Hilton Garden Inn Goes for PSPs

Hilton Garden Inn announced recently that it is implementing a training program on the Sony Playstation Portable platform. The new system is called "HGI Ultimate Team Play for PSP" and is an immersive, first-person game that takes employees through the guest experience, allowing them to see the hotel from an outside perspective. This is being done in an effort to make training more interesting for and applicable to so-called next generation employees, who are more likely than their predecessors to be internet and game savvy.

The program will launch in January of 2009 and will include positions in multiple hotel areas. Our major question is when will the other brands jump on the bandwagon and update their training programs for this generation of employees?

Photo courtesy of G.Davies

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Cities Suing Online Travel Companies for Taxes Pt 2

As you likely read in a previous post, various US cities decided not long ago to sue online travel companies for unpaid occupancy taxes. The case (Columbus, Georgia vs Expedia, Inc) likely to set the precedent for such cases just concluded in Muscogee County, Georgia. As has become the norm in the online travel business, online companies such as Expedia were paying taxes on the wholesale rate offered by the hotel and not on the rate the customer actually paid the travel company. For this reason, many cities claimed that they were not being paid the correct amount of insurance and were in some cases missing millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The court found against Expedia, saying that, although it does not provide rooms, it effectively steps into the hotel's shoes by acting as its collecting agent, and in the case of places like Muscogee County where there is a tax on both the hotel operator and the guest, Expedia was found liable for unpaid taxes on the full amount the guest pays.

Other cases are pending, and of course, every jurisdiction has different laws, but this case is sure to set a precedent and may very well result in a number of these travel firms settling out of court in the future.

Photo courtesy of Ben Golub

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A Social Media How-To for Hoteliers

Lodging Interactive has put together a social media guide for hoteliers. It details how facebook, twitter, squidoo, etc can be used to promote locations and brands. Many hoteliers are too busy to do all of the necessary research for every social media trend. For that reason, this guide could be just the right thing to get many hotels on track to leverage these free services. We have used it and found it to be extremely helpful.

Photo courtesy of andreaweckerle

Win a Round the World Ticket

My Life of Travel has offered up a great new prize for people that use that site. Entrants have until this Friday, September 26, to create one journal entry of a minimum of 1,000 words accompanied by one photo taken by the poster during the trip s/he chooses to write about.

This is a great opportunity for pretty much any traveler. 1,000 words can't take more than an hour, even for the slowest writer, since this isn't a formal, graded project, so get over there and post. We're all doing it in hopes that we'll finally be able to afford that dream vacation. :-)

Scheduling Late Meetings

We just ran across a pretty cool resource for people in the UK that might need to schedule a meeting facility at the last minute. Of course, it's of little use for us here almost halfway round the world, but when they expand, we will probably take advantage of this service.

Check out LateMeetings.Com

Photo courtesy of linh.ngân

Getting a Great Rate

More and more often, we are hearing of hotel specials and discounts: cheap weekend stays, 5 nights for the price of 3, etc. This is great for the traveler that can currently afford to take a vacation. We find it very interesting though that all of these discounts are popping up when it has also been shown that average hotel rates are rising rather quickly and have been for years. This says to us that the consumer may only pay for three nights and get five, but may still pay near the same amount as he would have for five. Has anyone noticed this?

In our experience, the best deals are found through loyalty programs, such as Hilton Honors. Some travelers might say, "I would sign up for one of these, but then, I lose options for where I can stay." Yes, you do, but only in a sense because some companies own so many brands that they have options for you nearly everywhere. For example, Hilton owns nine different brands, and Honors members have access to all of them.

Because hotel chains can learn your likes, dislikes, habits, etc, they learn how to offer you what you want. In this respect, they can save marketing money and pass those savings on to you. If you are considering a trip anytime while the economy is still not quite in tip-top shape, look into a loyalty program. They are often free and should save you a chunk of change.

Photo courtesy of LotusMonger

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Our Hearts Go Out to the Victims and Victims' Families

As many of you have likely heard, there was a large suicide truck bombing at a hotel in Pakistan over the weekend. It resulted in the deaths of 53 people, including one American and the Czech Ambassador to Pakistan. There were over 250 people injured and trees blown over and windows shattered over a mile away. The bomb reportedly left a crater 6 meters deep and 20 meters wide.

We would like to express our condolences to the victims and their families. This is undoubtedly a trying time. Our hearts here at Hilton Bellevue are with you.

