A new whitepaper examining distribution trends in Europe's online hotel sector suggests that flexibility is a critical success factor for the region's hospitality operators. Hotel executives must constantly review and optimize their channel mix if they hope to succeed and thrive in this highly competitive environment.

Over the last several years, we've seen Google become a major player in the travel industry. In the last six months in particular, Google has gone from search engine to booking engine, causing more than a few worried glances among those who rely on direct online bookings for revenue. Google had previously been an ally in bringing qualified visitors to hotel websites but has now become your biggest competitor.

Metasearch has grown into an incredibly important channel in 2019 and has become more competitive than ever for advertisers. Advertisers that are looking to maximize growth and performance must constantly adapt, experiment, and evolve. While no advertiser executes this perfectly, the best performers in the space are able to make great gains by finding areas of differentiation and maximizing them.

This unusual style of construction has been gaining popularity over the past few years. Still, despite its advantages, upfront costs and limited factory size could make more widespread adoption slow.

Hoteliers are under pressure to deliver high profit margins, but are saddled with bulky legacy revenue systems. While transforming all operations might appear daunting, having the right technology strategy is crucial to driving profits.

One key to profitability is getting everyone on the same page with your most important hotel KPIs and metrics. We caught up with global industry analysts and revenue consultants to find out what metrics they believe are most vital to driving bottom line profit.

Seven trending hotel news stories that will impact your hotel Revenue Strategy.

Collecting data points from customer interactions is crucial for understanding, building and managing customer loyalty. Regardless of if those interactions take place online or in-person, it’s important to constantly be listening for purchase and behavioral signals from customers. From POS data to social media interactions and everything in-between, each interaction creates multiple data points that can be tracked and analyzed to create a better understanding of your customer’s identity.

On April 15, Vinpearl became the first resort, hotel and entertainment system in Vietnam to implement facial recognition technology based on artificial intelligence (AI). The technology is being used to help customers have new experiences such as opening the door automatically, checking in within 3 seconds or paying for services, all with a simple smile.

Who has ever built a portfolio of half a million rooms in six years? Oyo, that's who. And founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal, who will be speaking at the first Skift Forum Asia on May 27, says his journey has just begun.

Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a nationally recognized hotel owner and management company and division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced it has assumed management of the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg in Schaumburg, Ill., effective April 1, 2019.

We live in the age of social media influencers. Brands across the globe utilize this powerful marketing tool to promote everything from sports drinks to travel to fashion. By understanding the way these influencers work, and by following our methods for engaging with them, your hotel will see increased success on social media and attract more guests.

Today's hospitality brands have an opportunity to play a much bigger role in the lives of consumers, extending their business beyond the hotel room and deliver experiences that help guests as they live, work, and play. How will hotel brands like Accor adapt their strategy to succeed in this new environment? Register for the webinar on May 15 from 1 - 2 p.m. EDT.

With the year well underway, how is your year shaping up? It’s always a good time to keep 2019 hospitality trends in mind and boost, adjust, or even change your hotel guest experience strategy.

Lightspeed, a cloud point-of-sale system for independent restaurants, introduces Lightspeed Loyalty. The new technology enables restaurants to engage customers, reward repeat business and build a loyal following.

Our Senior Manager of Search Marketing Services, Trish Leighton, dives into hotelier’s new biggest competition for direct bookings; Google.

The results of this year’s Sustainable Brand Index have been announced and Scandic has continued to climb closer to the top in all countries in the Nordic region. In Sweden, it was the number one hotel brand for the ninth year in a row, ranking 18 out of 355 brands. Scandic’s performance is based on consumers’ assessments of how the company is working to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as well as its sustainability initiatives in 2018.

Brand reputation and ranking is taking on a new importance in the age of global travel. Guests want consistency, exceptional guest experiences, plus a touch of local culture, all of which contribute to hotel brand perception.

Think about your last great customer service experience and recall the high points. Perhaps you had a tricky billing problem solved quickly. Or you dined at a new farm-to-table restaurant with fantastic service. Or maybe a vendor made your job easier by going out of the way to help.

Representatives of Colleges and Universities from across the country gathered at the Inn at Villanova University recently to discuss the state of the lodging industry. Participants included small liberal arts colleges like Williams College and Colby College, large Ivy League schools like Harvard, and state colleges such as the University of Virginia, Penn State, and the University of Ohio.

Price and guest ratings carry more weight than brand value as key attributes to hotel property selection, according to a new study of more than 900 general population consumers by Expedia Group, the world’s travel platform, and Unabashed Research – showing that independent hotels can more effectively compete today with their branded counterparts.

The travel industry is constantly evolving to keep up with the latest trends and desires of travelers worldwide. More and more, travelers are looking to personalize their holidays and to fully immerse themselves in the fabric of the destination they choose; ultimately, they are looking for unique experiences that also make them feel at home. The rise of the sharing economy, expanded localization offerings, and the increase of social media marketing have shaped current hotel trends. And perhaps there is no demographic that illustrates the preference for these trends more than millennials.

Avison Young Hospitality Group announced today the firm closed on its 15th hotel transaction of the year with year to date sales totaling 260 million.

What's the impact of using data governance and analytics for the business side of education?

Based on Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, Palladium Hotel Group has been operating for more than 50 years, with a portfolio that spans Europe, Brazil and the Caribbean. The company manages 50 hotels worldwide under eight brands as well as the Hard Rock Hotels brand under license in Spain.

HTNG proudly crowns GuestMagic.AI by InnSpire the 2019 HTNG TechOvation Award Winner at the HT-NEXT Awards Program in New Orleans. GuestMagic.AI is an online AI-driven platform for hoteliers that uses machine learning to anticipate the next step of the guests to deliver the right service at the right time. It’s device agnostic from smart-phone to tablet, to TV, to voice, and beyond. Using the digital guest journey as a footprint to enhance every technical touch-point in the guest’s path, the result is to have the experience flow like magic.