The group events business is booming. In fact for hotels such as Fairmont, IHG and Hyatt, group events-everything from corporate events and trade shows to family weddings and reunions-are huge business. To be exact, they represent a $30 billion market that comprises up to 60% of their revenue. As I have stated in previous articles, technology today plays a big role in attracting meeting planners, securing their business and retaining them as long-term customers. In these articles I have looked at the specific types of technologies that hotels should be looking at-everything from collaborative online group management technologies, to Blackberry mobile phones and automated room list solutions. Now it's time to take a step back. What promise and possibilities do these technologies really allow the hotel to offer meeting planner looking to find a home for their next event? READ MORE

"When something stinks, it's usually the head." This fishing phrase has interesting applicability for hoteliers. In fact, when hotel guests receive unsatisfactory service at a restaurant or are displeased with their hotel stay, it could be the result of a number of things, but the most likely reason for these problems is a lack of, or poor leadership team. Although often overlooked, having a strong and knowledgeable leadership team is one of the most important assets at any hotel property. In fact, it is the leadership team that determines the success of the property, particularly during renovation, an economic downturn or a slow season. A hotel's leadership not only affects the guests, but also the entire staff and the overall services provided. READ MORE

Through the months, I have written on several aspects of spa retail management and this issue's topic on Creating a Strategic Retail Plan is crucial for the future success and sustainability of the spa as a strategic business unit (sbu) of the hotel. As a sbu of the hotel, the spa's strategic retail plan should consider the overall strategy of the hotel and find ways to create a congruent plan of action so that seamless results are achieved. This sends a dynamic message in the branding of the spa as a cohesive unit. READ MORE

If the lobby is the heart and the guestrooms the soul, the foyer serves as the connective tissue of a hotel or resort. A series of pathways and vistas that break the guests' visual experience in a way that doesn't give everything away all at once while, a foyer, at the same time, prepares and connects them to what comes next. Here are five elements that must be taken into consideration when designing foyers for their maximize impact and efficiency. READ MORE

Brand standards not only effect the guest experience, but they also effect the value placed on the hotel by hotel owners, lenders and investors. The juxtaposition between the desire of the brand to upgrade its brand standards and the desire of the hotel owner, lenders and investors to keep a tight grip on the bottom line can be complicated - and the brand standards are a critical component in the equation. The pendulum appears to be swinging in the direction of greater influence being exerted by the easily recognized and well known branded hotels. The credit world finds comfort in a name on a hotel that has a solid history and reputation, and investors seem to be similarly eased by mobilizing capital resources into a branded hotel. But what is the brand standard in the area of hotel operations and management? READ MORE