Michal Christine Escobar
Michal Christine Escobar is Hospitality Technology’s Senior Editor, with a concentration on the hotel industry. She has more than five years of experience as a B2B journalist. She is responsible for the hotel beat at the magazine and often writes about AI, VR, IoT and other emerging technologies affecting hospitality.
BLOG POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR
February 2019
Feb 08
A Digital Facelift: Micro Apps Yield Macro Results
According to Amy Schultz, Director of Information Systems, Grand View Lodge, the original web-based interface served its initial purpose well but had its limitations.
ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
August 2021
Aug 03
Stayover Cleans: Three Problems with Opt-In Options
Daily housekeeping has become a sacrificial lamb as hotel brands look to economize, but technology could hotels plan for and alleviate current housekeeping issues.
Aug 03
Cyber Attacks Intensify as Travel Industry Braces for Pent Up Demand
Many travel and hospitality organizations have recently added new or upgraded reservation apps, contactless payment processing systems and loyalty programs that are exposed on public networks, increasing the likelihood of cyberattacks.
Aug 02
Hilton Grand Vacations Completes Acquisition of Diamond Resorts
Apollo’s David Sambur and Alex van Hoek join HGV Board
Aug 02
How 3D Robots Will Help End Hospitality’s Labor Shortage
Customer-facing industries inside and outside the hospitality realm are already solving labor shortages and improving employee utilization through robots equipped with 3D imaging technology.
Aug 02
Starwood Capital Group Announces the Appointment of Raul Leal as CEO of SH Hotels & Resorts
Leal is a longtime veteran of the hotel industry with extensive experience building brands, having most recently served as the President and CEO of Virgin Hotels for 10 years, where he oversaw the launch of five Virgin-branded hotels and the developm
Aug 02
Leveraging Advanced Technology to Diminish the Pandemic's Impact on America’s Contact Centers
The goal of contact center technology is to try and resolve the customer’s inquiry before the guest reaches an agent, to reduce incoming calls each agent receives.
July 2021
July 30
How New Technology Can Help Hotel Management with Room Cleanliness Verification
An app-based system can help hotels overcome multiple challenges.
July 30
AHLA, Marriott and ECPAT-USA Make Major Progress in Human Trafficking Awareness
Since 2020, more than 600K hotel workers have completed training; Marriott to donate a new revamped version of current training program to industry via ECPAT-USA in 2022.
July 30
How Hotels Are Adapting to a Shifting Landscape
If they aren’t already, hotel owners will want to onboard technology and compliance upgrades in back-office systems, especially regarding the broad range and pace of change of hospitality taxes and fees.
July 29
AHLA Foundation to Host No Room for Trafficking Awareness Event on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Event will highlight Marriott International’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training for industry.
July 29
Travel Rebound Causes CX Woes; Chat Commerce Bridges Gap
As a result of the worker shortage, many hospitality players are increasingly looking for new technological ways to bridge the gap. One of them is customer service (CX) via chat.
July 29
Marriott International Launches Enhanced Human Trafficking Awareness Training
Company takes next step in goal to train all on-property associates to recognize and respond to potential trafficking situations by 2025.
July 29
Marriott Hacienda Finds Travelers are Looking for Ecofriendly Vacations
Guests want to reduce their impact on the environment during their stay and are looking for properties that have implemented green tech to help them do that.
July 28
Research Reveals Price is no Longer the Primary Driver of Travel Decisions
Safety and financial security emerge as top considerations in pandemic-focused study from Expedia Group.
July 28
How Travel Marketing Tech is Powering the Hospitality Industry
SMS notifications, just like email marketing automation, must be personalized to each individual person, and provide value.
July 27
Why Hoteliers Are Embracing Remote Training
From reduced travel costs to speeding up the onboarding process, remote training has become a valuable tool.
July 27
How Boston’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar is Using Tech to Accelerate National Growth
In 2020, the brand experienced a 20% increase in unit growth and is on track to double in size by 2023 due to it's investment in technology.
July 26
Why Hotels Cannot Afford Bad Cell Service
Spotty cellular coverage or “dead zones” inside your hotel can frustrate guests and discourage them from staying at your property again.
July 23
Motivation and Appreciation: A Must to Attract New Hires in the Hospitality Industry
As businesses reopen after a year of quarantine, employees want to work at a place where they are both appreciated and will bring home enough money to pay the bills.
July 22
A New Dawn – Integrating Data at the Speed of Light
Tight and seamless data integrations between any number of technologies are critical in today's world. But, in the hotel industry this has been the cause for a lot of frustration and friction.
July 21
Debunking Common Hotel Recovery Myths: Part 2
In part two of this three-part series, hoteliers will learn the truth about housekeeping, group business and hotel package success rates.
July 21
How Technology is Helping Find and Retain Hotel Talent
Sandy Gentles of Marriott International and Ed Gallier of Jury’s Inn share how employee communication technology can be leveraged to solve today’s talent crisis.
July 20
Provide a Safe, Secure and Enjoyable Guest Experience with Video Analytics
Video content can be reviewed on demand, acted upon in real-time, or analyzed in the long term to uncover trends, which is critical for hotels as they seek to optimize operations, drive revenue, and enhance guest experience.
