Customer engagement is the key to long-term loyalty and impact
A series of studies by Professor Chris Anderson and co-author, Professor Saram Han, find that guest engagement is a critical element of the hotel stay. When hotels let guests know that their opinions are valued, guests are more likely to share their satisfaction with others, become more loyal, and book direct more frequently.
In this special session, NAACP Chief of Staff Eris Sims will discuss the intersection of hospitality and the NAACP. Joined by Kate Walsh, Dean of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Ms. Sims will share her own story and career path, reveal the historical ties between the NAACP and hospitality workers, and examine the future of the industry and the broader civil rights movement.
U.S. hotel occupancy remained mostly flat at 40.9%. The week ending with February 6 was the fifth in a row with roughly 70% of occupancy regained from 2019 levels. As the industry draws nearer to the 1-year mark of the earliest pandemic declines, 2019 data will serve as the benchmark for the recovery forecasted to ramp up later this year.
As host to Super Bowl LV, Tampa/St. Petersburg led the Top 25 Markets with a 62.9% occupancy level. The market’s average daily rate of more than $174 was a 16.3% increase from the same week last year. Performance levels were noticeably high at the submarket level.
"Despite the ongoing worldwide Covid vaccine roll-outs, the majority of markets are continuing to feel serious effects of uncertainty amongst travelers. This is particularly true in Europe, where various lockdowns in several countries are having a continued impact on levels of booking activity. However, on a more positive note, some parts of APAC such as New Zealand, Australia and Oceania are seeing new bookings start to rise, and similarly in the Americas where pick up is finally increasing as travelers dare to think ahead to travel plans for later in the year."
