HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

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Drew Patterson

Literally millions of mobile apps compete for consumers' time, attention and phone space. Hotel apps are largely unsuccessful in breaking through the noise and engaging with guests in an authentic way; yet, hotel brands continue to spend excessive budget and effort on creating newer, flashier mobile apps in the hopes of sparking customer interest. A new paradigm - one where hotels create mobile solutions aligned with how travelers actually use their mobile devices - provides an alternative. Welcome to the post-app economy: it's simpler, smarter and more effective guest communication. READ MORE

Matt Sanfilippo

There is a direct correlation between pay and declining unemployment. Many employers make the mistake of chasing the changing climate with money. The Service Companies has found this to be a negative practice as it lowers our margins and reduces our ability to adjust as market conditions fluctuate. The position we find that works best is using a multi-tiered approach to recruiting and retaining talent. This strategy allows us to find ways to enhance our offerings with other methods than through straight compensation. READ MORE

Robert M. O'Halloran

Historically, tattoos were associated with sailors, bikers and perhaps criminals. This is not the case any longer. Like many other factors, tattoos and body piercings are in the middle of a generational divide. Some argue that each tattoo has a personal meaning and that tattoos are considered expressions of identity. Others note that many people have tattoos that will never be seen so there is no harm. From a business perspective, the employer must consider if their business will lose out on great employees if they have policies against hiring people with tattoos etc.? Can an employer afford to exclude these people from their talent pool? READ MORE

Suzanne McIntosh

Millennials will make up 50% of our workforce within the next several years. Our hiring managers need to understand how to attract, develop, and retain this new talent. Methods are changing and we must change with them to attract the best of the best. To hire and retain the Millennial who has the core competencies and values that "fit" with the job, most organizations and managers must shift how they interview and engage employees. They also need to consider what strong Millennial candidates look for in an employer and what their organization has to offer. READ MORE

Renie  Cavallari

Culture is the heart and soul of your organization. Culture sustains employee and customer buy-in - the predictors of success. The clear definition of your culture lays a solid foundation, builds the framework of how your business will function, and is a cornerstone to your team's alignment. It is alignment that gets results. You must value culture above the individual in order to achieve those results. An individual who is not aligned may follow procedure and yet if they do not fit your culture, they can have an adverse impact on the overall team. READ MORE

Peter  Torbet

In hotel rooms guests are using the smart TV screen for so many different reasons- from practicing presentations, streaming Netflix and listening to favorite music. The trick to keeping all your guests happy relies on having the technology that seamlessly allows all of their screens to talk to each other. READ MORE

Ken Edwards

Owners, managers and all professionals in the hospitality must understand that negative reviews can damage your online reputation, hurt your credibility and cause you to lose potential business, especially if the review specifically names an employee or your property's name. Conversely, positive reviews that promote your online reputation are fundamental building blocks for success within the industry. It's extremely advantageous and essential that hotel staff, at all levels, engage in reputation management practices to understand its importance in more depth. Reputation management training includes four important key aspects: creating a brand image, social media, customer recovery and online market recovery. READ MORE

Lizz Chambers

Sales associates often operate on the periphery of hotel organizations with their sales methods and negotiation tactics shrouded in mystery from the rest of the team. Their efforts are nonetheless instrumental towards bringing in meetings and group business, and better communication is necessary with other on-property operations to ensure that guest service is never compromised. Ten strategies have thus been outlined to both heighten internal communications amongst different departments and increase sales performance. READ MORE

Lorraine Abelow

Though the phenomenon of Americans retiring in Latin America began 25 years ago, it has accelerated in recent years. The 50 plus category is actively searching for safe and secure places in which to retire. Resorts located in the countries in this region can attract those searching for places to relocate by enticing them to use the comforts and resources of your hotel as a base, while they explore the region and its living options. By reaching out to this exploding market through a comprehensive marketing program including sales and public relations program initiatives, you can build customer loyalty. READ MORE

Scott  Morrison

From guest services and operations to conference space and poolside dining, the need for a complex, connected and dependable network is critical to the success of any hotel. But without the proper planning, installation and maintenance, your network may be underperforming and not capable of handling the demand that is increasing exponentially by the day. In this article we explain why hiring a managed network services provider with certified project managers for your technology installation can help control costs, mitigate future risk and alleviate the burden of managing multiple vendors so you can open with confidence. READ MORE

Bronwyn  White

When Google and other search engines changed their algorithms to be based on semantic search, branding, content marketing and social media took on a new role and a new level of importance. This integrated marketing mix can seriously catapult your hotel brand ahead of your competitors. I know, it always has - but even more so in the world of semantic search. Social media can help a clearly defined brand create true and authentic connections to a band of followers who, when ready to make a purchase decision, immediately consider your brand. READ MORE

Hilary Murphy

Loyalty programmes have been around since 1981 and have evolved from simple offerings to customised offers for customers in exchange for their continued patronage. This is facilitated by the advent of a more complete single data view of the customer, long sought after by hotels and hospitality related companies. The obtainability of rapid results from complex data mining techniques have now enabled us to reach the point where we can customize offers for customers and reward them in ways that are specific to their needs and desires. READ MORE

Philip J  Harvey

When hotels are victims of data breaches, they take a hit to their reputation as well as to their bottom line. When they do not have a data breach response plan, proper security and a specialized insurance policy to adequately protect them, they find the consequences are even more severe. They struggle to respond quickly and accurately, and discover they are exposed to liabilities far beyond what they imagined. It's time hotels large and small recognize and prepare for what's happening in the hospitality industry. READ MORE

Ashish Modak

A hotel manager's job has never been simple. The more so in these changing times. More vocal clientele, the advent of social media and changing attitudes of the humanity at large means more possibilities of suffering very harsh verbal abuse from unhappy customers. How does a hotel manager cope up with this without letting his personal ego suffer and without letting his peace of mind be affected beyond a point? The article narrates a true story and a genuine attempt at separating work persona from personal ego leading to less stress and better results. READ MORE

S. Lakshmi Narasimhan

The whole matter of promoting your product is in the hands of the social media platforms that are relevant to your business and a big part of that is delivered by the social proof phenomenon. The power shift is not just monumental, it is completely out of the hands of the business as far as directing promotion strategies are concerned. Businesses now are forced to focus on the products and services they offer and the value perception they bring to the customer which hopefully will translate to better revenues and therefore a healthy ROI on promotions that are carried out through social media communication engines. READ MORE

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