Ally Dombey

Director

Revenue by Design Ltd

Q: What does your workday look like?

A: I enjoy the mornings and generally set aside the first few hours of the day to push through project work whilst it’s still quiet and an ideal time for thinking. If I’m coaching or training, the day will be spent at a hotel, working with the team to improve profit centres and optimise revenues. If I’m not on property, I’ll be working on developing revenue projects and coaching programmes, or working on initiatives to support the HSMAI Europe Certified Revenue Manager qualification.

Q: What is it that you really like about your job?

A: The diversity, my work environment changes daily; I may be working with a 9-bedroom castle in the south-west of England or a 400-unit resort in the Caribbean, or coaching a student over the phone – it’s amazing.

Q: Is there anyone in particular that you look up to?

A: I have great admiration for people who appreciate the human condition and who inspire others. Nelson Mandela is one such person, whose wisdom, dignity and compassion never fails to give me the courage to face another day.

Q: Do you have any nice traditions at work?

A: Whenever I can I like to take long walks around the cities after I finish work – together with a treat – and that depends on the city …

Q: For how long have you been an HSMAI member?

A: Since my first attendance at a ROC (Revenue Optimisation conference) in the US, somewhere around 2006.

Q: In your view, what are HSMAI’s best features?

A: The organisation’s ability to spot innovations early, encourage learning and development, and provide a forum for high level networking.

Q: Please describe your ideal weekend.

A: A long walk with my two madcap Hungarian Viszla dogs along the south coast, and some chillout time on a yoga mat.

Q: If you were the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, what would be your focal point?

A: I would focus on developing affordable and accessible education and a greater sense of family and community.

Q: If you ever were to write an autobiography, what would its title be?

A: I’m always running around. so I expect it would be something like: I’ll be there in a minute … or Give me just one more day ….

Q: What is your next destination, privately or professionally?

A: I aim to provide high quality learning and development tools for the hospitality industry, specialising in revenue management distribution and digital marketing. My focus is on providing access to this through whichever way is most convenient for people – either on property through workshops or on-line.

Q: Do you have any particular hobbies?

A: I enjoy cycling and yoga.

Q: Thank you so much. Any last minute thoughts or requests?

A: Keep up the great work!

SAS Group has today signed an agreement to sell 80 percent of its shares in Widerøe’s Flyveselskap AS to a group of investors consisting of Torghatten ASA, Fjord1 AS and Nordland Fylkeskommune (together referred to as the “Investor Group”). SAS will retain a 20 percent share in Widerøe, but will have an option to transfer full ownership of Widerøe in 2016, according to a press release from SAS today.

The sale of Widerøe represents an important step in the improvement of SAS’ financial position with a significant reduction of SAS’ financial leverage. SAS and Widerøe will have a continued close commercial cooperation after the transaction, with Widerøe remaining an important regional partner to SAS.

As part of the transaction, SAS will sell seven Dash Q400 aircraft to Widerøe, which are currently leased by Widerøe from SAS. The loans related to these aircraft will be transferred to Widerøe. Additionally, three aircraft, currently not in use, have been sold from SAS to a lessor and subsequently leased by Widerøe.

SAS will receive approximately SEK 2.0 billion in conjunction with the divestment of Widerøe, including the aircraft-related transactions, and up to SEK 2.3 billion in total proceeds in the case of a full divestment in 2016.
The total proceeds will reduce net debt by the same amount. Additionally, the transaction will reduce the previously announced negative impact on equity of amended reporting rules for pensions by approximately SEK 1.0 billion from SEK 7.9 to SEK 6.9 billion.

The sale of Widerøe is expected to result in a limited capital loss for SAS of approximately SEK 230 million in case of a full divestment in 2016.

“This divestment is in line with the 4Excellence Next Generation strategy to build a long-term financially strong SAS. We are pleased to have developed Widerøe into a successful airline under SAS’ ownership and we look forward to continue strengthening Widerøe’s position as the leading regional airline inNorwaytogether with the new owners”, says Rickard Gustafsson, SAS Group President & CEO.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance from Norwegian competition authorities, and is expected to close in September 2013.

Brief overview of the Investor Group

The Investor Group will acquire the shares in Widerøe through a newly formed company in connection with the transaction, WF Holding AS, which will initially acquire 80 percent of the shares in Widerøe. The shareholders of WF Holding AS comprise:

Torghatten ASA, one of the leading transportation groups inNorwaywith approximately 3,000 employees.

Fjord1, Norway’s largest ferry company with approximately 1,100 employees.

Nordland Fylkeskommune, the county authority of Nordland county,Norway.

Photo: A mid-air Wideøe Dash 8-Q400 machine. Photo from Widerøes Flyevelskap AS

The hotel and travel industry is entering a very exciting stage. People are travelling more than ever as the world becomes a smaller place.

