Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

A recent trend has emerged in the beverage industry that pinpoints a change in attitude and behavior in consumers. Want to find out what this new trend is? Next time you are at a grocery store, walk down the wine aisle and look for something out of the ordinary. Between all of the wine bottles, something different will pop out: wine cans. It now seems that beer is not the only alcoholic beverage sold in cans. Within the past year, the creation and consumption of canned wine have greatly increased. In fact, canned wine sales have more than doubled in the past year, according to a Business Insider study.  The study showed that sales of canned wine reached up to a revenue of $6.4 million in 2015 and so far to $14.5 million in 2016. Although canned wine currently only makes up about 1% of the market, the growth rate is rapidly climbing, comments Sommelier, Andrew Jones.     The idea of canned wine only began a few years ago. Andrew Jones, who started Field ...

Recently, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and Smith Travel Research (STR) released the " 2016 Lodging Survey . "  The goal of this biennial survey is to provide a current and comprehensive understanding of hotel operations, with the possibility of  identifying the critical travel trends heading into 2017. The survey covers a wide range of areas. I highlighted the key findings from the survey on Multibriefs.com , but here is a brief summary: Technology #Hotel #Trends http://bit.ly/112216  Almost all hotels across various chain scales (from luxury to economy hotels) adopt central reservation systems (94-100 percent). More hotels are using mobile apps for customer service, including checking-in into a hotel.  98 percent of hotels offer high-speed in-room internet service with wireless access, with fewer hotels charging for the service.  Fewer  hotels are using social networking sites for marketing purposes, dropping from 93 perc...

In recent years the world has become increasingly automated.   Tasks that were once performed painstakingly and methodically by humans are beginning to be completed by robots, machines, and programs.   Some people see this as a blessing.   Others see it as a curse.   In reality, it can be either depending on how it is used, which is why hospitality professionals must be aware of the current technology in order to learn how to use it, but not abuse it. Hospitality is a people-centered business.   It is also generally based on service, not products.   As a result, hospitality is one of the most labor-intensive industries in the world.   Many of the services the guests require cannot be duplicated by a machine or a robot—at least not in a satisfactory manner.   When a guest orders their food at a restaurant they want a server present to explain menu items, answer questions and make recommendations.   When a business traveler arrives a hot...

Many hotels and restaurants struggle in selling their empty banquet rooms, especially during soft seasons and weekdays. Hotels and restaurants must learn how to maximize their sales and be efficient in booking their empty space. Based off of my experience during a project in collaboration with the sales team of DoubleTree Hotel, Santa Ana, I have developed a simple three-step process in order to achieve that goal: Analyze, Target, and Execute. Analyze Directors and managers of all departments should gather together and develop a marketing plan in which they should discuss the demographics of clients that would be a perfect fit for the hotel’s type of space and environment. They should also discuss how these demographics can achieve the organization’s goals in term of sales and occupancy rates. These targeted segments should be categorized and prioritized. For example; if the hotel is in a middle of a business area, corporate events should be their main target with social events b...

Hotels have a difficulty in building relationships with their customers through advertisements. Nowadays, it is not an easy task to inform a customer about one’s property, especially to the millennials. Some customers do not find ads credible or accurate, and new software such as AdBlock provides customers the options to remove advertisements from their computer. Today, people rely on social media to acquire and follow the latest trends. A new method of advertisement has taken over due to this concept. Many hotels are changing their marketing plan and trying to improve their social media presence to gain more sales. Moreover, Google has come up with a plan to help hotels acquire more businesses. Social media have become a great mean to advertise a product. However, advertising on social media is different than on television. It is not as simple as opening a Facebook fan page or creating an Instagram account. It requires hours of preparation and a good understanding of what cu...

U.S. News and World Report released a new ranking of the Best Travel Reward Programs . The winners include:  Visit http://bit.ly/lk101316 for the full coverage of the story The Best Hotel Rewards Programs Wyndham Rewards Choice Privileges (tie) Marriott Rewards (tie) Best Western Rewards La Quinta Returns Club Carlson Hyatt Gold Passport Hilton HHonors IHG Rewards Club Leaders Club The Best Airline Rewards Programs Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan JetBlue TrueBlue Southwest Rapid Rewards Delta SkyMiles Virgin America Elevate United MileagePlus American Airlines AAdvantage HawaiianMiles Frontier EarlyReturns Free Spirit The ranking was determined based on some  specific criteria , such as the easiness to earn and redeem points, the coverage, and etc. In fact, because travel reward programs play an important role in building customer loyalty,  many hotels are reinventing their reward programs to win travelers , including  +Wyndham Rewa...