Hraba Hospitality Consulting

This is a really big question. I would love to see the industry really delve into this.  The transition from real world to online has been very fast, and a lot of the “infrastructure” is so much e-duct tape, putty, and last minute jury rigs – all of which should have meant to be temporary so that we can rebuild our online world of distribution based off tried and true methods, as they evolve.  I know our industry is never that pro-active, but maybe we have an opportunity to start learning from where we are losing the most money, and patch those leaks.
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The Story of Hotel Coffee.

This is something I have done in the past – talking about the history of hotel systems and amenities, and where we are today.  It’s likely horribly self indulgent, as well as terribly boring…. but coffe is such an afterthought, in so many situations, it deserves, at least, it’s own post.

We can start with my background in coffee:  I drink it. I drink quite a lot of it. I quite enjoy it.  I have a burr grinder. The burr grinder changed my coffee life.  As counter-intuitive as it is, I now understand why artisan roasters refuse to sell ground beans.  ”But the market is there for it”, my simplistic free market capitalist economy mindset cajoles my caffeine addled nerves… but self respecting roasters know their bean isn’t honored by letting it die a slow and lonely death as a tired ground in a depressing bag.

So… this is where we engage my hospitality mind, and wrestle with my pragmatic operations side, vs. my guest experience and brand equity side. More after the jump…
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A very informal smattering of data and commentary about the complex debate (for owners) about whether to be a dog friendly property or not.  The below data is objective, and clearly indicates the benefits of adding a pet friendly policy to your hotel.  In fact, this is likely old news, as our whole industry has started “going to the dogs”.  But I compiled this, and thought it might be useful to some people in making their arguments.  There is a long list of subjective points that could be discussed for hours, as the topic of dogs is fiercely emotional and personal, both to pro and anti-dog people.  There are plenty of studies suggesting that dogs increase happiness, reduce stress, reduce depression, and prolong lifespans in human owners, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol - this, however, is not always enough to make a decision in the business world.  Unfortunately, GNP does not mean Gross National Happiness, and business often means bottom line.  Below are some ways to understand the impacts of dogs on the guest experience….. [click more for all the info!]
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And here comes RoomKey… filling an empty space that the OTA’s have bungled.

Here’s an article on Room Key, the hotel brand search engine.

Upshot (summary via TNOOZ):

Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Marriott International and Wyndham Hotel Group have combined to establish the joint venture under the leadership of CEO John Davis, founder of the Pegasus hotel distribution and technology service.”

And here is Barb Delollis from USA Today with a Facebook post that sparked some awesome conversation.

My commentary (after the “more” if you are seeing that… just click for the full post) from that Facebook post (which, as it happens, is by far the most interesting post I have seen on Facebook in years, and no… not because of my response).
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