Crossing international borders, residing in Paris, commuting to London for work, for instance, is fast becoming a reality for a rapidly growing number of people.

As a globally recognised organisation these are fantastic times for HSMAI Europe, launching a number of pan-European activities,entering new European markets, introducing new activities in the UK, and making preparations for our Revenue Management and Digital Marketing Conference in Frankfurt on 9 October 2013.

However, the industry also faces challenges, caused by a world becoming more accessible through increased use of social media, forcing companies to compete on a number of platforms, against a growing number of competitors.

This is where we believe HSMAI Europe plays a valuable role within the industry, in confronting such challenges. Through sharing knowledge and experience of the travel sector and the ground-breaking ways in which marketing has evolved, we encourage companies to learn from one another and share their skills to help the travel sector reach its true potential and overcome the new challenges hiding behind the next corner.

For details on HSMAI Europe’s immediate agenda, please see our calendar – and below presentation (best viewed in full-screen mode):

“The experience has been just amazing, not only with respect to the information I have obtained, but especially in terms of human interaction,” says Aimone dal Pozzo, Young European Hotelier of the year 2011, in an email report to HSMAI Europe, on his recent attendance at Cornell University’s General Managers programme, awarded by HSMAI Europe and TripAdvisor.

In the weeks to come HSMAI Europe launches its search for young talents in the European travel and hospitality industry, leading up to the HSMAI Europe awards in Germany later this year.

If you know of any young hoteliers or young leaders worthy of a prize, please do not hesitate to contact us (see form at bottom of article). Further details on prize categories to follow during the month of May.

Meanwhile HSMAI would like to draw your attention to the above mentioned Aimone dal Pozzo of Italian hotel Castello dal Pozzo, Young European Hotelier of the year 2011, since attending the Cornell programme this year.

We would like to take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of follow-up studies, or education beyond qualification, as it were, profiling Mr Aimone dal Pozzo, of whom the 2011 awards jury said:

The winner is a person who has lifted his hotel to a new level in the later years. Supervising all aspects of the hotel operation, and having grown up in a hotel environment, the real lessons about planning, motivation and judgment came from racing motorbikes. Using his experience from the race track, he developed the family business from a location for weddings and gala dinners to a five star luxury hotel. HSMAI Europe and TripAdvisor congratulates Aimone dal Pozzo, Owner & CEO of Castello dal Pozzo, as winner of the Young European Hotelier of the Year.

Aimone dal Pozzo receiving the Young European Hotelier of the Year 2011 prize, including a stay at Cornell’s General Managers programme,  at the Hilton Park Lane in London, awarded by HSMAI Europe, in cooperation with TripAdvisor.

The Young European Hotelier 2011 prize was just that; attendance at Cornell’s – the world’s premier hotel school’s – General Managers programme, from which Aimone himself recounts (in two separate emails):

“I arrived on Saturday and the flight was fine and on time. I am staying at the Statler Hotel, which is part of the hotel administration school, and is run partly by students. The faculty has about 800 students every year. There are a total of 30,000 students on campus – it is amazing!

I am in a very nice room, with space to study and a super view (see  below photographs, followed by continued article).

I have met the others just this evening, they are 23, all in all, from all over the world and I’d say at least ten years older, it is looking very good.

Tomorrow lessons start at 8:00 am right through to 5:00 pm … Here we go!”

And then:

“I have just got back from Ithaca and have been covered in things to do and catch up. The experience has been just amazing, not only with respect to the information I have obtained, but especially in terms of human interaction.” Article continues below photograph.

The January 2013 class of Cornell’s General Managers programme (click picture for larger version).

No doubt the Young European Hotelier of the year main prize is a valuable one, so please do not hesitate to suggest your candidates (a brief argument for your suggestion, along with links or contact data, would be much appreciated):

We’d also like to show you a few snaps of Aimone dal Pozzo’s wonderful hotel, the Castello dal Pozzo, in the below gallery:

Top photograph: Aimone dal Pozzo (right) receives his General Managers programme certificate at Cornell.

Saturday 14 April saw the end of HSMAI Europe’s old website, originally introduced in the summer of 2009, which has been closed for four days, pending today’s launch of HSMAI.eu 2.0 – even though the term “launch” is fairly loosely defined.

“We prefer to call it a soft launch,” says HSMAI Europe’s president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth, continuing:

“We still have a way to go before we’re completely happy with all functions, features and designs, but had to compromise, seeing as we also have pressing information to convey. Still, the website is presentable enough, and certainly better than the old version, so all in all we are very pleased.”

Seamless and mobile

Ingunn Hofseth, HSMAI Europe’s president and CEO.

