Llamas Rule: Essays in Hospitality Marketing and Management

Publisher Marketing: We live in a rapidly changing world. The spread of mobile and internet-based tools has altered how customers discover and purchase new products. If your business does not adapt to meet this latest consumer revolution, you will be left behind. Specifically for the hospitality industry, hoteliers and aspiring hoteliers must be able to comprehend how all aspects of hotel operations are impacted. The inspiration for "Llamas Rule" is to give hoteliers a new tool in their arsenal- one that takes into account all the recent changes to our system of commerce. This is not an introductory textbook on the hospitality industry, but rather a compilation of selected topics that highlight both modern success stories and potential pitfalls. This book will bolster your management skills by explaining many of the sales, marketing, branding, technological and psychological principles at work behind such contemporary facets of hotel operations as websites, travel agencies, internet-based sales channels and mobile apps as well as the more traditional aspects like on-site amenities, guestroom features, F&B, reservations, housekeeping and the front desk operations. Above all, it is stressed that the success of a property, even with all that has changed in recent years, nonetheless depends on the relationship a hotel fosters with its guests. This is the hotelier's guidebook that recognizes future developments while celebrating the past.