In Brief

Marriott, AHLEI partner for hospitality training program in China 

Marriott International has partnered with the AH&LA Educational Institute and Nankai University to launch a hotel education and training program in China. The Marriott Apprentice Program consists of a five-year program that includes 18 months of on-campus learning and more than three years of internships at Marriott hotels combined with online classes. HotelsMag.com (free registration)

Trump hotel in Canada to be sold as company plans India expansion 

The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is reportedly being sold to Maxfine International for $93.24 million. The deal is expected to close in June 2016. The Trump Hotel Collection has also said it is looking to expand its global portfolio to 30 hotels in six years and is studying Indian markets for potential management deals. Hotel Management online 

Demand raises travel employment by 1.9% in 2013 
The Commerce Department reports that jobs in the travel and tourism sector numbered 7.6 million in 2013, up 1.9% from the previous year. A 4% rise in industry-related spending last year, which reached $1.5 trillion, helped raise employment as the industry's 3.5% growth outpaced national economic growth. Skift 

Hotel robots, coming your way 
Starwood's Aloft Hotels and cruise company Royal Caribbean recently announced plans to introduce robot helpers to their staff lineup, and it's possible other hospitality companies follow suit. The Starwood robot, "Boltr," helps out at the check-in desk, while the Royal Caribbean robot mixes drinks. "This is just another example of how hoteliers explore and experiment with new ways to meet our guests' needs," says an American Hotel & Lodging Industry spokesperson. Skift

Anticipate your guests' expectations 

Hotels can boost customer service by first anticipating what their guests will want -- and doing that takes good internal communications and sharp data analytics, writes Larry Mogelonsky, president and founder of LMA Communications. "While the front-end of many new devices or hotel software kits focus on improving the guest experience, the back-end strategy of capturing more data will inevitably help towards developing relationships with prospective guests," he writes. Hotel Interactive

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