MarketScale Hospitality 1/1: Fresh Hotels & Points Hackers

As we enter a new year, what does the future hold for the hospitality industry? Today’s episode of the MarketScale Hospitality Podcast takes a look at how hotels will continue to drive forward in 2019. From a new way to look at the lobby to the lessons that independent hotels can teach the big chains, there a multitude of ways that hotels can continue to grow in the new year.

A FRESH LOBBY IS THE KEY IN 2019

The hotel lobby is being viewed less as a space that is mindlessly passed through and increasingly as the first step in creating a memorable hotel experience. Geoff Short, Digital Editor at MarketScale, joined the Hospitality Podcast to discuss how hotels are shifting their views on the functionality of the lobby. “Making the lobby an experience is going to be a big point of emphasis moving forward,” Geoff says.

Creating a welcoming space that gives travelers another option for meeting or relaxing can be a major draw for hotels. It can serve as a de facto living room for guests. “Operating as the heart of the hotel, the lobby is a place to not only connect gadgets, but also connect to other guests or those with whom people are traveling with,” says Alinda Quinn in her piece on the MarketScale website on the evolution of the hotel lobby.

UNEXPECTED LESSONS FROM POINTS HACKERS

It’s all about the points…or is it? In this episode of the Hospitality Podcast, we spoke with Loren Gray, author, speaker and host of the Hospitality Digital Marketing podcast about the ins and outs of the Starwood/Marriott acquisition, their customer loyalty programs and one particularly amusing hotel points hack.

“It’s amazing how road warriors are gamifying the system to know how to move themselves up. I feel foolish that I didn’t know those things,” Gray says laughing. Plus we discuss what brand chains and independent hotels can learn from each other.