Welcome to Fresh From the Oven, a look at the month’s hot hospitality news headlines that impact our industry partners and customers. February has had some highs and lows with COVID-19 impacting hospitality throughout Asia and Forbes Star Awards announced. Read more below…
News:
- Coronavirus’ Impact On Hotel Performance [Hospitality Net]
Tourism Economics, STR’s forecast partner, noted a potential 28% drop in visits to the U.S. from China in 2020. That would equal a loss of 4.6 million hotel room nights sold and $5.8 billion in visitor spending. - Macao Will Close Its Casinos For Two Weeks Over Coronavirus [CNN]
January tourism figures plunged 87% compared to the previous year, even though the busiest holiday of the year — Lunar New Year — fell during that period.
- Vacation Rental H20 Raises Money In Advance Of Japanese Summer Olympics [Tech Crunch]
Japan’s tourism industry is booming, but it faces a hotel room shortage especially during the coming Summer Olympics. H2O is building the platform to fill that gap in Japan.
- Can Marriott Keep Starwood’s Culture of Cool, and Its Customers? [New York Times]
Merging of two giant brands is about keeping your brand, and followers, through it all.
Technology:
- Data-Driven Restaurant Makeover With Cornell Hotel School Professor Stephani Robson [NPR]
If you’re a restaurateur, your gut tells you “more seats, more money,” but, in this episode, restaurant design expert Stephani Robson upends all that and more.
- Surviving Slowing Growth With AI [Hotel News Resource]
AI powered upsell software can help reduce the financial struggles of slow growth periods. - Smartphones And Their Effect On Guest Behavior [Hospitality Net]
Smartphones are taking over how we interact with guests and your brand. - Using Data To Help With Seasonality [Hospitality Net]
As seasonality changes beyond your traditional high, shoulder, and low seasons, you need new strategies to avoid financial struggles. - Holes in PMS Landscape; Oracle Hospitality Says [Skift]
Oracle’s various property management systems have a 16 percent share of available hotel rooms globally, but how will they keep at the forefront of PMS softwares? - Robotic Waiters Are Coming For Hospitality [Tech Crunch]
Robots are becoming more of a reality for fast casual, QSR, or other high volume locations as the designs are adapted to the realities of restaurant floors.
Trends:
- Prioritizing Food and Beverage Driven Experiences at Hilton’s Luxury Brands [Skift]After years of traveler obsession with high-end gourmet dining, the demand for food-related travel is now democratizing, deepening, and expanding.
- 5 Insights on 2020 US Hotel Forecast [Hotel News Now]
The key takeaways from the new STR and Tourism Economics forecast from the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. - The New Reality Of Tech-Backed Restaurants [Pymts]
Mobile ordering, contactless NFC payments, ordering kiosks and delivery options have all started to take hold, forcing restaurants to rethink their core businesses.
Our Customers and Partners:
- Forbes Travel Guide Unveils Its 2020 Star Award Winners [Forbes]
Congrats to the 85 Avero customers who made the 5 star list! - The 50 Best Hotels in the USA 2020 [U.S. News]
Out of the 4,099 hotels considered for the 2020 Best Hotels in the USA rankings, these are the top 50.
- The Best Cocktail Bars in Las Vegas [Thrillist]
The past couple of years in particular have brought about a slew of new bar openings that are seriously stepping up the city’s cocktail and spirits game. - Japanese Restaurant Morimoto is Closing in NYC [Eater]
The restaurant from Stephen Starr and ‘Iron Chef’ Masaharu Morimoto will close after its lease ends in May. - Carnival Corporation New Ships in 2020 [World Maritime News]
Carnival Corporation & plc. is set to launch four new cruise ships in 2020 across four of its cruise line brands.
