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What to look forward to in 2019 in hospitality

Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

The holiday season is around the corner. It is a good time for us to review the major events discussed in 2018. A quick overview will very likely inform us what we can expect in 2019. Looking forward, Airbnb and hotels will fight over a bigger battleground in 2019. On one hand, more hotels, including Marriott, have entered the short-term residential rental market. On the other hand, Airbnb introduced two new brands — Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb, which offer many "certified" enhanced services that are usually found in a traditional hotel.

Travel2020: Airbnb bets on bedding the business traveler

Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

As more and more road warriors turn to Airbnb for their overnight lodging needs, the company is gaining insights into how business travelers travel: where they go, where they prefer to stay, and what they do when visiting a new city — and how those factors are changing in interesting ways. Traditional business travel hubs like London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney are giving way to new corridors of surging growth, especially in Latin America, Asia and Africa, according to the upstart lodging technology company.

The best wines to serve at an office Christmas party

Connie Ulman Food & Beverage

A great party needs great wine. What wines are best served at an office Christmas party? That depends on what food you are serving and if the party is low-key or a lavish gala. I personally like to offer my guests a variety of wines to choose from. Something to remember is that the type of wine glass you choose for your party is as important as the wine you choose. I suggest Spanish wine glasses; they are low to the table yet the sturdy design is perfect for any office party.

Christkindlmarkts right here at home

Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Europe, and Germany in particular, is justly famous for its colorful Christkindlmarkts. In Germany alone, there are more than 2,000 Christmas markets. The earliest recorded Christkindlmarkt was held in 1434 in Dresden, which still today boasts one of Europe’s largest and most beautiful markets. Being a nation founded and largely settled by European immigrants, it’s not surprising that the Christmas market tradition is alive and well here in the U.S. Here are five of them that best capture the traditional old-world spirit of the Christkindlmarkt.

Is vertical or horizontal video best for social media ads?

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

After Facebook rewrote its algorithm in January, social media marketing plans for the year went out the window. The previous silver bullet for success, video, was no longer prioritized. Instead, live videos, which are more focused on generating engagement as opposed to passive viewership, became Facebook’s new gold standard. But try as they might, many companies struggled as they saw their organic reach continue to drop. That’s been happening for years, but in 2018, Facebook made it clear that this was by design.

International beauty trends and their impact on the spa industry

Elizabeth Donat Retail

Our spa clients can be heavily influenced by the latest and greatest prevailing topics in the beauty world. As of late, it seems like many of the current trends consist of imported beauty routines from all around the globe. K-Beauty, J-Beauty and G-Beauty are all the rage and our clients are just as intrigued as we are. These international beauty care paradigms are shaking up what it means to take care of our skin and actually align quite well with many of the spa practices that we hold near and dear to our hearts.

U.S. payrolls grow by 155,000 jobs as unemployment holds at 3.7 percent

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Nonfarm payroll jobs rose 155,000 in November, down from 250,000 in October, while the rate of unemployment remained at 3.7 percent for the third straight month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. In November, the number of jobless workers was 6.0 million workers versus 6.1 million in October. November’s jobs report could be a harbinger of slower growth due to the U.S. and China imposing retaliatory import tariffs. That conflict is on pause now, though existing tariff impacts on businesses and consumers continue.

Top 3 lessons from Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales

Emma Fitzpatrick Retail

You did it! You, along with your hard-working employees, made it through the most chaotic shopping season of the year. Though, if you manage a brick-and-mortar store, perhaps it didn’t feel that busy. Traffic in stores across the country on Black Friday was down nearly 2 percent, according to ShopperTrak. Many store employees said it felt like just a regular busy weekend shopping day. But fear not! There are still many, many big shopping days coming your way in December. Read on to see what you can gleam from the Thanksgiving weekend sales.

FDA proposes restrictions on flavored nicotine

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Civil & Government

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reported that from 2017 to 2018, there was a 78 percent increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students and a 48 percent increase among middle school students. More than two-thirds of these youth use flavored e-cigarettes. This alarming rise in use has prompted several policy changes that will directly impact youth appeal and youth access to flavored tobacco products. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., has taken action by proposing to prevent youth access to flavored tobacco products.

Top Christmas gifts for the RVer

Connie Ulman Recreation & Leisure

Everyone loves getting and giving gifts, especially if you’re on the road most or part of the year. Here are the must-have Christmas gifts for your wish list or the RVer in your life. This list includes a propane fire pit, RV club memberships, a zero-gravity chair, kitchen gadgets, outdoor games, and more.

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