7 Hospitality Trends to Take Seriously This Year
With the holiday rush behind us, now is the perfect moment to set the stage for a successful year ahead. While exceptional customer service remains the cornerstone of hospitality, today’s fast-paced digital landscape demands that hoteliers stay attuned to emerging technologies and shifting guest expectations. Here are seven key hospitality trends for 2026 that every […]
How Can Hotels Balance Sustainability with Profitability?
Evolving trends and the growing impact of climate change have made sustainability a key consideration for modern travelers. More than 80 percent of vacationers believe that environmentally responsible travel is important. Embracing eco-friendly practices not only supports a healthier planet but positions your property to engage this increasingly conscientious market segment. Understandably, many hoteliers express […]
5 Top Tech Trends Elevating Hotel Businesses
Today’s hoteliers must embrace robust, innovative technology to satisfy guests and streamline every aspect of their business, from seamless payments to self check-in. Guests expect convenience and personalization at each touchpoint, and forward-thinking hotels are leveraging the latest trends in modern, automated software to deliver just that. Hotels that fail to adapt risk falling behind […]
3 More Sleeps! How to Upgrade the Pre-Arrival Experience
Exceptional service doesn’t wait until check-in—it should begin the moment travelers start envisioning their getaway. From the first spark of inspiration and destination research to making a booking and eagerly counting down the days, the guest experience starts long before they arrive. Yet in pursuit of delivering exceptional on-site service, the pre-arrival experience is often […]
Pre-arrival Email Tips for Independent Hotels
For a soon-to-be guest, the pre-arrival stage is filled with anticipation and a desire to make sure their upcoming stay meets their expectations, so booking confirmation, pre-stay, and check-in emails typically have high open rates. Pre-arrival emails offer great potential for building a relationship with the guest and driving incremental revenue before they even set […]
7 Creative Ways Hotels Can Use Space to Maximize Revenue
Interior design has a big impact on the guest experience. From colors and furniture to layout and lighting, even the smallest design elements influence the way your guests interact with your property. Sleek bar stools and eclectic, trendy music evoke a hip and happening urban vibe while a cozy fireplace and rustic furnishings create, well, […]
Hospitality Trends for the New Year
Many people make New Year’s resolutions for their personal lives, so why not for your business too? With 2025 just around the corner, resolve to harness hospitality trends that reflect your guests’ needs to elevate your property’s stay experience and bottom line. Bleisure Travelers and Workcations A blend of business and leisure, bleisure was coined […]
Creative F&B Opportunities for Independent Hotels
Guests are no longer satisfied with mediocre dining options at hotels. Today’s travelers crave unique and memorable culinary experiences. A robust F&B program can positively impact revenue in a significant way, driving repeat stays and attracting local guests. Distinctive dining options can set your hotel apart, making it a destination in itself. So, spice things […]
Fresh Fall Marketing Ideas to Spice Up Your Shoulder Season
With mornings becoming chillier and leaves beginning to turn, shoulder season is on its way. However, it isn’t the quiet, sleepy travel period that it used to be as concerns over cost, climate change, and overtourism drive guests to book differently. Seventeen percent of summer trips are planned for September after Labor Day this year, […]
Wellness Travel Trends for Boutique and Spa Hotels
In today’s fast-paced world, the concept of getting away from it all has taken on a whole new meaning. People aren’t just looking for relaxation; they’re seeking a genuine escape, a chance to rejuvenate, both mentally and physically. While jetting off to a faraway, all-inclusive resort might be one option, there’s a growing trend towards […]
How to Create a Successful Micro-Hotel Experience
Micro-hotels are just that, micro. Ever wondered as a kid what it would be like if your bed took up your whole room? Your guests can find out. These hotels can be a blessing for travelers on a budget and often come with unique setups, ranging from tiny rooms to capsules to repurposed sewer pipes […]
Mastering the Art of Adventure: How to Capitalize on the Adventure Hotel Trend
Travel continues to soar at sky-rocketing rates since the pandemic as everyone and their dog seems to want to get out and explore. Among the many trends this year, adventure hotels are at the fore, attracting those guests who are the most active and adventurous. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, the number of outdoor […]
