Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

President Obama was caught on tape working out in a hotel during a trip to Poland.  Leaving politics aside, this video shows Obama is just like many other travelers: They all work out in a hotel gym.  According to a 2012 survey conducted by TripAdvisor with over 1,400 U.S. travelers, healthy eating and exercise have played an important role in Americans' vacation.  Sixty-nine (69) percent mentioned healthy eating is important during vacation, and 53 percent said they always or often do exercise while they travel. I am glad to see the industry is responding to what travelers want. Many hotel brands have already updated their workout facilities through renovations and/or re-branding.  Today, travelers can easily find up-to-date equipment in a large workout room in hotels.  There are also websites that are specifically developed for hotel gym reviews (e.g., HotelGymReview.com ).  My recent stay at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower was a gr...

I was in Hong Kong and mainland China for a conference in May.  During my visit, I witnessed a debate between Chinese tourists and the local residents in Hong Kong. On one hand, Chinese tourists spend a lot of money on luxury goods and daily necessities in Hong Kong.  On the other hand, the overflow of Chinese tourists brings in many inconveniences to local residents. Many other tourist destinations also experience some negative effect from the overflow of Chinese tourists.  I wonder why people seem to love and hate Chinese tourists at the same time.  More importantly, what can Chinese tourists do to win the harts from other tourist destinations? Visit Multibriefs.com for my in-depth discussion on this topic. Other relevant discussions from this blog: Welcome Chinese Tourists The Biggest Challenge and the Hidden Opportunity of Entering the Chinese Market Investing in Digging the “Gold Mine” of China: Now Is the Time   Lodging Stoc...

How powerful can a single click on the internet be?  One click can search up endless opportunities on the internet, 'like' a video, or even just simply view a picture.  Now with companies such as MGM Resorts International, a click is all you need to be exposed to their services.  Does it work?  An increase of over 300 percent in revenues may make MGM think so.  MGM introduced a new digital marketing strategy in 2010 that hones in on their most relevant customers.  By simply searching up prices on hotels or even 'liking' their photos, MGM can specifically advertise to these customers with tailored materials in addition to the "regular" ones of MGM.  What is interesting is how MGM states that they create individual profiles of their customers so that they can determine whether or not someone is more of a big spender or a penny pincher.  With the right data, MGM then targets past customers, as well as the potential with this personalized campaig...

Technology has become the norm in today’s society, which has greatly impacted the hospitality industry from all different angles.  Restaurants depend on easy to use point of sales (POS) systems such as Squirrel or Aloha, but what about other departments such as Revenue Management and Sales and Marketing?  The business intelligence goal is to solve this issue by providing the most efficient and up-to-date information on tracing booking patterns as well as maximizing promotional marketing to external outlets.  It is important for hotels to understand the efficiency that business intelligence can offer; it isn’t the technology that seems complex, but rather the algorithms used to collect all the data.  Of course, those who may use this program won’t have to worry about complicated calculations or data collection, even though they already have the experience of gathering the information. Business intelligence should be used hand-in-hand to complement the skill...

As technology advances in our society, it creates a myriad of changes that help improve people’s everyday lives.  A particular advancement, the creation of the Internet, has proven to be essential to the success of the hospitality industry.  It efficiently tracks, records, and provides information in a matter of minutes when it would have taken hours to do it manually.    In the past, people normally went to travel agents and spoke to them in person to arrange their trip.  When the Internet was created, travel agents took their business to the Internet.  Guests were happy to make the switch; after all, it was more convenient for them to book their travel online than in person.  Realizing that guests could book directly from the hotel’s website instead of from OTAs (Online Travel Agents such as Expedia.com), hotels have long tried to persuade guests to book through their own website.  After all, why pay someone else to do the job when you can...

I attended the Social Media Marketing World Conference 2014 in San Diego (#SMMW14).  I heard many case studies and real success on social media marketing, which were drawn from different industrial sectors and represented a variety of social media platforms.  In the end, I made one conclusion: Listening and responding to customers is the core principle of social media marketing.  Companies now can answer the following questions by analyzing the consumer data on the Internet: For what purpose or on what occasion do customers use a product/service? What do they like or dislike about a product/service? And for what reasons? Who is actually buying and using a particular product/service? When is the best time to communicate with the target customers on social media? Where is the best "place" to reach the target customers? Is it that simple?  Just "listen" to what customers said online, and then "respond" to what they need?  Check out my reflectio...

DoubleTree by Hilton shows us how to win customers with its signature chocolate cookies .  For over 20 years, the signature chocolate cookies have become the buzzword associate with the brand and a symbol of the company's "care culture."   This time, DoubleTree developed a series of marketing strategies around the signature cookies, including: Initiating a "pay it forward" event by giving two cookies to every in-house guest or a person on the street — one for the guest, the other for passing along. People are also encouraged to answer "Who else deserves some Cookie Care?" on DoubleTree's social media channels. Making Cookie Care tour stops. During this scheduled tour, the hotel will surprise customers in selected locations with Hilton Cookie Care giveaways. "#CookieCare" Sweepstakes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other major social media platforms. Selling the chocolate chip cookie dough on the hotel's website in l...