A lot has been said and written about the "millennial traveler" and how "different" their travel and hotel needs are. How connected and ambitious they are, the young movers and the shakers in the modern business world. In fact, nearly every major hotel brand believes millennial travelers are seeking new places to stay when traveling, new experiences, new ways to connect, new ways to stay healthy while on the road and so on. New millennial brands continue to launch onto the scene. Brands like Marriott's Moxy, Hilton's TRU, Starwood's Aloft and Hyatt's Centric all seeking to be positioned to grab the growing share of millennial traveler. READ MORE

"Oh great," you must be thinking. "Another article about Millennials. Haven't we exhausted this topic already?" Trust me, as a Millennial I understand your frustration. Feeling like you are consistently labeled as lazy, entitled, distracted, and a contributor to the demise of the English language isn't good for one's self-esteem. I am not here to argue with whatever preconceptions that you may or may not have about my generation, instead I want to tell you what I do know, and why it is important for you as a travel brand to at least try and understand the collective "us". READ MORE

The days of having service industry workers wait by the phone to learn if they're needed or not, or sending people home when demand doesn't meet projections, are numbered if not already gone. The efforts of workers' rights organizations to eliminate on-call scheduling combined with growing demand from millennial workers for more flexibility and work-life balance is giving rise to the need for more predictive scheduling practices --- and the advanced technology required to support them. As the service industry is a pretty much a pure “just in time” environment, demand-based scheduling that balances company, customer and staff needs has become more critical with the advent of new employee expectations. READ MORE

While revenue management professionals devote significant investments and efforts towards advancing their hotel's revenue resources, many hotels still struggle with assessing the actual performance of these revenue management initiatives. Namely, how can hotels ensure they are squeezing all the juice out of the proverbial revenue management orange? The hospitality industry has been using revenue management successfully for decades. However, for many organizations, the greatest revenue management challenge is not necessarily of a technical nature, but often organizational. Confronting hotels today is an essential need to align their people, processes and technologies around achieving maximum revenue performance. READ MORE

Do you change your bath towels and bed linen every day at home? Most people don't. Today, it has also become normal for guests to reuse them for two to three days when staying at a hotel. More than half of guests are in favour of reusing their towels, especially if some of the money saved in doing so is reinvested in planting trees for the benefit of the local community. This is according to a survey carried out by AccorHotels aimed at measuring changes in guest habits, current awareness of sustainability issues and their expectations of hotels in terms of sustainable development. READ MORE

Every day, each of us make what seem like routine decisions that actually have a profound impact on our planet. Among these decisions are our choices in food and beverages - specifically seafood - which have much farther reaching implications than one might imagine. The kinds of seafood we select affect the health and diversification of rivers and oceans as well as the economic well-being of fishermen and their families, especially in remote resort areas, creating a ripple effect on our human health, river, reef and ocean ecosystems, our communities, our local economies and our business. READ MORE

I attended the “Re-Think Waste” Massachusetts recycling meeting, and was absolutely blown away by a session on textile recycling. I'm sharing with you what I learned, and hope you too will consider making textile recycling as important as we all make paper, aluminum, plastic and glass recycling. Fleece, flannel, corduroy, cotton, nylon, denim, wool and linen. What can you do with these fibers when you're finished wearing them, sleeping on them or draping them over your windows? One way to benefit both your community and the environment is to donate used textiles to charitable organizations. Most recovered household textiles end up at these organizations. READ MORE

Who is the first person your guest has a conversation with as they arrive and enter? Is it the doorman, parking valet, front desk associate, or bell person? By the time your guest enters the hotel, one or more members of your staff have already effectively communicated your property's number of stars -- official or not. This messaging is telegraphed through the owner or operator's philosophy of management and training, and it goes well beyond any off-the-shelf or even custom training program or protocol. It requires a good dose of soul. READ MORE

In a world full of options, real-time media and people connected around the globe like never before, it's no surprise that people are also sharing experiences and reviews like never before. But let's not overlook the fact that people have always shared reviews with each other. In fact, if we went back to caveman days, we're almost certain that they probably were telling each other what cave had the best rocks and why. The question is, how do you make sure people are talking about your rock? READ MORE

Getting top rankings on Google and the other search engines is the prime marketing objective for hotels. Insight into the logic of Google's madness is a must for your PR agency. While no one pretends to know their secret algorithms, a qualified travel public relations firm should understand how to achieve the objective on page one. While everyone agrees getting high on the search rankings is key in today's Internet driven environment, why do so many hotels miss the boat? The reason is clear: hoteliers must understand that integrating the PR and SEO functions into your marketing programs at the outset is the answer to making this happen. READ MORE

We all accept that the manufacture and transport of any products to customers generates carbon and other greenhouse gases which is then released into the atmosphere - this, in turn, has most agreeing that it is the root cause for global warming and severe weather patterns. To reduce, and in some cases eliminate, our negative environmental impact as a business we decided to offset our greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. our carbon footprint) by financially supporting various carbon reduction projects around the world through purchasing carbon offsets. Business has a fundamental duty and obligation to act in a way that reduces its environmental impact. READ MORE

The Nonantum Resort is located right on the water in Kennebunkport, Maine - just a half mile from Dock Square, and an easy scenic stroll or bike ride up Ocean Avenue to Walker's Point, summer home of the Bushes. Situated on the Kennebunk River, with the breakwater and the ocean within view, the resort has its own lighthouse and an array of classic Adirondack chairs set out on its spacious back lawn - making it an idyllic coastal retreat. Built in 1883 by a local sea captain, and opened on July 4, 1884, the Nonantum kicks off its 132nd season of operation READ MORE

Good business is about seeking out opportunities to create value. As our social, economic and environmental landscapes continue to change, we need approaches to adapt and evolve our business practices in order to manage risk and create market value in new ways. Increasingly, consumers are looking for companies that are socially responsible, and ones which understand that there is a need to give back to their communities. In addition, there is an increase in the focus and attention to sustainable operating practices from investors, guests, partners, and employees. People are looking to do business with companies that understand their global footprint READ MORE

Major hotel companies realize the enormous benefits that come with environmental and socially sustainable practices. In addition to increasing profits from energy and water conservation, hotels are boosting profits due to an expanding segment of environmentally-concerned travelers and corporations, who make lodging choices based on hotels' green credentials. As they embrace environmental and social sustainability, many of the major hotel companies have mission statements expounding on their environmental stewardship. In this article, we will look at five major hospitality companies and their approaches, practices and policies in achieving sustainable goals for their hotels and resorts. READ MORE

Miami continues its transformation from beach destination to world class city, giving travelers a much wider range of lodging options. With close to 5,000 additional hotel rooms being delivered by the end of this year, Miami is experiencing a very active and strong hospitality market. This includes the entrance of international hotel brands and new concepts being introduced by the leading hotel groups. While the region's visitor count continues to reach record-setting numbers, critics have voiced concerns that the market could experience oversupply, which coupled with other threats the hospitality market faces today, could have a negative long-term impact. READ MORE