Travel then and now, differences in the travel industry from country to country, what’s next in travel post COVID-19, Agency President &  Chief Strategist Karen Weiner Escalera gives her insights in a recent interview in the newsletter of Global Ties Miami.

She also speaks about her career in travel and journalism.

To read more, click here.

About Global Ties Miami:

GTM  facilitates professional, educational and cultural exchanges with global leaders in business, government and culture, working with a branch of the U.S. State Department.

The post What’s Next in the Travel Industry Post COVID-19 appeared first on KWE Blog.

What are boutique hotel trends 2017? A look at  the origin of the term, what it means today, and all of its variations. Plus, what’s next. First off, as with the words luxury and gourmet, the meaning of boutique hotel has greatly changed from when it was originally used in the 80’s. Any hotel owner or manager thinking of using the word would do well to understand its first meaning and how that has morphed from then to now.

The term “boutique hotel” was first coined in a major way by Design Hotels in the 90’s (though if you speak about a one off “boutique”, others credit Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager in the 80’s). It was used to imply small hotels of up to 100 rooms with personalized service, upscale ( 4 ½ to 5 stars), and one of a kind. Most important to its meaning was the idea of personality through design and décor. Since then, its meaning has been diluted, which so often happens with a “mature” category. The concept has broken up into niches, and the industry giants have moved in.

This being said, there still are groups of boutique hotels and one offs that adhere to the original definition, such as we see in Small Leading Hotels, a group within Preferred and Leading Hotels of the World, and Design Hotels.

Now we’re seeing “boutiques” on the lower end of four star, and even “budget boutique” which is  widely used. How about size? One thousand room hotels are calling themselves “boutiques”. In these properties, service is no longer a defining point.

What most “boutiques” still seem to have in common is the original idea of hotels with personality and/or offering a lodging experience. Then we see niche boutiques themed around art (21c Museum Hotels); décor (West Elm, Restoration Hardware);  fashion (Armani, Bulgari, Missoni); and wellness (Even).

Major chains, Marriott/Starwood, IHG and Hilton continue to enter with various boutique brands – Autograph, Tribute, Edition, and more. At the other end are those of smaller companies like Joie de Vivre and others  in Asia.

What’s next in boutique hotel trends?  Companies will start to (and it’s already happening) move away from the word “boutique”, as its meaning becomes increasingly diluted so as to be almost meaningless, much as has happened with the words gourmet and luxury. What’s the next big thing?  Some might say “Lifestyle” hotels which we’re already seeing. In my opinion, the term is too vague to be meaningful. Most likely there won’t be one strong concept, but many more new niches. For instance, there’s already a Pet Hotel, Divorce Hotel, Women Hotel. With backing from a major brand in each of these categories, I can see ripe opportunities for the taking.

Interested in more travel trends 2017? Click here for another recent blogpost.

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Walking the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route in Spain, is an example of transformative travel

As we hit the half way point in 2017, what are the luxury travel trends that are shaping up? Some are a continuation of those of the past few years though with a new twist, and others are simply new. Here’s our list of the top six:

• Personalization and customization. Butlers and personal concierges are expected at a top luxury hotel or resort. Their role is primarily reactive. A truly luxury experience is considered one where a resort finds out guests’ passions and special interests in advance of a stay and proactively suggests and plans activities and experiences that address those interests. Case in point: a Four Seasons Resort in the Caribbean sends a guest questionnaire in advance and designs a suggested program of resort and destination activities based on those needs.

• Desire for authenticity. Everything from spa treatments and food to beverage, decor and selections in the hotel’s boutique should reflect the local culture and traditions, and give guests an opportunity to interact with that culture.

• Giving back to society. Cause related marketing and the social responsibility of brands have been around for a decade or more including sustainability, recycling, voluntourism programs, and enlightened labor practices. Now, expect food waste to become a growing issue. With growing inequaiity in the world and media accounts of food shortages and starving populaces, consumers are looking at how their retail and hospitality brands are addressing this issue through food donations, upcycling and the like.

