Hostelworld Group’s Post

Here at Sweeply, you could say we’re hotel technology-obsessed 🤗 (If we weren’t, we’d be in the wrong job). This summer, we want to highlight some of our favourite hospitality technologies for the guest experience. The best ones out there will improve the time your guests spend with you - without causing loads of extra work for your staff. Win-win. First up: Runnr.ai, an AI-powered virtual hotel concierge that lets you communicate with guests via WhatsApp. Your guests might use it, for example, when they’re lying by the pool and want to ask for an extra towel without queuing at reception. They simply make the request via WhatsApp, and your staff can deliver it quickly and easily. How’s that for good service?! It works with hotels of all shapes and sizes, integrates with major management tools and other guest-facing technologies, and you can try it for free. Yes please. What other hotel techs should we be checking out? Let us know in the comments. #hospitality #hospitalitytech #guestexperience

ARTICLE: Post-COVID-19 work changes have seen the rise of three- and four-day weekends for remote or hybrid workers looking to extend the leisure time they spend with their families. The “extra day” weekend trend is having a real impact across the hotel sector. Where a few years ago such travelers might have rented an Airbnb, the cooling relationship between short-term subleasing and regulators in many communities has driven business from the Airbnb operators and into the arms of select-service hoteliers.

One of many reasons you shall choose a career path in the hospitality and travel industry is because it offers great job and career opportunities for anyone who wants to get involved in the world of tourism. You have to be energetic, enthusias and passionate about meeting peoples demands collectively. That's why people who are active and have leadership skills make excellent Hotel Managers because they are very organized, creative and innate leaders. To work in tourism and hospitality, you should be outgoing, enjoy relationships with people, sacrifice time to develop a career path and be service oriented and have the ability to work with teams. One of the reason I love working in the hospitality industry is making friends from around the world. Hospitality in general, is like a melting pot of cultures. Imagine being at the centre of this mix, learning about customs from all over the world. Your job becomes a way to travel the globe without leaving your workplace. It’s not just a job; it’s a journey through different cultures. In the hospitality world, you always have a chance to pick up new skills. It could be about providing top-notch service or understanding different cultures to make guests feel at home. It’s like being in a school where you’re always the student, and that’s good. Sannu Working in hospitality isn’t just about you; it’s about helping the economy to grow. Imagine being part of a sector that creates jobs and attracts tourists. Your work becomes a way of saying, “Hi, here is an awesome place to visit,” and that’s a pretty cool contribution. Ultimately, working in hospitality, isn’t just a job—it’s a chance to open doors to new opportunities, share warmth, and explore a world of possibilities. Whether you’re someone looking for a job or planning a holiday, hospitality is more than just a sector; it’s an exciting experience. Imagine working and thriving in a place that celebrates diversity, embraces friendliness, and welcomes you to a world of endless possibilities. #hospitalityindustry #travelindustry #hotelmanagement #hoteliers #hotels #hoteljobs #hospitalityexcellence #viral #linkdinpost #airlineindustry

ARTICLE: Post-COVID-19 work changes have seen the rise of three- and four-day weekends for remote or hybrid workers looking to extend the leisure time they spend with their families. The “extra day” weekend trend is having a real impact across the hotel sector. Where a few years ago such travelers might have rented an Airbnb, the cooling relationship between short-term subleasing and regulators in many communities has driven business from the Airbnb operators and into the arms of select-service hoteliers. https://lnkd.in/gY6f6Msc

Hotel Commercial Strategists: A fascinating study on business travelers and their hotel preferences (which vary a lot from leisure Guests). I wrote down some ideas on how to attract this business for your hotel. - Photograph room or public space amenities showing how Guests can work when staying (think desks, lobby seating areas/work areas, libraries) - Create content that highlights wellness amenities such as fitness center, pool, spa (FAQs work great here with hours of operation, services) - Develop a social media campaign that talks about the various ways your property and team provide an awesome experience to business travelers with corresponding imagery talked about above (amenities, loyalty program, location) I hope this helps but please let me know if there is anything else. Source (an awesome survey): Internova Travel Group #marketingcheckin

#MondayMusingsByAli The Art of Hospitality: A Career Path for Personal, Professional Growth and Bringing Joy to Others Sometimes we ask ourselves if we chose the right career. It can be scary to start over in a new field after investing time in one industry. However, I would still choose the Hospitality Industry without hesitation. It offers exciting opportunities for personal and professional growth, values customer service, attention to detail, and creating memorable experiences for guests. Here are some reasons why a career in hospitality can be a joyful choice: 1- Developing strong interpersonal skills in hospitality involves interacting with diverse individuals, enhancing communication abilities, fostering empathy, and building relationships effectively. 2- The Golden Rule of Customer Service: Give your employee the service they will give to your guest. This means treating your employees with the same level of care and respect that you expect them to provide to your customers. An exceptional employee service = exceptional guest service 3- Fostering Adaptability and Problem-Solving Abilities: Hospitality industry is a fast-paced, professionals need to be adaptable and quick problem-solvers to improve guest experiences and advance personally and professionally. 4- Exploring Diverse Career Opportunities it offers diverse job opportunities in hotels, restaurants, event planning, cruises, and tourism. You can start at entry-level positions and work your way up to management or even start your own business. 5-Promoting Cultural Understanding and Exchange interacting with people from different cultures, leading to mutual understanding, appreciation, personal growth, and global unity through cultural exchange. Why is the hospitality industry constantly changing and diverse?

