Tokyo-based commercial real estate developer Pacifica Capital KK has been appointed as asset manager for the conversion of an office building in central Tokyo to an internationally-branded three-star hotel.

“The market for internationally-branded limited service hotels is virtually untapped in Japan, so we have high expectations for this project”

The property, Kinshicho Mark Building, is a short walk from one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations and near some of the capital’s major tourist attractions such as Asakusa and Tokyo Sky Tree. It is also within a block of an expressway onramp making the property convenient to Haneda and Narita airports as well as Tokyo Disneyland.

The hotel is scheduled to open in summer 2017 with more than 200 rooms ranging 18-28 m2 and will target Japan’s fast-growing inbound visitors. In addition to modern, attractive and comfortable rooms suitable for single and multiple travelers, the hotel will offer food & beverage and fitness facilities.

In 2015, international visitors to Japan grew by almost 50% to a record of almost 20 million, about 2/3 of which came from Asia. With the Tokyo Olympics approaching in four years, the Japanese government recently doubled its 2020 inbound visitor target to 40 million people. Tokyo hotels are already running at close to 90% occupancy, while new supply is limited, so Pacifica expects strong demand for this property soon after opening.

“The market for internationally-branded limited service hotels is virtually untapped in Japan, so we have high expectations for this project,” said Seth Sulkin, President & CEO of Pacifica Capital K.K. “With a huge shortage of land ready for development, we believe conversion of existing buildings such as offices is an attractive way to open more hotels faster to serve the needs of this growing market.”

Source: 4hotelier

Marriott Hotels welcomed Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center to its portfolio in November 2015, conveniently located for Madrid-Barajas Airport, the hotel is the third Marriott Hotel in Spain and is the flagship brand’s largest hotel in Europe.

Formerly known as Hotel Auditorium Madrid, the 869-room property has undergone an extensive renovation to present a contemporary and welcoming design to excite both business and leisure travelers. The renovation includes a new façade which transforms the hotel’s exterior from day to night.

Guests can enjoy flexible, innovative and spacious public areas to meet, connect, socialise and relax, while guest rooms are luxuriously appointed with amenities such as spacious work desks and Nespresso Coffee machines to ensure a comfortable and productive stay.

The hotel offers a selection of diverse dining options: Champions Bar provides an American sports bar style experience whilst Kalma offers à la carte dining, specialising in Mediterranean cuisine. The hotel’s signature Greatroom and Atrium Bar are open throughout the day to welcome guests for drinks and light bites.

For business travellers and event planners, the conference centre features 15,500 square metres of event space including an impressive auditorium that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests. Those looking to make the most of the hotel’s fitness facilities will find indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, solarium, tennis courts and a fitness centre.

Complimentary high-speed internet access is also available throughout the hotel including public areas and guest rooms, and guests may also choose to make the most of free airport shuttles and mobile check-in.  In addition, Marriott’s Meetings Imagined program provides new opportunities and inspiration for event coordinators and meeting planners along with an online service that keeps guests in touch with guest relation managers 24/7.

In addition to mobile check-in, checkout, room ready alerts and Mobile Requests, Marriott Hotels is piloting keyless entry with mobile devices at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Expedia finally reveal to us a hotel etiquette study they have done several weeks ago to find out which kind of behaviors from the guest that we never like. 

This is one scenario that have occurred to all of us at some point: you booked a hotel and expect a relaxing times and peaceful experience but you're meet at every corner some other guest who seem wanted to ruin your day. 

Expedia asked more than 1000 fellow Americans to rank the most frustrate and quirky behavior from their beloved hotel guests and as the result roll out, it was almost no suprise for any frequent traveler.

In first place, we got inattentive parents with 67 percent of vote: anyone who let their kids running around the hotel without supervision will become other guest enemy. If you admire that kid's strength for running around and think it is adorable, another hotel guest might give you a side eye. 

In a close second, 64 percent are frustrated with “Hallway Hellraisers,” a.k.a the people who insist on using their loudest voices right outside of your hotel room for something.

The last on on top three, 54 percent of guests get annoyed with “The Complainers,” otherwise known as the guests who berate and belittle the hotel staff over minor inconveniences.  

Check out the full list of hotel etiquette violations, from most to least annoying. Then tell us which hotel guest annoys you the most in the comments part.

