Written this week from new perspectives, time zones, continents, all while embracing the change 🌏

[5 min read]

First Of All …

Sorry we’ve been MIA. We know consistency is key in this line of work but sometimes life happens and it wouldn’t have been right to rush an episode just for the sake of putting out content.

We’re still working on getting back to regular scheduled content after some shake ups - all good things we promise - so in the meantime we thought it would be beneficial to take this time and share something that’s been brewing for a little while!

A Deep Dive

A while back on our instagram we asked subscribers for feedback on what forms of content they were enjoying and what they wanted to see more of. The overwhelming favorite were the industry insights:

So we’ve decided that when resources allow, we’re going to take a closer look at what our featured collaborators have to say and share a more in-depth perspective of their expertise.

The Best Of Both Worlds … Continued

When we reached out to Clara a few weeks ago, the Sales Manager for the UK market at The Hotels Network had a lot of advice to offer. But in the interest of keeping the current newsletter format a quick-read, we weren’t able to share it all in Episode 6.

So it only felt right that we develop a way to give our readers everything our collaborators have to offer. We are, after all, at our core a networking resource designed bridge the gap between academia and industry and help tourism students, academics, and practitioners develop in their careers and lives.

So with that said, here’s the full Q&A with Clara

Coming from hospitality and moving into tech, what skills do you think have helped you the most in your new career ?

“Having this understanding of how a hotel actually works in different departments, what are their priorities but also what are the daily struggles. It helps me understand their position and be empathetic to their various needs. Having worked for very large brands means that there’s often set in stone processes and technology which creates great opportunities at the hotel level but can sometimes be restricting - it has been helpful knowing this and understanding this when speaking to hotels. But more specifically for sales - listening skills. I did quite a bit of time (and my favorite part) was reception and in that department it’s key to listen to guests’ queries, being able to read them — also super important in sales.”

As someone who knows both sides of the industry what do you think hotels will start asking for from tech vendors in the coming years?

“Staffing is often one of the biggest issues for hoteliers and tech vendors have to be conscious of that and create solutions that will support hotels in these situations. And anything that personalizes the experience for the guest - pre booking (when your specific hotel isn’t even considered yet sometimes), pre stay, during stay, post stay etc - As a hotel the focus is always around making each guest feel unique, welcoming them back, being their home away from home so that feeling needs to be kept at all steps.”

Do you think hotels will start asking their tech providers for more resources in the area of environmental benchmarking and other sustainability resources ?

“I’ve definitely seen more awareness on the issue and actually more and more hotels that we work with who have specific practices in place beneficial to the environment make sure to highlight it to their visitors and guests. This makes us realize that it’s switching from being a “nice to have” and more to a necessity for travelers. In my opinion it’s still early stages however I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years this will be amongst the key metrics of success for hotels.”

What advice would you give someone who recently graduated from a hospitality or tourism program who wants to get into sales?

“Expand your network! Connect to webinars - there are so many resources related to hospitality that are free but definitely useful to understand more about this industry. Especially if you’ve come from a more operational background like myself and want to complement your knowledge with more of a strategic approach. Also be active on LinkedIn, even if you’re not posting about something related to your employer, you want to make sure that you are building yourself and your brand and showing people where your interests lie.”

Anything else you think you want to share?

“In the few years I’ve worked in hotel operations I’ve always found that the “missing piece” in these types of roles was understanding a bit better the why we do things in operations. Not sure if this resonates with people but some Saas companies in the hotel space are a way for you to get that understanding as you will most likely be speaking/selling to people who make these strategic decisions - the people who decide why the hotel does what it does.

And if you’re currently working for a hotel in a specific department I would definitely recommend getting involved in other departments if you can - ask to shadow, understand more about roles and struggles. It’s helpful for departments to work better together as you understand more what they do, it increases your skills and shows willingness.”

One Final Thing!

If you know someone in your circles who you think would be a great collaborator or has some relevant experience under their belt that we can share, amplify, and can network with please don’t hesitate to reach out via our instagram or LinkedIn!

That’s all for now!