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Travel + Leisure
13-05-2025
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This U.S. Airline Has a New Direct Flight to Tokyo—With Deals Under $620
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines started a new service to Tokyo. Travelers can score round-trip flights for as low as $612. Flying to Tokyo from the U.S. just got easier. Alaska Airlines Group has a new direct flight connecting Seattle (SEA) and Tokyo (NRT). The 10.5-hour flight departs Seattle at 1:30 p.m. and arrives in Tokyo the next day at 4 p.m. Passengers will fly on an Airbus A330-200 equipped with amenities like Wi-Fi, in-seat power outlets, and personal entertainment. The flight will be operated by Hawaiian Airlines. (Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines in September 2024 and both carriers are operating under their individuals brands.) 'Hawaiian has been serving the Tokyo market for nearly 15 years," Joe Sprague, CEO at Hawaiian Airlines, said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. "We're thrilled to open this new global gateway with Alaska, giving more Pacific Northwest travelers and beyond the opportunity to experience the award-winning hospitality that Hawaiian is known for.' T+L spotted round-trip flights for as low as $612, or 37,500 miles, throughout the next several weeks. The cabin options on the flight include business class, premium economy, and economy. The extension from Seattle to Tokyo is the first move in Alaska Air Group's international expansion plans. 'Our growing fleet of widebody aircraft, which includes the flagship 787 Dreamliner, unleashes a world of possibilities of where we can fly to from Seattle. Looking ahead, we'll have exciting additional milestones as we share the new international routes we'll be launching in the coming years, including destinations in Europe, as part of our plans to serve at least 12 international destinations with widebody aircraft from Seattle by 2030,' Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. Alaska Airlines previously alluded to expanding to Europe in 2026 recently when Minicucci said, 'Europe is definitely on the radar for 2026." For now, travelers utilizing Alaska's new service to Tokyo will have plenty to do. The city was previously named a top trending destination among tourists and is home to dozens of acclaimed hotels and resorts that welcome visitors from around the world. For example, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Conrad Tokyo, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, and Aman Tokyo were voted as the top five hotels in Tokyo in T+L's 2024 World's Best Awards.
Hospitality Net
05-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
How Edgewood Tahoe increased booked revenue by 83%
About Edgewood Tahoe Nestled at the water's edge on Lake Tahoe's south shore, Edgewood Tahoe is a cherished gathering place where guests enjoy the scenic natural beauty and genuine hospitality. Edgewood has been a world-class destination for golf, dining, weddings, and special events since 1968. In June 2017, The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe opened to be the premier luxury lodging destination in Lake Tahoe. The Lodge was voted the #1 Resort Hotel in the US by readers of Travel + Leisure in the World's Best Awards in 2021 and selected as Hotel of the Year for USA & Canada by Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2019. And in 2022, they added 14 luxury Villa Suites to the property. Edgewood Tahoe's challenge Before implementing Revinate, Edgewood Tahoe faced significant challenges in lead management and guest engagement. Without a platform to manage leads and route and track calls, reservations agents predominantly took inbound bookings. They fielded basic inquiries, leading to missed follow-up and conversion opportunities. Additionally, the lack of a streamlined reservations platform and contact center hindered the team's ability to staff efficiently, especially during emergencies like COVID-19 and wildfires. As a result, the hotel struggled to maintain service quality and revenue continuity. Finally, the lack of a hotel CRM meant that the hotel was unable to use captured data to enhance the guest experience, engage guests throughout the guest journey, and drive additional revenue. Overall, the hotel's potential for growth and guest satisfaction was limited due to the lack of technology to manage reservations and guest marketing. How Revinate Marketing drove millions in lifetime revenue When the decision was made to tackle these challenges head-on, the team selected Revinate to empower the reservations and marketing teams to transform how they worked, with the goal of driving revenue and better guest experiences. When Executive Director of Marketing & Sales Siobhan Fajayan joined the company, Revinate Marketing was already in place, allowing her to immediately jump in and execute one-time and automated email campaigns. Leveraging Revinate's built-in segmentation features, she can reach the right audience at the right time. Siobhan creates newsletters and targeted one-time campaigns to inspire guests to visit. One geo-targeted email, for example, was sent to locals within 60 miles of the property, promoting 'Locals Day at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.' Another top-performing one-time campaign promoted the opening of the golf season and the newly remodeled bar and deck. This single campaign drove over $465,000 in direct revenue for the property, proving the value of email marketing. In addition to one-time campaigns, one of the property's most successful campaigns is the automated cart abandonment campaign. Guests receive a personalized drip email, encouraging them to book just one minute after abandoning the booking engine and again two days later. This 'always-on' campaign has driven over $877,000 in direct bookings over 19 months, with each email driving an average of $311 in direct revenue for the property. To date, Edgewood Tahoe has driven $5.7M in lifetime revenue from their marketing campaigns. How Reservation Sales and RezForce turned calls into revenue The hotel added Reservation Sales and RezForce to ensure that the department was always staffed, even during emergencies or power outages, which can happen during large storms. Reservations Manager Lana Venter says, 'I'm forever grateful to my predecessor for selecting Revinate. I was gifted a great foundation that I have been able to continue building upon.' RezForce ensures that the hotel doesn't miss out on revenue opportunities by providing after-hours and overflow support. Lana is quick to