Jane Goodwall
Cayley and Brandon Jenner’s family is growing again! The Jenners, who got married in January 2020 and welcomed twins that same year, are expecting another baby together in August, the couple exclusively tells PEOPLE.
NEW YORK — Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped from New York City’s Central Park Zoo and became one of the city’s most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan, has died, zoo officials announced Friday.
By Warren Dehan, President of Maestro
– 2.27.2024
The hotel payment processing experience is ready for a shakeup. Improving payment processing in hotels has been a major barrier for independent operators, and yet the closer payment processes are to a business’ core systems, the more benefits they provide operators. Hotels have embraced the value of integrated payment processing, which allows merchants to integrate their capabilities into a hotel’s point-of-sale systems, but this still necessitates a digital “handshake” between service providers to process a simple payment. The next evolution of this offering is embedded payments, which are helping independent operators control costs and simplify guest purchases.
Embedded payment processing takes integrated systems to the next level by allowing hotels to source one provider for management software and payment processing capabilities. Embedded solutions allow businesses to curate their own checkout experience, meaning no more bouncing from a hotel’s branded site to a third party to handle transactions. Guests prefer this approach to payments for a variety of reasons and are more likely to associate their purchase with a business or brand rather than a merchant this way.
Embedded payment processing conveys other benefits to hotels as well, such as more accurate accounting information and the ability to store all of a hotel’s purchasing data under one roof. When payments are routed through embedded tools, hotels know more about their guests, can keep their guests’ information more secure, and travelers can draw on increased confidence to drive further purchasing decisions.
Third-party payment processors have been beneficial for independent hotels in the past thanks to their ability to equalize the payment landscape, but they also introduced different challenges. It can be jarring for guests to have their attention shifted to a third party during a purchase, and any shifts to a payment screen separated from your hotel’s branding can cause consumers to reconsider their buying decisions. By using an embedded payment processing system to create a consistent check-out experience, hotels can improve conversion rates while creating more opportunities for guest purchases. This setup also reduces churn and holds guests’ attention for less time during check-out.
Embedded systems also have the potential to improve the security of guest information tied to payments by reducing the number of channels a transaction must traverse before business can conclude. With money changing hands fewer times, there are fewer opportunities for guest data to be compromised. Additionally, avoiding third-party interactions also increases the perception of security when payment processing is concerned. Increasing positive perceptions about data security will be paramount to raising consumer confidence in hospitality throughout the current business cycle.
Lastly, embedded payment processing yields significant guest data that is now available exclusively to hotels, not selectively provided by payment processing partners. The closer hotels are to their guests’ data, the more insights they can gain. By embedding payments, hotels can track the journey of every dollar throughout their system. Direct access to these funds from beginning to end also provides benefits through accounting services, as they can be even more accurate than when routed through integrated systems.
Travelers crave consistency, especially when it comes to payments. Consumers want to be sure they are spending money with the business they expect, and by embedding purchasing tools, hotels can create a more consistent overall travel experience from beginning to end. Hotels must consider how airlines, rideshare companies, and more are embedding their payment processing capabilities and how guests are used to a certain presentation when it is time to pay.
Additionally, embedded payments provide a level of authenticity to a business that can’t be replicated, to the point that it even provides access to additional revenue streams. Independent hotels can more consistently market ancillary services, amenities, or property attributes to guests when payments are embedded directly into the site. Hotels can cross-sell, up-sell, and more using cross-department carts and a streamlined purchase experience.
Independent hoteliers should ask their PMS provider about the availability of embedded payment solutions and how they can help create a more robust data and payment ecosystem for their hotel. Through embedded systems, hoteliers can ensure guest data stays within their purview while providing a more comprehensive guest experience from beginning to end. They are the natural endpoint for hotel payment processing, and these systems are available today.
Warren Dehan is the President of Maestro, the preferred cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestro was first to market with a fully integrated Windows PMS and Sales & Catering solution and is continuing that trend with leading edge web and mobile based solutions. Platform and deployment independence present Maestro as an investment that will continue to grow and adapt as new technologies emerge.
Are you an industry thought leader with a point of view on hotel technology that you would like to share with our readers? If so, we invite you to review our editorial guidelines and submit your article for publishing consideration.
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Black and white hues have taken awards season by storm: look no further than the winners’ circle at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. Monochrome hues had a big moment on the runways of Gucci, Chloé and Carven during the spring 2024 season, while pared-down palettes were popular among attendees at…
According to Morning Consult research commissioned by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, hotel bookings make up 15 percent of all U.S. e-commerce, with over 500 bookings occurring every minute. This is an extremely lucrative business model and generates billions of dollars for Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) every year.
