To help decrease the drought in California, the state has required that all agricultural suppliers be in compliance with the 2015 agricultural water management plan (AWMP) guidebook. But even with the new regulations and management practices in place, drought continues to harm those living on the West Coast. According to a 2014 study from the University of California-Davis, last year's drought was likely to inflict $2.2 billion in losses on the agricultural industry. Harsh drought seasons have led to habitat destruction, wildfires, and have also caused entire landscapes to change. READ MORE

Service delivery is being changed in a fundamental way, and guest communication is at the heart of this change. Multi-channel mobile communication allows hotels to have more touch points with the guest before, during, and after their stay. When done right, a smart mobile strategy will bring hotels closer to their guests. Because the tools are so easy to use and access, a large percentage of guests will use it and appreciate it. These interactions are at the heart of how we interact with and serve guests; they aren't just marketing channels. READ MORE

When it comes to rate shopping, most properties and management companies know they need it - and they need it now. This article outlines the advances that are being made to make rate shopping faster, friendlier and more flexible by illustrating the state of the art, citing case studies of successful users. READ MORE

The designs of the most renowned hotels and resorts give careful consideration to every aspect of a guest's experience. This is no small task - the design team leads the way to ensuring a property has everything it needs to offer a memorable, comfortable and relaxing stay for customers, which ultimately determines the success of a property. Complicating matters is the fact that designers very rarely need to consider just one type of customer - there are honeymooners, young families, empty nesters, groups of friends and wedding parties to consider in the design process. The task of designing for still another subset of customers - business travelers - presents an interesting but surmountable design challenge. This is a group growing more and more accustomed to mixing business with leisure. Designing a property that appeals to business travelers, a critical source of revenue for many properties today, requires its own set of considerations that must be weaved seamlessly throughout the design of the property, from meeting and conference spaces to restaurants and guestrooms and beyond. READ MORE

Guestrooms are getting smaller. With trendy micro and capsule hotels on the rise, brands everywhere are working with designers to shave off square footage and conceptualize new and improved layouts that use space more efficiently. But designing a versatile room is only functional to a point. If you want to create a space that responds to your guests' needs without compromising the elements that turn a simple hotel stay into a luxury, then you have to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. And it all comes back to the art of crafting an experience. READ MORE

No matter how glamorous, there comes a time when every hotel requires renovation. Years of wear and tear, new fashion trends, and shifts in technology can prematurely age a property, leading to customer complaints and the need to lower room rates to remain competitive. Also, in this age of social media and online reviews, an aging property means lost revenue as travelers increasingly turn to the Internet for advice and not the hotel's website. READ MORE

A hotel without a customer-centric philosophy is a hotel without customers. Nowhere is that statement more urgent, and nowhere is that assertion more visible, than among the thousands of websites - and the tens of thousands of generic pages, filled with marketing boilerplate and stock photographs - that make the hospitality industry appear indifferent or rather inhospitable to potential guests. Changing this outlook, and converting this non-style into a marvel of design and attentive service, must be at forefront of every hotel executive's agenda. The alternative, which is a do-nothing response to the power and influence of the Web, is neither wise nor sustainable. Hoteliers need to resolve this challenge immediately. READ MORE

It is no secret consumer experiences today are significantly influenced by technology. Many brands are innovating products and services to make routine activities faster, more convenient and more user-friendly. Leaders in the hospitality industry may know this better than anyone. Internet travel booking has exploded, increasing by more than 73 percent during the last five years, and 65 percent of same-day hotel reservations are now made via smartphones . Consumer reviews could be the epitome of economic Darwinism, with survival of the fittest being a reflection of an organization's ability to be nimble and closely connected to its guests. READ MORE

Revenue management is taking on a more strategic role with growing responsibilities and new opportunities to expand the influence of the discipline. One thing remains constant: the revenue manager is the key to a successful revenue management program. This role requires an analytically minded leader, who can successfully work across the organization to drive results. Revenue management has traditionally been a detail-oriented, analytical discipline obsessed with data and consumed with spreadsheets. The more analytical, the better. As the discipline has matured, technology has become more sophisticated and the role has expanded, the requirements of the job are evolving. READ MORE

Once a hotel is build, it is especially difficult to modify the exterior structure in order to improve a guest's first impression of the property. However, by borrowing curb appeal tactics used by realtors, there are smaller, incremental upgrades that a hotelier can undertake to heighten one's appreciation of the hotel before they even set foot inside. These range from small material changes to the structure and lighting to the inclusion of outdoor art, plants and water. As well, the demand for exterior third places is also a viable option. READ MORE

When it comes to luxury hotels, no detail goes unnoticed. This rings especially true in the interior environment, the space where most day-to-day hotel activities take place. It is often the interior that shapes the identity of a hotel in the minds of visitors and guests—for this reason, the interior design is of utmost importance. Stay in a hotel with disjointed or outdated design, and the experience can come off feeling stale and mediocre. But stay in a hotel where the interior design has been executed with great care and consideration, and the stay can become timeless, branded in the mind as an unrivaled, memorable experience. READ MORE

Technology is engrained in everything we do. It's in our cars, offices, homes and even the hotels we select. Travelers today, from millennials to baby boomers, are technologically driven and expect the ease and comfort that various forms of technology can provide. Many crave convenient and quick access to information. And with more hotel flags and brands than ever, hotels must incorporate high-tech elements throughout the building from the lobby to amenity spaces to the guest room in order to stay competitive. READ MORE

Hotel design is evolving to meet the needs of a new generation of guests. One of those emerging trends seeks to combine old and new trends into a warm and inviting space that provides all the amenities and features of living in a modern world. For hoteliers, making guests feel at home from the moment they walk into the door is what makes a design successful. One feature leading the charge with adaptable charm and the overall range of colors, patterns and textures is hardwood flooring. READ MORE

As smart technologies continue to permeate every sector of our lives and Millennials grow into consumers with clout, the hotel industry is taking note. New developments are taking place and others are being imagined to keep pace with demands of this technology-savvy generation. Futuristic guestrooms will trend toward being smaller, but technology will rule to provide guests the efficiencies they prefer, the unfettered access to Wi-Fi they demand and the individual recognition they enjoy. A trip to the future is really not so far away. READ MORE

Sustainability and farm-to-table dining have become synonymous with dining experiences. The expectation for a locally grown meal at fine dining restaurants has risen 87% over the past years according to the 2015 National Restaurant Association Industry Forecast. As the leader of a culinary team, we are dedicated to exceed those expectations while meeting our bottom line. This can be a challenge to hotels and resorts around the globe whose climate does not permit for produce to be grown year round. I am fortunate to lead The Ritz-Carlton, Naples culinary team, the first resort to work with CropBox, the solution to providing sustainable dining that is not contingent on climate year round. READ MORE