IHI HNN November Issue by Irish Hospitality Institute

HNN

HOSPITALITY NETWORK NEWS

NOVEMBER 2022

HNN CONTENTS 3 President's Note 4 New IHI Members & Business Partners 6 Great Place to Work is supporting Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme 8 Approaching mobile in 2023 13 What do business bookers want? 14 Adrian Sylver takes over as Head of College at Shannon College of Hotel Management. 16 3 Ways Hoteliers Can Reach and Convert Holiday Travelers 18 Excel Recruitment Appoints New MD Director Of Hospitality Recruitment 20 Partner Up for Operational Success

PRESIDENT'S NOTE Dear Member, As we roll into autumn, I am delighted to share that IHI held its first in-person breakfast seminar since the pandemic. The event was held on the 6th of October at the newly re-opened “The Viaduct” in Cork. Guest speaker Paula Brennan, Booking.com shared some interesting data on booking trends and customer sentiment.

Brian Bowler, Paula Brennan and Amande Meade

Currently, the IHI Team are well underway with preparations for the IHI Founders Evening & Hospitality Management Awards which will be held on Thursday, 24th of November at The Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin. I along with IHI Board and team, are really looking forward to coming together with you all to recognise our industry colleagues and friends. Bookings have flown in so if you have not already booked and are planning on attending, I would encourage you to contact the IHI office to secure your spot. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who took the time to nominate your team members, but also to our Judging Panels and to all those members who very kindly provided venus for the interview part of the nomination process. The IHI awards would not be possible without your commitment, time and generosity. I look forward to seeing you all on the 24th! All the best, Brian Bowler IHI President

IHI New Members

Thomas Doyle General Manager Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport' Gary Rogers Executive Chef Carton House

Eoghan Murphy General Manager The Cork International Hotel

Doiran Kavanagh Deputy General Manager The InterContinental Dublin

IHI New Business Partners Alkimii provides a service as a software to the hospitality Industry. It is a fast growing Irish start-up company specialising in Cloud Software created by Ronan McAuley a graduate of TU Dublin formally Cathal Brugha Street. It’s main objectives are to reduce business costs , enable efficient and systematic management and be a cost effective solution by providing 360 view of your hotel business. Alkimii offers product solutions which empowers hotel management teams, by giving a live overall view of how your hotel is running day by day in line with budgets and forecasts, your people and your property. We pride ourselves in our excellent customer success team that guide our customers on their Alkimii journey. 4

IHI Founder's Evening & Hospitality Management Awards 24th November 2022 The Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road Drinks Reception 6:30 pm Dinner 7:45 pm Black tie event IHI Member Ticket €165

Call 01 6624790 or email awards@ihi.ie to book.

Great Place to Work is supporting Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme as the Official Survey Provider

Great Place to Work has been named the official survey and insights provider of Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme launched in September. After supporting small to large organisations in the industry for more than 20 years, Great Place to Work is going a step further in its collaboration with the sector in providing the survey and insights to Fáilte Ireland as part of their Employer Excellence Programme. This is a new three-year initiative designed by Fáilte Ireland to support businesses to drive great employee engagement and continuously build the appeal of their workplace. It will spotlight excellent employers and help to reposition the tourism sector as a rewarding and attractive place to work. So far, over 100 organisations have registered for the Employer Excellence Programme and started on their Great Place to Work journey as part of it. "In the Great Place to Work Institute, we believe that any organisation, from any sector, can create a Great Place to Work. It takes a focus, on the part of the leaders in the business, to foster high trust relationships with their teams. Through our work we have helped build many Great Workplaces in the Tourism and Hospitality sector. We are delighted to have been appointed the survey provider for Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme. This builds on previous success together and will help us to shine a light on what is working well, drive positive cultural change and encourage talent to choose Tourism and Hospitality as a place where they can build long lasting, fulfilling careers." – Cathal Divilly, CEO, Great Place to Work. 6

