Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Have you made any travel plans for the summer?  If not, it is probably a good time to do so.   As a matter of fact, it is now also a good time for business operators in the hospitality and tourism industry to revisit their existing summer plans and make adjustments if necessary. But first, let’s check what we can expect in this year’s summer travel. The Positive Positive growth can be expected due to the following reasons: ·       The unemployment rate continues to fall, with an estimation of going below 4 percent by the summer . Companies located in areas with low unemployment rates have already voluntarily increased the hourly wages and/or add more benefits to their staff members. The improving economy will encourage more people to travel.  ·       The minimum wage is also on the rise. Many areas across the nation have set a schedule to raise the minimum wage (e.g., to $15 an hour by...

What keeps the hospitality industry going, especially in hotels, are the employees. Human resources (HR) have become an important asset to many hospitality businesses. Since workers in a hospitality business are the ones who make connections with the guests and make sales, it is very critical to keep the employees happy. Finding the right employee that fits into the company has also become an important component of human resource management (HRM). Lately, there emerge a lot of new trends, one of which is about employee satisfaction and growth with the aids of technology. Technology in Human Resources HR managers and directors come up with many strategies to recruit the "right" employees. For example, HR managers are now implementing web-based programs to assist them in their day to day work. Such implications have been put into place at Pechanga Resort and Casino. With the employment pool being over 5,000, the HR managers have to have their work cut out for them. The...

The young, fun-loving traveler who is looking for an affordable yet stylish place to stay is the target market for Marriott’s new lifestyle/boutique hotel Moxy. The new hotel brand was designed to attract people who want more than a room to sleep in. This group of travelers tends to be cost-conscious and demanding at the same time while trying to stay socially connected. Moxy is the place to be. The brand’s affordable prices, stylish amenities, and technical accommodations attract the “fun hunters,” as Marriott calls its new target market. The rooms are small yet comfortable and stylish featuring large flat screen TVs, USB outlets, and high-speed wifi. Staying true to their motto: Less is more - they accentuate more not less. The lobby or living room is the center and heart of the hotel. The public space is a place to relax, play, hang out, and meet people. Guests check in at the bar while enjoying a complimentary cocktail or having a snack at the 24/7 self-service beverage and food....

Airbnb profits the idea of letting travelers rent a lodging facility or extra space from a local resident rather than a traditional hotel. While P2P (peer-to-peer) room-sharing services still remain to be Airbnb’s core business at this point, the company is aiming for something bigger --- Airbnb wants to be a travel enterprise . If that’s the case, will Airbnb soon become another giant OTA (online travel agent) like Expedia or Priceline? I bet it would, just by looking at what Airbnb rolled out recently. Airbnb Experiences Airbnb launched a new line of business --- “ Airbnb Experiences ” back in November 2016. While Airbnb Experiences might  not be as successful  as what the company had anticipated, this line of business is supposed to bring enriching experience for travelers staying in a destination. Airbnb Experiences offer services ranging from a bicycle or food tour to a music-recording experience in a real studio, which goes beyond the company’s core P2...

Airbnb is the dominant provider of room-sharing services. The company is now turning itself into a  full-service travel enterprise . With the debut of two new brands,  Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb , its room-sharing services are expected to appeal to even more travelers. For many, it is a  "cool thing" to stay in an Airbnb . Well…only if they did not get turned down or  kicked out  by a host. Two years ago, an African-American man filed a  lawsuit against Airbnb  for the company’s ignorance of the hosts’ race discrimination, as he had found it very difficult to get his reservation requests accepted by a host. That's not cool at all, is it? Unlike business entities, such as  hotels  and  online travel agents  (OTAs) that usually accept or decline a consumer’s reservation request strictly based on vacancy and price, without any assessment on the consumer’s demographic or social-economic backgrounds, room-sharing websites sole...

With the debut of two new brands this month ---  Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb , Airbnb is expected to appeal to even more travelers in the market. Airbnb, as well as other room-sharing websites, are making huge disruptions to the lodging industry. On one hand, room-sharing websites add a tremendous amount of inventory to the market by enabling any consumers with extra living space to run a business as a lodging operator. On the other hand, room-sharing websites introduced innovative changes to the traditional online reservation process as what is commonly used by  hotels  and  OTAs (online travel agents) . As business entities, hotels and OTAs will usually accept or decline a consumer's reservation request strictly based on vacancy and price, without any assessment on the consumer's demographic or social-economic backgrounds. Room-sharing websites provide the cyber marketplace for travelers and hosts where they can be connected. The reservation process on r...

Last week, Airbnb made an important move to help the company step up in the  competition against hotel chains and online travel agents  — the debut of two branded products. I expect Airbnb's new branding strategy will change the competition landscape in the market even though I was not surprised at this news at all, as suggested in  last month's discussion . The debut of two new brands As a milestone of Airbnb's 10th anniversary, the company is introducing two new brands  —  Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb. According to  The New York Times , the company is debuting the Airbnb Plus brand with more than 2,000 homes in 13 cities around the globe, with an expectation of having more than 75,000 homes in 50-plus locations under this brand by the end of this year. Airbnb Plus To be qualified as an  Airbnb Plus  home, a property must meet the 100-point quality checklist set by Airbnb. Some important features of this brand include: Host s with ...