South Africa and the World Cup challenge

South Africa is expecting thousands of visitors this summer as 64 FIFA World Cup football matches take place in ten venues around the country.

Is the lodging industry up to the challenge? What about the level of service-mindedness the country will need to demonstrate, if such an intense hospitality-oriented event is to truly succeed?

We asked these questions to three people who are definitely "in the know":

• Mmatšatši Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA)
• Ewan Cameron, Managing Director of the African Sun hotel group

and

• Michèle de Witt, of Horwath HTL's Cape Town office

Their comments make for some very interesting reading!

Dubai: Is the party over?

Philippe Doizelet of Horwath HTL examines the likelihood that Dubai can keep up the frenetic pace of hotel construction that it was known for during the past few years.

Lifestyle hotels: not just a buzzword

In this article, John Russell of NYLO Hotels says:

Travelers are tired of cookie-cutter hotels.
They want something that’s beautifully designed and unique
with all the comforts of home. Lifestyle hotels put the fun back
in travel, and they do it at nightly rates that greatly appeal to
today’s cost-conscious travelers. I see continued growth for the
segment with a lot of exciting new designs and rich lifestyle
amenities that make luxury affordable. Lifestyle hotels will
become the next generation hotel of choice.

What do you think? The article's author, Fran Kiradjian, founder of the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association, stands 100% by this claim and offers lots of evidence, including the launch of three boutique brands this year alone.

Hot new market opportunity!

That got your attention, eh?

The hot new opportunity is this: medical tourism. Undoubtedly on the rise (especially in a handful of key countries), and undoubtedly creating a new and different profile of traveler, with special hospitality needs.

In this thorough and very convincing article, Renée-Marie Stephano, President of the US-based Medical Tourism Association, offers a detailed look at the trends and opportunities as they are currently developing.

A heart valve replacement costs about $170,000 in the USA, but only $13,500 in Singapore. Surely disparities like this are going to create a huge demand for less expensive treatment in faraway places (maybe even encouraged by the insurance companies and/or governments who are footing the bill). If this kind of travel becomes widespread, a big opportunity emerges for hotels to provide an environment for convalescence, but also a place where the patients' families can be looked after.

A fascinating article!

How hotel companies can successfully court capital in 2010

Byron Carlock is the President & CEO of CNL Lifestyle Company, LLC, a firm which bases its hotel and real estate development investment decisions on carefully researched consumer lifestyle trends. In this article, he ponders the role of relationships in overcoming the current slowdown in investment.

A question to investors and operators out there: Does "skin in the game" make a difference to you? What other ways can an investment partner demonstrate its commitment to the deal? Have you seen any particularly innovative ways for this good faith to be proven?

Some sobering thoughts on hotel pricing trends

When it comes to setting room rates, hotels are in the process of losing control, says Roman Peskin in this important article from the Hotel Yearbook 2010.

He explains how guests (and even previous guests) are gaining in influence. This is a sobering read for all marketing managers!

Niches = riches

Social media have utterly changed the way marketers communicate with customers - and maybe more importantly, how customers communicate with each other.

Julie Keyser-Squires, CEO of Softscribe Inc. in Atlanta, has written a fascinating how-to article for the Hotel Yearbook, in which she not only posits that social media will reach "a tipping point of credibility and use in the hotel industry" this year, but also lists a couple dozen examples of digital excellence in the hospitality field, such as Fairmont's guest community and the Peabody Duck Facebook fan page, among many others.

I think her article is a great primer for anyone wanting to figure out a way to get started down the digital path. Read the whole thing!