By participating in the Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence Programme, businesses will have access to: - Best-in-Class Fundamentals of People Management Training which Fáilte Ireland has created especially for this programme, covering everything from best practice induction and effective performance management to leading and inspiring teams. - A fully confidential staff survey managed by Great Place to Work - Insights and an action plan outlining areas where your business is performing well, and key development areas to drive greater levels of employee engagement in the year ahead - Tailored supports from Fáilte Ireland to implement the action plan and continuously build the appeal of your workplace - The opportunity to be certified and recognised as an excellent employer. The first organisations to take part are well on their journey now. One of the first to sign up were Trigon Hotels. “We are firm believers in annual employee surveys and have seen that follow up on surveys have made a very positive impact on engagement and business performance. Our people strategy links directly with our business strategy, the Great Place to Work Trust Index© Employee Survey has reinforced our place within the company and has provided key drivers for us going forward. It has been a journey getting to where we are, it required hard work and dedication, I am very thankful to my colleagues for all their support and commitment over the past numbers of years and am delighted to be part of the Employer Excellence programme.” Kathleen Linehan, Strategic Director of Human Resources, Trigon Hotels There is still time for you to register for the Employer Excellence Programme and be considered for the first EEP Awards in early 2023. The deadline for registration is Friday, 11th November. For more information on the Fáilte Ireland Employer Excellence Programme including eligibility criteria, frequently asked questions & how to register please click here.

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Approaching mobile in 2023

Most of us spend a third of our waking lives on our phones. The Oracle Hospitality in 2025 Report cites that nearly all (96%) of hoteliers are investing in contactless technology. Mobile has, and will continue to, have a truly transformative impact on the hospitality industry from the guest journey to supporting owners, operators and all other staff in between. Recent Adobe research has found that about 52% of travellers used a mobile device for information on hotels, restaurants, tours, and activities in their chosen destination but only 21% booked on mobile. Current statistics indicate that over 90% of travellers will do their research online. Interestingly though, research shows that mobile is usually the preferred channel for last-minute bookings. Revenue Hub research showed that by summer 2020, mobile bookings increased to over 24%, and 66% of millennials reportedly now book their trips via mobile. With this in mind, hotels need to optimise all digital booking mediums so that the experience offered to guests is as pleasant as possible. Of all the shopping channels available to customers, mobile commerce is taking the lead. It is predicted that some 187.5 million people will shop via their smartphone by 2024 and global consumer mobile spending is expected to reach $728 billion by 2025. Following on from trends that overtook the hospitality industry during the pandemic, 78% of millennials would rather spend their money on experiences than on things. This will definitely continue into 2023. 77% of millennials also say some of their best memories were made at events. 8

Recent Tripadvisor research showed that travelers said the top three most important factors in future plans were to have new experiences, learn about history and culture and “get immersive” by seeing new places. The travel industry recovery is projected to reach 85% by the end of 2022, and the online travel industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.58% between 2021 and 2027, when it’s expected to hit $1463.98 billion (GBTA). Our own most recent booking statistics (looking in close detail at Q3 2022) show that after two consecutive quarters of a slight drop in mobile shares, traffic, revenue and transactions have all recovered and are more in line with what we were seeing before and during the pandemic. Mobile revenue share picked up 4%, coming in at 56% of overall revenue. Mobile transaction share picked up 3%, coming in at 60%. Mobile to desktop average transaction value variance is sitting at 84%. While that’s still lower than what we’ve seen in the last two years, it’s positive to see the gap decreasing. We expect mobile shares to increase even further in Q4. If this year follows pre-pandemic trends, we might even see mobile revenue share hitting the 60% mark in Q4 - watch this space! "At McGettigan Hotels, 65% of our website traffic comes mobile. This represents a huge part, so we’re always making sure that when mobile visitors land on the mobile homepage they know exactly where they’re going.” Deirdre Featherstone, Group Digital Marketing Manager at McGettigan Hotels

