Travel and tourism industry

Answering customers’ calls in 42 languages, usually 24 hours a day, creates logistical and talent management challenges. But The Priceline Group’s Booking.com brand finds that the payoff is worth it.

The U.S. may be the world’s leading innovator, but it won’t be for long if investors, regulators, and the legal establishment continue to penalize companies for risk taking, says Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness. Recently, the council’s National Innovation Initiative, a leadership network of CEOs and university presidents, released a report in […]

The Inn at Little Washington, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, is one of America’s most acclaimed restaurants, rated number one in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine and listed among the top ten in the world by the International Herald Tribune. Yet, as co-owner and chef Patrick O’Connell explains, exquisite food is the norm at […]

When Michael Mack was fired from the company he’d built, he was devastated. It would end up being the best thing that could have happened to him.

As the platform scales, it replaces local culture with more tourists.

Focus, eliminate, replace.

It’s all about process.

Alegre Hotels has traditionally left promotion to each of its diverse properties. But a looming crisis may call for a new strategy.

Eighteen months into the pandemic, a panel of experts discuss what’s changed, whether the bailouts were misspent, and if business travel is ever coming back.

Lessons from a luxury hotel chain.

Getting customers to make impulse purchases at the checkout counter has always been more of an art than a science. Now, though, the fast-food industry is combining psychology and computer technology to increase impulse buying. This new sales strategy exploits what we call the “spare-change effect”—people’s willingness to buy with change goods that they wouldn’t […]

Squib

The number of international tourist visits will more than double in the next dozen years. As demand for access to hot spots outpaces capacity, some companies...

Companies aggressively offer discounts, introductory coupons, and other incentives to lure new customers—and, often, those prospects oblige by making an initial purchase. But my research in the financial services, fast food, and automotive sales and service industries shows how these tactics can backfire. In one study, involving 300 new customers of a bank, 71% of […]

In some cases, they’re worth it.

Frequent flyer miles can incentivize passengers not to use some high-cost services.

Mario Batali wanted to grow up to be a banker in Spain. While studying business management and Spanish theater in college, he worked at a New Jersey restaurant called Stuff Yer Face and “fell addicted to the adrenal rush that happens during a dinner service.” He went on to become one of America’s most successful […]

A concise guide.

You can't rely on a checklist.

Strategies for overscheduled, under-connected employees.