Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Today, almost everything in business is about technology. Technological developments that streamline processes and make instant decisions as well as even eliminate human jobs. We have seen ordering options appear in chains like McDonald’s and Panera that require no human interactions when consumers place and pay for an  order. Big hotel chains are moving to mobile check-ins, or replacing receptionists with robots, like at the Henn na Hotel in Tokyo. Once a people-dominated, the service industry has slowly started being replaced by screens and robots. This transition makes the traditional customer service model a commodity that many customers still seek. According to Cecilia Mauritzson, Managing Director at Nobis Copenhagen Hotel, “Today some hotels entirely do away with check-in staff to cut down on service and optimize the process. This pared-down approach makes guests appreciate good service even more.” While cutting down staff may speed up the process and reduce expenses, gu

It has become a norm to hear about pieces of innovation take root to things we have never expected it to do. We always want something bigger and better and recent trends have made sounding impacts on things like virtual reality, financial decisions, and now has made its way into the Hospitality Industry. Hotels and restaurants are advertising the different pieces of technology as a marketing tool to draw guests in. Moving Faster I distinctly remember walking into the SJC airport two years ago and feeling excited to check my bag in. This was simply because I knew that I did not have to wait in a long line to give the airline clerk my photo ID, confirmation number, and wait for them to find me in their system. Rather, I was able to walk up to a touch-screen kiosk, enter a few letters and numbers, and get everything I needed for my flight in less than two minutes. Most hotels companies and food and beverage operations have adapted to this same type of demand in technology as quic

Skift released The Megatrends Defining Travel in 2019 ( Skift Magazine, Issue 12 ) earlier this month. Through surveys, interviews, and focus group research with the travelers throughout the year, Skift reveals 12 megatrends in travel and tourism. Brands give travelers more control over their experience The advancement of technology enables travelers to take more controls on their trips than before. It is now very common for travelers to plan their own trips through price alerts and location-based apps. The word “co-creation” also becomes another emerging buzz word for experiential products. “Creation is the new consumption.” The challenge for tourism companies is to find effective ways to engage travelers before, during, and even after they consume the experiential products.   Premium mediocre goes mainstream Companies re-package the average products and sell them at luxury prices. From airlines to hotels , travel companies collect extra fees from the new

The Courtyard by Marriott was founded in 1982 and is a brand that targets guests who are traveling for business. Throughout the years, they remained to target business travelers, but the demographics of business travelers are continually changing. Just this year we welcomed Generation Z into the workforce. In order to keep up with the wants and needs of the shifting generations in the workforce, The Courtyard by Marriott chose to reposition its brand image. A New Image The repositioning of The Courtyard brand reflects upon the phrase “work hard, play hard” something newer generations truly value. The Marriott International Company realized they can no longer get by just saying the purpose of this brand if they wanted to attract the current market of business people. They wanted to show their target market they know what they want and are able to accommodate for any guest that chooses to stay at one of their properties. The purpose of repositioning the Courtyard was to enhanc

I was in Thailand for the Christmas and New Year holiday. It was a wonderful trip. The highlight of my trip was my stay at a hotel managed by Araya Rojanapirom, a recent graduate from the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona . After graduating from the high school in Thailand, Araya completed his first study-abroad experience in Europe, where he received a bachelor degree in hospitality management at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland with two five-month internships at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok and the Sheraton Hotel in Tianjin, China. Araya then found his way to Southern California and spent two more years studying in the Master of Science in Hospitality Management Program at Cal Poly Pomona before moving back to Thailand for a hospitality career. Now, Araya manages a small boutique hotel chain in Chiang Mai, Thailand --- Makka Hotels , where Makka is a name derived from the Buddhist word Mahk 8, or the Eightfold Path to enlighte