Mobile can't be a second thought As a hotelier, if you haven't already, you will need to shift your mindset towards mobile. 'Mobile-first', 'mobile-optimised' - make these phrases a part of your every-day vocab. You do need to adopt a mobile-first approach across everything you do, and the first step on this journey is to address hotel's brand marketing activity. Delve in deep. Find out where your guests are spending their time online and use this information to create and deliver engaging communications that will compel and attract people to book. No matter where you're delivering content or where your guests land - their experience should follow these three golden mobile rules: Less is best Clear and consistent messaging Effectiveness

Boost your mobile marketing efforts It’s not just about optimising the user experience for mobile browsers - it starts much earlier in the online booking journey. Everything you do - whether it’s traffic generation or any other kind of marketing campaign - it needs to be seen from a mobile perspective. 77% of Google search impressions or display ads are on mobile and 98% of Facebook and Instagram ad traffic is on mobile. This is yet another glaring reason why it's so crucial to optimise your marketing campaigns for the device (and to check how everything looks).

Provide an ultra-smooth mobile experience A bump-free mobile experience must be treated as a given - don't get caught out. Check out all of the following: are your images loading quickly enough? Is your 'book now' button super easy to access? Are your guests able to find what they're looking for? It's no harm to do this exercise semi-regularly so you can ensure nothing slips past. “Everything is mobile friendly on our hotel website and we make sure it's all responsive to get those smooth 3-click bookings.” Deirdre Featherstone, Group Digital Marketing Manager at McGettigan Hotels

Create mobile-exclusive offers Showcasing personalised offers on mobile is a handy way of grabbing people's attention and encourage them to confirm that direct bookings right then and there. THN client data showed a 144% increase in booking engine to booking conversion rate when displaying a discount targeted towards mobile users with the message clearly indicating its mobile exclusivity. Pushing time-limited offers is another smart way of converting mobile browsers into bookers.

Keep it short and simple With barely any time to even count down, it's been proven that as online marketers, we have only 7 seconds to capture the attention of mobile browsers. With this in mind, keep your messaging short, simple and eye-catching if possible. Adapt your content marketing to fit easily onto a mobile screen. Optimise your images and don't go overboard with too many - there's no need to create a situation where people are scrolling more than they will want to. These are small but smart things to do that will prove effective. Sign up to our blog for weekly trends, insights and the latest goings on in the hospitality industry.

Booking.com News What do business bookers want? Click. Staff Writer

After price and location, what are the key pieces of information business travellers look for when making their booking decision? We explore the results of a recent Booking.com survey Business travellers are a valuable market to attract – they’re 50% less likely to cancel and are 60% more likely to return to a property again. So, what are the key details they are most interested in when it comes to finding the right property? Over 26,500 global business travellers recently shared the three pieces of information they would most like to know when making a booking. Free wifi It perhaps comes as no surprise, but 44% of respondents deemed free wifi to be one of the most vital things they want to know about before booking an accommodation. Many business travellers may need somewhere to work between engagements and being safe in the knowledge that they can get online from the comfort of their room is a big plus. Transportation to and from accommodation In close second, information on transportation options was a top pick for 37% of global travellers. Whether they have just come off the red-eye flight or have a tight schedule to adhere to, knowing how to get to and from the property will reassure even the most seasoned business traveller. Facilities More than half of business travellers (51%) extended their trips in 2018 for leisure purposes, so the variety of facilities the accommodation offers can be a real draw – 30% of respondents deem it one of their most important considerations. Maybe your guests wants to get in an early morning gym session before heading out to meetings, or perhaps the opportunity to enjoy some authentic local cuisine once business has been dealt with is a big priority. Be sure to update all your facilities and services on the Extranet so potential guests can find what they are looking for. Payment method Whether settling the bill in advance, travelling with a company credit card or needing to keep track of their own expenses, 25% of business travellers want to know about payment methods before making a booking. International travellers, in particular, may have a preferred payment method – for example, PayPal or AliPay; if you don’t have these options available at your property then head to Partner Help to learn more about how Booking.com can support alternative payments. Reviews from other travellers One in four (25%) global business travellers look to the experiences of their peers, deeming other guest reviews to be in their top three decision-making considerations. It’s also a really valuable tool for your learning, as the review might reveal areas that you could explore to enhance your offering or service for business customers in future. Be sure to read and respond to reviews as this offers further opportunity to build a relationship with past guests and appeal to new customers. 13

