Blog
1) Recent Trends and Developments in the Tourism Industry
As of 2025, the tourism industry is experiencing several notable trends in Artificial Intelligence, Video Promotion from Social Media, Sustainable Tourism, Personalized Itinerary and Rise of Unique Accommodations:
· Social Video as a Search Tool: Travelers are turning to platforms like TikTok, Xiaohongshu and Instagram for destination inspiration, making short-form videos with like ‘Top 10 Must-visit Destinations for Trip’, those could be seen as a vital marketing tool for destinations and service promotion. Ariva
· Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism: There's a growing emphasis on tourism that not only minimizes environmental impact but also contributes positively to local ecosystems and communities. El País
· Personalized Travel Itineraries: Advancements in AI allow for the creation of tailored travel plans that cater to individual preferences, enhancing the overall travel experience. all.accor.com
· Rise of Unique Accommodations: Travelers are seeking out distinctive lodging options, such as boutique hotels and luxury villas, for more personalized and memorable stays. Latest news & breaking headlines
2) Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Tourism Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and lasting effects on global tourism:
· Initial Decline: In 2020, international tourist arrivals plummeted by over 70% due to compulsory lockdowns, leading to significant economic losses worldwide. UNWTO
· Economic Impact: The tourism sector faced losses estimated between $910 billion to $1.2 trillion in 2020, with a broader impact potentially reducing global GDP by 1.5% to 2.8%. UNWTO
· Shift in Travel Patterns: Post-pandemic, there's been a noticeable shift towards domestic and regional travel, with travellers prioritizing health and safety. There is a graduate recovery in tourism in 2022 when there was reopening.
· Business Travel Changes: While business travel is rebounding, early-week travel (Monday to Wednesday) hasn't fully recovered, possibly due to the rise of remote work and virtual meetings. Investopedia
· Policy Responses: Destinations like Venice have implemented measures such as increased entry fees to manage overtourism and ensure safety. New York Post
3) Further Research on the Hub-and-Spoke System
· Definition: Central 'hub' airports are connected to various 'spoke' destinations. Passengers from smaller airports (spokes) will travel to a central hub, then connect to other flights towards remote destinations. Flights are allocated between hub cities as center, towards spoke airports to satisfy the domestic and cargo demands between spokes and hubs. In most cases, there will be no direct flights between spoke-to-spoke destinations to optimize the operating cost efficiency.
· Real-Life Example: Major airlines like Delta and United Airlines operate hubs in cities such as Atlanta and Chicago, respectively. Passengers from smaller cities fly into these hubs to transfer to international or long-haul flights.
· Benefits:
o Operational Efficiency: Airlines can consolidate flights, ensuring higher passenger loads and more efficient use of aircraft.
o Expanded Connectivity: Passengers from smaller markets gain access to a broader range of destinations through the hub.
· Challenges:
o Congestion: Hubs can become overcrowded in peak seasons and high demand, like Easter or Christmas, leading to congestion in air traffic, resulting in further delays and cancellations of flights.
o Dependency: Disruptions at a hub (e.g., weather issues) can have a ripple effect, affecting flights across the network.
Lesson 3 Wiki Assignment
1. Ice Hotel
Name: Hôtel de Glace
Location: Canada, North America
Facilities & Services:
- Ice Restaurant
- Proposal & wedding package
There are three types of Proposal & wedding package of ice made church, which also provides many options to help customize the proposal. Although the maximum capacity of 79ppl seated and it allows customers to add more places upon customers’ requests.
- The proposal (a jewelry box made of ice)
- The magical, the romantic (different packages with different services) [including basic special services]:
Legal documents to make your wedding official
Privatization of the Chapel for the duration of the ceremony
Private section at the Ice Bar for a cocktail
A bottle of champagne & two handmade ice flutes
The San Jose airport's airframe was saved by the hotel company. The components have been restored into a distinctive gigantic hotel suite after being towed on five large-truck rigs to the Manuel Antonio jungles. It was chosen for the National Park's boundary and is perched on a 50-foot pedestal that offers visitors views of the jungle and ocean.
- Adventures & Tours (Hotel Staff assist planning schedule)
- Four Unique Restaurants
- El Avion
Name: Henn Na Hotel
Location: Japan, close to airport (shuttle bus between hotels and airports)
This is the first hotel chain in Japan and the first hotel in the world with robots on staff. Numerous robots are available to check guests in, guide guests, and make accommodations in hotel rooms. Modern technology, such as motion sensors for the air conditioner or lights, is installed in every room. The hotel offers modern experiences and places a high priority on efficiency and environmental friendliness.
Facilities & Services:
- Robot front desk
It provides a new and smart hotel service, which contains three different robots – two dinosaurs and one lady to welcome customers. Three robots can communicate with customers well since they speak various languages (English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese) and support customers check in like ordinary hotel front desk.