Photo courtesy of jzakariya

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Businessman Bob & Leisure Leslie

Greetings fellow hoteliers, travelers, go-getters, tourists, and explorers.

What makes a great hotel, "great"? This is a loaded question, and a question that can be analyzed until the cows come home (and the cows always come home). Criteria that makes hotels "great" can be tangible or in many cases intangible. Us folks that travel come from all walks of life. We have different types of opinions, likes, dislikes, preferences, and requests.

Businessman Bob might want his room to be connected with the fastest internet connection available. He also might want to have his check-in scenario done as quickly as possible. Businessman Bob does not have time to present his ID and credit card time and time and time again. The way Businessman Bob thinks, he travels all the time, he stays at the same hotel brand, the hotel should know him. In his mind, the hotel works for him. Well, the hotel's answer to the demands of Businessman Bob? Most hotels have their own version of a Loyalty/Frequent Travel Programs. Preferences are recorded, requests are granted, credit cards are kept on file, and for the most part, those check-in scenarios are done rather quickly and hassle-free for the guest. However, not every traveler is a Businessman Bob.

Converseley, take Leisure Leslie, she does not travel for business. When she travels, she is going on vacation, perhaps to a tropical island. She could not care less about how quick it takes to check in. A "great" hotel, in her mind, is a hotel that has a lavish spa so she can get her manicure and pedicure to make her look like a hollywood starlet. She wants the comfortable lounge chair situated on the fancy deck overlooking the giant pool or beach while she sips on her Pina Colada and listens to her MP3 player. There are several hotels that can handle both scenarios, but let's be fair, this is not always the case.

One thing that Leisure Leslie and Businessman Bob do have in common? They both want their bathrooms to have towels that are thick. A very common guest complaint I've heard throughout the grapevine is that towels are too flimsy and rough. Who wants to dry themself off with a towel that feels like it's been in the dryer one thousand times?

To be continued...

Photo courtesy of Scott Kinmartin

September 17th's Striking Hotel

Billed as the world's only 7 star hotel property, the Burj Al Arab surely is striking. Rising 321 meters above the ocean, it is also the world's tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. It stands on an artificial island that was built specifically to hold the hotel. The unique shape was chosen to mirror the image of a dhow's sail in the full wind. The center of the hotel is a massive atrium standing 180 meters. One very interesting aspect of the hotel is that the atrium is cooled largely by a number of cold air nozzles that create a 1 meter buffer of cold air at the ceiling. The hotel's helipad has been the location of a number of notable events, not the least of which have been Tiger Woods hitting balls into the Persian Gulf and Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing a grass court game of tennis. The cheapest suite in the hotel costs roughly $1,000/night, and the most expensive (the royal suite) comes in above $28,000/night.











Photo courtesy of Eric Swist, Carlitos, Burj Al Arab.

September 16th's Striking Hotel/s

Today, we decided to include several hotels in one post. We were originally going to discuss one cave hotel in Turkey, but as we started asking around and researching, we came to find that there are in fact many. The large part of these hotels are former monasteries of one faith or another and have been converted to guest accommodations. In this case, most of them can be found in the Cappadocia area of Turkey. Talk about a unique experience. It does seem a bit like caveman luxury, but nonetheless, this is certainly a fairly unique experience given that hotels of this nature are found in very few places around the world.

We would include links to the hotels themselves, but the number of small hotels of this nature in Turkey is astounding. Best option would be to google it.










Photo courtesy of Adam Franco, mtlp, devittj, Stephen Hill, Rich_Lem, Rich_Lem, onopko, goulash75, Cernavoda, riy, and Runs With Scissors.

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September 15th's Striking Hotel

Today, we have another ice hotel, this time THE Ice Hotel in Sweden. This hotel features ice bath tubs, ice chairs, ice beds, an Absolut ice bar, and even an ice sauna of all things. Perhaps, one of the most popular attractions at the hotel is the ice church. Word is that the hotel sometimes has to build as many as three or more churches just to accommodate the wedding demand generated there. Who knows, maybe they use the fully functioning ice organ for the ceremonies?

The previously blogged-about ice hotel certainly was nice, but in terms of artistic design, Sweden's Ice Hotel has it beat hands down. Check out some of the designs on the walls, ceilings, and even on the ice chandelier and ice head board of the beds. To top that all off, we have been told that nearly every room has some piece of ice art that makes it unique. They've given us at Hilton Bellevue a few things to think about in terms of unique and eye catching design. Well done, Ice Hotel.

