Why Do We Read Blogs?

Today’s post is going to differ slightly from previous posts. I have spent a great deal of time over the last few days, reading other business and hospitality blogs, making comments, and generally getting involved in the blogging stratosphere. It has been both fun and informative.

However, when making a judgment about a blog and deciding whether or not to bookmark the site, I discovered that my thoughts were heavily related to whether or not I liked the writing style AND whether I liked the person doing the writing.

As I have become more involved in conversation with business blog peers, I have formed definite opinions on whose ideas I trust, who can provide me with useful information, and which writers I think are genuinely decent people. It’s a blog that ticks all three boxes that gets bookmarked, commented on, and reviewed.

Take, for example, The Happy Hotelier…

The Happy Hotelier, also known as Guido J. van den Elshout, operates something between a luxurious B&B and the suite floor of a luxurious hotel called Haagsche Suites (i.e. Suites of The Hague). Guido writes a blog that entertains, informs and guides, whilst driving traffic to his hotel site. He updates his blog regularly, is the CEO of another company, runs the aforementioned hotel, and still had time to reply (within a day) to my comment on his site:

“Hi Emma,
Thank you for coming by.
I know your site.
Wanna know how? because of your comment to the Vibeagent blog shout out to my version of the T-List
As a matter of fact you are researching an area that I’m interested in as well.
As every hotelier knows, finding the right software is always of importance to enhance your business. Go on and enlighten us please.
Greetings!”

I cannot recommend The Happy Hotelier enough, and it is for this reason that I have bookmarked his site and would like to urge others to do the same.

It is also for this reason that I’ve decided to share a little more of myself with you HERE.

I hope by finding out a little more about me you’ll be motivated to read my blog and leave your comments.

Once again, thanks for reading!

Emma

I am still on a search for the best hotel booking system for small to medium sized hotels. If you know of hotel booking software that can beat HotelSystems.co.uk for ease of use and functionality then please contact me on eharradine@hotmail.co.uk

London Hotel Prices Fall

It has been interesting to monitor Hotel Price Indexes (HPI) over the last few months. Having spoken to a number of GM’s worldwide; during this economic downturn they have been reluctant to lower prices and have instead added value to their stay packages in order to keep their RevPAR high and limit the panic caused to hotel owners, lending institutions, and management companies.

In fact, it was only two months a go that I gave three cheers to the hotel industry for seeing the bigger picture and continuing training throughout this recession. It seemed that hotel GMs had donned their armor plating, had their heads down, and were prepared to battle on into the unknown.

I’m currently based in China, and the financial crisis is yet to hit in such a dramatic way as in the east. Hotel occupancy within 5* hotels based in manufacturing and engineering cities has dropped due to redundancies in the west and the removal of foreign experts on international assignment; however there is no immediate need for pessimism.

Yet, I was not surprised to read on Travel Daily News International that hoteliers across the UK - and especially in London - are continuing to drop hotel room rates. Hotel.com’s HPI shows that London hotel prices were down by 12% to £111 per room on average in the last three months of last year.

The article by Theodore Koumelis continued to say that “Hotels.com saw a 49% increase in the number of searches by Eurozone travellers for London hotels in December 2008 compared to a year earlier, as travellers sought to take advantage of the struggling pound.”

A quick search of hospitality related websites, and the travel section of British newspapers, reveals that the British press has at last turned PRO-BRITAIN in terms of it being a holiday destination. For years it has been difficult to find any positive press, yet now every British city is the new ‘Place to Be Seen This Summer’. But is this tactic working? Web searches from abroad have increased because of the weakness of the pound, but that isn’t going to aid the Brits themselves in any way.

Travel Daily News International says, “UK hotel prices were down by an average of 12% at the end of 2008, with hotels in the north-west seeing some of the biggest price drops. Prices in Blackpool fell by 22% to an average of £79 per room per night, and in Manchester by 19% to £73.”

So you tell me, is the title of Theodore Koumelis’s article, “Boost for Tourism as London Hotel Prices Fall”, an accurate one? Will the UK HPI continue to fall during this economic turmoil, or will the price increase indeed be a boost for tourism?

Click here to read the full article.