As a lifelong hotel lover, former hotel worker, and previous hotel tech sales rep, my journey in hospitality has come full circle. The past few years have been a profound reminder of why I fell in love with hotels in the first place—the joy of creating unforgettable guest experiences. Having worked in various roles within hotels, I witnessed firsthand the magic of hospitality—the genuine connections forged, the meticulous attention to detail, and the thrill of exceeding guest expectations. However, my path took a turn into hotel tech sales, where I saw the industry from a different angle—how technology can enhance operations but sometimes lacks the human touch crucial in hospitality. The impacts of COVID-19 reshaped my perspective. It was during this time that I realized my true passion lies not just in hotels themselves, but in the art of guest experience. While working in hotel tech sales, I saw how technology companies often prioritize efficiency over empathy, a stark contrast to the warmth and personalization that defines hospitality. This realization sparked a renaissance of sorts for me. I yearned to return to the heart of hospitality, where every interaction is an opportunity to make someone's day brighter. The pandemic underscored the importance of genuine human connection and personalized service—qualities that drew me back to my roots in hospitality. Now, more than ever, I am committed to championing guest experience. I bring with me a unique blend of industry knowledge, sales expertise, and a deep-seated passion for hospitality. I am eager to combine these strengths to help hotels innovate and thrive in a post-pandemic world, where technology complements rather than replaces the human touch. I invite you to join me on this journey of rediscovery and celebration of hospitality. Let's continue to prioritize empathy, creativity, and guest-centricity in everything we do. #Hospitality #GuestExperience #HotelIndustry #Rediscovery #Empathy #LinkedIn

As a 25-year veteran of the travel and hospitality tech industry, I'm always excited about what's next. However, my recent experience at a hotel in Berlin post-ITB Berlin has been nothing short of brutal. Despite the hotel's generally lovely reputation, the "tech-forward" guest/hotel experience has turned into a tech-blind one. Yesterday, I had to wait two hours to check-in due to a self-check-in kiosk that was down because of internet problems at the property. NO human staffed option available at the un-manned front desk experience. (See that post here - 8,000 views already…https://lnkd.in/dd_VhuSN ). Today, at 2pm in the afternoon I couldn't even enter the lobby because of issues with the keycard external entry panel. With NO human front desk staff, I had to wait outside for 22 minutes until a maid happened to walk by and let me in. This experience serves as a cautionary tale for all of us in the hospitality industry. We need to ensure that our tech advancements don't overshadow the importance of human interaction and the all important, guest experience. #hoteltech #hospitality #traveltech #hospitalityindustry #hotels Growth Advisors International Network - GAIN

I have rarely met a more efficient, open minded, resilient and remarkable hotel company at scale than the team at Strawberry Hotels 🍓🏩 When we were presented with their plan to roll out their entire portfolio of 232 hotels in the time span of only 14 months, we were all a little skeptical and assumed unexpected roadblocks that would cause delays and challenges. BUT 14 months later, exactly on deadline, Strawberry rolled out not only Mews across all hotels, but also a complete suite of new tech partners such as Munu AS POS and Event Temple and many others. What made this project so successful that I think other companies can learn from? 1️⃣ We partnered on a Train The Trainer program to train their in house deployment team. Having dedicated teams ensures focus and standardisation, whilst cultural context helps in driving adoption. 2️⃣ Strawberry have an internal tech team, who used our API’s to build reporting and internal tools, unique to their brand. This is not your typical hotel IT function, these are developers who know how to write code and add tremendous value to the ecosystem. 3️⃣ Our Product teams have travelled up and down to Oslo almost monthly to listen and understand the root core of problems we faced. The hardest conversation to have with customers are when we say “no” to requests that we feel are not the right solution. This lead to some difficult conversations for sure, but the respect and partnership for wanting the best outcome was what drove the success. 4️⃣ Sometimes we don’t have a solution and a workaround is required. While no one loves the word “workaround”, few systems today are perfect and we have seen hotel companies often have knee-jerk reactions when something requires a workaround. We always try to step away and objectively assess the size of the problem. Sometimes the right thing is to accept a workaround if the overall project carries significantly more positive value. 5️⃣ Executive ownership! While we have an amazing Mews team deployed to assist, we caught up every month with executive leadership on both sides to hash out challenges. Some of these conversations were hard, but essential to keep the pace. 6️⃣ Culture eats strategy for breakfast! This is so true, this hotel company built such a great culture. If it wasn’t for the amazing teams, this could never have succeeded. We all just want to have fun at work, negativity has no place in a project like this. What is next? Now that we have all hotels on a single platform, the games begin! One of the most exciting things is connecting all the data and building true internal benchmarks. What are the greatest hotels in the portfolio doing that weaker hotels can learn from? Which hotel is driving more revenue per customer, how do they do it? Are we seeing some hotels drive a significantly leaner hotel? Thank you for the partnership Team Strawberry and congrats on being such trailblazers!

Luxury hotels are drowning in operational documents. Last month, we spoke with one hotel that recently brought on seventy (70!) interns who needed to try to parse through hundreds of SOPs to understand key operations of a hotel. Here's how AI is solving this industry-wide challenge, and 3 ways you can leverage it to transform your staff training: - Centralize thousands of documents into one AI-powered system - Enable instant Q&A for staff, available 24/7, available in any language - Provide personalized, situation-specific guidance But it's not just about efficiency. It's about empowering your team to deliver consistently enchanting experiences. By leveraging AI, luxury hotels can: - Onboard staff faster - Ensure consistent service standards - Free up senior staff to focus on guest interactions The future of luxury hospitality isn't just about opulent amenities. It's about augmenting every team member to provide more time and more information to create moments of delight.