Hotel CEO Interview Series

Brand trust, fostered by communicating and delivering on a defined guest experience, is what keeps guests coming back year after year. Solomons focus on building trust is what drives all the smaller decisions from tech to training.

Preferred Hotel Group has likely evolved the most of any of its peers throughout its existence and continues to do so by tracking and adapting to the needs of specific customers segments.

Competition has pushed independent hoteliers like Pomeranc to think about what "boutique" means for a generation of travelers that will shortly grow up with Marriott's and Hilton's version of that guest experience. Technology not doubt has a role, but so does simply superior service.

In a luxury brand, it's less about what technology can do for guests and more about what technology can do for staff who can use it to provide more personalized, smoother service to the customer.

Hotel brands’ increased interest in the independent hotel market comes as consumer bookings and the number of actual small private hotel increases suggesting there’s enough business and options to go around for specialized consortia, global corporations, and the do-it-yourself traveler.

Relais & Châteaux goes beyond a focus on independent luxury properties with a specialty in cuisine, attracting a specific segment of high-spending leisure travelers who want a quality guarantee on both the hospitality and culinary aspects of their stay.

Although there are seismic shifts in Leading Hotels' business caused by changing consumer behavior, marketing trends and booking habits, Teng is not concerned with major chains' entrance into the sector. He believes that his and similar organizations offer a specialty product that cannot be recreated for the masses.

Few companies believe that they can be everything to everyone, but that's exactly what Hilton is going after, by listening to its current and could-be guests for which products and experience to build upon.

Airbnb needs to figure out a way to work neighbors into the equation.

By developing important, one-of-a-kind historic hotels with modern interior design, Rocco Forte Hotels is showing how a family business can remain relevant in today's luxury hospitality sector.