Hotels


Getting a larger slice of the pie


PHiliPPe rossiter is chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality


tripAdvisor claims ‘misleading’


TripAdvisor’s claims that it offers “reviews you can trust” and “reviews from real travel- lers” have been deemed to be misleading to consumers. Te Advertising Standards


T


he 18th century philosopher Jean- Jacques Rousseau said that when parties collaborate, the overall size of the pie expands so as to


ensure each party receives more than if they had acted alone. Using a hunting analogy, he posited that four hunters individually could only each bag a rabbit, whereas by working together they could bring down a deer. So too in the work place, where the tradi-


tional culture has been one of confrontation rather than collaboration. Power play, threat and blame have for too long been the hall- mark of relationships in many businesses, and yet experience consistently shows that this approach does not work. It creates a climate of fear, resentment and a desire for retaliation, while at the same time ignoring the force that constructive brainstorming can deliver to any organisation. Above all, says Professor Stuart Diamond at Wharton Business School, the world is emotional, not rational. Logical arguments are meaningless when the parties involved are annoyed. For him, the reason we do not recognise


this negative and destructive confrontational culture, despite many lessons to the con- trary, is that human beings are ‘hard-wired to fight’. As a result, our immediate instinct in many situations, both personal and in the workplace, is to blame the other party (or parties). Tis instantly creates a position of ‘stand off’, for, in nine out of 10 cases, the other party retaliates with the same behav- iour. How different would the situation be if one of the parties was to react by making a human connection and value the other’s emotions? It would certainly cause the other party to stop and think, for it is difficult to continue arguing with someone who is dis- playing empathy with one’s point of view! Using this approach within the work-


place, both by employers, but also (and more importantly) between employees, can reduce stress, improve productivity, and, ultimately, make the business a far more pleasant place to work. As Professor Diamond says, “People aren’t all the same. You are not dealing with a company or a spreadsheet; you’re dealing with a person, with their own hopes, dreams and hot buttons. Find out what they are!”


6


Agency (ASA) said it received complaints in relation to the travel website’s claims from KwikChex and two hotels, which challenged if all user reviews were genuine. TripAdvisor said no review


site could claim to be totally free of fraudulent content but also said it used “highly-effec- tive” systems to detect and minimise non-genuine reviews. In its assessment, the ASA said it had upheld


ASA said there was a possibility that non-genuine content could appear


the complaint on the grounds that claims of trust and honesty implied TripAdvisor users could be assured of each review’s credibility. Te ASA said: “While TripAdvisor took steps to monitor and deal with suspicious


activity, it was possible that non-genuine con- tent would appear on the site undetected. “Because we considered that the claims


implied that consumers could be assured that all review content was genuine, we concluded that the claims were misleading.” Details: http://bit.ly/xd5HLJ


Greenlight: London tops online hotel searches


A new study by UK-based digital marketing agency Greenlight has found that London was the most popular location out of the 1.8 million online hotel searches in November 2011. According to the group’s Hotels Issue 10, it is yet to be seen whether searches were an early


look at accommodation for the 2012 Games or a Christmas break in the capital. Greenlight profiled online search behaviour


on Google UK, which saw more than 590,000 queries for hotels in the UK and Ireland. Details: http://bit.ly/zybh3v


Work starts on £7.5m Greenwich hotel


Construction work has started on a £7.5m refurbishment and extension of a 1940s property in Greenwich, London, which will house a new 145-bedroom hotel when complete. Assael Architecture have


designed the project, which involves the transformation of Maurice Drummond House – once used for residential, police and student purposes. Work will protect and


upgrade the building and also preserve the Catherine Grove portico, as well as adding a rooſtop extension in keeping with the property’s style. Facilities will include function rooms, a gym


and a laundry area, while an existing sports hall and reception rooms will be converted for dining and function room uses.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital Plans comprise a rooſtop extension in keeping with the property’s style Assael managing director John Assael said:


“[Te project will] transform a defunct build- ing into a fully-functioning hotel.” Details: http://bit.ly/yMAwtG


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2012


image: stefanolunardi/shutterstock.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24