Hoteliers' Voice S3E5 - How H-Hotels transitioned from hotel distribution to ecommerce

Simone Puorto discusses future tech for hospitality

Simone Pourto, consultant, writer, and hotel tech futurist joins us to give his insights for the market.

In the episode we discuss

• His love for Joy Division and Ian Curtis - and how Travel Market Life gave him an unexpected life opportunity
• New s - Rebyu using the power of AI
• Top 3 technologies on the horizon for the hospitality sector
• His frustrations with the hospitality technology market
• Where hotels need to double down their efforts

Plus, insight to his latest book that has just been published on Amazon

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/

Travel Review - Cruise insights & trends: Buoyancy in the market

In this episode we deep-diving into the Cruise sector

• Latest insights and trends from Andy Harmer, Managing Director, CLIA UK & Ireland
• Opportunities and challenges in the sector
• Travel Agent’s perspective with Ellie Fowler, Director, The Travel Business

With our expert panel -
Claire Steiner, UK Director, Global Travel and Tourism Partnership
Will Plummer, CEO, Trust My Group
James Clarke, General Manager, Travelzoo UK

Plus guest panelist: Cressida Sergeant, CCO, traveltek

In the news – we discuss the gender pay gap

Gender pay gap ‘eliminated’ for most travel industry roles

FEATURE TOPIC UK - Cruise:

Latest research from The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shows, travellers from the UK and Ireland embarked on 2.3 million cruise vacations, exceeding the previous record. According to data released on April 17, 2024:

· The total number of cruises taken rose from 1.7 million in 2022.

· The Mediterranean remained the top choice for UK and Ireland cruise-goers, with 35% traveling there, followed by 29% to Northern Europe and 12% to the Caribbean among the top three destinations in 2023.

· Exploration destinations saw a significant 53% increase in passenger numbers.

· The average age of cruisers from the UK and Ireland dropped to 55.1 years in 2023, down from 56.1 in 2022.

· The average cruise duration extended to 10.1 days, up from 9.8 days the previous year.

· 28% of cruisers were part of larger multigenerational groups, spanning three or more age categories.

· Before setting sail, 65% of passengers enjoyed a pre-cruise stay at their departure location, while 52% extended their stay after their cruise.

· Regarding attitudes and plans, a survey of 4,500 global holidaymakers showed:

o 82% of cruise passengers expressed their intent to take another sea vacation, marking a 3% increase from 2019.

o 71% of individuals who had never cruised before stated they would consider it in the future.

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/

citizenM - Hoteliers' Voice S4E5 with Bojan Pavicic: Deploying new tech for innovation

In this episode of Hoteliers' Voice we are joined by the Director of Technology & Digital at CitizenM, Bojan Pavicic who has worked across different industry sectors for 20 years and explains his approach to the tech stack and what they are trying to achieve for the portfolio.

With 34 properties worldwide, we discuss:

• AI and automation deployment at CitizenM

• How they approach new tech to be an innovative hospitality brand

• The future of in-room tech and ensuring efficient hotel operations?

• The hotel tech stack and role of headless systems

• Industry frustrations and selecting a new tech partner

• Bringing experience to hospitality industry

This episode is part of the Media Partnership with IHTF, in which Bojan presents on: Charting new territories: A fresh look at future hotel innovation and advancements.

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/

Hospitality Review - F&B profitability, Premier Inn Ad ban, IHTF & future tech

In this episode we look into hotel technology and an IHTF review following the event in April, we look at

• F&B profitability
• Premier Inn Ad ban
• AI in hospitality
• RPA technology
• Approaching the tech stack
• Future of hospitality technology

We’re joined by our regular panellist Jon Sibery, Group Revenue Manager, Sarova as he shares the challenges of F&B profitability and his time at IHTF.

Tess Matisson, President and CEO of Zaplox shares er advice on approaching the tech stack and selecting the right systems

Simone Puorto, industry futurist, author and consultant gives us the future of technology for hotels. For Simone's book, visit Amazon

How to make hotel F&B profitable

HotStats data shows that while room revenue per available room are up by 17 percent in Europe compared to January 2020, F&B is at just 5 percent. UK hotels saw a 2.8 percentage point drop in gross operating profit margin between 2019 and 2023, and of that, 3.1 percentage points came directly from food and beverage profitability as margins fell from 30 percent to 22 percent.

Premier Inn ad banned for promoting rooms 'from only £35 a night' by advertising authority

The Advertising Standards Authority said it was misleading to promote £35 rooms when only a small percentage of nights had such a low rate available. In the future, a higher percentage of rooms must be available at the advertised rate.

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/

LIVE@ IHTF 2024 in Barcelona

Travel Market Life hosted live discussions featuring insights from hoteliers and technology experts on innovative approaches to hotel management, revenue optimisation, and the significance of digitalisation and direct bookings:

Henrique Tiago de Castro, GM at Evolution Hospitality's Cascais-Estoril Hotel, shares pre-opening challenges for Lisbon's only lifestyle hotel.

James Lemon from Stripe dives into decision-making nuances between global brands and smaller groups in tech investments.

Charlotte Newton teases IHTF Singapore's arrival, targeting APAC markets and potential expansion to the Middle East.

Alberto Plaza of IDeaS Revenue Solutions emphasises the power of data-driven decision-making in hotel revenue management.

Raimund Notz of Preferred Hotels & Resorts highlights tech adoption's role in enhancing guest experiences and revenue optimisation.

Carsten Wernet, CEO at SIHOT Group, discusses cloud and SaaS systems' pivotal role in modern hospitality.

Markus Mueller of GauVendi explores leveraging emotions and dynamic pricing in the booking process.

Piergiorgio Schirru from Blastness stresses revenue management and direct bookings' importance.

Gérald Lampaert of VERTU Hotels shares project management insights for tech adoption and expansion goals.

Christoph Peppers from H-Hotels.com delves into the significance of affiliate marketing in driving direct bookings.

Jon Siberry, Group Revenue Manager at Sarova, unveils AI's rising prominence and the concept of 'digital workers' in hotels.

Matthew Prosser of Agilysys discusses the value of IHTF for suppliers in understanding industry challenges.

Listen to more episodes of the hospitality industry podcast Travel Market Life and subscribe for the latest news at http://travelmarket.life/

Follow us on LinkedIn for more thought-provoking content: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-market-life/

Do you have a story to share about technology, digitalisation or culture changes within the hospitality and travel industry? We'd love to hear what your company is doing and the impact it is having. Please contact us through http://travelmarket.life/