Briefing: Mobile is now the leading digital platform

A new report by comScore has found that mobile is now the leading digital platform. The report found that total activity on smartphones and tablets accounts for 62% of time spent on digital media. It states that mobile applications alone now represent the majority of digital media usage (54%).

This has implications for many of the processes within the hospitality industry. In this briefing four hospitality experts discuss embracing mobile:

As discussed in our briefing at the beginning of the year, 2015 always had the potential to be the tipping point for mobile commerce. Mobile capabilities are increasing all the time. This year saw the release of Apple’s iPhone 6, and rumours are already flying about the iPhone 7. Meanwhile Google’s AMP Project aims to speed up page loading times on its mobiles so they are more convenient to use.

According to a report by Forrester there are 30 billion mobile moments happening every day. These moments are defined by Forrester as times when somebody turns to their mobile phone in order to get information or a service immediately. They also found that 70% of US adults spending almost two hours per day on their mobiles. So when someone turns to their phone for a mobile service. Will you be there?

Whilst mobile use is increasing, research shows that smartphone ownership is nearing saturation. Pew Research Center has found that 86% of Americans own a smartphone, up only 1% from 2014. At the same time ownership of computers and laptops has reduced from 89% in 2012 to just 78% in 2015, again highlighting the switch to mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.

So what’s to come for hospitality and mobile use in 2016? A report from eMarketer has predicted that “In 2016, 51.8% of travellers who book trips via digital means will do so using a mobile device” The report also states that; “Out of the 48.5 million US adults who book trips via mobile this year, 78.6% (38.1 million) will use a smartphone to do so.”

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: How hospitality companies are evolving into digital businesses

According to CSC’s Leading Edge Forum, less than 4 out of 10 companies are ready to take advantage of the new business opportunities arising from developments in digital technology.

In the hospitality industry there have been some digital successes, and some companies struggling to keep up. A good digital culture needs good leadership and the right partnerships.

In this briefing four hospitality experts discuss building digital into the business plan:

Depending on a business’s resources, ‘becoming digital’ will mean different things, large companies may invest money in new plans and new specialist staff, independents may look into what platforms and partnerships they can use to help themselves.

While digital is changing the way business works, it is also creating jobs and, according to Deloitte, is boosting the economy. A report from Deloitte on the impact of technology on jobs in the UK found that over the past 15 years technology-driven change has added £140 billion to the UK’s economy in new wages.

The report states that ‘In the future, business will need more skills, including: digital know-how, management capability, creativity, entrepreneurship, and complex problem solving.’ Business leaders will already be keenly feeling this need and it will only continue, which is why having a plan that incorporates digital and having people to push this agenda forward is essential.

Research from McKinsey&Company also highlights the need for digital leadership. They found that ‘90 percent of top digital performers have fully integrated digital initiatives into their strategic-planning process.’ They say that there has already been an increase in digital focused executive positions. They found that ‘CDO (Chief digital officer) roles doubled from 2013 to 2014 and is expected to double again this year.’

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Major brands increase presence in Africa

The number of branded hotels in the African market is set to increase. According to a report from W Hospitality Group, Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Blu brand has the most hotels in the pipeline (22 units), Hilton has 16 units, and Marriott has 11 units in the pipeline. Historically in Africa, financial and security constraints have often meant that projects in development are halted before they come to life. Despite this, there are clear intentions from major brands to enter new regions across Africa.

In this briefing hospitality industry executives discuss the hospitality market in Africa:

A special Market Report on Central Africa from Horwath HTL also states that, ‘more diversified global brands plan to enter the market’. According to the report 2,900 rooms are in the pipeline in Central Africa. This report also found that there has been an increase in business travel in this region.

Radisson Blu’s latest development is a hotel in N’Djamena, Chad. It will have 171 rooms, a health club, and conference facilities, and is due to open later this year.

Last month Hilton Worldwide announced an agreement to open its first hotel in Swaziland. The new hotel will be a Hilton Garden Inn and will be located in Mbabane. It will have 130 rooms and a dedicated event space.

Marriott International has plans to increase its presence in Africa. By 2020 it aims to have 150 properties with 19,000 rooms across 17 markets.

Current projections from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook say that GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa will be 4.4 this year, and in Nigeria will be 1.5. This indicates a slow-down in growth.

