25.4%.

Administrative and General
South America has the highest administrative and general cost at $11,940 per room. Europe is the next most expensive at $8,975 per room, followed by the U.S. at $8,120. Comparatively, India is not as low as might be expected, operating at $7,130 per room. Administrative and general expenses are not as labor intensive as rooms and f&b, so India’s labor advantage does not show up as much in this expense item.

Marketing
The U.S. has the highest marketing expense at $6,090 per room, followed by South America at $5,430. India is at the lowest at $3,020. The competitive environment in the U.S. is particularly difficult and requires higher expenditures in marketing.

Brand Marketing Fee
India hotels typically charge a separate marketing fee for chain-affiliated hotels.

Property Operations and Maintenance
India pays the most for property operations and maintenance: $4,955 per room. This can be attributed to the high cost of replacement equipment parts and the wear and tear of operating a hotel in India. The property operations and maintenance in the other areas of the world are similar: around $3,500 per room.

Energy Costs
India has the highest energy costs at $9,665, followed by China at $6,885 and Europe at $3,925 per room. South America and the U.S. are similar at approximately $2,700 per room.

Income Before Fixed Charges
With its high f&b coupled with very low departmental expenses, the proposed Marriott in India generated income before fixed charges of $12,528,000, which was 51% of total revenue. The other four markets had a fairly tight range of IBFC of $8,014,000 for Europe and up to $8,788,000 for the U.S. These profit ratios are about 40%.

Management Fees
The base management fee for all the markets was 3% of total revenue except for China and India, which was 2.5%. China is a particularly attractive market for international hotel companies who compete aggressively to obtain management contracts.

Property Taxes
The U.S. pays the most in property taxes: $540,000. China is next at $433,000, followed by Europe at $424,000. India is next at $252,000, followed by South America at only $110,000. Note that South America also pays a turnover tax of $844,000 and a bank credits & debits tax of $211,000, making it much more expensive than the other regions from a total tax perspective.

Insurance
Insurance ranges from a low of $66,000 in South America to $209,000 in the U.S.

Reserve for Replacement
All the markets utilized a 4% of total revenue reserve for replacement except the U.S., which used 5%.

The following are several additional expenses that are deducted by typical buyers of hotels in the regions where they operate. As appraisers, it is important to reflect the actions of typical buyers and sellers and include these expenses in the revenue and expense statement if they are customary deductions used by market participants. For example in China, it is normal for buyers to deduct a business tax. This type of tax is normally deducted in other regions of the world.

Business Tax
An additional tax normally deducted in China, which amounted to $1,117,000 or 5.5% of total revenue.

Incentive Management Fee
Additional fees paid to hotel management companies are usually based on a percentage of net income. Marriott typically has an incentive management fee, which is traditionally deducted for valuation purposes in other areas of the world. However, as described previously, in the U.S., incentive management fee is usually subordinated to debt service and is usually loaded into the equity yield and not specifically deducted during the appraisal process. Occasionally, it may be helpful to include incentive management fees for appraisals in the U.S., which is also proper methodology. Outside the U.S., the incentive management fee ranges from 2.7% of total revenue in South America to 3.9% in India.

Turnover Tax and Bank Credits and Debits Tax
As previously described, hotel appraisers in South America also deduct a turnover tax and a bank credit & debits tax.

Net Income
The resulting income for these five regions is as follows:

China: $5,086,000
Europe: $5,272,000
India: $9,602,000
South America: $4,904,000
U.S.: $6,351,000
India leads the list showing a net income of $9,602,000, which is significantly higher than the other regions. South America is the lowest at $4,904,000. Even if you deduct an incentive management fee for the U.S., it would still be the second highest at $6,351,000. At least from a profit point of view, these results show why India has been getting so much attention from hotel companies looking to do business there. On the other hand, even with the growth of Brazil, South America is not as active in new development compared to India, the U.S. and China.

Stephen Rushmore is president and founder of HVS, a global hospitality consulting organization with offices around the world. Steve has provided consultation services for more than 12,000 hotels throughout the world during his 35-year career and specializes in complex issues involving hotel feasibility, valuations and financing. He can be reached at srushmore@hvs.com or 516 248-8828 ext. 204.

About HVS
HVS is the world’s leading consulting and services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 2,000 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. We are client driven, entrepreneurial, and dedicated to providing the best advice and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Through a worldwide network of 30 offices staffed by 400 seasoned industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com.

Source: hospitalitynet.org

31 outubro 2011

BRAZIL HOTELS

Aí está a capa da edição brasileira do meu livro BRAZIL HOTELS.
A foto é da Fazenda da Lagoa e foi tirada pelo Romulo Fialdini.
O livro será distribuído no Brasil pela Paisagem Distribuidora.
Espero fazer o lançamento antes do Natal.
Obrigado por tudo e abs,

02 setembro 2011

KIAROA - Barra Grande - Maraú - Bahia

Kiaroa
Barra Grande - BA
http://www.kiaroa.com.br/




Ways Hotels Can Increase Their Social Media Presence

Ways Hotels Can Increase Their Social Media Presence
Posted: 01 Sep 2011 03:00 PM PDT

Hotels have made great strides in social media over the past few years; from Twitter to Facebook, and Foursquare and YouTube, there is no limit to how hotels can boost their online presence and increase their customer base.
As a hotels reporter, I’m constantly engaging, communicating and assessing the social media efforts of hotels around the world. I’m consistently intrigued by they way hotels communicate with their guests and share their knowledge of their destinations (see: InterContinental Group, Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental).
More boutique hotels have jumped on the social media bandwagon to introduce ‘brand name consumers’ with a new type of hotel, and the results are impressive. Now, with the year off to a booming start in the hotel industry, here are five tips worth considering for taking your hotel’s social media presence to the next level.
1. Use Your Staff.
Your employees are the eyes, ears and experts of your hotel. Use them to engage your social media presence. Whether you designate a day to a particular theme or allow specific staff members to reply to questions asked from guests via social media, the personalization will make all the difference when communicating online.
“At InterContinental, our Concierge teams share their local knowledge with guests from around the world on a daily basis,” said Charles Yap, Director, Global Brand Communications, InterContinental Hotels Group. “We take this personal interaction one step further by sharing useful destination tips and recommendations (via @WorldConcierge), and launching a free iPad app anyone can download (not just our guests).”
2. Create Social Media Specials.
Some of the best responses I’ve seen in average daily room rates from hotels so far this year have come by way of “social media specials.”
Offering Twitter-only specials or Facebook contests that result in free dinners at the hotel or discounted room rates resonate with travelers who, despite their discretionary income for travel, are always on the hunt for a deal.
3. It’s Not All About You.
While the hotel is obviously the focus of your social media campaign, remember that there is more to the traveler’s eye than what’s inside your four walls.
Spend some time tweeting about local destination events, share some interesting historical aspects and ask your concierge for some ‘tips of the day’ to share. “we believe that when it comes to social media, discussion topics should not be restricted to immediate hotel features. We go one step further by offering destination advice, travel tips, food for thought, retweets from travel and subject matter experts,” said Yap.
Guests will likely know the top tourist attractions, but the hotel can offer insider ideas and off-the-beaten-path things to see and do, including the best local restaurants, fun festivals or family-friendly activities. Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, did a great job of sharing the historical and interesting facts relating to Chinese New Year.
While the hotel hosted plenty of Chinese New Year activities, which they tweeted about, they also shared quirky and unknown facts about Chinese New Year that kept guests intrigued and involved in the festivities.
4. Keep It Real.
We all know it’s sunny on the beach in Bali and the Bund is beautiful at night, but what about the ‘real’ aspects of the destination?
Posting a quick weather update first thing in the morning is a worthy way to start the day on Twitter or Facebook, but keep it real by posting about things to do – especially on bad weather days – or offering tips on managing jetlag or mentioning a employee contribution or celebrated day.
For example, if your chef was just given his first Michelin star, share the news! If your hotel recently underwent a renovation, share the photos — before and after — and keep your potential guests in the loop. Show your followers and fans that the hotel is more than just deals and good food, and that they are part of the foundation that makes up the success of the hotel.
5. Communicate.
Cliche as it may seem, keeping up the lines of communication with your fans and followers via Twitter and Facebook is an essential piece to managing a successful social media campaign.
Social media has become the new ‘customer service’ line, and hotels should take seriously the comments and questions they receive online. Granted, not all tweets and Facebook comments will be valid, but treating social media as if it were a hotline to your consumers  is the best way to solve last-minute problems, answer immediate questions and offer advice to guests and travelers.
The above tips are not the end all and be all to a successful social media campaign, but they can help present your hotel in a worthy light to guests who, whether they are new or repeat, will always be looking for something special from the hotel.
Source: 4hotelier
Anna Pham

01 setembro 2011

QUOTES

“Some beauties should be appreciated from far away; some others need to be closely seen.”
José de Alencar (Brazilian writer, 1829 – 1877)
“Há belezas para serem admiradas de longe; outras se querem vistas de perto.”

