HOSPITALITY TRENDS
Highgate | January 23, 2023
Highgate, a company involved in hotel management, investment, technology, and development, has announced the launch of HG Portugal, as well as the relaunch of the Dorsett City London Hotel. HG Portugal opens with a portfolio of 18 hotels in several Portuguese markets, including Lisbon, Algarve, and Porto.
The portfolio includes hotels under the Hilton and IHG brand families and many notable independent hotels, such as Salgados Palace, Cascade Resort, and Sao Rafael Atlantico. In addition, the portfolio spans urban full-service hotels, waterfront luxury resorts, lifestyle boutique hotels, and large convention facilities, all drawing from core competencies across Highgate's global footprint.
Highgate has selected Alexandre Solleiro as Chief Executive Officer of HG Portugal as part of its efforts to build a best-in-class operating capability in Portugal. Alexandre Solleiro brings more than 30 years of hospitality leadership expertise in Portugal, and he is supported by a dedicated leadership team from all disciplines. The team will leverage Highgate's existing resources and platforms in Europe, the Caribbean, the United States, and Latin America while also bringing specialized Portugal-based experience.
Highgate brings global experience as an owner/operator in leisure destination markets and lifestyle, branded, and city-center hotels to the Portugal market. It adds unique value to its managed hotels via a platform designed to optimize distribution, operational efficiencies, and hotel concept development.
The launch of HG Portugal follows the October 2021 announcement of two portfolio additions in the UK market: Grosvenor House Suites in London's Mayfair District and the Dorsett City London Hotel. As part of a more extensive repositioning, Highgate will also begin running the Dorsett City London Hotel using a relaunched concept on March 1, 2023.
Arash Azarbarzin, Chief Executive Officer of Highgate, stated, "The launch of HG Portugal complements Highgate's recent re-entry into the UK management space, furthering the application of our proven business towards strategic global opportunities." He added, "Honed over the last 30 years, we will apply our innovative approach to operations, distribution, food and beverage, branding, and positioning during a remarkable moment for Portugal, as more travelers are discovering its magnificence as a prime destination."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Highgate
New York-based Highgate is a leading hospitality management and investment company. It is a prominent figure in the US gateway markets, which include Boston, Honolulu, Miami, San Francisco, and New York. It is also expanding its presence in Europe using properties in Barcelona and London. Highgate offers professional guidance at every stage of the hospitality property cycle, from development and planning to disposition or recapitalization. Highgate is a trusted partner for major hotel brands and top ownership groups, with an executive team comprised of some of the industry's most experienced hotel management leaders.
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INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Internova Travel Group | February 06, 2023
One of the world's largest travel service providers, Internova Travel Group, recently announced plans to launch a new magazine OLTRE. The magazine is produced for 100,000 affluent customers of Global Travel Collection's luxury travel advisors. Global Travel Collectionpremium and luxury travel division, Global Travel Collection, is the world's most sophisticated group of travel agents and agencies.
Elaine Srnka, who used to work for Virtuoso and is now the Senior Vice President of Editorial at Internova, will oversee OLTRE. She is in charge of all Internova's business units and their brands' editorial strategies and content. Laura Sport, another Virtuoso employee, has been appointed Vice President of Publishing. Brad A. Johnson, Editorial Director, worked for Modern Luxury Media for ten years as the national travel editor, and Devin Duckworth, Design Director, came from Fodor's Travel.
Four issues of OLTRE will be published each year, each with a print run of 100,000 copies and an even larger digital audience. Each collectible volume will be printed on eco-certified, archival-quality paper that appears like a keepsake.
The first volume of OLTRE will be debuting this year's spring. Volume 1 will cover the globe from the North to the South poles, adding stops at Bangkok, Mykonos, California, and all points in between. Photo shoots in Italy, London, and other places add to the visual sophistication, and the editors' Look Book guides the most anticipated events in the fashion industry. In addition, every issue will have interviews with exciting travelers in the style of Marcel Proust, tips and insights from travel advisors, and articles about culture, style, and other luxury travel topics.
About Internova Travel Group
One of the largest travel services providers in the world, Internova Travel Group, is a collection of top brands that offer high-touch, personal travel expertise to both leisure and business clients. The company manages leisure, business, and franchise enterprises through the portfolio of different divisions. The travel group represents 100,000+ travel advisors in more than 6,000 company-owned and linked with 80+ countries located primarily in the US, Canada, and the UK.
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AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
IBS Software | February 15, 2023
On February 15, 2023, IBS Software, a travel tech company, released new survey data that shows a staggering 93% of UK and US customers would book more services with airlines if given the opportunity, presenting an enormous opportunity for airlines.
Following a difficult phase of travel uncertainty, passenger confidence in US and UK is on the rise, with 83% of respondents planning to purchase airline tickets within the next six months, according to the study. However, the research also indicates that airlines have failed to maximize this opportunity, with more than a third of respondents (36%) indicating that booking a flight online is more time-consuming and complex than other online retail experiences.
56% of recent flyers would purchase additional offerings from an airline if the online reservation and checkout experience were more like that of online fashion retailers and grocery stores. In addition, a tenth of the people stated that they would book the entirety of their vacation with their airline if they could.
Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) believe that having all confirmation details in one place is the primary advantage of booking multiple trip components in a single transaction, closely followed by saving money (22%) and having only one provider to deal with in case of issues (19%). Converting a one-time buyer into a repeat customer is difficult for any company. Free seat allocation (51%), included baggage (60%), and priority boarding (25%) are the top services airlines could provide to convert passengers into lifelong customers.
Paul Byrne, VP iFly Retail at IBS Software, explains, "As more and more industries invest in Amazon-esque tactics to compete for consumer spend, it's important airlines don't pass up the opportunity on the table. It's always challenging transforming back-end technology but now is the time to build more personalised relationships with your customers - in a difficult economic climate, can you afford not to?"
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About IBS Software
IBS Software is a leader in providing SaaS solutions for the travel industry based in Singapore. It manages mission-critical operations for clients in the aviation, tour & cruise, and hospitality industries. The aviation industry solutions provided by the company include fleet & crew operations, passenger services, staff travel, loyalty programs, aircraft maintenance, and air cargo management. It also operates a B2B and B2C distribution platform that provides hotel room inventory, rates, and availability to a network of hospitality companies and channels. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive, customer-centric digital platform for the tour and cruise industry that includes onshore, online, and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company with 15 offices worldwide.
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