ILHA Webinar Series Continues with "Revenge Travel - How Your Hotel Can Respond & Prepare"

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International Luxury Hotel Association

Sep 02, 2021, 14:04 ET

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Luxury Hotel Association's (ILHA) webinar series returned with a panel on "Revenge Travel – How Your Hotel Can Respond & Prepare" on August 31. The webinar marks the continuation of ILHA's virtual series on COVID-19 recovery in the luxury hotel industry.

Revenge Travel: How Your Hotel Can Respond & Prepare

The event was sponsored by StayNTouch, a global leader in guest-centric technology and cloud hotel property management systems (PMS), and moderated by Rosalind Hunter, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners, the webinar included guest speakers Matt Barba, Vice President of Operations, Charlestowne Hotels; John Speers, Vice President of Operations, Salamander Hotels & Resorts; Michael Heflin, Chief Revenue Officer, StayNTouch; and Daniel Tennant, Partner & General Manager, Aries Living Hospitality.

You can view the webinar here.

The panelists covered topics on how consumers are getting ready to start traveling with their accumulated travel miles, and ways to ensure your property and team are prepared for the new age in travel.

Rosalind Hunter, from Simon-Kucher & Partners, referenced the Simon-Kucher's latest travel trend study which showed that 45% of consumers are looking to travel more than before the pandemic, and 45% are looking to spend more. Consumers are also looking for private transportation, private spacious accommodation, and mostly looking to travel domestically.

Matt Barba, from Charlestowne Hotels, noticed a change in who their guests actually are. Guests want to know if the hotel they're staying at is following all the proper protocols and that staff members are actively cleaning high touch point areas. Barba also noted that guests are looking for exclusive, private amenities, offerings, and experiences.

John Speers, from Salamander Hotels & Resorts, added that they are more "upfront" about their cleaning protocols so that guests can actually see them in action. Some things they might've done overnight, they now do during the day to instill comfort, safety and awareness. Ultimately, their guests are coming back more frequently due to the need for more social engagement that they've missed during the pandemic.

Daniel Tennant, from Aries Living, touched on using technology to empower their frontline staff. He believes his staff should learn, own, and understand the full capabilities of the technology to be the most efficient with guests. He also noted that the better the staff are trained on new technology, the more empowered they are to service the guests.

Michael Heflin, from StayNTouch, added that the pandemic has forced the hospitality industry to be more responsive to their staff's needs, and intuitive technology and automation can be key in unburdening staff so they don't have to be bogged down by miscellaneous tasks. Heflin noted that in this new environment, where guest's needs are more hypersensitive, the hotel staff need to be able to deliver exactly what the guest wants.

This webinar was sponsored by StayNTouch, an easy-to-use hotel property management system (PMS) enabling hotels to deliver an enhanced service experience, drive revenues, reduce costs, and streamline operations. To learn more about StayNTouch, please visit: https://www.stayntouch.com/

Learn more about the membership benefits of the International Luxury Hotel Association here and join our chapters and mentorship program so that you can get the support you need to advance your career and grow your business. Save $20 with the code WBSERIES20

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About the International Luxury Hotel Association
The International Luxury Hotel Association is the luxury hospitality's preeminent association promoting, unifying and advancing the industry through insight, opinion and research.

ILHA reaches an audience of more than 500,000 hotel professionals in 90+ countries and produces LUXURY HOTELIERS Magazine, ILHA SmartBrief and the INSPIRE SUMMITS in Europe and North America. They also run LinkedIn's largest hospitality and travel group which ranks in the top 100 of the more than 10 million professional groups on LinkedIn. Connect with us on theilha.com, hospitality and travel forum, ILHA Facebook, ILHA Instagram, ILHA Twitter, ILHA YouTube

SOURCE International Luxury Hotel Association