Imagination Knows No Bounds, So Do GCSTIMES Wooden Key Cards
GCSTIMES promotes its wooden hotel key cards as nature-inspired, creatively designed alternatives combining functionality with distinctive craftsmanship.
Operations & Strategy
Why luxury hotels should focus on revenue, not cost-cutting
Revinate's Dylan Cole and De L'Europe Amsterdam's Robert-Jan Woltering argue that luxury hotels risk brand erosion through cost-cutting, and should prioritize top-line revenue growth across all profit centers.
Dylan Cole in conversation with Karen Stephens
Beyond Key Cards: GCSTIMES Custom Wooden & In-Room Hospitality Amenities
GCSTIMES, a hotel key card supplier, now offers customization services for in-room hospitality essentials including wooden hangers, wooden-handled umbrellas, and branded laundry bags.
Why Most Commercial Strategies Fail to Align Sales, Marketing, and Revenue
Author presents a three-layer Commercial Convergence Model to fix strategic misalignment between sales, marketing, and revenue departments using shared metrics and decision frameworks.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
AAHOA Opposes AB 2721, Warns Bill Creates Legal Uncertainty and Operational Risk for California Hotels
AAHOA opposes California's AB 2721, which would require hotels to publicly disclose ICE and CBP reservations, citing legal liability, privacy concerns, and compliance burdens for small and independent owners.
The One Word That Explains Why Some Companies Fail
Using a simple pretzel story, CX expert Shep Hyken argues that inconsistent service erodes customer confidence and trust, making consistency the single biggest driver of retention.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
The Experience Economy Playbook: Monetizing Beyond the Stay
Hotels must shift from selling rooms to curating experiences, creating revenue streams that don't depend on occupancy through experience marketplaces and destination expertise.
By Julia Krebs, Senior Lecturer and Hospitality Consultant, Les Roches-Marbella
Wooden Key Cards as a City Compass: Rediscovering Travel Through Curiosity
GCSTIMES pitches wooden key cards themed around city landmarks (museums, bridges, statues) paired with a dice mechanic to encourage guests to explore destinations spontaneously.
How a Luxury Hotel Group Helped Drive Domestic Demand and Direct Bookings During Market Uncertainty
Lexis Hotel Group used Amadeus iHotelier Suite to shift to a direct-first strategy in 2025, recovering $502K via cart abandonment tools and achieving 37% total revenue growth amid reduced inbound travel.
CASE STUDY: Resort Leadership Breakdown & Revenue Decline
BRN Solutions restructured leadership, outsourced revenue management, and redesigned the sales and wedding strategy at an independent resort, delivering a $1.4M performance swing within five months.
By Rick Blackburn, Founder of brn solutions, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants
Away from Home, Yet at Ease: Creating Continuity and Community for Extended-Stay Guests
Hotels targeting long-stay guests are investing in communal spaces, local identity, and routine-supporting amenities to reduce isolation and create a sense of belonging.
The Great Customer Experience Game: Customer Service Without Winners and Losers
Author proposes a self-scoring gamification model for customer service where employees compete against their own past performance, not colleagues, to build better habits and culture.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
AHLA Statement on Passage of the Los Angeles Minimum Wage Amendments
AHLA CEO Rosanna Maietta welcomed LA City Council amendments to the hotel minimum wage law, calling it necessary relief amid rising costs and declining travel demand.
Welcoming Guests with Space
Research shows that overcrowded hotel rooms with excess pillows, documents, and amenity trays hinder guests' ability to personalise their space, reducing psychological ownership and satisfaction.
By Lee-Keng Ng, Associate Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
Where Family Journeys Begin: Animal-Shaped Wooden Key Cards and Playtime Unplugged Moments
GCSTIMES animal-shaped wooden key cards double as play prompts for children, assigning each animal a simple offline activity to make family stays more memorable and screen-free.
From Binders to Real-Time: How Hospitality America Rewired Operations for a Digital Era
Hospitality America shares how adopting Actabl's ProfitSword and Hotel Effectiveness across its Southeast portfolio cut GM admin hours, improved labor cost control, and boosted retention over 30 years.
By Ryan Sistare, Vice President of Operations, Hospitality America
The Hotel That Follows You
A hospitality MBA graduate proposes the "touring hotel" model: a circuit of connected boutique properties sharing one guest profile, luggage logistics, and service memory across a multi-stop itinerary.
By Ali Bahbahani, Founder, Ali Bahbahani & Partners
Is Your Team Chat a Legal Liability? Most Operators Don't Know the Answer
Hospitality operators using personal messaging apps for team communication risk losing guest data, facing compliance audits, and having no records during HR or legal disputes.
By Rebecca Lazar, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Zenzap
How to prepare for hospitality’s AI future: Inside NAVIGATE 2026
A recap of Revinate's NAVIGATE 2026 conference in Phoenix, covering AI adoption strategies, the importance of clean guest data, and new product developments including automated call scoring.
Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer, Revinate, Inc.
The Solo Trip Is Getting a Group Chat: Why Gen Z Backpackers Are Turning Hostels Into Social Itineraries
Mad Monkey Hostels reports solo travelers increasingly seek built-in social opportunities, with industry data showing a 200% rise in searches for group tours among solo travelers.