Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Entering the summer, we need to pay attention to the following travel trends: Travelers continue to take more short road trips. International destinations become more popular. The demand for long-haul flights remains strong.  More travelers will visit national parks. Hotels will win more travelers this summer than OTAs. Sustainability will remain a buzzword for the industry. Do you also observe those trends? (visit Multibriefs.com for my detailed discussion). Add additional trends to the list are welcome - please share with us.   #Travel #Trend #Blog #2016 #Sustainability #Roadtrips #Parks #Hotels #OTAs #Airlines

Currently,  Airbnb  has more than 2 million listings in 34,000 cities in 190 countries, among which 1,400 are castles. More than 60 million travelers have stayed in an Airbnb before. The company is now valued at $25.5 billion,  as suggested by The Wall Street Journal . Meanwhile, the world's largest lodging company (Marriott and Starwood combined) only has 5,500 owned or franchised hotels with 1.1 million rooms around the world,  according to The New York Times . It is thus not a surprise to hear hoteliers sharing their concerns about the threat created by room-sharing websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway.  So, is Airbnb a threat to the traditional lodging industry? It is probably not a threat yet, as suggested in my earlier discussion - " Is Airbnb really a threat to the traditional lodging industry? " Then, how much impact does Airbnb have on the lodging industry? I did some research, which suggests the growth of multiunit and full-time operators on Airbnb...

Do you work in a  ‪#‎ hotel‬  or a  ‪#‎ restaurant‬  and interact with customers everyday at work? You are invited to participate in a study about  ‪#‎ consumer‬   mistreatment. 15 lucky participants will be rewarded for 1  ‪#‎ TargetGiftCard‬  of $100. Click  http://bit.ly/HRSurvey16  to start and share the link with your co-workers and friends working in  ‪#‎ hotels‬  or  ‪#‎ restaurants‬ . Thank you.  ‪#‎ survey‬ Do you work in a #hotel or a #restaurant and interact with customers everyday at work? You are invited to participate in... Posted by Linchi Kwok, Ph.D. on  Thursday, March 3, 2016

Living in California in this day and age, we all know that California is in a huge drought. California features many attractions, such as water parks and many nice unique restaurants that rely heavily on water usage.  However, they do not want to shut down and lose visitors just because of the drought.  Hurricane Harbor is still open in the summer when the weather is warmer. Disneyland rides that use water such as Splash Mountain and It’s a Small World are still in use all year around. "The drought is affecting California's tourist attractions in very different ways, but most tourists are unlikely to be affected since businesses have merged water conservation practices with their overall operations," said Ryan Becker, Vice President of Communications at Visit California.  One way it is affecting tourists in California is at restaurants. At many dining establishments, you now have to ask for water; where back before the drought, the server would bring everyone wat...

It is common in today’s travel experiences that stress can take power over relaxation. This may be caused by many unavoidable factors such as delayed flights, traffic, crowds, lack of sleep, long lines, rude people or even poor customer service. I know that when I travel beyond my comfort zone, I aim to find the perfect state where exhaustion is eliminated and enjoyability is multiplied. Here are a few ways to keep your travel experiences as stress-free as possible. Do your best to search for hotels that have flexible check-in and check-out times. It is unrealistic for every traveller to be expected to check-in at 3 in the afternoon and check-out by 11 in the morning. The hotel that has flexible hours will allow you to have more freedom and leeway to enjoy your time away on vacation. When you travel, at least I know when I do, you try with all your might to squeeze in every site, attraction, and adventure into your stay so strict check-out times can be conflicting and cause a ...

About seven years ago when I was a sophomore in high school, I went on a trip to China with my school's marching band. This trip was a way to symbolize the friendship and unity between our school and our sister school located in Jiangmen, China. We were there to perform, and they were expected to teach us about their daily lives and culture. What I remember the most is being completely immersed in my surroundings, fully focused and entranced by the sights, sounds, smells, and the conversations I was having.  Now, in 2016, it becomes crazy to see how much things could have changed in just a few years.  Thanks to a new little device known as a “smartphone” that has exploded in popularity in recent years, sharing the best picture people on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other social media website has now become the most important aspect of a trip for most travelers.  Rather than allowing themselves to be completely involved in their new surro...

When building new properties, hoteliers will determine their target market, position their brand, and create an amenity list for their guests which may include a fitness center, pool area, retail shopping outlets, and so forth. Though it is a standard practice for most hotels to offer a fitness center and pools, many hotels put little thoughts on retail stores and gift shops, ultimately resulting in a poor product offering or an outlet that doesn’t match the hotel’s image. Superior retail outlets are often a main differentiator between luxury, full service, and economy properties. Luxury properties tend to have multiple retail outlets with a variety of product offerings, while full service properties tend to have a decent size gift shop with local souvenirs, and economy properties typically offering solely a small grab-n-go food center. Looking into retail as an additional revenue center is a great option for properties of any caliber. The question is, how far is your prop...