According to Hofseth, the new website will be tightly integrated with other HSMAI services, such as the upcoming Internet based TV channel, HSMAI Channel, to be introduced during the autumn of this year – as well as the various social media outlets in which HSMAI Europe is present.

“Another important factor for us,” adds Ingunn Hofseth, “is the tremendous growth in mobile Internet use, prompting a long overdue redesign, into today’s responsive design, optimising the website for both mobile phones, tablets and traditional computers. I strongly recommend trying the made-over site on a mobile phone or a tablet. We have been advocating so-called responsive designs for years, therefore we are very happy to finally comply with the doctor’s order.”

More to come

HSMAI Chapter Norway launched the same design about a week ago. Other European HSMAI sites are currently in the making, including, of course, the HSMAI Channel. More on this in later news.

The new sites are developed by Jarle Petterson, also responsible for the 2009 versions of hsmai.eu and hsmai.no.

McLean, Va., USA (March 22, 2013) — The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and the HSMAI Foundation today announced, in conjunction with the annual Leadership Conference, a USD 1.0 million donation from the Mike and Andrea Leven Family Foundation. Their gift, combined with a USD 500,000 gift from Las Vegas Sands Corp., results in USD 1.5 million going toward HSMAI leadership programming and the development of HSMAI’s presence in the Las Vegas area.

Michael Leven, the current president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, is a longtime industry leader, former international president of HSMAI, a past inductee into the HSMAI Hall of Fame, and has been previously named one of HSMAI’s “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing.” Prior to his current position, Leven served as the COO of Holiday Inn Worldwide and the president of Days Inn of America.

In honour of the substantial gift from the Leven Family Foundation, the annual HSMAI Leadership Conference has been renamed the HSMAI Mike Leven Leadership Conference. The conference, currently being held at The Peabody Orlando, brings together HSMAI chapter, board and student leaders for exclusive professional development opportunities.

“HSMAI is honuored to receive such a generous donation from the Leven family and Las Vegas Sands,” said Bob Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “Mike’s ongoing dedication to HSMAI, the hospitality industry as a whole and the discipline of hotel sales make it a perfect fit to rename our annual Leadership Conference to be a namesake to the Leven family.”

A self-proclaimed “hotel sales guy,” Leven credits his success to his ability to develop relationships and always understanding the value proposition between two parties.

“I have a passion for supporting the hospitality sales profession and recognising sales professionals,” Leven said. “It is my hope that this gift for HSMAI helps develop HSMAI leaders, the importance of the sales discipline and creates a strong presence for HSMAI in the Las Vegas area.”

The combined gifts will provide major funding to support the HSMAI Foundation’s mission to develop knowledge and insights for the future of the industry. Additionally, the gift will have a substantial impact on the Las Vegas hospitality sales and marketing community. A portion of the gifts have been allocated toward the establishment of an HSMAI chapter in Las Vegas. HSMAI will hire a managing director in Las Vegas and plans to develop educational programmes there, focused on sales, marketing and revenue management.

Furthermore, the gift will fund initiatives to support future members of the hospitality industry through the establishment of a collegiate chapter of HSMAI at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and the HSMAI Foundation’s continued support of scholarships for students pursuing degrees in hospitality sales, marketing and revenue management.

“We are extremely grateful for the gifts, which will serve to further our mission to support today’s and tomorrow’s leaders through insights, research and scholarship,” said Fran Brasseux, HSMAI Foundation executive director.

The Leven and Las Vegas Sands gifts are the first of several expected Legacy Gifts to be announced in the coming year.

Photograph: Bob Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI Global. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

Orlando, Fla. – Many young hospitality professionals spend years working in the field, earning valuable industry experience that will prepare them to eventually become general managers of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and cruise lines. However, new technology and best practices, set to be introduced at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, aim to jumpstart upper management careers in the hospitality industry, coording to a press release from University of Central Florida.

The innovative Performance Management Intelligence (PMI) software suite, created by d2o, a global hospitality technology company, will allow UCF Rosen College students to serve as virtual General Managers (GMs) of a real-life hotel.

Through a cloud-based environment, students will receive real-time data from an actual hotel. Students will then use this data to manage their own virtual hotels, including budgeting and revenue forecasting, staffing and scheduling, food purchasing, daily occupancy, stock level control, and more.

“It’s the closest thing to hands-on experience. This state-of-the-art technology will allow our students to apply theories to resolve the same real-world business issues that general managers face on a daily basis,” said Dr. Abraham Pizam, dean of UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “Our students will gain market-ready management skills in a fun, innovative, and engaging manner. Bottom-line – they’ll become better hotel GMs, and more marketable graduates.”