Anyone else out there starting to plan their winter getaway to the frozen north?






















Photos courtesy of bjaglin, ultrahi, and fridam75.

September 12th's Striking Hotel

Every year, from January to March, Québec's Hôtel de Glace opens its doors to those looking for a subzero adventure. Nearly everything is made of ice, and yes, even the beds. Of course, businesses are planning their stays and events at Hilton Bellevue, but for their winter leisure travel, are they considering staying somewhere a little chillier, maybe? This hotel really is quite fascinating. It must take an inordinate amount of work just to construct it for such a limited amount of time.













Photos courtesy of etolane

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Times are Tough. Why not Ask for Hotel Coupons?

One of the easiest ways to get customers to buy now, rather than later, is to offer them a limited time discount. Everyone has been through it or heard stories of, for example, someone going to buy a car, tv, etc on the last day of the month because they know that the salesperson wants to make quota and is likely to give them a deal. Likewise, hoteliers know that leisure and business travel has been curtailed. Yet, they are simultaneously hoping to not lose market share in an economic slowdown, so what happens? Hotel A offers 20% off weekend rates in order to boost sales, even if it results in lower overall revenue, and Hotel B follows suit because they cannot afford to lose their market share. The result is lower economic profits, lower prices for consumers, and lower revenue for the hotels. At the same time, their market shares remain equal, and they have enticed customers to buy now, not later, so it is likely that, if times get better soon, the customer will be a lot less likely to buy because he spent his money earlier in order to get a good deal and is either now out of funds due to that expenditure or dissuaded by the new higher prices. The result of this is that, even when prices rise with a recovering economy, the hotels are forced to again offer discounts in order to get those buyers to return. Surely, you can see the vicious cycle this creates for hoteliers. For consumers, it's win-win because any cooperation on the hotels' parts to raise overall prices could be seen as an act of collusion.

This is much like how the large cereal companies opened the doors for the low-price competitors in the 1990s by constantly offering more and more coupons until their products were so highly priced that customers had no interest in buying them if they weren't offered a discount. At the same time, low-price competitors offered no discounts, but were cheaper and simpler to buy because consumers did not need to have any coupons with them when shopping.

What can hotels learn from this? Well, they can be aware of the cycle, but they may have few options, because if Hotel A lowers prices and Hotel B does not, Hotel A has suddenly gained more market share and may be able to exploit that into more loyal customers in the future. What's a business person to do?

Photo courtesy of roadsidepictures

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How Green (or not) are Hotels Really?

Unquestionably, the environment is an important topic in many circles. This is perhaps a subject that has been ignored for too long by the hotel industry. Sure, hotels have made efficiency improvements in any number of areas, but the driver has typically been cost cutting. However, how many guests feel that their hotels are actually green-friendly? As one recent post over at tripso stated, it would not be that difficult or time-consuming for many hotels to add recycling bins next to their trash bins in the guest rooms. At Hilton Bellevue, there have been slow moves toward more environmentally friendly practices. To back that up, recycling has been added to several areas of the hotel.

On the guest side of things, a recent survey showed that guests were much more likely to hang up their towels, indicating that they do not wish to have them washed daily, when they were encouraged to think about the fact that they were part of a group of guests that were all participating. For example, "Please help us conserve water and the environment by hanging your towels so that we will not wash them every day of your stay," was less effective than, "Join your fellow guests and hang. . ."

Some hotels have been enticed to be environmentally friendly in other ways, like the Sutton UK hotel that has offered free morning showers to all people working in its area that choose to leave their car at home and instead run, walk, or bike to work. It seems like a novel take, and time will tell whether it is picked up or not, but good on them for starting something like this off.

Photo courtesy of clurr

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September 11th's Striking Hotel

A one room Swiss-built hotel in Paris. Don't plan on spending too much time here though because it's $616/night with a maximum of a one night stay. Oh, and some of you might notice that there are apparently now two Eiffel Towers in Paris. ;-)

Photo courtesy of techeblog

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Celebrity Chefs Bringing Revenue to Hotels?

In a tightening travel market, a new trend has popped up. The hotel industry once again has followed popular culture, this time by taking a cue from the popularity of cooking shows and inviting celebrity chefs to partner with them in hopes of bringing in more local diners, in addition to those, who just might travel to see their favorite chef/s. Famous faces from Top Chef to the likes of Wolfgang Puck have signed into deals, often overseeing operations and installing a protege to manage the restaurant full time. Surely, this will be a boon for those lucky enough to land such a deal. However, what should other hotels do when they have a quality restaurant, but little or no name recognition?

