One of the biggest challenges to a hotelier’s bottom line is guest acquisition costs. It’s why we’re seeing major hotel companies such as Hilton create ad campaigns designed to encourage customers to book direct. According to Forbes.com, third-party online travel agencies (OTAs) charge up to 30% in commission fees per reservation. For a room that [...]
After a winter full of blizzards, many in the Northeast are dreaming of summer right now. This week we travel to upstate New Year to visit a seasonal property that is part of the SkyTouch customer community. The King Hendrick Motel sits on four acres in the heart of Lake George, New York, and features [...]
Hotels are now charging guests more than ever before. But in many markets, new hotel construction is eating away at demand and lowering overall occupancy. That makes it more difficult to continue increasing rates at the same pace as the last several years. According to R. Mark Woodworth, Senior Managing Director of CBRE Hotels’ Americas [...]
North American hotels are experiencing record revenue as the economy continues to grow. In January the U.S. added 200,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the U.S. economy experienced job growth for 88 months in a row, according to a report by NPR. But there is a downside of all this [...]
Rapid new hotel development and increased renovations of older properties have transformed local and regional markets across the United States, forcing many hoteliers to consider new strategies to stay competitive. According to Lodging Econometrics, by the end of 2018, the number of hotels and rooms in the United States is forecast to grow by 2.5%. [...]
It is time to feature another member of the SkyTouch community. This week we travel to Boardman, Oregon where the River Lodge & Grill offers guests panoramic views of the Columbia River. In fact, it is the only hotel that is right on the river in all of Boardman and the surrounding area. This pet-friendly [...]
“As a brand, we evaluate and select leading technology solutions that make life easier for our hotel owners and staff and create a better experience for our guests,” said Jon Kennedy, president of GrandStay Hospitality, LLC. “Because we are a 24-hour operation, we also needed support that is available 24 hours a day by phone, email [...]
We love featuring SkyTouch customers with great stories. This week we feature the Ohio House Motel in the heart of Downtown Chicago, IL. It is located on a spot coveted by fans of the Chicago Marathon. “We're the main spot where everybody starts,” said Edgar Bran, General Manager of the Ohio House Motel. “Literally everybody [...]
GrandStay Hospitality LLC, the franchisor for GrandStay Hotels, and SkyTouch Technology have formed a deal that will bring SkyTouch Hotel OS to the hotel brand's 41 properties. Accessible from anywhere, the cloud-based SkyTouch PMS provides visibility and control of operations through real-time business analytics. Read the full article here.
Be warned. Not every hotel industry technology is long lasting. For every one that sticks, many more quickly fade into obscurity. Remember in-room fax machines? Keyboards for in-room TVs? Bathroom phones? When spending hard earned dollars, hoteliers must be sure their investment pays itself back many times over. Which can be tricky if you don’t [...]