Harness 2024 Travel Trends to Boost Bookings
“New year, new you” … and a new hospitality industry. From pop culture and special vibes to sustainable practices and wellness retreats, travelers are inspired by many facets of the modern world when it comes to the destinations, experiences, and accommodations they seek. They’re not just checking off bucket lists anymore. Both Expedia and Booking.com […]
How to Drive Bookings along the Path to Purchase
Expedia Group’s latest study of how consumers plan and book travel online surveyed travelers in Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S.A. to reveal preferences and behavior along the path to purchase. The study, aptly named The Path To Purchase, discovered the average path to purchase length—from when a traveler starts thinking about […]
6 Impactful Ways to Adapt Your Hotel to Climate Change
Climate change isn’t coming anymore. It’s here. This year, we’ve seen record-breaking temperatures, devastating wildfires, unusually aggressive storms, and unprecedented flooding around the globe. None of this is particularly good for travel. While you can and should make your hotel as sustainable as possible, you need to find ways to weather climate change as well […]
How to Create a Niche Luxury Hotel Experience
Even with post-pandemic uncertainty, plenty of people look to experience the high life when they travel…and they’re willing to pay for it. The luxury travel market is expected to more than double from $638.2 billion in 2021 to $1650.5 billion in 2031. From Rodin-inspired pastries to 24-karat gold facial masks, here’s how to attract these […]
Pandemic Hotel Trends That Are Here to Stay
The pandemic is slowly fading, and people are just as enthusiastic for travel as they were before. However, the hospitality industry is not returning to 2019 but instead moving forward with innovative concepts and technology accelerated by the pandemic. To look ahead, we need to look back at “pandemic trends” that are now the norm. […]
Biophilic Design: 7 Essentials for Hoteliers
The motivation behind biophilic design is to strengthen the relationship between people and nature, reaping benefits such as environmental preservation, reduced stress, and increased productivity and overall well-being. This design philosophy is achieved by blurring the boundaries between outdoor and indoor areas to create a soothing, peaceful atmosphere that entices people to reconnect with their […]
An Independent Hotelier’s Guide to Reducing Waste
Travelers are increasingly conscious of their impact on both the destination they travel to and the planet as a whole. Moving to Mars isn’t an option (yet)! The impact of any given trip is significantly influenced by the accommodation chosen. According to a 2022 report, 46 percent of travelers chose to stay at a sustainable […]
How Hotels Use AI to Serve Guests Better
If you had mentioned Artificial Intelligence in relation to the hotel industry a few years ago, robots behind the front desk would likely come to mind. While 2020 saw the novelty of robot butlers, AI today is quite different—and astounding! Let’s define what AI is for hotels and explore how hotels can leverage it for […]
Boutique Hotel Trends to Watch
With travel demand, labor shortages, and operating expenses increasing simultaneously, it’s a challenge for independent hoteliers to uphold service standards while working harder than ever. Watching and implementing current hotel trends enables hoteliers to find new ways to streamline operations, even as they elevate guest experience and maximize profit. Read on for important boutique hotel […]
The In-room Experience Guests Want
Gone are the days of pay-per-view movies and calling the front desk to adjust the thermostat (an annoying proposition even back in the 2000s). Modern guests look for a technologically advanced in-room experience that enables them to access additional amenities, make requests efficiently, and control more features of the room itself. Wi-Fi Who wants Wi-Fi? […]
An Independent Hotelier’s Guide to Sleep Tourism
“I need a vacation from my vacation.” Hours of driving, flying, ferrying, and waiting in line. Days packed with exciting yet exhausting back-to-back activities. Sumptuous meals, drinks, and extended bedtimes. Sound familiar? In the past, going on holiday typically meant making the most of your time by participating in as many experiences as possible. Going […]
Hotel Meeting and Event Trends for 2023
In-person events, meetings, and conferences are back on! According to Cvent, 83% of event planners polled expect to host more in-person events in 2023 than in 2019! Is your independent hotel ready? Buckle up, because 2023 is bringing some major trends that will shake up the industry. Gone are the days of stuffy (and dare […]