Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Last month, I published two journal articles about online reviews. The first one was about how managers of different hotels should use different strategies to respond to online reviews and published in  The Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (with Karen Xie and Wei Wang). The second one was a review of current literature about online reviews and published in International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management   (with Karen Xie and Tori Richards) .  I highlighted the important implications of these two journal articles on Multibriefs.com. For example, I recommend that responses to online reviews should vary based on hotel class . In particularly:  Budget  traveler hotels — provide more but also more concise (shorter) responses by the executives. Mid-market economy hotels — provide more responses by the executives. Full-service hotels — provide more responses by the executives in a timely manner. Above-average hotels — provide more and ...

Businesses work hard to attract new customers and retain the loyal ones. One way to accomplish that goal is through an effective loyalty program .  Thanks to the frequent traveler programs offered in the hospitality and tourism industry, loyal customers can enjoy many perks. Drawing from my travel experience in December, I wrote an article entitled "It Pays to Be Loyal Customers" on Multibriefs.com earlier. While I am not going to repeat the whole discussion here, I am going to share part of the article here:  Being a premier gold member of United, for example, I can also enjoy the following perks: Free  lounge access for international flights Eligible to choose an Economy Plus seat with extra legroom upon reservation Eligible for a free upgrade to United First for regional flights, starting 48 hours before departure Two free checked bags of up to 70 pounds each for international and some domestic flights Priority access for TSA Priority boar...

Are you ready for a new year? I know I am. As we are looking forward to 2017, let's review some of the key events and discussions in 2016 as published at MultiBriefs.com .   Impacts from the major events in 2016 There were several surprising, if not revolutionary, changes in 2016 that need our special attention as we enter 2017. Here are some examples: Donald Trump  will officially become the 45th  president of the United States after the inauguration on Jan. 20. I do not believe his presidency or his comments about illegal immigrants will stop people from traveling to the U.S., but his foreign policies — such as tighter border controls and new regulations or procedures of handling visas for temporary visitors — might have a negative impact. Meanwhile, Trump's infrastructure plan may boost the travel and tourism industry, providing easier, faster and safer access to a destination. A growing number of  terrorist attacks in Europe   have made (or ...

#Food #Restaruant #Trends #2016 #2017 Forbes magazine released the top 10 food and restaurant trends of 2016 . Based on the options of five culinary experts, the trends were identified as the following: Asian Twists on Comfort Food - #kimchi, #Sriracha, #dashi Better Butters - #flavor Coconut Everything - #chips, #truffles, #water Cook-it-Yourself Meal Kits - #dish, #recipes, #flavors  Dukkah - #Egyptian, #seeds, #nuts, #spices  Farm-raised Fish - #sustainability Filipino Cuisine & Flavors - #lumpia, #adobo, #pancit, #halo-halo Miso - #umani, #marinades, #saladdressings, #snakes, #donuts, #icecrean Nut Cheeses - #nutmilk  Turmeric - #saladdressings, #cocktail  Do you think some or all of these trends will stay in 2017?  #HospitalityBrief in English #HospitalityBrief in Cantonese #HospitalityBrief in Mandarin The picture was downloaded from Foodservice Consultants Society International . 

A recent trend has emerged in the beverage industry that pinpoints a change in attitude and behavior in consumers. Want to find out what this new trend is? Next time you are at a grocery store, walk down the wine aisle and look for something out of the ordinary. Between all of the wine bottles, something different will pop out: wine cans. It now seems that beer is not the only alcoholic beverage sold in cans. Within the past year, the creation and consumption of canned wine have greatly increased. In fact, canned wine sales have more than doubled in the past year, according to a Business Insider study.  The study showed that sales of canned wine reached up to a revenue of $6.4 million in 2015 and so far to $14.5 million in 2016. Although canned wine currently only makes up about 1% of the market, the growth rate is rapidly climbing, comments Sommelier, Andrew Jones.     The idea of canned wine only began a few years ago. Andrew Jones, who started Field ...

Recently, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and Smith Travel Research (STR) released the " 2016 Lodging Survey . "  The goal of this biennial survey is to provide a current and comprehensive understanding of hotel operations, with the possibility of  identifying the critical travel trends heading into 2017. The survey covers a wide range of areas. I highlighted the key findings from the survey on Multibriefs.com , but here is a brief summary: Technology #Hotel #Trends http://bit.ly/112216  Almost all hotels across various chain scales (from luxury to economy hotels) adopt central reservation systems (94-100 percent). More hotels are using mobile apps for customer service, including checking-in into a hotel.  98 percent of hotels offer high-speed in-room internet service with wireless access, with fewer hotels charging for the service.  Fewer  hotels are using social networking sites for marketing purposes, dropping from 93 perc...

In recent years the world has become increasingly automated.   Tasks that were once performed painstakingly and methodically by humans are beginning to be completed by robots, machines, and programs.   Some people see this as a blessing.   Others see it as a curse.   In reality, it can be either depending on how it is used, which is why hospitality professionals must be aware of the current technology in order to learn how to use it, but not abuse it. Hospitality is a people-centered business.   It is also generally based on service, not products.   As a result, hospitality is one of the most labor-intensive industries in the world.   Many of the services the guests require cannot be duplicated by a machine or a robot—at least not in a satisfactory manner.   When a guest orders their food at a restaurant they want a server present to explain menu items, answer questions and make recommendations.   When a business traveler arrives a hot...