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Running a profitable business in these tough economic times is getting increasingly difficult. This is especially true for hotel providers who offer a relatively ‘non-essential’ service that most people can easily opt out of in order to save money. In addition to fewer clients, hotels face a myriad of other challenges that they need to prepare for in order to survive through 2017.

Global Threat of Insecurity

Terror is no longer limited to certain areas in the world. It is a serious global issue that affects businesses all over the world, including hotels. Tourists are less likely to travel to particular destinations following attacks, and governments are increasingly issuing travel warnings to their citizens, further limiting the number of travelers to traditional tourist destinations.

However, this is not at all bad news for all hoteliers in the world. Tour companies are increasingly offering tour packages to non-traditional destinations, which are safer and more affordable for the tourists. In addition, these places offer a more authentic cultural experience than traditional destinations, since they have not been modeled after a particular market.

For hotels within high-risk or traditional areas, hosting events such as a home and garden show could be one way to bring in revenue in these bleak times.

Global Financial Crisis

Living in a global village means the issues faced by one ‘household’ affect all the others. For instance, the effect of market crashes and spiking oil prices in one end of the globe will be felt by small businesses on the other end.

The current global financial crisis will affect the industry a number of ways, including:

Fewer tourists as individuals and households cut costs.
Increased cost of commodities, especially food.
Increased energy costs, which will increase overhead costs.
Essentially, running a hotel will become very expensive, particularly since there aren’t enough guests, and it would also be self-defeating to hike prices as it would drive these few guests away.
This will require owners and managers to get creative in order to stay afloat. For instance, they could cut down on energy usage, or employ more energy efficient practices that could help reduce overheads.

Competition and Technology

These two go together because they affect each other. For instance, technology has made it possible for people to have more options than ever before, at their fingertips. So, with the click of a button, a guest can find a place perfectly suited to their needs.

On the other hand, the availability of technology is fast making the difference between booking one hotel or another. Hotels without secure, fast and reliable internet connections in the rooms are being overlooked, even if they exceed expectations in other areas of service provision.

As such, there is greater competition and a requirement of additional facilities that are now considered essential. This will mean spending money on social media campaigns to attract and retain clients, as well as retaining a reliable Internet Service Provider, at a fee of course.

In order to ‘stay in the fight’, hotel providers will need to get creative in their offers to clients, service delivery, partnerships with other businesses, and in cutting overhead costs in order to weather through these difficult times.

The Gondwana or the “Land of Gonds” in central India which includes the Pench Tiger reserve, strectches across Madhya Pradesh and Maharatsra. The common languages here is the Gondi, a spoken language. They depend on forest produce for sustenance and livelihood. The history of Pench is rich and enthralling. The history of Pench discloses fascinating and delightful facets of culture and life cycle of the societies of Pench.

The Pench tiger reserve is spread over two states, the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur district of Maharashtra. Pench M.P.covers around 757 squares Kms and Maharashtra covering an additional covering 741.22 sq kms has also been declared Pench tiger reserve. Together these two are home to breeding tigress which in turn plays an important role in revitalising the meta-population of tiger reserves.

Interestingly, according to local lore a boy named Mowgli was brought up by a heard of wolves and was found in the Sant Bawadi village. A very famous “The Jungle Book” is based on the Mowgli and its land Pench national Park described by Rudyard Kipling’s. Rudyard Kiplings describes Mowgli and its land “Pench national Park” in his very famous “The Jungle Book” which is a collection of stories by him using animals in a manner to give moral lessons. Also mentioning about the Valley of Ben Ganga River near Kanivadi village where Sher khan of the children’s favourite fanciful tale met his end.

During your visit to Pench and opting for a thrilling Pench jungle safari you will notice the traces of the ancient happenings occurred.

The Living forest: Flaura & Fauna- The remarkable landscape of Pench is the hills, the dense forest and open meadows. Pench forest is largely made up of dry deciduous forest where large tracts of Teak, bamboo, Saaja (crocodile tree), Ghost tree, Mahua, and many more fruit trees. The region has dense red soil rich in lime, magnesia, iron in which dry crops and cotton flourish.