The college will select 20 students from a pool of applicants to participate in the program, which begins March 18, 2013. The initial 20 virtual GMs will have a two-day boot camp to learn the concept and software before competing, with the support of a personal coach, against each other for the most successfully operated hotel.

Prizes will be awarded to the top competing student managers and the most successful virtual GM will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Norway to tour the actual hotel, as well as visit d2o’s headquarters.

In addition to prizes, each participant will gain valuable management skills, plus a certificate of Dynamic Performance Management Excellence, which will be valuable to students’ resumes.

UCF’s Rosen College is the first academic institution in the United States to use d2o’s revolutionary technology designed to enable hoteliers to proactively manage in a highly dynamic environment. The d2o process helps shape leaders who think differently and manage collaboratively by sharing information and managing future outcomes.  Managing labor and F&B resources in real-time, managers can prevent productivity loss and deliver more sustainable profitability across departments.

“We chose UCF’s Rosen College to pilot this program in the U.S. because they already had an outstanding reputation for successfully blending theoretical principles and real-world applications,” said Kjell Gangdal, d2o’s vice president of education. “We are thrilled to work with such a great academic institution and we are excited to see the students learning the philosophy and best practices of managing proactively using our solution.”

About UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Located in the heart of the tourism and hospitality industry, Orlando, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida is dedicated to the values of professionalism, leadership and service. The mission of UCF’s Rosen College is to develop future generations of global hospitality and tourism leaders representing all industry segments in the hospitality capital of the world, through innovative academic programs, cutting edge research and strong industry and community partnerships.

For more information about UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management and its programs, visit www.hospitality.ucf.edu.

About d2o

d2o is the leading provider of real-time performance management solutions for the hospitality industry. Its Performance Management Intelligence (PMI) Series is an integrated suite of dynamic performance navigation solutions that guide hotels and resorts to discover untapped profit by dynamically managing resources and preventing productivity loss. We empower operations to collaborate, share information and manage future outcomes. The result is the lowest possible F&B and labor costs and higher, predictable and sustainable profit. PMI solution functionality includes robust enterprise and department-level profit and loss budgeting and forecasting, as well as daily food cost control, employee scheduling and labor productivity management. Founded in Norway in 2000, d2o has offices in Europe and the United States serving its expanding global customer base of over 400 leading hotel chains, independents, and management companies. For more information, go to www.d2o.biz.

HSMAI Europe is happy to invite its members and non-members alike to this interesting webinar:

Review Management – The Management Discipline for 2013

This Webinar will show you how important and powerful guest reviews have become in the past few years.

The rapidly increasing trend of travellers to consider reviews as part of their booking decision has quickly changed consumer habits in the hotel industry. This means that review management is a core function of a hotel’s management and marketing strategies. Guest reviews act as both positive and negative multipliers for a hotel. It’s for this reason that we want to empower hoteliers and decision makers by giving them the insights necessary to actively use and manage guest reviews. We’ll cover why guest feedback is important and how to constructively respond to it.

Agenda

• Overview and Development of Online Reviews
• The Review Management Statistics
• The Review Management Process
• Case Studies on Review Management

Goals

You will:

• get better insights about consumer behaviour
• achieve a better understanding of the increasing importance and impact reviews have on a hotel’s business
• understand the influence of reviews on the purchasing decision of customers

Target groups:

• Hotel General Managers
• Hospitality and Tourism Professionals
• Hotel Marketing Experts
• eCommerce Managers
• Front Office Managers
• Guest Relations Managers

About the speaker:

Torsten Sabel: co-founder and COO of Customer Alliance has more then 10 years of hotel and quality management experience at independent hotels, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts and designhotels.com in Germany, the Netherlands and the USA.

As an expert on hotel marketing and sales, review and reputation management, quality management and Internet business, Torsten Sabel enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience on the hotel industry and review management with others.

Costs:

HSMAI-Members: For free
Non-members: EUR 79

Time: Monday 15 April at 2 pm GMT (London, Dublin, Madrid: 3 pm, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Paris: 4 pm)
Duration: One hour

Register now:

HSMAI member? Please register here, at no cost.
Not member of HSMAI? Please register here, for EUR 79.
Want to become a member of HSMAI? Please visit this page.

HSMAI Europe visited our German colleagues during ITB in Berlin earlier this month March 2013, so we thought we’d give you a glimpse.

Enjoy!

Please note: Firefox users may experience problems viewing this particular video clip, due to conflicting Flash and HTML 5 standards. Should this happen to you, please copy this page’s address, for viewing in Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari or Opera, where it should work according to its intentions:

For more information and an overview of compliments going around the world (on 1 March) please go to:

• www.worldcomplimentday.info
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorldComplimentDay
• Twitter: @Complimentday