The first of its kind, The Hospitality Show is a bold new event for the entire hospitality ecosystem with one shared goal: operating hotels efficiently and profitably. Brought to you by The American Hotel & Lodging Association and Hotel Management, the event will bring together top industry leaders, senior executives of hotel brands, owners, operators, management companies and procurement specialists—and their teams—to discover, network and drive profitability.
Business accelerates when the right people are in the room, and this new weekly series of advisory board interviews goes 1:1 with the industry’s best and brightest as they build the inaugural event to be held June 27-29, 2023 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
In this installment, we catch up with Dan Bell, SVP at Shiji Americas at Shiji Group.
What issues are currently causing headaches for the industry?
Bell: From a technology point of view, how to optimize and balance costs savings while keeping guest experience high to justify the increased rates. We saw in Shiji’s annual survey of guest experience that in the US, guests are less satisfied than they were before. Probably because of increased rates along with service levels that have not increased. So the challenge is how to use technology better so guests have a better experience. An example would be less time on check-in or checkout and more time for staff to spend with guests.
What will it take for those issues to smooth out and when do you anticipate that will happen?
Bell: It is likely to be an ongoing process over the next few years. I wish I could say there is a perfect formula that will solve both immediately. Hotels really need to study how to remove friction for the guests. The urgency is that prices and costs are going up and guests naturally will expect improved service levels as well.
What new trends do you see affecting the hospitality industry the most in 2023?
Bell: How to cut costs without impacting the guest experience. And I think this only will happen through a well-thought-out digital transformation strategy. That means replacing a lot of the core legacy systems in hotels today, which will take time to achieve.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the industry as we make our way through 2023?
Bell: We are seeing strong demand, and I think this coming year we will continue to see strong demand - global business travel is picking up as well and so are events. We have a great opportunity for a stellar year. I believe a critical opportunity for hotels will be to carefully monitor their reputation and guest feedback. Ensuring they're on top of things. In times of high demand is when hotels need to be most alert, and it usually pays off with increased bookings and positive word of mouth.
What do you think the industry’s biggest win this year will be?
Bell: With all we're seeing now, and providing the economy and world conditions don't deteriorate too much, I believe this could be an incredible year for our industry. We're seeing labor coming back so it really could be a great year. And a year to invest into optimization of costs and guest satisfaction.
What are you most looking forward to at The Hospitality Show?
Bell: Seeing our customers, prospective customers, industry peers and industry leaders and how they're planning for the future—in all facets of their business. I think the last few years have given a lot of people in the industry the opportunity and will to invest in better technology and I am really looking forward to seeing how that is progressing.