point out that the quality of the agents is exceptional, saying, 'We are Forbes rated and go through regular assessments to maintain our rating. Our RezForce agents have no issues when audited because the quality is so high.' Historically, hiring reservation sales agents presented challenges, primarily due to the location's limited talent pool. With Reservation Sales in place, Lana was able to extend the hiring reach beyond the local area and explore remote work options for the first time. This shift made the team more selective, prioritizing experience and high-quality agents that could bring immediate value. Lana says, 'Hiring remote agents has had a profound impact on both staff retention and our overall success.' Lead management is one of the biggest benefits for the reservations team. With Reservation Sales, the team now captures and tracks a broader range of leads, including inquiries about amenities and special requests. This shift has enabled agents to follow up on potential bookings more effectively, ensuring no opportunity is overlooked. By treating every guest inquiry as a potential lead, the team has seen a 56% improvement in conversion rates, contributing to increased revenue. The team is also able to do far more outbound than ever before. With the platform's reporting capabilities, they can implement an incentive program for agents, which has been very successful. Lana says, 'It was like a switch. As soon as we offered incentives, outbound numbers jumped significantly, and agents jumped on the leads, dramatically improving our response time.' The team improved their outbound revenue by 98% compared to the previous year. Revinate's call recording and scoring features have also been invaluable for coaching and training the Reservations team. By reviewing calls, management can identify areas where agents excel and where they need improvement. This real-time feedback loop not only helps in correcting mistakes but also fosters a culture of continuous learning. Incorporating performance metrics into the team's incentives has encouraged agents to engage more effectively with callers, leading to improved customer interactions and higher satisfaction rates. Revinate has facilitated a seamless integration between marketing and reservation sales, allowing the two teams to work collaboratively towards common goals. This cohesive approach has not only enhanced operational efficiency but also contributed to a more consistent and memorable guest experience. Key performance highlights: Lifetime revenue: $5.7M in lifetime revenue from Revinate Marketing campaigns Outbound revenue: 98% improvement in outbound revenue with Reservation Sales Inbound call conversion: 56% improvement in inbound call conversion with Reservation Sales About Revinate Revinate is a direct booking platform that leads the hospitality industry in driving direct revenue and increased profitability. Our products and our people combine to give hoteliers the superpowers they need to crush their goals. With Revinate, hoteliers shift share away from OTAs and drive tangible results across an individual property or a portfolio. Our industry-leading, AI-powered customer data platform collects, unifies, and synthesizes data to give hoteliers a foundational advantage. Hoteliers gain critical intelligence — guest lifetime spend, stay preferences, ancillary revenue, and more. With Revinate's Rich Guest Profiles™ data, hoteliers don't need to guess who their most profitable guests are or struggle to drive conversions across email, voice, messaging, and digital channels. Revinate's direct booking platform and omnichannel communication technology powers 950+ million Rich Guest Profiles across 12,500+ hotels to drive over $17.2 billion in direct revenue. View source
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Airport Was Just Named the No. 1 in the World (Again) for 2025
Singapore Changi Airport was just ranked as the best airport (again) in the world by Skytrax, an airport survey firm. The airport has won the top spot for 13 years in a row. Singapore Changi Airport and Hamad International Airport both received high rankings in World's Best generally aim to minimize time in the airport. However, a new list reveals certain airports where a longer layover may be an absolute treat. Each year, airline passengers submit surveys about their airport experience to independent aviation firm Skytrax, which tabulates the results to find the top airports in the world to form the World's Top 100 Airports of 2025. For the 2025 survey, Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) was recognized as the top airport, followed by Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, Qatar, and Tokyo International Airport (HND). Singapore Changi Airport is a popular destination for travelers, due to the unique amenities such as an indoor rock climbing wall, swimming pool, extensive shopping, and even a gym. 'It is a great achievement for Singapore Changi Airport to receive the highest award as the World's Best Airport 2025, this being a record-breaking 13th time in the awards history that they have scooped this award,' Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said in a news release.'The diversity and expansive choice of dining outlets is also recognized with Changi Airport winning the award for the World's Best Airport Dining.' Related | A Guide to Singapore Changi Airport | Learn More Many of the airports recognized continually elevate the passenger experience, and airlines that operate in the airports invest in enhancements as well. For example, Singapore Airlines recently announced it would be upgrading its Terminal 2 Lounge to feature live cooking demonstrations, an on-site barista, and other lounge amenities. The full top 10 list includes: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) Hamad International Airport (DOH) Tokyo International Airport (HND) Incheon International Airport (ICN) Narita International Airport (NRT) Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) Munich Airport (MUC) Zurich Airport (ZRH) It's not just the passengers who sent in the Skytrax survey who agree that airports such as Singapore and Istanbul are the best in the world. Travel + Leisure readers ranked these in the top 10 of the 2024 World's Best Awards. Istanbul Airport ranked No. 1, and Singapore Changi Airport, which is also a WBA Wall of Fame Honoree, came in a close second. These were followed by Hamad International Airport in Qatar, and Dubai International Airport (DXB) in Dubai, UAE. South Korea's Incheon International Airport ranked fifth globally. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