The Iconic the king “Tiger”- The tallest living species in the cat family. The leopard is an intelligent elusive carnivore that manages to sustain itself even in forest dominated by tigers. The other carnivores are dhole (wild dog), jungle cat, small Indian civet, Wolves, Striped hyena, Sloth bear, Jackal, and common palm civet make up the rest of the carnivore fauna of the Pench Tiger Reserve. The pray of these carnivores are Deer, Sambhar, Blue bull, Bison etc are most commonly sighted. Though the flying squirrel, porcupine and Indian pangolin are also resident of the park, spotting any of these is rare.

Bird Watching in Pench: The Pench national park is known as the bird watchers paradise. It has 325 species of birds which includes resident and migratory both. Pench is attaining recognition as one if the India’s premium birding destinations. Bird life is so rich in Pench national park because water birds are attracted to the reservoir situated in the park. Winter migrants includes snipes, sand pipers and wagtails. The cormorants, storks, egrets, fishing eagles and kingfishers have colonised the reserve. The diversity of habitats at Pench is combined with population of predator and prey species make it ideal for vultures. Lots of tourist choose for Pench jungle safaris only to sight vulture which is rare and available in few wild life sanctuaries only.

Book your tour to Pench tiger Reserve (M.P.).
This is for those who are willing to help to Save the Tiger. The best way is to see them in the wild because that will make you feel the beauty of forest and fall in love with the animal. Then your desire to help and Save Tiger becomes much stronger.
For all of the above out of the ordinary safari experience, comfortable and best accommodation near the park entry gate plays a vital role to enjoy the wildlife in Pench M.P.

Choosing a hotel online can be such a difficult decision as you never know what you are going to get when you arrive. Thousands of travellers take to the internet each and every day to find their dream hotel where they can relax, be pampered and have a well deserved break. For some, this perfect paradise dream crashes when they arrive at the hotel to see that it isn’t what was advertised online, which is why you need to know how to choose a hotel online so you are guaranteed to receive what you pay for.

The first thing to choosing a hotel online is to have an idea of what you expect from the hotel and your room. Are you looking for sheer luxury or maybe just a quick relaxing stop over somewhere? This will help you identify if you want to be looking at five star luxury hotels or you are happy with a four or three star comfortable hotel. Do you want a hotel with an on-site restaurant? What about a fitness centre? Maybe a wellness centre? These are important considerations which can help you start identifying the hotels that tick all the boxes.

Set yourself a budget before you start your in-depth search into the hotels available. With a budget you have something to work to, this way you can identify quickly which establishments come in within your budget, helping you narrow down your short-list that little bit faster.

Next identify the location that you feel you want to visit. You may be travelling to explore a capital city or you may be heading to a large city for business purposes. With a location in mind, a budget and knowing what you expect you will be able to browse a host of hotels, put a short list together that can help you make your final decision.

Always compare the hotels in the local area to identify what they offer, their prices, their services and more. When you have one or two hotels in mind in a certain area, having a closer look at the hotels and comparing them against each other is often the easiest way to come to your final decision and book your room or suite.

Take a close look at the facilities and services provided in the hotels you are most interested in. Some hotels will offer particular services or facilities that are more important to you than others, this can also help you make a final decision. Five star hotels will provide you with a host of superior five star services and facilities from free Wi-Fi throughout the building to an indoor swimming pool and an on-site wellness centre to restaurant offering the added convenience of room service.

A five star establishment should also provide you access to a fitness centre. They will have a twenty four hour reception desk and a concierge service for added convenience. Their host of services and facilities will be vast, so you are guaranteed to tick all your boxes with ease and confidence.

With your final hotel in mind, you now want to check availability to ensure that they can accommodate you on your chosen dates. Remember the earlier you book, not only will you get the room you want for the dates you want, but many hotels offer early bird discounts, so you can save money when booking a couple of weeks in advance.

During my many years of travel in the service industry and having stayed in hundreds of hotels worldwide, it’s clear that the past five years have brought about enormous change in the hotel industry.

Innovation with architecture, interior design and guest comfort is at an all-time high. Widespread revitalisation has been incredibly successful in meeting guest expectations. Yet, in an increasingly demanding world, there still also remains a huge opportunity to truly create a home from home for the traveler.

