As always, making it happen will be the motto for general managers in 2015. Whether it’s refining a corporative directive to create a more sophisticated social media presence or bringing big-picture buzzwords like “personalization” down to the individual scale, here is what GMs need to be prepared for next year.
HOTELS: How can hotels muscle out their competition online?
David Chase, general manager, New York Palace Hotel: Don’t go it alone. In 2014 we hired a social media agency to provide assistance with design and to create rich media, social graphics and content for our most popular social media platforms.
H: What are the hot channels going to be?
Chase: Continued efforts for 2015 include having a presence on travel meta-search sites, geo-targeting to international guests and adding personalization features to recognize repeat customers.
H: What’s new in green concepts?
Chase: Integrating them with the property management system. During the renovation, we integrated window shades, thermostats and occupancy sensors, so when a guest checks out we are able to manage the energy pieces more effectively.
H: What has you burning the midnight oil thinking about for next year?
Tom Klein, regional vice president and general manager, Fairmont San Francisco: Driving and increasing bookings to our own website and away from IMMs can be a challenge. The Fairmont San Francisco will attempt to drive additional bookings via social media. To date, social media has been primarily a branding/engagement channel, and we would like to further utilize it as more of a booking portal. Currently, we do not have booking capabilities directly on social media, and this is something we are exploring going forward.
H: What’s trending in channel management?
Katja Henke, general manager, The Peninsula Bangkok: On our own website, we will drive additional revenue through the use of dynamic packaging so guests can customize their vacation experience.
In regards to training, we will focus on rate parity and price integrity for our reservations and sales staff.
H: What’s the can’t-miss sustainability initiative?
Henke: Going paperless wherever possible is still crucial. In April 2014, an application for smartphones and tablet devices was activated in the hotel allowing guests access to over 2,000 newspapers.