In 2019, two California appellate courts issued separate decisions regarding employee on-duty meal periods that could greatly impact hotel operations in the Golden State. The Naranjo decision covered the specificity of on-duty meal period agreements and "substantial compliance" with the controlling state law, while the Ferra decision considered how to calculate the hour of premium pay owed to employees when employers fail to provide a compliant meal or rest period. Given these decisions, it is important for California hotel employers to understand these cases, their respective impacts and how they can be sure to comply with the new changes in law. READ MORE

Inspired by the movers and shakers, artists and innovators who give San Francisco its distinctive character, the stylish urban oasis W San Francisco attracts and retains the interest of hotel guests and locals as a fierce source of compelling events and category-defying activations. In addition to hosting What She Said, a women-led speaker series spotlighting female leaders across fashion, music, design and technology fields, and Living Room Live, a lively concert series connecting music lovers with emerging artists, the hotel just kicked off Three Course Drag TRACE, a series elevating "dinner and a show" with tasty bites and saucy performances. READ MORE

Some think historic boutique hotels can offer central locations and authentic guest experiences but can suffer in quality and operational efficiency. Fort Worth's Sinclair Hotel shows how wrong that perception can be. The recently renovated hotel maximized the use of modern technology while preserving the detail of its 90-year old iconic design. Energy consumption was reduced by 35%, while the developer was able to capture 45% of the renovation costs in federal and state historic tax credits. Sinclair Hotel represents an exquisite blending of old and new, capturing the best of both and serving as a wonderful prototype. READ MORE

Hospitality professionals and event planners can learn a lot from universities. With flexible and convenient spaces, opportunities for recruiting and connections, and engagement and entertainment options, campus settings can teach us plenty about creating elevated, professional events for today's changing workforce. Diane Tighe, area director of catering and conference services at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and JB Duke Hotel on the campus of Duke University, outlines best practices to take away from the university event setting, and it might just earn the top grade in 2020. READ MORE

During my twenty-year career in the hospitality industry, the most valuable piece of advice I've carried with me has been to treat clients not as I want to be treated, but as they want to be treated. I am able to witness this practice daily in my role as Director of Sales and Marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., located in the heart of our nation's capital. This year the hotel is celebrating twenty years of unparalleled service, consistently ranked as the premiere luxury hotel in the city Luxury and impeccable service is expected of our property and rightfully so, but pushing the boundaries and raising the bar for service in the way that The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. does is setting the tone for others to follow suit. READ MORE

Walking through the front door, your lights are set precisely how you want them. The temperature is exactly how you like it. Your favorite music or television show is playing softly in the background. The "smart home" is becoming more popular these days, but this isn't your smart home. This is your "home away from home." This is your favorite hotel guestroom. A guest's experience at a hotel should reflect their experience – and level of comfort – in their own home. While design plays an important role in this goal, adopting modern technology is just as important in 2020. READ MORE

Is bigger better – or can independent hotels thrive in today's hospitality environment? David Ashen, president & CEO of interior design and brand consulting firm dash design, takes a look back at hotel trends over the past several decades to examine guest preferences over the years and how they tie to changes in culture and consumption. Ashen explores the push away from big brands, including what's driving the shift, risks and rewards, and how hotel owners and operators can successfully make the transition. In this piece, he shares examples of hotels that experienced success and cautionary tales of the challenges ahead. READ MORE

This article examines the importance of an engaged workforce for hospitality companies, where employees are working directly with customers all day and a positive guest experience is highly valued. An engaged workforce starts with cultivating talent and incentives to keep employees motivated in their work. This article also goes into detail on how hospitality companies can increase motivation, including cash bonuses, incentive travel and special merchandise. In using these tools, hospitality companies position themselves to succeed in any economic environment and helps prevent employee turnover. READ MORE

Alissa Gardenswartz and Airina Rodrigues, both shareholders at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, share legal insights around the potential impact of downplaying or concealing coronavirus risk and how it could result in consumer protection or false advertising lawsuits. The article takes a deep dive into why hotels, who have a duty to warn guests of any hidden or concealed hazards that are known or reasonably discoverable by the hotel, may face allegations of deception from regulators, consumers and competitors by not disclosing an exposure to coronavirus on their property. READ MORE

Hostels have significantly evolved since their inception in 1914. While many of their basic hospitality features remain the same, namely providing inexpensive lodging to mostly young travelers in locations and settings conducive to social interaction and cultural enrichment, they have now taken on features that are comparable to stylish boutique hotels. Many of the new hostels are beautifully designed with amenities that attract locals to enjoy music, food, cocktails, art and invigorating social interaction with its guests. Similarly Micro Hotels provide inexpensive lodging compared to their counterparts and feature miniaturized but well-appointed guestrooms, focusing investment dollars on high design and dynamic public spaces that attract guests and locals alike to engage in robust social interaction. READ MORE