Adrian Sylver takes over as Head of College at Shannon College of Hotel Management. Adrian joined Shannon College in 2006 as Lecturer in Accounting and Finance. In 2014, he was appointed Programme Leader for the Bachelor of Business Studies in International Hotel Management and the Bachelor of Commerce Programme in International Hotel Management programmes at Shannon. In 2018, he was appointed Head of Studies and Deputy Head of College.He is a graduate of University of Galway and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and an MBS in Accounting. Prior to joining Shannon he lectured professional accounting programmes at Dublin Business School.With over 30 years programme management and lecturing experience at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes he has built up a considerable reputation for his student focussed approach. Tracy Hegarty is Deputy Head of College and Lecturer in Revenue Management, Rooms Division and Information Technology at Shannon College of Hotel Management. She is a graduate of Shannon College and holds an MSc (IT in Education) from Trinity College, Dublin. Tracy spent six years working in Rooms Division in London and Ireland before joining Shannon College in 1996. She has continued to develop the Front Office and IT curricula in Shannon College and in 2015 she developed a capstone Revenue Management module for final year under graduate students. She manages the Alumni of Shannon College and continues to engage with alumni and industry partners locally and internationally to keep abreast of current trends and developments in Rooms Division and I.T. As a result of this work, she completed the Certificate in Hotel Revenue Management in Cornell University, and the Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics.

3 Ways Hoteliers Can Reach and Convert Holiday Travelers By Amanda Holdbrook Travelers plan to spend 66% more money traveling this fall than last year, according to recent research. Our first-party data also shows that fall searches are up 40% when compared to last year. Whether you’re trying to convert shoppers looking for holiday season lodging or you’re trying to get in front of travelers who are shopping for future trips on high-traffic days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday, we have three ways you can stand out and convert travelers by using TravelAds Sponsored Listings. If you’re new to TravelAds and would like to learn more, sign up now.

1. Deliver the right message Let your images tell a story. You know who your ideal holiday traveler is, and you know why they’re coming to you. If it’s because you’re located where the weather is warm in December or you’re in snow-capped mountains, use images that connect with travelers who want to experience that. And if the location isn’t what you want to focus on, highlight new improvements to your hotel or other unique amenities. For your copy, keep it simple and align with your image. Keep your headline short, snappy and focused on what you know travelers are looking for. In your description, focus on what travelers want most. Is it location? Are there holiday events happening near you? What promotions are you offering? Make sure you’re taking advantage of this extra copy space – don’t simply copy what’s in your listing. Instead, use this ad to get specific and target the travelers you want to convert. Tip: Use Scheduled Ads to set up the ad copy and image you want for a specific time frame. You can create the copy and image in advance and set your ad to run at a future date. For example, change your image and copy to focus on the upcoming winter holiday and run it during Black Friday. Once Black Friday is over, the scheduled ad run will end and your original ad will start running again. Scheduled ads also have separate reporting so you can see exactly how it performed. Tip: Make sure you check Partner Central to align with promotions you’re running. Remember, you can’t call out specific discounts by number, but you can say that you’re offering a benefit. For example, “Enjoy up to $100 in Resort Credits.” Check out the copy guidelines for more specifics. Tip: Make sure you have the “Display ad copy” function on and take advantage of our 11 languages options. If you’re using multiple languages, make sure you have the “Audiences” function to reach the travelers you want the ad to target. 16

2. Target with bid enhancers The bid enhancer tool automatically increases your bid for specific traveler searches. This is a great way to get an extra boost for your ad and get in front of a specific audience. In the “Bids and Budget” tab, you’ll see a section called “Enhance your bid” – click the edit button to see your options. The more enhancers you activate, the more audiences you’ll reach. Tip: If you want to target last-minute travelers, toggle on the 0-48 hours audience to capture and add the time frame you want to run your ad in. You can also maximize your visibility by turning on mobile bookers, or the Loyalty Audience. Loyalty members are great audiences to target because they tend to spend more and book more frequently.