Bye for now

Emma

I am still on a search for the best hotel booking system for small to medium sized hotels. If you know of hotel booking software that can beat www.hotelsystems.co.uk for ease of use and functionality then please contact me on eharradine@hotmail.co.uk

New Hotel Booking System

This is a quick shout out to Ed Sansbury from the United Kingdom who is currently developing a hotel booking system with a bit of a difference. My initial thoughts are positive, despite the fact that the hotel system is still under development, and I’m wondering whether this might grow to become the booking system to beat that offered by http://www.hotelsystems.co.uk/.

Tristan (from hotelsystems.co.uk) – I’m looking forward to seeing the latest version of my favourite hotel software to date. If the updates are as good as they sound, then the latest system is going to set even higher standards within the hospitality industry.

And on a fun note –

I read the following article by Oliver Smith at Telegraph.co.uk. He talks about a British couple who were given a complimentary five-star hotel room – with a voyeuristic catch.

A British couple on holiday in New York have received a complimentary five-star hotel room, in return for allowing pedestrians and passing motorists to watch their every move.

Duncan Malcolm and Katherine Lewis from London agreed to spend their break in the Big Apple as non-paying guests at the Roger Smith Hotel, in the heart of Manhattan.

However, the couple’s lodging – a replica bedroom built on the ground floor of a nearby building – has floor-to-ceiling windows, permitting an unhindered view to voyeuristic passers-by.

Although the room has curtains, its occupants must keep them open between 4.30pm and 7.30pm. The bedroom and bathroom are not on display – allowing guests a degree of privacy.
The couple have said that they plan to stay for five days in the room with a view.

The Roger Smith is one of a growing number of hotels that use bizarre themes and quirky rooms to attract visitors.

One room at Berlin’s Propeller Island City Lodge features a large one-way mirror that allows guests in the neighbouring room to look inside.

The Poseidon Resort in the Bahamas offers "undersea suites" – a series of luxury apartments situated 12 meters underwater.

America’s Dog Bark Park Inn gives guest the chance to stay inside "the world’s largest Beagle" – a room inside a giant, hollow dog, complete with ensuite bathroom.

For more information go to –

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4384743/British-couple-go-on-display-in-New-York-hotel-room.html

I can’t help but question whether it is the poor customer service within the hospitality industry that has caused this need for alternative sources of positive publicity and optimistic word of mouth. Hotel chains would rather spend their money on pricey marketing initiatives than on the training needed to create the perfect experience for customers like you and I.

Hospitality Industry Training

As a corporate trainer and regular seminar presenter, I keep my ear close to the ground, especially when it comes to training within the hospitality industry.

I have recently seen a dramatic increase in the training opportunities provided to hotel employees, especially in the areas of customer relationship management and customer service (and within China, English language skills) so, therefore, I was interested to read the following article taken from the ‘Hotel News in Brief’ section of ehotelier.com:

“More than 350 hoteliers and industry experts gathered at this year's WORLDHOTELS Annual Conference at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco, on 17th and 18th January. Under the banner "IMPACT 2009", the global group for independent hotels launched a number of initiatives designed to combat the economic downturn and to grow revenue and market share across a number of markets, business segments and channels. A key component of this strategy was the introduction of the "Unlimited Training" programme. Under this programme, WORLDHOTELS' properties can send an unlimited number of staff on an unlimited number of up to 120 training courses offered by the WORLDHOTELS.academy in 2009 for a one-off nominal fee. The courses are being conducted in seven languages including English, Spanish, German and Chinese and are being held in 14 international destinations. The courses range from yield, revenue and front office management to sales, international marketing and distribution, and traditional hotel operations. For more information please visit: http://www.worldhotels.com/.”

http://ehotelier.com/browse/news_more.php?id=15409_0_11_0_C

The concept of increasing the levels of training during times of economic downturn is extremely sensible, yet this idea seems only to be embraced by the hospitality industry. In the manufacturing, research, and engineering industries, when the economy is slowing and business is bad, the first expense to be cut is training. However, when the economic situation improves and business increases, these companies will be left with unmotivated, poorly trained employees with little time on their hands for improving their skills.

Three cheers to the hospitality industry, the one industry still able to see the bigger picture.

La gon (from Thailand)

Emma

I am still on a search for the best hotel booking system for small to medium sized hotels. If you know of hotel booking software that can beat www.hotelsystems.co.uk for ease of use and functionality then please contact me on eharradine@hotmail.co.uk