1. Inattentive Parents – 67%

2. The Hallway Hellraisers – 64%

3. The Complainers – 54%

4. The In-Room Revelers (noisemakers nearby) – 52%

5. The Bickerers – 26%

6. The Poolside Partiers – 22%

7. The Loudly Amorous (indiscreet lovemakers) – 21%

8. The Hot Tub Canoodlers (amorous couples in a public hot tub) – 20%

9. The Business Bar Boozer (sloshed business travelers) – 12%

10. The Elevator Chatterbox – 6%

Một người quản lý khách sạn phải chịu trách nhiệm cho hoạt động hằng ngày của khách sạn. Họ chịu trách nhiệm cho tất cả các việc từ  kinh doanh, quản lý tài chính, lên kế hoạch, tổ chức và chỉ đạo các dịch vụ, bao gồm từ bộ phận lễ tân, nhà hàng cho đến buồng phòng.

Người quản lý vừa phải có một cái nhìn chiến lược tổng quát, vừa có khả năng lên kế hoạch để tối đa hóa lợi nhuận, đồng thời cũng phải chú ý đến các chi tiết, làm hình mẫu cho nhân viên để cung cấp và thể hiện một dịch vụ đúng chuẩn, đáp ứng đầy đủ nhu cầu và mong đợi của khách hàng. Quản lý việc kinh doanh và con người có tầm quan trọng ngang nhau.

Trách nhiệm chính của một người quản lý và setup khách sạn khác nhau tùy thuộc vào quy mô và loại khách sạn, bao gồm:

Quản lý tài chính: họ chịu trách nhiệm lên kế hoạch kinh doanh, tổ chức hoạt động dịch vụ phù hợp với tình hình tài chính của Khách sạn, thúc đẩy giới thiệu khách sạn ra thị trường, kiểm soát chi tiêu, và quản lý ngân sách. Người Quản lý phải duy trì hồ sơ thống kê và tài chính cho khách sạn, chịu trách nhiệm thiết lập và đạt doanh số bán hàng cùng mục tiêu lợi nhuận.

Điều hành nhân sự: Hoạt động của nhân viên trong tất cả các bộ phận bao gồm tiền sảnh, đặt phòng, ẩm thực, buồng phòng đều chịu sự giám sát của Quản lý khách sạn.  Khi nhân viên có khiếu nại công ty, Người quản lý sẽ đóng vai trò là cầu nối để giải quyết vấn đề. Việc tuyển dụng, đào tạo nhân viên, và kế hoạch nhân sự đều sẽ được thông qua quản lý của khách sạn. Giữ nhân viên làm việc trong một chế độ tốt và hài lòng là nhiệm vụ của người Quản lý.

Giám sát dịch vụ chăm sóc khách hàng: Quản lý Khách sạn cũng có trách nhiệm gặp gỡ, chào hỏi khách hàng, giải quyết bất kỳ khiếu nại, ý kiến, hoặc khó khăn từ khách hàng để đảm bảo khách luôn được cung cấp dịch vụ tốt, khiến họ hài lòng. Người quản lý cũng phải đảm bảo các sự kiện, hội nghị thực hiện suôn sẻ, khiến khách hàng quay lại và bổ sung thêm khách hàng mới.

Thủ tục pháp lý: tất cả các thủ tục bao gồm giấy phép kinh doanh, bảo hiểm, chứng nhận an toàn, hay bất kỳ thủ tục nào khác sẽ thuộc sự giám sát của Quản lý khách sạn. Mọi thứ cần được đảm bảo được thực hiện và lưu trữ hợp pháp. Thông thường sẽ có người được ủy quyền chịu trách nhiệm các loại giấy tờ pháp lý, nhưng người Quản lý vẫn phải chịu trách nhiệm giám sát và sắp xếp mọi thứ.

Điều phối hoạt động chung: Trong khi vừa chịu trách nhiệm với khách hàng, nhà Quản lý vừa phải đảm bảo các bộ phận khác hoạt động hiệu quả. Việc giám sát bộ phận bảo trì là một ví dụ cho việc đảm bảo rằng các phòng khách được duy trì trong điều kiện tốt. Nhiệm vụ của người quản lý là đảm bảo rằng lúc nào cũng có sẵn nhân viên xuất hiện ngay tức khắc trong những lúc khẩn cấp. Nhu cầu bảo trì hệ thống điện nước luôn được chú ý và đòi hỏi phải có một đội ngũ nhân viên bảo trì làm việc thường xuyên.