- In-room Cocierge “Rob Ben”
In every hotel room, this humanoid robot fits into a smartphone and is installed and developed by Sharp. Customers can enjoy communicating with it since it has facial recognition and voice recognition and has a lot of interesting features like reading aloud, dancing and providing quizzes.
- Cloth cleaning machine
It offers customers high-tech garment cleaning services. There is an LG styler in some of the rooms that cleans and refreshes clothes. TrueSteamTM technology eliminates wrinkles and unpleasant odors from clothing using steam created by a steam generator that maintains a constant temperature inside the product.
Name: Wolf Lodge
Location: Norway
It is a secluded and one-of-a-kind luxury getaway nestled within Polar Park's wolf enclosure, the world's northernmost animal park. With three opulent suits and space for up to eight guests, it provides an immersive encounter with polar wolves.
Facilities & activities
- Private drivers
When customers step in Northern Norway, the private driver will be ready and waiting to collect customers straight from the airport, or another location that is selected by customers.
- Close encounter with wolves
The wolves at Polar Park are accustomed to human contact. The dedicated animal keeper will guide participants into the enclosure, where they will meet wolves face-to-face and make for an unforgettable, life-altering experience.
- Special view from hotel room
Since hotel rooms surround by Polar Park, where wolves wander freely, guests can also observe wolves from their rooms through the huge windows. Direct interaction with the wolves is not feasible in hotel rooms.
1. Franchising
- Scope of the agreement: The franchise agreement must clearly define its scope, detailing the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee. It should outline each party's responsibilities and expectations, as well as the performance criteria, and must address the licensing and transfer of intellectual property, including patents and trademarks.
- Duration of the Agreement: The agreement should specify its duration, along with the conditions for termination and the rights of both parties upon termination.
- Franchise Fee: The agreement must state the franchise fee amount, payment schedule, and method of payment. It should also include any additional fees, such as permit costs.
- Quality Assurance and Training: The agreement needs to establish quality assurance measures and ongoing training requirements for franchisees to maintain brand standards. It should specify the frequency and duration of training sessions, along with provisions for both random and systematic quality checks by the franchisor.
- Limitation of Liability: A clause specifying each party's liability regarding the other's actions is essential, as the public often perceives the franchisor and franchisee as a single entity.
- Examples: Holiday Inn, Hilton Hotels, Baymont Inn, Hampton Inn
2. Management Contract
- Separation of Ownership and Operation: Hotel management contracts separate the real estate investment from the business operation and branding. The owner retains ownership, while a management company operates the hotel.
- Fees: Management companies typically receive a base fee (percentage of revenue) and an incentive fee (percentage of operating profit). Owners prefer a greater emphasis on the incentive fee to align the management company's interests with their own. Additional fees for centralized services (marketing, reservations, etc.) are also common.
- Owner's Responsibilities: The owner provides working capital and funds for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) replacement. A percentage of revenue is often put into a reserve for FF&E. Owners may also be required to invest in improvements to meet evolving brand standards.
- Control and Reporting: The management company handles day-to-day control, but the owner retains approval rights over important matters. The contract should include detailed reporting and regular meetings between the management company and owner representatives.
- Termination: Owners may have termination rights based on poor financial performance, but these tests are often weak and contain carve-outs and cure rights for the management company.
- Examples: Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Marriott International
3. Vacation Ownership
- Ownership Structure: Buyers own a fraction of the property and can use it during designated times each year.
- Maintenance Fees: Owners pay annual fees for property maintenance and management.
- Flexibility: Many vacation ownership companies often use a points system, allowing owners to visit different resorts within the brand. Points can often be banked or borrowed for future use.
- Vacation Exchange Networks: Timeshare owners can join vacation exchange networks like RCI and Interval International to trade their stays for access to thousands of other resorts worldwide.
- Examples: Wyndham Destinations, Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott Vacation Club
Trends of Lodging
1. Eco-friendly Practices
2. AI-powered Revenue Management
- Enhancing Demand Forecasting: AI leverages extensive datasets, including historical bookings, weather patterns, upcoming events, and social media insights to predict future demand levels accurately. This sophisticated analysis empowers revenue managers to implement proactive strategies, optimizing inventory and pricing decisions well in advance.
- Optimizing Dynamic Pricing: AI algorithms dynamically adjust room rates in real-time based on factors like booking pace, local events, and competitor pricing. By maximizing occupancy and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR), hotels can achieve optimal revenue outcomes and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market landscape.
- Improving Operational Efficiency: AI streamlines revenue management tasks by automating routine processes like report generation, enabling revenue managers to focus on strategic decision-making. Additionally, AI provides instant alerts for potential risks or opportunities, ensuring proactive responses to market dynamics.