Photo courtesy of carlosluis

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Guests Increasingly Drawn by Food Service

Technomic found in a recent survey that more and more guests consider food options before booking a hotel. For example, over 54% of respondents stated that having an on-site restaurant that stays open late is very important. As well, 24 hour coffee service and complimentary breakfast topped the list of food considerations. Given that food service has primarily been looked at as a loss leader and necessary evil, it seems that hotels should reconsider their food offerings, as food service may offer opportunities for growth in an ever tightening travel market. The question is. . . even though guests consider this before booking, is it making a noticeable impact on room revenue?

Photo courtesy of mike757

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Cities Suing Online Travel Companies for Taxes

It is normal for online travel companies to take a booking, add service fees, and then charge tax on the total amount, while only paying hotels taxes for the actual room rate the hotel sold the room for. . . not what the travel company charged. Due to this, several cities have filed lawsuits, claiming that they have not received millions of dollars in taxes as a result of these practices. From what we can tell here at The Hotel Experience, the travel companies will be found in violation and will have to pay. A judgment of that sort will greatly affect how online travel companies are able to operate in the future, as a significant source of revenue will suddenly be taken away.

Photo courtesy of Saffanna

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Are Social Networks Improving The Hotel Experience?

Hotels.Com (owned by Expedia) has recently launched a social network feature, powered by Youniverse, that helps guests find their perfect hotel by gauging their reactions to certain photographs and then making suggestions based on the results. In Hotels.Com's plan, this is 'Visual DNA.' Obviously, aesthetics play an important role in one's positive or negative reactions to their accommodations. It remains to be seen whether or not travelers will make use of this service. Regardless, it is luckily run by a legitimate social network and is therefore not just a grab at a buzzword.

In related news, i-Meet is a new social networking site for meeting planners and suppliers. It appears to have picked up pretty well and fills a niche. Asking around at Hilton Bellevue, the reaction to such a resource has been positive. The most important thing though is not whether meeting planners will use it, but whether this will become a tool to really drive revenue generation. If anyone has experienced this already and informs us, we will update you.

Photo courtesy of mkeefe

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US Travelers Motivated by Gas Cards

In a June 2008 survey, US travelers overwhelming stated that they would be likely to spend more on travel if they received rebates on gas. Interestingly, a large percentage of respondents also noted that they are concerned about a company's environmental practices, and many of those are more likely to book at hotels that are more environmentally friendly. Can hotel companies offer gas cards to guests and offset that carbon footprint with more sustainable practices in-house? Surely, but can this be done in an affordable way so that all sides win?

Photo courtesy of emarketer

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Upgrading Rooms is Becoming like Upgrading a Plane Seat

We have noticed that it is becoming far more common for guests to automatically request an upgraded room at no charge, just as one might with a seat when checking in for a flight. A recent New York Times article points out that the number of complaints regarding details, previously considered to be minute, are increasing as well -- the color of the carpet, the faint sound of traffic outside, etc. One of the primary concerns for hoteliers here is. . . when someone asks for a different or upgraded room, are they simply working the system to get what they feel they rightly paid for or are they genuinely unhappy? Certainly, most front desk agents will tell you that they do everything in their power to satisfy their guests, but what happens when a different or upgraded room is not available? Are brands losing customer loyalty partially as a result of this new trend?

Photo courtesy of macspite

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UK Hotel Property Valuations Falling

Industry insiders are saying that UK hotel property valuations could fall by as much as 20% due to the worsening economy. News of this broke after Marylebone Warwick Balfour lowered its asking price for Malmaison and Hotel du Vin by £50m. In fact, Pricewaterhousecoopers has reported that there are significantly fewer transactions occurring currently compared to the previous period. The drop in prices implies that there will be increased pressure to sell placed on properties as they attempt to offload poorly performing properties before their value depreciates anymore. This begs the question though. . . At what point does a price decrease no longer outweigh simply holding onto the property until the selling environment improves?

Photo courtesy of chrispitality

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The Hotel Experience is Getting Set Up

Photo courtesy of tomswift46

Next week, Hilton Bellevue will officially launch The Hotel Experience, an industry blog defining and improving hospitality. Until then, please follow us on Twitter.