How hospitality alumni are waiting out COVID-19

The days of sold-out nights, busy lobbies, and bustling ballrooms started to slowly dwindle. We thought we would be okay and be able to get through this. Then one day, we showed up to work and it felt like everything had changed, in just 24 hours. Occupancy started to drastically drop to a record low of 5-15%, events were canceled or postponed until the Fall or 2021, and the front desk agents were excited when there were people in the lobby. This was just the beginning of how hotels would see the effects of COVID-19. Our alumni share how they have come to terms with the pandemic and share recommendations on how to keep busy while at home, along with their hope for the future of the hospitality industry.Published versio

Sanitized practices for human resources in a COVID-19 environment

The impact that COVID-19 has had on small and large businesses, is something never seen before in more than five generations. The closure of America has basically placed a halt to business in the hospitality industry. This has forced many businesses to implement work from home (WFH) strategies. Historical records of unemployment filings have made the navigation for human resources a unique challenge.Published versio

Navigating hotel operations in times of COVID-19

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Cheers to Pina Coladas in NOLA! - June Communique Article – NENA Federation - 2019

Accepted manuscrip

Camping amidst COVID-19

The current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dismantled the hospitality industry. With increased demands for social distancing, camping could very well be this summer’s best vacation plan. A better understanding of current practices and recommendations for new campgrounds protocols will be addressed. Camping provides many benefits, consider getting outside and enjoying the disconnect from the traditional busy world. https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2020/03/31/camping-amidst-covid-19/Published versio

NENA: Laissez les bon temps rouler (“Let the good times roll”)

Accepted manuscrip

An examination of online ratings on hotel performance indicators: An analysis of the Boston hotel market

This research study is designed to examine the impact that a posted online review rating has on the financial performance of a hotel room in the lodging industry. The popularity ratings of hotels in the Boston, Massachusetts market, as posted on the popular online travel review website TripAdvisor, will be examined against the hotel performance metrics of average daily rate (ADR), occupancy, and Revenue per Available Room (RevPar). This study examines the literature to better understand the previous research behind the impact that word-of-mouth communication, both in traditional and electronic forms, has on customer satisfaction. The emergence of social technologies has created an environment in which businesses can be rated and reviewed in an open market for potential future customers to read, and the development of user-generated content has become a more trusted and credible source of product and service information. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of these online ratings on hotel performance, specifically that of TripAdvisor rating attributes on the financial performance of a hotel. The study found that the various attributes had varying levels of significant impact on Average Daily Rate (ADR), Occupancy, and Revenue per Available Room (RevPar). Based on the natures of the lodging properties in Boston, Value was found to be statistically significant across all categories analyzed. Ultimately, the contribution of this research is both academic and practical, as this study will be among the first to examine and test the various TripAdvisor rating attributes on each hotel financial performance metric. In addition, this study will expand upon the current body of knowledge in the areas of user-generated content, online reviews, ratings of TripAdvisor, and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM)

Successes amongst restaurants despite pandemic conditions

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Capital flow & future investment in hotels in a post pandemic world

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