Each year hotels pay more than $50 billion to OTAs like Expedia and Bookings, which control 90 percent of the online hotel marketplace. And, while research shows that booking directly with a hotel equals higher customer satisfaction, the ubiquity of these OTA sites and the aggressive online marketing means that number is likely to only get higher. And, as those sites grow, and hotels book less of their own bookings, hotels start losing negotiation leverage. This puts OTAs in an extremely powerful position to extract more and more from hotel franchisees.
In this environment, the segmented nature of the hotel industry provides a strategic advantage for OTAs. And, to make matters worse, the franchise model hotels operate on often give OTAs an even larger advantage. In fact, Hilton does not own a single one of its 7,000 properties. This makes it even harder for franchisees to push back against OTA pricing.
However, the brands can, and one is giving it a shot: Choice Hotels is in the midst of acquiring Wyndham. These two firms represent a similar market capitalization of $6.4 billion and $5.9 billion, respectively. This puts them well below hotel giants like Marriott ($59.7 billion) and Hilton ($40.8 billion). Separately, they’re in a weaker position against the OTAs, but a Choice-Wyndham combination would give them more leverage to negotiate lower commissions. Booking commissions range, but can be up to 30%. Having more negotiating power to lower that fee can put real money back in the pockets of franchisees and give them more resources to invest for direct-to-consumer marketing and other.
Given the current market there is a path where OTAs become the dominant force in the hotel market, and hotel franchisees continue to hemorrhage profit. What Choice is attempting to do is avoid this problem, give themselves a bigger booking platform, and at the same time increase their brands leverage with OTAs. This should be cheered on, because at the end of the day, this means more competition in the market, which should also lead to lower prices and more access for customers.
Yes, it is true – consolidation can lead to more competition. It just comes down to an idea that some have a hard time grasping: businesses are multifaceted. That is a part of the fast-moving modern economy.
This is particularly true in the hotel industry. Even a combined Choice-Wyndham would have nine other brands competing against them, including well-funded behemoths. These brands recognize the value in the economy and midscale segments where Choice and Wyndham’s hotels are well-represented and are pushing into these categories with their own aggressive expansions.
It has never been harder to run a hotel. While generations of entrepreneurs have used the franchise model to achieve the American dream, inflationary pressures, lingering effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and rising wages makes it increasingly difficult.
The Choice-Wyndham combination makes sense from a market standpoint. The combined firm’s marketing spend would increase customer acquisition through direct channels, driving down the reliance on the OTAs for hotel bookings.
In this economy, hotels need every tool in their toolchest to be able to compete. A combined Choice-Wyndham is too valuable of a player to be left on the bench.
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Ellie confirmed the news on Instagram Stories, writing “In light of recent stories, I feel I have been left with no choice but to let you all know that Caspar and I privately separated some time ago. We remain the closest of friends and have been successfully co-parenting with our sons best interests at heart.…
This spring, a first-of-its-kind tour is kicking off in Austin, Texas at SXSW Festival, a tour designed to showcase the power of small businesses in hospitality through cinema. Using a mobile pop-up vehicle and projector, hospitality software company eviivo Collective plans to spotlight “10 of the world’s best independent properties,” on outdoor screens through eight global cities: Austin, Belfast, Canterbury, London, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Brussels and Belgium via the eviivo Collective 2.0 World Tour.
“The quality of independent accommodations doesn’t always get the limelight it deserves,” says eviivo CEO Michele Fitzpatrick. “So, we will be showcasing some of the world’s best boutique hotels, vacation rentals, Airbnbs, inns and other inspiring getaways. With our tour, we’re excited to bring the spotlight — quite literally — on some of the best independent properties to the world.”
Travelers who take time to watch the film can enter to win a dream getaway at one of the properties in person or via eviivo’s social media accounts.
The hospitality software company best known for its cloud-based booking and property management system, eviivo Suite, an “all-in-one” system that allows property owners, hoteliers and hosts to manage guests, bookings and online travel agencies — such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo.
To date, eviivo software powers around 26,000 independent properties ranging from guests houses to cottages, inns, villas, windmills, yurts and castles worldwide.
