Every night, guests check into your hotels. They share their names, email addresses, preferences, and payment details. They order room service, book spa treatments, connect to Wi-Fi, and leave reviews. Then they check out, and most of that data either disappears into a disconnected system or sits untouched in a spreadsheet no one opens again. For independent hotel groups across
For years, hoteliers have relied heavily on Online Travel Agencies to fill rooms. While platforms like Booking.com and Expedia provide undeniable reach, they come at a steep cost. Commission rates often slice deeply into profit margins, leaving revenue managers constantly searching for ways to balance third-party distribution with direct sales. Moving into late 2026, the landscape of digital travel planning
Guest communication is one of the first things people notice about a hotel. A guest may call before booking a room. Another guest may call after reaching the airport. Someone may ask about check-in time, breakfast, parking, Wi-Fi, room service, and many other small things. These questions may look simple, but they matter a lot. When guests get a clear
Question for Our Hotel Marketing Expert Panel Why is personal branding essential for hospitality sales professionals to build strong client relationships and drive B2B revenue? (Question by Cory Falter) Our Marketing Expert Panel Cory Falter - Partner, Lure Agency Pablo Torres - Hotel Consultant Moriya Rockman - Chief of Marketing, Smiling House
Hotel revenue management is no longer limited to pricing rooms and protecting RevPAR. Rising costs, changing guest behavior, and growing demand for experiences are pushing hotels to rethink where revenue comes from and how value is captured. Today, guests spend across multiple touchpoints, both on and off property, creating new opportunities for hotels to increase total booking value. In this
Ancillary revenue describes earnings that originate from the sale of products or services besides your primary offering. In the case of hotels, this means products and services beyond the sale of hotel rooms. For hotels, ancillary revenue is important because it provides additional income. When ancillary services are of a high standard, a hotel can extract more revenue from each
Big chain hotels might have big wallets, but boutique and independent hotels have agility and creativity. They have the freedom to easily pivot their marketing strategies, and they are able to build unique, more engaging stories that are harder to tell at scale. They focus on attracting a profitable segment of customers and are exceptionally good at wowing their guests.
Question for Our Hotel Marketing Expert Panel What marketing strategies can hotels use to drive more group bookings, both directly and through 3rd party channels? (Question by Cory Falter) Our Marketing Expert Panel Max Starkov - Adjunct Professor Hospitality Technology, New York University Moriya Rockman - Chief of Marketing, Smiling House Luxury
Videos are an undeniably powerful marketing tool, especially for the hotel and travel industry. After all, they can capture the attention of the audience much quicker than text and have the power to generate extremely high traffic to your website. No wonder video marketing has taken the Internet by storm. This effective tool is so versatile that you can use
Personalization has become one of the most discussed concepts in hospitality. Hotels are under pressure to deliver tailored guest experiences, yet many struggle to implement personalization effectively. The missing step is often segmentation. Before hotels attempt to personalize every interaction, they must understand who their guests are and which groups matter most to the business. Clear segmentation helps hotels communicate
Food and beverage (F&B) services are the lifeblood of the hospitality industry. A good meal is one of the cornerstones of the human experience and colors every other element of a guest's day. Food and beverage services help differentiate you from the competition, provide a steady revenue stream, increase guest loyalty, act as a marketing tool, and generally enhance almost
For decades, hotel brands represented stability, scale, and security. Affiliation offered global distribution, loyalty programs, technology systems, and operational guidance that independent owners struggled to replicate. But the hospitality landscape has changed. Access to demand, modern technology, and digital marketing tools is no longer exclusive to brand ecosystems. At the same time, rising fees and tighter margins are forcing owners
Question for Our Revenue Management Expert Panel: Does predictive personalisation in hospitality truly enhance the guest experience, or does it risk limiting spontaneity and the thrill of discovery? (Question proposed by Nikolas Hall) Our Revenue Management Expert Panel Tamie Matthews - Revenue, Sales & Marketing Consultant, RevenYou Massimiliano Terzulli - Revenue Management Consultant,
Question for Our Hotel Marketing Expert Panel How have hotels innovatively integrated music and art to enrich the guest experience, and how can these experiences be marketed to maximum advantage? (Question proposed by Moriya Rockman.) Our Marketing Expert Panel Moriya Rockman - Chief of Marketing, Smiling House Luxury Global Pablo Torres - Hotel
Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase in hospitality, where its impact depends on how well it supports continuity across the guest experience. Travelers increasingly expect seamless interactions from discovery through departure, regardless of channel or touchpoint. As AI becomes embedded in how guests search, decide, and engage, hotels must think beyond isolated tools and toward connected systems that guide
Hotel teams are surrounded by data, yet alignment often feels harder than ever. Revenue, sales, marketing, finance, and operations all look at performance through different lenses. This article shows how a shared data language helps you collaborate better, reduce friction, and move from debate to confident decisions faster, without adding more reports or meetings. What Is a Shared Data Language
Branded residences are high-end private homes, which are associated with a lifestyle or hotel brand. They combine private residential living with the service and operational standards of a hotel. These developments can benefit buyers through lifestyle quality, as well as brands through additional revenue and customer loyalty. Property developers can also capitalize on high prestige and greater project returns. In
Imagine you're at the front desk, midway through a busy day, when you suddenly realize you’re overbooked. Guests are still pouring in, but you know—awkward conversations and unhappy faces await you. But overbooking doesn’t have to be chaotic. When done strategically, it can increase occupancy and revenue. This article will show you how to master overbooking and turn a stressful