Both the workplace and our roads have become safer in recent decades, but when employees of hotels or any business get behind the wheel in the course of their work, they are still at risk. In fact, transportation incidents are the leading cause of occupational deaths across all industries and a major source of costly insurance claims. To mitigate this risk, hotels should examine hiring practices and training for the valet attendants and shuttle drivers they employ, and implement best practices in both areas. READ MORE

When Lee Goossens purchased Wickwoods Country Club, Hotel & Spa in 2010 it was bankrupt and empty. It is now an idyllic weekend getaway for fitness enthusiasts, walkers and tennis players - and the hotel is also attracting both corporate and wedding guests. This article focuses on the advantages and the challenges facing boutique hotels in a market dominated by big brands - and highlights the interesting history of this boutique hotel, showing how Goossens, with shrewd business acumen, an innovative investment plan, and a $2million renovation, has turned things around by responding to trends and focusing on quality and top-notch customer service. READ MORE

What does your hotel's customer ecosystem look like? Impactful first impressions, personalized service and pleasant surprises sound like terms ripped right off of a customer service checklist: is your hotel employing them? Are you leveraging your employees to build meaningful relationships with your guests? