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Hospitality 12/18: Cruising for New Technology

If you haven’t looked at the technology being used on cruise ships recently, it’s probably time for you to look again. MarketScale correspondent Sam Mosher takes a deep dive on this week’s episode into the world of cruise ship technology in his conversation with longtime travel writer Mark Orwoll. Also on this week’s episode…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Hospitality teams put it to work with Executive Thought Leadership.

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Hospitality 12/18: Cruising for New Technology

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If you haven’t looked at the technology being used on cruise ships recently, it’s probably time for you to look again. MarketScale correspondent Sam Mosher takes a deep dive on this week’s episode into the world of cruise ship technology in his conversation with longtime travel writer Mark Orwoll. Also on this week’s episode of the podcast is a conversation with David “Rev” Ciancio about the importance of managing your online reputation. What do people see when they search for your hotel or restaurant online? If you haven’t thought about it, it’s time to give it some serious consideration.

Your Cruise Ship Just Got a Tech Upgrade

Technology on cruise ships is constantly evolving. Just this past October, Princess Cruises announced all of its Caribbean Princess passengers will have access to its Ocean Medallion technology. The Ocean Medallion is a quarter-size wearable device that interacts with other devices to allow guests to order food, find their other party members and request staff help. Not only is wearable technology evolving on cruise ships, but cruise ship technology for mobile phones, staterooms and security is evolving as well.

This week, Mark Orwoll joins us to talk about these technological advances. He is a veteran travel journalist who has covered the cruise industry since 1987. He worked on the editorial staff of Travel + Leisure magazine for 29 years, most recently as their international editor. He has worked as a freelance writer since 2016. His work can be found in the Condé Nast Traveler, the Travel Channel, Town & Country and dozens of other publications.

Your Online Reputation Precedes You

How do you go about finding a taco place near your house if you are hungry for tacos? Chances are you’re going to pick up your cell phone and search for tacos near your current location. But how do restaurants make sure their name is at the top of the search results? That’s where reputation management comes into play.

David “Rev” Ciancio is an expert in managing online reputations for restaurants and other businesses. He joined the podcast to explain the steps that restaurants can take to remain as visible as possible online. “Most people don’t understand the hidden secrets of reputation management,” says Ciancio. He also explains why restaurants need to be preparing now for the Alexa and Google Home revolution.

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My Place relaunches Trend with an introductory royalty for franchises executed before Dec. 31

My Place relaunches Trend with an introductory royalty for franchises executed before Dec. 31

My Place Hotels of America relaunched Trend by My Place as a three-tier platform for independent owners and properties ready to change flags. The pitch is a way into a national franchise system without heavy capital requirements, backed by My Place’s reservations, loyalty and support platform, as U.S. conversions run 15% above last year. Owners have until Dec. 31 to execute deals under an introductory royalty.

  • 01With U.S. hotel conversions up 15% year over year, My Place is pitching Trend to owners as a franchise path that avoids heavy capital requirements.
  • 02Trend by My Place has been relaunched as a three-tier platform aimed at independent owners and properties ready to change flags. The relaunch coverage does not name the tiers or specify whether the 2020 admission standard—limited to high-quality, well-operated properties opened in 2005 or later—still applies to any tier, including one intended for regional inns or destination lodges.
  • 03The question for owners before the Dec. 31 introductory royalty cutoff: does the 2020 rule admitting only properties opened in 2005 or later still apply to each new tier?

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Hotel Effectiveness: HPOR gains continued through H1 2026

Hotel Effectiveness: HPOR gains continued through H1 2026

Hotels cut labor hours per occupied room in H1 2026: 3.1% at full service and 3.5% at select service, with smaller gains in Q2. Hourly wages rose 2.9% to 3.3%, which could offset HPOR declines and leave wage cost per occupied room near flat—or, in Q2 select service, possibly higher if raises outpaced the 1.8% HPOR improvement.

  • 01Select-service HPOR improved 5.1% year over year in Q1, then the gain narrowed to 1.8% in Q2. The report says that pattern reflects how hard it is to sustain gains as occupancy and workloads grow.
  • 02Hourly wages rose 2.9% to 3.3% while hours per occupied room fell 3.1% to 3.5%. That suggests the productivity gains could roughly offset the raises on a per-room basis.
  • 03For operators watching second-half data, select-service gains that stay below the pace of wage growth could push labor cost per occupied room back up.

Sep 26, 2026

If a competitor's move triggers your rate change, that is market-based pricing, not dynamic

If a competitor's move triggers your rate change, that is market-based pricing, not dynamic

Lighthouse writer Joe Hanly published a ten-strategy hotel revenue management guide on Hotel News Resource on September 8, ranking real-time dynamic pricing first. Its most useful content is a test: a hotel whose rate changes mostly follow a competitor's move is running market-based pricing, whatever it is called internally. A companion explainer says audit the compset and rate plans first.

  • 01Market-based and dynamic pricing both watch competitors; the line Lighthouse draws is whether a competitor's rate is the trigger or one input alongside local events, booking pace and market trends.
  • 02Properties that have gone years without a structured rate-plan review often carry more active plans than anyone tracks, and those legacy floor rates and stay restrictions sit under any pricing engine layered on top.

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