3. Hyper- personalized Guest Experiences
- Data collection and Analysis
- Personalized Services
4. Technology integration
- Seamless wi-fi connectivity (Basic)
Mobile check-in and Digital Keys
Hospitality Departments
- Check in and Check out, they would collect necessary information from the guest to process payments, assigning rooms and ensuring a seamless check-in. A good standard operation procedure for check ins and outs are important to ensure can a smooth process, minimize waiting times and improve guest experience
- Communication and coordination, the front desk serves as the central hub for various hotel departments such as housekeeping and maintenance while handling various consumer request on types of services and locations whereabouts
- To ensure accommodation, reservations can be either confirmed or guaranteed. Confirmed reservations, made with sufficient lead time, allow for verification via confirmation slip. Guaranteed reservations assure the guest that the room will be held, regardless of arrival time. This is done by the reservation manager and a booking system.
- Hotel booking systems enhance operational efficiency by streamlining the guest reservation process. Guests can readily check availability, compare rates, and customize their stay with specific requests, such as preferred room views, with the system automatically relaying this information to hotel staff
- The cashier function is crucial for efficient revenue capture and customer satisfaction. Cashiers manage financial transactions, provide frontline customer service, and maintain meticulous transaction records, processing payments via cash registers or electronic systems. Accurate record-keeping and reconciliation of daily sales are essential to this role. Furthermore, they address customer inquiries and resolve billing discrepancies to foster positive customer interactions
- Staff members whose primary role is to ensure guests have a memorable stay, often the first point of contact, they are trained professionals who are capable of handling everything from resolving complaints to check-ins.
- They are capable of speaking multiple languages in order to communicate to international costumers, have recommendation of the best restaurants, shopping areas, and tourist attractions within the local area and plays a vital role in reservation management from booking tables at
sought-after restaurants to securing tickets for a sold-out show - The hotel concierge also acts as a personal assistant to guests by helping with special requests that go beyond the usual scope of hotel services such as arranging for flower delivery or finding a last-minute babysitter. This is because concierge tailor services to each guest’s unique needs and preferences in order to make a memorable moment for the guest
- Housekeeping is an essential department responsible for ensuring cleanliness, tidiness, and hygiene throughout the entire property, including guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces. The housekeeping team's primary goal is to provide guests with a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable stay by maintaining a clean and well-maintained environment. It is the backbone of every hospitality location.
- Housekeeping ensures that guest rooms are thoroughly cleaned and prepared for arriving guests,
with fresh linens, towels, and replenished amenities. Some of the tasks include cleaning guest rooms, bathrooms, and common areas to remove dirt, dust, stains, and odors. It also includes sanitizing bathrooms and removing trash. - They also maintain the hotel's aesthetic appeal through interior design, decorations, and flower arrangements. They also tend to the flowers around the hotel, changing elevator rugs according to the time of the day and adding festive decorations for certain festive occasions.
Laundry
- These services handle the washing, cleaning, ironing, and folding of linens, including bed sheets, pillowcases, towels, and bathrobes. Effective laundry management involves the collection, cleaning, and distribution of these items.
- Laundry services implement strict quality control procedures to ensure all linens meet the hotel's high standards, which is essential for creating a positive guest experience and encouraging repeat business.
- Laundry services ensure linens are sanitized to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria, contributing to a healthy environment for guests. They can also scale the volumes required and efficiently handle large volumes of laundry quickly.
Digital trends and development on operating hotel rooms division:
- Smart Room: Integrating IoT devices achieves personalized control of the room environment. For example, voice-activated assistants like Alexa allow guests to adjust lighting, temperature, and entertainment options with simple voice commands. In addition, the lengthy registration process is eliminated through digital key access via smartphones using Near Field communication technology (NFC). Also, the energy management system automatically adjusts the lighting and thermostats based on occupancy and the time of day. For example, when the system detects no one in the room, it shuts down all devices and reactivates them when the guest returns.
- Contactless services: Use robots and AI systems to simplify tasks such as mobile check-in, self-service kiosks, and concierge services. For example, room service, cleaning or food or drink delivery can be fully automated, from placement to fulfilment, eliminating the need for human interaction. Like Canary Technologies, Koncept Hotels and Teleport Hotels have already made strides in this space, offering AI-powered concierges that let guests place orders that are then executed by robotic delivery systems.
- Virtual Reality and 360-degree tours: This is a powerful marketing tool for tour guides. Immersing potential guests in a 3D journey, selecting various room categories, previewing pools, gym facilities, and even meeting areas allows guests to virtually explore and experience the hotel's offerings through tools such as Apple's Vision Pro before making a decision.
Sustainability in hotel rooms
Case 1_BRANDO (Self-sufficiency):Introduction
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