Hospitality and Restaurant News -- July 15, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In the news this week, a new report shows that online bookings increased substantially in 2013. Another report demonstrated that while the largest restaurant chains are suffering, small chains are actually gaining ground in terms of customer satisfaction. A third article assesses the best mobile apps for restaurant managers. And consumers now expect an immediate response to their customer service care, prompting hotel brands to change their ways. And finally, Dunkin’ Donuts has announced plans to expand its stores in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Online Hotel, Flight and Car Rental Bookings Substantially Increase in 2013
According to a new report by CJ Affiliate by Conversant, available here, the online travel industry is bursting with opportunity for marketers. The 2014 Travel Benchmarks Report, which analyzed travel sales activity from January through December 2013 and compared it to the same period in 2012, showed a significant increase in online hotel, flight and car rental bookings due in part to the continued growth of mobile device usage by consumers.
ACSI: Small Restaurant Chains Improve Customer Satisfaction, Large Chains Deteriorate
While the largest restaurant chains are circling the drain, small restaurant chains are actually gaining customer satisfaction, according to a recent report released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). ACSI data show that Americans ate out an average of four meals per week in 2013, representing a 60 percent increase since the end of the Great Recession. Also, they are happier with their restaurant dining experiences. Customer satisfaction with full-service restaurants is up 1.2 percent to an ACSI score of 82, holding a slim lead over fast food (80).
Best 50 Apps For Restaurant Managers
This article from Point Blank assessed the top mobile apps and their effectiveness for restaurant managers. Today’s apps, solutions and online tools provide ways to simplify the simplest and most complicated tasks – everything from timing your food prep to all-the-bells-and-whistles POS systems that fully integrate seating, ordering, payment, inventory and more. From Restaurateur, to Foursquare for Business, to EZMenu, and more, this article will give you the skinny on each app.
42% of Consumers Expect a Response Within One Hour. Are You Even Listening?
According to this article from Hotelnewsresource, a number of recent studies into consumer’s social media habits show that many reach out to brands anticipating a nearly instantaneous response, regardless of the time of day or day of the week, something few brands are prepared to handle. Thus, hotel brands need to respond to a changing model of how consumers reach out for customer service care by implementing “proactive listening” on social media channels, specifically Twitter, in order to find and respond in the timeframe and manner that meets guests’ expectations. This article proposes one way to speed up that response time to consumers.
Dunkin’ Donuts Announces Plans For Five New Restaurants In Greensboro, North Carolina
Dunkin’ Donuts has announced plans to develop five restaurants in North and South Greensboro, North Carolina. The locations will incorporate traditional and combination unit development with sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, with the first restaurant planned to open in 2015. Currently, there are more than 300 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants located throughout the state, and the company is continuing to recruit franchisees in the cities of Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington and Charlotte. To help fuel growth in North Carolina, special development incentives are available, which include reduced royalty fees for three years and up to $10,000 in local store marketing for stores that open on time.