3. Win in your market In the TravelAds portal, use your competitive insights to adjust your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) and ensure your standing out in your market. During the campaign, check-in to make sure you’re hitting your daily budget and review all your reports in the “Reports” tab. If your ad isn’t performing as you’d hoped, you can make changes or check in with your TravelAds Expert for help. Tip: You can view how your ad is performing on your dashboard and see the latest metrics like “Clicked Bookings,” “Exposed Bookings” and “Conversation Rate.” Reviewing your ad performance during the time it’s live gives you an opportunity to make changes in real time and meet your campaign goals. Once your ad has stopped running, these metrics help highlight the success of your campaign. Tip: In the Audience section of Ad Manager, be sure you have all the audiences you want targeted turned on. It’s good practice to check this often and adjust as needed. To learn how our lodging partners are using our products to achieve their marketing goals, see our success stories. You can also contact us to learn how we can help market your brand on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Travel Tuesday and beyond.

If you would like more information on any of the above please reach out to your local market manager or anryan@expediagroup.com

Excel Recruitment Appoints Shane Mclave As Managing Director And Jennifer Maher as Director Of Hospitality Recruitment One of Ireland’s leading recruitment agencies, Excel Recruitment has today announced the promotion and appointment of Shane McLave from a Director in the business to Managing Director of the group. As managing director, Shane will continue to drive the business forward by leading an exceptional team of consultants in sourcing and supplying talent nationwide. Since joining Excel, Shane has been instrumental in helping the business grow by delivering instant temporary workforce solutions and permanent solutions across a broad range of sectors. This enables Excel’s clients to deliver their business goals in a time of acute labour shortages. Shane has also been an integral part of Excel’s island-wide expansion which saw the recruitment agency opening an office in Belfast to compliment their existing office locations in Dublin, Galway, Cork, and Kildare, along with many exciting plans in the pipeline for internal recruitment drives that will be announced in the near future. Commenting on the announcement, McLave said; “Moving to a managing director role and leading Excel Recruitment towards the next phase of growth is a huge honour. My previous experience at all levels in the hospitality industry allows me to bring a credible and innate understanding toward clients and candidates alike. This, in turn, instills confidence in us as a company and in the recruitment process from start to finish. Never before have we witnessed such a complex jobs market in this country and as a proven successful Director working across the sectors at Excel Recruitment, I welcome this next challenge to support the business in all areas of growth, strategic development, and regional brand awareness to show what we do and the range of services Excel Recruitment provides.” Shane is a huge advocate for the hospitality industry and regularly speaks to mainstream media to raise awareness of the challenges the hospitality sector faces. His knowledge of this sector is unparalleled which led to the latest promotion within the group of Jennifer Maher who was recently promoted from Client Relationships Manager to the Director of Hospitality recruitment! Jennifer will solely focus on the Hospitality division and the hospitality team, concentrating on supporting the hospitality consultants to perform to the best of their ability whilst helping with the day-to-day priorities of the division to take some of the pressure off the team. Speaking on her recent promotion, Jennifer said; ‘I am absolutely thrilled and delighted that my efforts have been acknowledged allowing me to receive this fantastic promotion as Director of Hospitality recruitment. We have an amazing team who go above and beyond to support our clients and candidates and we are on a mission to transform the hospitality industry even more than we already have. I’m excited to drive this division forward and achieve continued growth and success throughout the island of Ireland. I believe my natural ambition and dedication, combined with Excel Recruitment’s superior sourcing and selection capabilities will continue to allow our hospitality division to supply exceptional talent for our clients’ teams. This naturally takes the headache and risks out of the recruitment process for our clients and I cannot wait to grow the team even further and continue supporting our clients in the most productive way possible.’ If you’d like to speak to Jennifer about your hospitality recruitment needs, she would be happy to assist with your requirements. Simply email Jennifer at: jennifer@excelrecruitment.com or call her at 087 996 4404.

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