• Making travel easier, from airport arrival to airport departure. With the entire process of traveling becoming more complicated and uncomfortable, hotels that can deliver a seamless door to door service, going beyond the strict hotel experience ,will build loyalty. Think airport greeters; alliances with luggage shipment companies; personal shopper to “stock” a hotel closet with clothes for a weekend getaway, eliminating the need to pack a suitcase; and a  waiting lounge for hotel guests in the airport. (this isn’t new but expect it to be more common).

• Experiences and more experiences. The more they involve interactivity and special access the better.

• Transformative travel. What do you do after you’ve been to Paris, Shanghai, Tuscany, Macchu Pichu,, the Taj Mahal several times? You search for experiences that are transformative – your health (wellness vacations); your spirit (ashrams, religious pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago), your creative side (painting weeks), your mind (trips with political and economic themes like the New York Times trip to Saudi Arabia to explore the petroleum industry).

The post Luxury Travel Trends 2017 appeared first on KWE Blog.

PNC-initiated Look!Reflect!Connect!: Art Explorations for Young Children at the Barnes Foundation

The post Arts Organizations: Reaching New Gens appeared first on KWE Blog.

Candy jars for guests at The Bulgari Hotel in Milan

The Ritz Carlton Chicago Candyman, a big hit

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit teens lounge, a big hit with adults

The post Appealing to the Child in All of Us appeared first on KWE Blog.

Timberland coloring book

In a 24/7 demanding world,  even yoga and exercise don’t always work for stress relief. Enter crafting, the newest antidote not only to help rest the mind, but also to stimulate creativity in the workplace and a new idea for meetings. So no surprise that, as reported in Adweek,  adult coloring books are “taking the nation by storm”. They’re on Amazon’s list of best sellers, and cropping up in major brands such as Timberland’s marketing efforts. Even Vogue magazine has come out with its own entry. Coloring books also offer the benefit of being portable, inexpensive, appealing to all demographics and fun.

Michaels Craft stores now offer 150 coloring book titles along with other surfaces people can color on like T shirts, and canvases. And for the ultimate in stress relief, there’s the Meditation Coloring Book that combines calming thoughts with hands on craft activity.

Now how about this for a novel coffee break idea for a group meeting? Combine it with a juice bar and nutritious  snacks and voila. Or have a craft bar with easels for sketching or painting, day by day planners that you can personalize with stickers, and kits for making handstitched photo frames. All refreshing ,relaxing and creativity stimulating  options that are sure to be crowd pleasers.

The post Crafts: New Antidote for Stress Relief appeared first on KWE Blog.

Guest blogpost by Kevin R. Escalera

Snapchat is all in the news in marketing and advertising circles. Here’s a quick guide to geofilters, one of the best ways for businesses to use the app:

What is currently the best social media tool for brands to reach millennials?

Snapchat.

Why?

It’s the fastest growing mobile app among teens and millennials in the United States, passing Twitter and Instagram. Snapchat has over 100 million daily active users, with more accounts created each day. Over 8 BILLION videos are viewed on Snapchat each day.

How can businesses, events and brands easily use SnapChat to their advantage?

Custom branded geofilters.

What are Geofilters?

A geofilter is a digital sticker that changes based on your location. Snapchat users are able to share your logo or event info without having any contact or interference from the sponsor or brand. These stickers can be added to any photo or video that you take in the Snapchat app.

Why use Geofilters?

Geofilters are a fun way for brands to get in front of a lot of people attending events or visiting a store, restaurant or nightclub.

How do they work?

Step 1: Design a custom geofilter for your event or brand.
Step 2: Select a specific location that you are targeting using SnapChat’s Geofence tool.
Step 3: Select a date and time for your geofilter to go LIVE
Step 4: You are all set! Anyone in the area you have chosen at the selected moment who is using snapchat can see or use your filter while using the app.

What are the costs?

Minimal! Prices depend on how many hours/how large the area is but on average the costs are around $20 per hour for a mid-sized event space.

The post Best Way For Businesses to Use Snapchat appeared first on KWE Blog.

Solo travel is a market ripe with opportunities with the industry just starting to get on board with special product and pricing.  The facts are clear. There are a lot more singles in the USA. Why? With the divorce rate hitting 53% and people living longer, which means more widows and widowers, people are spending more of their lives single. And then there are those who, though part of a couple, choose to go it alone because a partner doesn’t want an exotic trip, can’t get away at the desired dates, or needs a last minute break from a stressful job. In a Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey, in 2015 24 percent of people had traveled alone on their most recent overseas leisure vacation, up from 15 percent in 2013. With first time travelers, the numbers are even bigger – 37% in 2015 compared with 16 percent in 2013.

