zLODGING J ON THE HORIZON

‘Unlocking Creativity in Order to Unleash Productivity’

“There’s a real focus on collaboration and collaborative environments, not just within, but outside of traditional meeting space. It really speaks to the reality that meetings are now going well outside of the traditional meeting room and meeting space — and in many ways, kind of permeating the entire hotel, not just prefunction and the spaces off of the traditional ballroom space, but public spaces, lobbies, great rooms, and even what I call connective areas within the hotel — elevator lobbies and corridors.

“There’s a whole recognition of the value of these more informal kind of spontaneous connections between meeting participants who are trying to solve complex challenges. In terms of a philosophy, this notion of collaboration and bringing people together by cultivating connections is really something that is gaining traction with innovators within the meeting segment. From a facilities perspective, we are certainly recognizing that and building in a foundation and stage to allow those sort of informal collaborations within new builds as well as upcoming renovations — and we are seeing that among our competitors as well.

“There is an increasing focus on the approach to conducting meetings in terms of looking at how you can drive creativity, drive or improve innovation, and how you actually design your meetings to allow for a greater exchange of information, and to better leverage tools around collaboration that unlock creativity. I think that is key: Unlocking creativity in order to unleash productivity.”

Matthew Von Ertfelda Vice President of Insight, Strategy + Innovation, Marriott International

Guest Satisfaction

Guest satisfaction 757 Index points

Positive staff opinion

56% 55%

Internet Usage

Guest Opinion of Staff

Internet Usage

56+34+10 55+45

56% 34% 10%

High Average Low

87+ +13 11+89

11% 87% 55% Guest Usage

Guest Satisfaction

Guests have grown less satisfied with their hotel stays, according to J.D. Power and Associates 2012 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. Among the results:

› Guest satisfaction declined to 757 on a 1,000-point scale, down 7 index points from 2011. › Relatively high levels of satisfaction with cost and fees mask declines in other areas of the guest experience: Satisfaction with check-in/check-out; F&B; hotel services; and hotel facilities are at new lows since the 2006 study, and satisfaction with the guest room has declined within one point of its low- est level in the past seven years. › Overall, 56 percent of hotel guests have a high opinion of staff; 34 percent have an average opinion; and 10 percent have a low opinion. › Fifty-five percent of guests use the Internet during their stay; 87 percent

60 PCMA CONVENE NOVEMBER 2012

of those use Wi-Fi to connect. Among those who use the Internet, 11 percent were charged an additional fee to con- nect. Those that were charged a fee have an average costs and fees satisfac- tion of 76 index points lower than those guests not charged a fee. › Guests who book through an online travel agency tend to be more price sensitive, have lower levels of satisfac- tion with their stay, are less loyal to hotel brands, and tend to report more problems, compared with guests who book through the hotel website or call the hotel or hotel brand directly.

SOURCE: convn.org/jdpowers-satisfaction

Wi-Fi Connection Connection Fee

PCMA.ORG