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Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Business, Leisure, Community – Hospitality for millennials

New hospitality brand Zoku launched this week. This and other brands are responding to the needs of the millennial business traveller. BridgeStreet’s Bleisure Report 2014 found that the line between business and leisure travel is blurring as more people are looking for ways to include leisure activities into their business trips. In the survey ‘Nearly half of respondents (46%) add personal travel days to business travel “every trip” or to “most trips”.’

Young business travellers want to experience the city they are in and socialise and want to stay somewhere that enables them to do this, as discussed in these videos:

BridgeStreet’s survey of 640 international guests shows that instead of only exploring cities on leisure trips, ‘83% of respondents use time on business trips to explore the city they’re visiting.’ The report also states that: ‘The top reason for bleisure travel is a desire to see the world and gain cultural experiences’. This is also shown in TripAdvisor’s Trip Barometer 2015, in which 29% of people said their reason for visiting a specific destination was that they ‘love exploring the area’.

Zoku is aimed at people who need short or extended stay accommodation in a new city for work. The accommodation incorporates social spaces, events, and app to help guests to make connections. Zoku’s launch announcement goes so far as to proclaim the ‘end of the hotel room’. Instead of bedrooms there will be ‘lofts’, which are designed to be living and work spaces rather than just places to sleep, and are intended to be more homely and social in the same sized space as a hotel room. There is a new take on the holiday rep as ‘Zoku Community Managers’ will help make introductions between guests. The first Zoku will open in Amsterdam in autumn 2015.

Services apartment brand SACO is also targeting the bleisure traveller. Their research shows that Millennials are 50% more likely to have travelled for business in the past two years than people over 35. It says that 14% of millennials see travelling as an important networking opportunity (as opposed to 7% of their older peers), and that ‘millennials look for accommodation with shared spaces for socialising in’.

Radisson Red is a new brand from Radisson hotel group which again is promising spaces for Gen Y to work, play and socialise.

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Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Gen Y seek freedom from old style management

Generation Y will be the largest part of the workforce in 2015. A new study from Ashridge Business School and MSLGROUP says that Generation Y have a completely different attitude to work. The study shows that Generation Y, also known as Millennials, no longer go into the world of work with the expectation of staying in one organization and working their way up. In fact, 43% of those surveyed worldwide said they intended to leave their current company in the next two years.

Experts from the hospitality industry comment on the Generation Y workforce:

Research shows that Generation Y would prefer to have some freedom to live their lives rather than dedicate all their time and energy to work. On average, 89% of the working under 30s surveyed by Ashridge in India, China, UK, France, USA and Brazil, said that work-life balance was important to them. This tallies with research by PwC in which 71% of their millennial employees said that work demands interfere with their personal lives. This report also found that: ‘Millennials do not believe that productivity should be measured by the number of hours worked at the office, but by the output of the work performed.’

Generation Y also wants a new type of manager. In the Ashridge survey, overall, less than a third (31%) felt the role their manager played fitted what they want. They consistently said their ideal manager would act as a friend or mentor. In their working lives, a sense of achievement, feeling valued or respected, and job security were also highly valued.

This week’s videos feature comment from:

  • Nicolas Mayer, Partner, Industry Leader – Lodging & Tourism, PWC on how to maximise your Gen Y workforce.

  • Karen Friebe, Partner, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP on increasing flexibility in work.

  • Ömer İsvan, President, Servotel Corporation on working with a new generation of talent.

  • Wolfgang Neumann, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Rezidor Hotel Group on company leaders connecting with Gen Y staff on social media.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: the ‘big data’ minefield

The digital economy is producing unparalleled amounts of data, in part due to increased customer engagement through social media and online platforms. Simultaneously, the capability of technology and data management systems is progressing rapidly, allowing the vast silos  of data within the hotel industry to be put to good use.

This briefing looks at the process of analysing the hospitality industry using data and the issues that arise from increased access to valuable and sensitive information. Comment from:

  • Wolfgang Neumann, President & CEO of The Rezidor Hotel Group on managing customer data

  • Carlo Gagliardi, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers on why hotels must use big data wisely

  • Andrew Boshoff, Head of Strategy & Development at Global Hotel Alliance on creating smart, usable data.

  • Elizabeth Winkle, Managing Director of STR Global on crunching data for the hotel industry

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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