31 agosto 2011

Hotels offer services through tablet PCs

Hotels offer services through tablet PCs

For a night of clubbing in Manhattan on a recent weekend, Seunghee Thomson turned to the iPad in her room at the Mondrian SoHo to ask the hotel’s concierge for a recommendation.

The concierge desk, which received her iPad message, soon called with a name and directions. “While I was waiting, I was thinking maybe I should call back to see if they got my message, but they called me back right away,” says the fashion stylist from McLean, Va. “It’s the first time I’ve had that experience in a hotel.”

Mondrian is one of several hotels — and airlines, too — that are distributing iPads and similar devices to customers in an effort to tap the buzz surrounding tablet computers. The effort is the latest by the travel industry to digitize a range of services that once required picking up the phone.

Using third-party software developers, hotels are introducing apps to order food, browse hotel amenities and local attractions, request wake-up calls, schedule housekeeping, message other guests and arrange car service. The apps are available for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and phones and tablets using Android and other operating systems.

It’s a self-service vehicle,” says David Adelson of Intelity, which developed Mondrian’s app and has about 380 hotels using the software. “Most travelers are used to self-service solutions in their daily lives and would rather prefer it.

The hotel industry has been trying to automate guest-service transactions, particularly room service orders, for several years, but has been held back by technological limitations. The surging popularity of apps and smartphones may provide the increased operational efficiency and generate the additional room revenue they’re seeking.

Instead of hotel staffers answering guests’ calls and rerouting requests, orders placed in the software are sent directly to the department handling the service: room service orders to the kitchen, requests for toothpaste to housekeeping.

For a lot of hotels, it’s an extension of the kiosk mentality,” says Michael Planey, a travel technology analyst. “The app economy is about giving people control of their own environment.

Executives at Intelity and its competitors — including Ascension Software and Runtriz — say their apps can generate more sales for hotels as other revenue sources, such as phone and movie charges, are dwindling.

Seeing food photos and other buying options presented in a non-intrusive way often leads to more orders, says Joe Adkisson of Ascension, adding that room service orders at his hotels have increased 15% to 20% with the apps.

Make changes quickly, easily

In embracing the digital format, hotels can also quickly update menu changes and deliver up-to-the-minute information about facilities and deals. The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., for example, sells a “Dinner on the 9th green” package through its app.

You have our own little Groupon targeted at your guests,” says Matthew Allard, CEO of Runtriz, whose guest-service software is available for about 40 hotels, including the St. Regis in New York, the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.

Several upscale hotels, including the Plaza and Royalton hotels in New York and the Hilton Inn at Penn in Philadelphia, are touting the technology and inviting guests to try it by providing iPads in rooms.

The iPads are “locked” for the hotel services only, and guests aren’t allowed to modify or download other apps, says Adelson of Intelity, which works with the hotels. Guests are charged for the device if they forget to return it.

The Beverly Wilshire offers iPads only for suites. The iPod Touch in all guest rooms at the Conrad hotel in the Maldives makes updating the hotel’s 50-page menus and information about its inventory of wines easier, says Allard of Runtriz, which developed the app.

We can … save a ton of money in printing and shipping,” he says.

Distributing iPads is too expensive and cumbersome for most hotels, says Adkisson of Ascension, which has developed guest-services apps for about 100 properties, including W and Omni hotels. “It sounds cool, but there seem to be issues with cost and keeping them clean from both software and physical standpoints,” he says.

Avaya, an Internet telephone technology developer, is also eyeing the market, introducing its own tablet-size device that’s connected to the hotel room phone and allows guests to order food or request services using touch-screen icons. The device has been installed recently at all rooms in its trial customer, Hotel Ignacio in St. Louis.

Most hotels will ease into the technology with phone apps, while others, such as Wyndham Hotels, have installed the PC-version as the welcome page of their Wi-Fi service.


