Why Hotel Marketing and Loyalty Leaders Are Feeling Optimistic

It may feel as if the entire hotel industry has relapsed during the surge of the delta variant, but there are plenty of reasons to feel good about the outlook for hospitality and travel. Participants at HSMAI’s Chief Marketing and Loyalty Officers Executive Roundtable — held in Dallas on Sept. 27 as part of Commercial Strategy Week — shared some of the positive trends they’ve observed, including:

  • An uptick in Sunday-Monday stays, which suggests that guests are taking advantage of “workcation” trips.
  • More “suits” are flying on planes, meaning business travel has been returning — and will continue to increase into the fall.
  • Borders are beginning to reopen, which is good news for travel into the United States and within other parts of the world.
  • Through COVID, we finally have been able to move the needle on industry pricing; there’s more willingness among hotels to try new things.
  • As an industry, we’ve been able to have in-person events one after the other throughout the summer and into the fall, and that continues to move us forward. We as an industry can be a leader for meeting safely and productively.
  • The public and companies have demonstrated great resiliency throughout the pandemic. People have shifted gears and kept going.
  • Our company has actually managed to hit record numbers in the last few months.
  • Luxury came back quickly — and a lot of that sector is younger than you would think.
  • The growth of work from anywhere as an option has results in significant increases in productivity and conversion.
  • We had a great summer — we hit 2019 occupancy levels and exceeded 2019 on rate.

The roundtable was supported by Clairvoyix, iSeatz, TINT, and attended by professionals from Aimbridge Hospitality, ALHI, Atlantis Paradise Island (Brookfield Hosp), Best Western Hotels and Resorts, KSL Resorts, Marriott International, Outrigger Hotel Group, Preferred Hotels and Resorts, Radisson Hotel Group, Red Roof Inn, Rosewood Hotel Group, and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.


Categories: Marketing
Insight Type: Articles