To survive in today’s economic climate, travel and hospitality organizations must stay on the cutting edge of technology, business strategy, and more. This section focuses on industry trends and technologies, marketing strategies, customer experience best practices, and more!
Four themes emerged from this year’s McKinsey & Company’s State of Tourism and Hospitality report, which provides a snapshot of current traveler flows and estimates for growth. The themes outlined below all have one thing in common: they’re disruptive. They’re changing the way we look at travel. They’re setting new trends that will last through...
It’s been a rough week-plus for companies affected by a faulty update from a cybersecurity company used by organizations around the world — none more so than customer-facing companies like airlines, including Delta Air Lines. The malfunctioning update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike that began on July 19 resulted in thousands of canceled Delta flights last...
Natalie Norfus, founder and managing owner of The Norfus Firm, a company that offers strategic human resources (HR) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) solutions for a range industries, took the stage at the 2024 Women Leading Travel & Hospitality Summit, held June 10-12 in Charlotte. In this interactive presentation, Norfus shared a case study...
The busy summer travel season is well underway, yet it’s not too late for companies across the travel and hospitality ecosystem to win the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers. In order to do so, however, executives such as yourself need to have a strong understanding of the current trends and consumer environment to be...
How does scent play an important role in the travel and hospitality industry? Scent helps you “connect to customers in the most memorable way,” says Neohni Gilligan, director of fragrance and product marketing at ScentAir. During the 2024 Women Leading Travel & Hospitality Summit, attendees participated in a fascinating scent exploration and education activity. In...
As part of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality’s recently published report, The Synergy of Technology and Empathy in Transforming Customer and Employee Experiences, Diana Plazas, Marriott International’s chief sales and marketing officer, Caribbean and Latin America, shared a detailed outlook on what travel-related trends she expects to have staying power. ‘Bleisure,’ ‘Gleisure’ and Digital Nomads...
Do your events at times feel like you’re herding cats or reigning in exhausted children? I remember the spring of second grade, when we were out of control. Some students were running around, while others gazed out the windows. The gazers were quiet but with an energy like caged tigers. Mrs. Bellis calmly said, “OK...
It’s high time companies embraced what Pride Month encompasses beyond the month of June. Many are already doing this; some have a ways to go. As Rachel Covello, CEO and publisher of OUTCOAST, stated in a recent LinkedIn post, “Pride is more than a parade or a party; it’s a declaration of our right to...
I have had several CEO friends reach out to me and ask me these three questions on artificial intelligence, so I wanted to share my thoughts. WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI? Essentially, generative AI is a branch of computer science focused on creating machines and software systems with the goal to simulate human cognitive processes through...
To say that the state of the modern workplace is drastically different than what it once was a few years ago is an understatement. Year after year since the rise of hybrid work, managers have been responsible for driving results in the face of many unique challenges — prolonged burnout, mass layoffs and ever-increasing business demands —...