July 20
HOSPA Partners with HTNG to Deliver Annual HOSPACE Event
HOSPACE 2021 to be held on 18 November at the Royal Lancaster London.
July 20
How Fintechs are Supporting the Hospitality Industry
Fintechs are stepping up to help hotel's overcome a variety of problems such as: global acceptance of various wallets, client no-shows, mistakes with credit card information, fraud & stolen credit cards, and chargebacks.
July 19
Hotel Management CFO Shares How His Company Provides Owners with Complete Operational Visibility
Key stakeholders have real-time access into all aspects of the business via live, comprehensive and fully-automated daily synopses of each hotel’s individual performance.
July 19
The Age of Bionic Revenue Management
The pandemic caused many talented individuals to leave the hospitality industry. As companies rebuild, they will need to find a balance between the art and science of revenue management.
July 16
Correct Call Center Staffing: A Critical Solution to Travel’s Post-Pandemic CX Crisis
While travel and hospitality companies work to build back their onsite, face-to-face employee base, a concurrent need is to implement a smart CX strategy that attracts crucial behind-the-scenes support.
July 16
Google Launches Data Tools to Support Tourism Recovery
In partnership with Destinations International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, Google is providing these tools to the travel industry with training materials customized specifically for destination organizations and hos
July 15
Don't Let These Four Cyberthreats Keep Your Travel Business on the Ground
Learn how your business could be disrupted by account takeovers, digital skimming, web scraping, and skewed analytics.
July 15
Digital Insights Powering Hotel Innovation
Value creation in the tourism and hospitality industry is now more reliant than ever before on its ability to innovate and on technological prowess.
July 13
PM Hotel Group Expands Leadership Team Strengthening for Continued Growth
Company names Jennifer Diamond Haber to Senior Vice President, Brand + Communications.
July 12
Chicagoland QSR Releases Plans for Pickup/To-Go Only Restaurant
The restaurant will not have a dining room but will feature a three-lane drive-thru.
July 12
Patrick Pahlke Joins Sage Hotel Management as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer
Pahlke will oversee all Revenue Management, Sales and Marketing endeavors for the company’s portfolio of 60 hotels spanning independent and branded luxury, lifestyle, full-service and focused-service assets in 19 states.
July 12
How Kiosks, Digital Signage and Mobile Solutions Enhance Hospitality Experiences
Operators that have not yet adopted touchless technology are finding it challenging to bring customers back to their business.
July 12
The Omni-Channel Restaurant is Future-Proof
It’s critical for restaurants to provide a consistent brand image and customer journey both online and offline - for dine-in, pick-up, and takeout, and across devices.
July 09
3 Ways Technology Can Impact a Hotel’s Bottom Line
Technology directly impacts many aspects of a hotel including how efficiently your employees work, how well you serve your guests and how quickly you can adapt to unforeseen changes.
July 09
Measuring What Matters: How a Year of Virtual Events Changed How We Measure ROI
Companies wanting to measure the ROI of in-person and hybrid events as thoroughly as they have for their virtual event programs will need to invest in event management tools designed with CRM integration in mind.
July 08
How AI Can Help Hoteliers Rethink the Hiring Process
Instead of looking for keywords on resumes or a certain number of years within the industry, consider targeting candidates based on psychometric assessments.
July 07
Papa John's Loyalty Program Reaches Milestone of 20 Million Members
The program, which began in 2010, has seen a rapid continuation of growth that began in early 2020 with more than 100 thousand customers joining the program each week. In 2021, the rewards program has contributed to almost half of the brand’s sales.
July 07
The Difference Between Customer Engagement in a Pre- and Post-Pandemic World
With the hospitality industry undergoing the biggest disruption in customer loyalty ever, hoteliers will benefit from reevaluating their customer engagement strategies and best practices.
July 07
Captain D's Promotes Bindi Menon to Chief Marketing Officer
Fast casual seafood franchise calls former Vice President of National Marketing to the C-Suite.
July 07
How to Invest in Your Employees
Providing the option for on-the-job training alongside an employment offer can help attract and retain employees, demonstrates a company’s culture of commitment to staff, and gives employees valuable professional skills.
July 06
J. Alexander’s Holdings, Inc. to Be Acquired by SPB Hospitality LLC
The transaction is expected to be completed early in the fourth quarter of 2021.
July 06
How Location Intelligence Can Grow Your Business and Deepen Connections with Guests
Location intelligence gives deeper insight into hotel guests’ behavior using information about the places they go and the events they attend both on- and off-stay.
July 06
Raising the Stakes: The Casino Industry Is Going Through a Major Transformation
Visitors can expect new betting opportunities, technology optimizations, and more personalized experiences when they return to casinos.
July 01
AHLA: 21 of Top 25 Hotel Markets in Depression or Recession
Urban markets, which rely heavily on business from events and group meetings, continue to face a severe financial crisis as they have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
July 01
Accor Appoints Indu Brar as Senior Vice President, Customer Technology Services, North & Central America
Brar will be responsible for delivering on the Group’s technology strategy for the North & Central America region with a focus on optimizing performance, supporting existing and new hotels, delivering projects, and building partner relationships.