As a company focused on Music Architecture as a key guest engagement tool, I stand committed to the hotel community by sharing new and intriguing insights. I want all hotels (large and small) to reap the benefits of engaging your guests based on what you distinctly deem necessary for your specific property, considering what your guests' expectations are. Tools that drive guest engagement through content management (like music and digital signage) are becoming more flexible, such that you can better invest in exactly what you need. They're also becoming more cost effective, compact, and user-friendly. Content management that is flexible and customizable better facilitates the creation of guest memories…on your terms. Here's some insight on what's next… READ MORE

Technology is a hot topic of discussion in the hospitality sector. But while hotel professionals are intrigued by the disruptive potential of new tools and technologies that promise to improve the guest experience and impact the bottom line, the tech revolution in hospitality is introducing new and concerning vulnerabilities. Increasingly connected hotels are a target for bad actors, and with more sensitive information exposed, hotels - many of which are behind the cybersecurity curve - are ripe targets for increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks and other digital scams. With email phishing and ransomware at an all-time high, it is incumbent upon hotel owners and operators to protect themselves, their properties and their guests. READ MORE

You've probably read a bunch of 2020 trend articles already. How many of them contained the same trends you've been hearing about for five years, and how many of them left you scratching your head trying to figure out what impact the trends were going to make in your everyday life? In this article, I discuss Google's domination, the demand for mobile apps, tangible applications for artificial intelligence, and the changing landscape of technology providers. I offer specific examples of how these trends will be impactful to your business and round everything out by providing advice that should protect you from the trends of 2020 and beyond. READ MORE

Change happens in the boiler room of our emotions…so find out how to light their fires. This little quotation probably should be embossed on the wall of every marketing or sales office of every hotel worldwide. Said another way, people buy with their hearts and justify with their heads. And it is getting more so by the minute because the consumer decision-making process has become more emotional. Therefore, so must your hotel's marketing become more emotional since that emotive connection between your hotel and your guest is what will differentiate the property from its competitors. In this article, you will read about the "fab five" of emotional marketing. READ MORE

Work-related burnout is increasing, resulting in stress, a decrease in productivity, and ultimately could lead to high employee turnover. After spending three decades in the hospitality industry, I have witnessed work-related burnout and the negative impact it has on others. Vacation time helps, but implementing tools that can prevent employee burnout is not only easy, but effective in maintaining a positive and productive work environment. I want to share some of my best practices for team building, internal communication, self-discovery, and encouraging the best performance from employees in any industry. READ MORE

Hotel executives that manage innovation and use HR technologies as an important driving force for business success find their hotels to be more competitive and on the cutting edge. However, innovation and performance in hotels are determined by a set of critical success factors, one of which is the strategic dimension of HR technologies. Hotel executives can implement HR technologies to create conducive organizational climates that foster organizational learning in which knowledge, as a driver of improved performance, is shared and exploited. This is not enough, however, for hotel executives. They need to see how HR technologies can help hotels in facilitating organizational processes. READ MORE

In the hospitality industry, the cookie-cutter approach just won't cut it anymore. With a new decade dawning, more and more travelers are looking for hotels that are immersed in local culture. They're on the hunt for a place the reflects local touches and offers local insight. They're avoiding the tourist traps in favor of truly local experiences, whether it's signature cuisine or attractions that shed light on a place. Today's traveler is searching for authenticity. Fernando Rivera, General Manager at the soon-to-be-opened Kimpton Palomar South Beach, has developed an array of strategies to help hotels tap into local culture. READ MORE

The hotel industry is complex, and every hotel and restaurant is different – where the hotel is located, the skills of the staff needed to effectively run the operation, the number of restaurants, cafes and other amenities offered – the list goes on. Finding the right labor management system is time consuming and requires extensive research, which is why so many operators chose to go with a simple, one feature set-approach. On the surface it reduces stress because of its ease of use, but depending on the business, a one-size-fits-all approach just won't cut it. READ MORE

Hotel theft is steadily declining in the U.S. While hoteliers have made strides in guest safety through the implementation of on-premise security initiatives, there remains room for improvement. Understanding and addressing areas of risk, focusing on employee training, relying on outside expertise and incorporating new technical resources can further improve the guest experience by making safety a core principle. Distinguished Programs' vice president and hospitality program manager Maryann Prestia examines the typical types of hotel theft, steps hotels should take to decrease the frequency of these risks and the ways modern hotels are creating a seamless and secure customer experience. READ MORE