Source: travel.usatoday.com

24 agosto 2011

QUOTES

"Beauty is but the sensible image of the Infinite. Like truth and justice it lives within us; like virtue and the moral law it is a companion of the soul."
George Bancroft (American historian, 1800 - 1891)

22 agosto 2011

QUOTES

“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”
Edmund Burke (Irish philosopher, 1729 – 1797)

Tutorial Foursquare for Hotelier

Tutorial Foursquare for Hotelier

Foursquare is one of the names talked about and yet which few people know what is going on. Foursquare is the first fully mobile application that works on all smartphones using geolocation: to make his “checkin” your customer must be there.
Designed as a game, Foursquare is very entertaining for its members, with notions of steps climbed as and when it is used and evidenced by badges. These badges are earned primarily through “checkins” arriving at the restaurant or hotel, a quick search on Foursquare brings up a list of places to register.
Foursquare, today more than 10 million members worldwide, 3 million of checkins per day, 500,000 businesses using Foursquare professionally.
To be part of those companies using Foursquare professionally, this is what is needed:
1. Claim his place or attraction
• Connect to Foursquare or create a personal profile if necessary
• Search the name of the hotel
• Once on the hotel card, click on “Do you manage this venue ? Claim here “
• Monitor the process and select the preferred method of verification by phone, mail …
2. Dclare its employees “manager” or “employee”
The person who claimed the place is automatically “manager”. To be declared a “manager” or “employee” by the first manager, it is imperative to have a user profile. Rights are different:
• “employees” can only edit
• Te content of the page
• View statistics
• Enable and disable special
• “managers” can also add special offers •
• Add new “employee” or “manager”
3. Create special types of Event
These special offers are visible not only to users who have produced their checkin, but also those nearby but have not made their checkin to push them to do so.
• Provides for friends only
• Offers reserved for a number of simultaneous visitors (15 people on a period of 2 hours)
• Provides flash
• Provides accessible only when a user first checkin
• Provides access on terms that you have pre-defined
• Offer reserved for frequent visitors
• -* offers reserved for “mayor” (self-employed person who made the most checkins in the last 60 days)
• Among the offers put up by hotels for users Foursquare:
• Upgrade available (depending on availability)
• A complimentary breakfast
• Free wifi
• Offered a drink at the bar
• Late checkout offered
• Generate incremental incomes with specials deals for an updgrade ( for 50 CHF you get a Junior Suite )
4. Foursquare check-in here
By putting a sticker or placard “on the door or at the reception, bar, restaurant …, Foursquare users are informed that the hotel is within their reach and they can probably receive a  special offer
Foursquare push users present in the hotel to do their “checkin” increases awareness of its establishment on the Internet, “checkin” being relayed to the user’s choice by email or Foursquare on social networks:
• Foursquare: his friends are informed
• Facebook: information is shared, with or without commentary on the Facebook wall user Foursquare
• Twitter: information is shared  on the user’s Twitter page Foursquare
• Foursquare on the page of the establishment
• On the page of  Foursquare’s user
5. Train your Staff
Explain to your Staff what is Foursquare. If your staff is not aware you risk to get some complains.
Create Special Code and communicaeing this simple code to its staff, so staff know what it can offer to benefit the customer who shows him his smartphone.
You need to be aware regarding the mode of spread :
With one one offer, you reach hundreds or potentially thousands of potential customers.
6. See its statistics
The statistics are accessible in real time and allow to know, especially after the posting of a special offer:
• The number of checkins per day
• Recent visitors
• The gender
• The most frequent visitors
• Hours the most popular
• The amount of checkins relayed on Facebook or Twitter
Chains & brands
Chains with multiple institutions can benefit from their own brand of Foursquare.
By creating a page “brand” is an opportunity to
• Actively communicate with visitors,
• Share information, tips and tricks,
• To have “followers”
• Create custom buttons,
• Benefit from a specific url foursquare.com type / brand
• To increase brand awareness, providing each institution promote its brand and vice versa
Major brands have already taken advantage of this feature.
• The New York Times
• Louis Vuitton
• Algonquin Hotel
• Four Points by Sheraton
Conclusion
Foursquare can reach a customer “connected” and who also has a social life outside his own home.
The fact to manage his page Foursquare professionally is free and takes only a few minutes. As for offers, they only apply to customers consuming.
Althought if you want to use Foursquare like any other Socia Media Networks, your Hotel Management need to be sure you get Human Ressources to manage this account.
Do it professionally or don’t do it,

15 agosto 2011

QUOTES

“Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.”
Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, 121 - 180)

11 agosto 2011

QUOTES

"Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depends on simplicity."
Plato (Greek philosopher, 427 – 347 a.C.)