Quản lý an ninh: Hệ thống an ninh cần được lập và hoạt động hiệu quả, hệ thống báo cháy luôn được kiểm tra và sẵn sàng hoạt động. Sự an toàn còn được thể hiện ở việc khách sạn sẵn sàng nhận cất giữ những vật quý giá của khách hàng trong một két sắt an toàn mà không sợ bị đánh cắp. Việc đảm bảo an toàn cho khách là yêu cầu tiên quyết, và người quản lý khách sạn phải chịu trách nhiệm để đảm bảo mọi thứ được an toàn.

In any industry, a lack of competition can come with a decline in innovation and an increase in price, without a larger field of competitor there is nothing to incentivize OTAs to keep commission rates low or introduce new products and services to the market.

With only two major players left in the OTA space, Expedia and Priceline can make and play by their own rules. Their almost complete dominance of this space can make it extremely difficult for new players to enter the field and remain competitive.

They can’t outspend these giants for ad space, so gaining attention and acquiring customers through traditional marketing avenues can be challenging. This leaves the niche markets available, but companies like HotelsTonight and HotelsByDay are still having to compete against the billions of dollars in advertising power of Expedia and Priceline. So who can?

It’s going to take some very large players to disrupt the Duopoly that is Expedia and Priceline, and there aren’t many companies already poised to enter the field and make an impact. Amazon is currently only working with Independent Hotels in major markets like Los Angeles and New York, but once Amazon’s Travel listings mature and they add more hotels to the site, they have a tremendous advantage over the rest of the OTAs.

They will be working with millions of loyal Amazon customers within a closed system away from the advertising budgets of the traditional OTAs. Amazon is already a go-to destination for the best prices on consumer goods, and there is nothing to suggest their hotel offerings will be any different.

The best course of action for any independent hotel is to focus on local marketing and drive guests to their direct channels. Reducing the overall dependency on these OTAs is important at any commission rate. Utilize the tools that already exist, but have been forgotten.

Regardless of how a guest books their first stay, how they book their next is still up for grabs. Seize this opportunity by building stronger relationships with your guests. Ask questions during their stay and find out why they are and why they are there.

Guests celebrating an anniversary or a birthday are going to be doing the same thing next year and leaves the door open for a direct booking. Train the desk staff to take notes about the guests and ask for email addresses.

Don’t look at just the numbers from this time last year, look at the reservations too. Find out who was there and why, not just how much they spend. Use this information to develop packages and discounts tailored to specifically to your guests and their needs. This kind of information can be invaluable for the hotelier and something that the OTAs don’t have access to.

Taking the time to develop and maintain guest relationships is the best tool any hotelier has against the OTAs. If handled successfully, the commissions paid to the OTAs can be a one time customer acquisition fee and the hotel now owns the relationship and any future reservations from that guest.

It looks like we are heading into the best year we have had for a long time. All projections from the major accounting firms reflected some great information for us in the hotel business. 

Reports tell us that travelers’ demand should be up around 4 percent with an increase of room supply of something under 2 percent

Of course, we all know that we took a big hit in 2008, and never really got back to the high rate of 2007 until just this past couple of years. However, with everything looking great for this coming year, no doubt hotels, of all sizes and types, should do well.

So, what is the message? Shall we just sit back and let the business ride in for us?

What is the message for our GMs and sales departments? Increase in occupancy is good, but rate increases and revenue is even better. This year we have the best opportunity to show improved profit results from rate improvement. We just have to do better in sales to make those projections come through. Sales people need to get to work for profit improvement by putting more time into proactive sales activities. That means more time to be spent with qualified prospects. GMs may want to spend more time in seeing that sales staffers are spending more time on being productive rather than doing other things.

The group market is where sales teams need to beef up. Recent reports say that the ADR for transients is well above what it is for group ADR. While the former has been running at around 4- to 5-percent growth, group ADR is only in the area of about 1- to 2-percent growth. Therefore, rates quoted for groups need some attention, which, translated, means raise them!

Hotel sales staffs need to do more in the area of advance bookings, especially for the next one to two years. We have to pay attention to what will happen within the next couple of years with regard to competing hotels. The pipeline has been growing and investors, developers, owners and operators will, for sure, be seeking to develop new properties. This always seems to happen in our industry as soon as we have an excellent year in building occupancy and higher rates. So, we need to be on the lookout for more competition coming in within the next couple of years.

GMs should be continually talking to sales folks about getting the rate up. Rate should be king this coming year—because that is what generates profit for a property.

Source: Hotelmanagement.net