Traveling Blog: Hotel Front Desk Revolution + Luxury Goes Informal + Iceland's Tourism Balancing Act

March 28, 2018

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Note From the Editor

Have you been stuck in a long line at a hotel front desk lately? You may have wondered why hotels lack the speed and savvy of, say, an Apple Store.

Turns out dozens of industry professionals think the front desk is an endangered species. But if you are a hotelier who wants to invest smartly, you'll need to keep in mind the 10 essential responsibilities of guest experience, in our lead story for today.

On a related point, fans of luxury properties will want to check out why loosening their tie and letting their hair down may be the next trend in guest relations.

— Sean O'Neill, Travel Tech Editor

Colombia Is Building a Legacy as South America's Most Innovative Meeting and Event Destination

Even consumers who embrace technology may worry that companies are exploiting them through so-called personalization. Hoteliers need to balance digital ingenuity with a human touch.

Skift Forum Europe Preview: How Tourism Transformed Iceland's Economy

In some parts of Iceland, odds are you're more likely to meet a tourist than you are a local. The country doesn't want to lose its cool, progressive, and beautiful Nordic edge that's fueling demand. That's why it's successfully worked to promote its offseason and use silly and relatable language in its marketing campaigns.

Being Informal Is the Future of Luxury Guest Relations

Luxury travelers are seeking out experiences that enrich their lives rather than isolate them from adventures. That's why The Thief in Oslo is one of a growing number of luxury hotels that are pursuing more informal and instantaneous relations with guests.

Tariff Spat Could Chill China-U.S. Travel Even Without a Trade War

Travel companies were spared the first round of the US-China trade war. But outbound travel to the U.S. and U.S. hospitality companies could become collateral damage without too much provocation.

Resy and Upserve Partner to Offer Restaurants Actionable Data

Restaurant technology is only as good as it is useful, and hospitality-focused technology doesn't work well in silos. Expect more of these partnerships to come, across the board.

Hotels.com, Egencia, Trivago, and HomeAway, among others, are all Expedia companies. The parent company wants Wall Street to understand that it is more than just the Expedia brand. The Priceline Group had long been associated with Priceline.com even though Booking.com is the company's largest brand. So there seemed to be more of a reason for Priceline's name switch than for Expedia's.

New Private Member Clubs Take On Soho House to Redefine Hospitality

It sounds antithetical but, in their efforts to make everyone feel "like a local," perhaps hotel brands should be taking a look at The Curtain and Karl Lagerfeld Hotels, seeing how the private club model could work for them.

The Death of Priceline's Name Your Own Price Is Likely Drawing Near

Booking Holdings is still making considerable money from Priceline.com's bidding service for hotels. But the service has outlived its usefulness, and will likely fold within a year or two. Take a look at how Priceline.com markets other ways to book hotels on its site. Enough said.

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