TOP NEWS

📱 HITEC 2025 highlights key tech trends for hotels. IoT sensors prevent leaks, avoiding lost ADR and brand damage. Digital monitoring automates food safety compliance, reducing manual errors and freeing staff for guest service. Wearable panic buttons enhance staff safety, now essential by law. Hotels adopt modular IoT platforms for scalability across needs. Sustainability in operations, like detecting leaks quickly, saves resources and meets ESG goals. Budget planning should consider scalability, downtime reduction, and sustainability.

📺 NORTH BETHESDA, Maryland—Choice Hotels International launched two campaigns, “Stay in Your Rhythm” and “The WoodSpring Way,” spotlighting extended-stay brands like Everhome Suites and MainStay Suites. The campaigns emphasize consistency and guest satisfaction, with features such as in-room kitchens and pet-friendly options. Focus cities include Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, and Orlando. Campaigns run through 2026 across social media, ConnectedTV, and digital platforms, aiming to educate extended-stay travelers on maintaining daily routines while away from home.

🥤 Loews Hotels & Co introduces "Fizz by Loews Hotels," a soda-centric program launching nationwide in summer 2025. The program is available at all Loews properties, offering customizable, house-made sodas and spritzes. Signature drinks include Blossom Breeze at Loews Kansas City Hotel and Lychee Lush at Loews Miami Beach Hotel. The program offers locally inspired menus, and drinks can be enjoyed spirit-free or with alcohol. Additionally, a mobile Fizz Cart will offer poolside and rooftop service.

🏠 Blenheim Palace, during the 2026 season, will maintain group pricing starting at £39 for adult tickets. They offer themed 45-minute talks on topics like Winston Churchill and architecture, enhancing visits with catering options. Groups of 15+ receive discounts and benefits like free coach parking. Booking and inquiries can be directed to 01993 815600 or groups@blenheimpalace.com. Visit their website for more details.

🍴 Bret Thorn, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., is the Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation's Restaurant News since 1999. He won the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award in 2006 for his editorial work. Thorn's career includes roles at The New York Sun (2005-2008) and Asia Times (1995-1997). He studied history at Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude in 1990, and trained in French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in 1986.

💸 Hotels allocate a fixed yearly budget for direct bookings, but unlimited commissions for OTAs. Indirect bookings cost twice as much as direct ones (16% vs. 8%). To boost direct bookings, reinvest 10% of revenue in marketing, and implement a per-booking budget after the first 100. Also, allocate more for marketing high-end rooms and incentivize staff with a direct booking commission. This strategy aims for uncapped growth in the most profitable channel.

📈 Shozib Khan, VP at Spire Hospitality, discussed transforming data analysis in the hotel industry. In 2018, Spire simplified 50-page reports into actionable insights, significantly improving efficiency. By focusing on retention, they discovered a correlation between room attendant tenure and performance, boosting hotel operations. A key initiative was using ProfitSword to centralize data, saving time and empowering staff. Spire also emphasizes performance measurement against sub-markets rather than just direct competitors, aiming for comprehensive improvement.