With these growing numbers, the travel industry is starting to take notice, and do something about it. Afar magazine devoted an entire issue to the topic and described companies that are getting on the “singles” bandwagon. Following Norwegian Cruises lead of offering studios and social lounges for solo guests without charging extra fees, small river cruise lines including Viking and AmaWaterways also got on board. Overseas Adventure Travel offers 50 no supplement tours and perks like roommate matching, making a serious statement about a commitment to single travel. And it has paid off – 40 percent of their guests come alone.

With a hint of whimsy, Four Seasons Safari Lodge in Tanzania has a Lone Ranger package that features working safaris and game drives with other solo travelers .

Probably the area where more hotels are catering to solos is in dining, with everything from a dinner -for -one menu and more communal style tables to special seating complete with reading material on request.

There’s so much more, though, that could be offered. How about hotel rooms designed for singles much as the cruise lines are doing? Or designating a month of traditionally low occupancy “solo” month where the supplement is waived? If you know of any other novel ideas, love to hear from you. Write me, Escalera@kwepr.com.

The post Solo Travel, a Market Ripe with Opportunity appeared first on KWE Blog.

One of the better articles I’ve read lately about the mobile consumer and some powerful statistics was in Adweek. Entitled “Dialing into Mobile Consumers 2016”, here are the article’s 6 major takeaways:

• Mobile purchasing decisions are now heavily influenced by content that users generate and others read, primarily through product reviews and social media
• Consumers are spending more time in apps than watching TV. In 2015 US smartphone and tablet users spent an average of 3 hours and 5 minutes a day using mobile apps, up from 2 hours and 51 minutes in 2014
• 60% of buyers use mobile devices to research their purchases
• If you combine Android and Apple stores there are over 2 million apps for consumers to download
• According to a Pew report, 90 % of American adults own a mobile phone, 32 % an e reader and 42 % a tablet computer so a multi device approach to mobile purchasing is key
• Building trust and having authentic content are essential

The author of the article on mobile consumers 2016 is Andrew Paradise, founder and CEO of Skillz, a mobile E-Sports company.

Photo courtesy of www.martechadvisor.com

The post 6 Things to Know About Mobile Consumers in 2016 appeared first on KWE Blog.

Dubai, the Persian Gulf nation known in the travel world for the towering Burj al Arab hotel, the world’s biggest indoor ski slope, and an island that looks like a palm tree, is innovating once again with a newly announced Minister of State for Happiness. Though it’s more directed to its citizens, there’s no reason why it couldn’t set another precedent with a Director of Happiness for tourism. Think of the possibilities for destination marketing. From what I read, it would be the first.

I never heard about a Director of Happiness so went on a Google search to see what I could find in hospitality, travel, or in the business world in general. Surprise.  There are Directors of Happiness for employees, customers, and clients. And one site had a chart with the average salary for the job at $72K.  I even found a coach who specializes in happiness whose clients have included the likes of luxury brands Mont Blanc and Jaeger Le Coultre.

But let’s get back to travel and the opportunities there. I could see a destination naming a Director of Happiness as the centerpiece of a campaign to promote the idea that they go the extra mile to welcome travelers. It’d be a good publicity generator as well, provided that it’s part of a larger program that will show concrete results. Like what? First step would be  research to see what visitors would most appreciate. Friendlier locals? Meet the people type programs? More information kiosks? More public restrooms (that’d make a funny commentary)?  And think of the interview potential!

I was surprised in doing research that only one hotel has a happiness concierge – the Waidringer Hof in the Austrian Alps.
The job is described as a part concierge, guest attendant, and hiking guide. The mission: “Your pleasure is the centre of our strategy”.An admirable initiative, but needs to be more substantive.

So colleagues, you have an opportunity. And, finally, just in terms of interesting additional information, Dubai also named the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs as also having a new responsibility for “The Future”. I’d say the Director of Happiness should also be in charge of The Future wouldn’t you?

The post Director of Happiness and Travel appeared first on KWE Blog.