The short cinema presented around the globe at festivals like SXSW Festival in Austin and Shoreditch in London will celebrate, support and raise awareness for the independent accommodation sector in recognition Independent Accommodations Day on March 24. And it will do so by leveraging — a vintage Volkswagen van that’s part art installation, projection mapping rig, outdoor cinema projector and pop-up space. The van, operated by DRIVEABOUT Projection, is equipped with a unique projector that has the capability to project visuals that scale the size of the Empire State Building.
“As innovators, eviivo is proud to provide our customers the best product in the industry, from eviivo Mobile, our award-winning mobile app with first-of-its-kind features, to the very first Generative-AI guest messaging tool, eviivo Concierge, for property owners to use on their websites,” says eviivo CTO Eric White. “With our global initiatives such as eviivo Collective, we continue to show our commitment to the independent accommodation sector goes beyond our software.”
Global estimates of independent vacation rental properties have soared in recent years, with more than 6.6 million properties spread across multiple popular platforms as of 2023, even as the short-term rental market undergoes a reconstruction analysts attribute to market saturation. Meanwhile, the global hotel industry is experiencing a modest bounce back in the wake of customer dissatisfaction with some short-term rental apps like Airbnb.
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Some celebrity couples have gone the distance, but others haven’t been as lucky. 2024 kicked off with a handful of Hollywood duos calling it quits. Fans were shocked when The Bachelorette couple Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo split after four years of marriage. Us Weekly confirmed on January 2 that the chiropractor filed for divorce…
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Economists are feeling good about the outlook for Bryan and College Station, with record-breaking numbers coming from a new report.
The 2023 Economic Indicators report shows hotel revenue is not just recovering from COVID-19 impacts, but has surpassed pre-pandemic indicators.
“We always talk about recovering from COVID, but I think we’ve done it. So I think maybe I should quit saying recovered from covenants to start talking about growth. But what’s going on is our hotel receipts have grown and have grown to be bigger than they were before COVID,” A&M Private Enterprise Research Center Director, Dennis Jansen, said.
Specifically looking at those hotel indicators for the economy, Jansen says it can give a good picture of the whole area.
“When Hotel revenues are high and when hotels are expanding it just tells you that, it’s one indicator that the local economy is doing well,” he said.
Over the past five years, Jansen says the number of hotel beds has remained relatively the same. But, with renovations finishing and new hotels in the works, that could change when they get the report for 2024.
“It’ll be additional competition for existing hotels. I don’t know what they’ll think about that, but they’re they’ll be out there. I mean customers ought to be happy, they have more choices,” he said.
Even though revenue dipped at the end of 2023, Jansen says that’s expected and it’s about to climb again.
“Hotel receipts fall when the University is closed. They really fall over winter break and they also decline in the summer. In the spring, they’re sort of intermediate there, they’re higher than the rest of the year except for the fall. The fall is the king in terms of hotel receipts,” he said.
Copyright 2024 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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The Town of Dedham denied a permit for the expansion of a catering company that would’ve fed hundreds of unhoused people in Massachusetts.
It was a heated vote during a Zoning Board meeting on Wednesday night. The board ultimately denied a special permit for Giri Hotel Management, which the company had requested to expand the use of the empty Victory Grille on Elm Street. The restaurant has been closed for two years.
As of last Friday, Giri started preparing food in that vacant restaurant’s kitchen for the residents housed at the neighboring hotel Inn Dedham now, which they own.
“Currently we’re serving a little more than 400 guests right now,” explained a representative for Giri Hotel Management who spoke during the meeting.
He said they currently have around four employees working in that kitchen. The business owns several local hotels, nine of which currently house homeless people and newly arrived migrants.
Giri had hoped to expand capacity to allow the company to prepare meals for other hotels it owns that are being used as part of the state’s emergency shelter assistance shelter program.
“The question here is not about whether or not people should be here, the question is can we use this empty space as a way to feed human beings in crisis.” one Dedham resident said, in support of this special permit.
And while some supported the approval of this special permit, most were against it.
“I don’t think this is the right spot for it. We’re being closed in, we’re being suffocated.” another resident said during public comment.
This Dedham resident who didn’t want to show her face on camera says she’s not against helping people in crisis but she’s concerned about the negative impacts to her neighborhood.
“We’re surrounded by Legacy Place and businesses on the other side. That it just becomes a bigger business with traffic and trucks coming through.”
The Town of Dedham tells me that Giri Hotel Management will be able to continue to cook and serve food but only to their neighboring hotel residents.
There are currently 161 families, including newly arrived migrants living in two Dedham hotels, including the Inn Dedham.
Giri Hotel Management says they will start searching for a different facility.
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