Improvement On the Old?… How Much Has Actually Changed in The Hotel Industry?

In so many areas, the revitalisation of hotels continues to occur through the use of innovative products. Yet, if you look closely, you begin to realise that most ideas are limited to enhancing old, existing structures, whilst missing vital customer life cycles.

In a world where customer loyalty is hard-fought and guest expectations are continuing to rise, what’s truly needed is a shift to more dynamic business models: Low risk, digital strategies that are truly in sync with customer’s loves and expectations.

So, What’s Missing from the Guest Experience?

Be it a family, business clients or honeymooning couples, people are now approaching their travel with exceedingly high expectations. In today’s environment, we have access to so much. We have a plethora of choice in our everyday lives and we expect the same standard of availability, ease and access when we enter a hotel.

Modern Expectations

Take my example: At home, my WIFI works seamlessly, without the need for daily passcodes. I can fill my fridge with my favourite food, available for me whenever I want it. I can order it or purchase it on a whim to make my Friday night extra special. I control the temperature of my house, so that when I come home, it’s comfortable. I book massages or entertainment online to consume immediately.

These are all ‘givens’ for me. And I expect them – and more – from my hotel.

I’d love to be able to choose my preferred pillow prior to my arrival. I want to be able to book a reservation at a restaurant or spa with ease and without constant phone calls, or easily choose a city tour without visiting reception. If I have a problem during my stay, I want it fixed fast – not needing to chase a maid or deal with a busy receptionist.

If you, as a hotel, can provide a solution for me to easily manage my needs – through the entire lifecycle of my experience – from booking, staying, right through to months after my stay, then you will earn both my loyalty and my revenue.

Touch and Influence Through Mobile

But how could a hotel achieve this? By adapting pragmatic digital strategies within the guest life cycle. Mobile as our main form of communication and source of information, is one ideal solution.

Located directly on the home screen of the guest’s own device, you have the opportunity to live, literally, in the palm of their hand and be just a touch away from a direct, on- going connection. Your hotel’s physical attributes offer them comfort, whilst your digital presence offers them a 24/7 relationship with you.

A Thriving, Connected Business

The potential for true connection with customers – before, during and after their physical stay – is vast; the opportunities an innovation in this area, endless. Yet, the fact remains that hotels aren’t yet harnessing a personalized digital customer strategy.

Taking your family for their dream vacation is always a priority for every parent. However, it can get tricky with the modern hectic lifestyles. What’s more, you have to consider new destinations once kids come into the picture. Issues that didn’t matter previously like a pool in the hotel, and pet policy among others, all become a big issue.

One of the most important considerations when planning is of course accommodation. Your choice can either make or break the whole affair. If you want to pull off the best family vacation this year, here are some of the main considerations to factor:

Consider Your Needs First
Traveling as an individual and doing so with the entire family differs greatly. Your hotel choice should be guided by what you want to do during your stay. For instance, if your kids have diverse interests, it is important to list them before booking into any establishment. If they love water sports, a good facility with a pool is ideal but if they love hiking, you have to find an establishment that is close to such activities.
Location is Everything
To enjoy memorable moments during a vacation, look at the best location. The choice of location can make all the difference between a fascination stay and a miserable one. Consider whether your kids will be fine with a place in the middle of a busy city or if a serene long term rental accommodation is the best. Whatever you do, ensure you find a place near the city’s major attractions for easy access. You should also look out for other facilities in the area including restaurants, parks and family fun activities.
Hotel Amenities and Services
When looking for vacation accommodation, the idea is to find a home-away-from-home experience. Whether you are looking for a 5-star facility or low budget lodging, ensure there are facilities to make everyone at ease. Look for on-site shops, Wi-Fi, cable TV, swimming pool, laundry services, complimentary breakfast, kids’ entertainment service, spa and gym among other facilities to make everyone comfortable.
Childcare Options
A good hotel catering to families should have invested in on-site childcare facilities. These include kids’ clubs, babysitting services, food and other options to guarantee your children have fun even when you are relaxing indoors.
Research Online
There is a lot of information available online about lodgings in every city. Most guests compile both the positives and negatives and these will help you make an informed choice. Take your time to learn as much as you can about the quality of service, reputation, charges, facilities offered and much more.