Articles tagged “customer experience”

Expedia wants to help put customers in touch with hotels to sort out travel complications. That seems like it would be a complicated dance because Expedia doesn't readily share much customer information with hotels, a longtime grievance in the lodging industry.

A property’s frontline staff is typically the heart of any hotel operation. Investing in these employees, both professionally and personally, can lead to major enhancements in company culture and revenue.

Hotel chains are always in search of the next big thing in innovation or loyalty that will give them an edge over the competition. But in discussions with industry professionals at the NYU Hospitality Conference this week, it seems most would be willing to settle for reliable Wi-Fi and USB ports in rooms. Maybe simple is better?

Machine learning is revolutionizing the travel industry, where it has the potential to transform company activity related to marketing, customer service, e-commerce, and much more. In our recent webinar, we discuss how industry executives can make use of this powerful new tool.

This could go one of two ways. Passengers could revolt, taking to social media to complain about Delta's decision to reduce recline on 62 airplanes. Or customers could be pleasantly surprised at how much space they'll have under Delta's new test configuration.

Customer-experience software companies Medallia, which is planning to go public this year, and Qualtrics, which SAP has just acquired for $8 billion, are receiving cash injections that should rev up their services. That's significant news for travel businesses that depend heavily on positive customer sentiment but increasingly face customer survey fatigue.

This week in aviation, an All Nippon Airways deal could help the Philippine tourism industry, airlines target millennials with premium economy seats, and American Airlines struggles to deal with tumbling customer satisfaction.

Nearly every travel brand knows that direct bookings offer a powerful opportunity to take control of their relationship with customers. But knowing how to make it happen can be challenging. The emerging set of best practices below offers a road map to move from idea to action.

Travel providers need to step up the experiences they offer to compete in an increasingly crowded market –– and those in the cruise sector are no exception. With the recent announcement that it’s overhauling three of its ships, Windstar Cruises is one example of a cruise brand that realizes this.

The digital transformation that the airline industry has undergone in recent years has helped fuel a customer-centric approach. But there’s still opportunity for improvement as far as behind-the-scenes tech infrastructure goes.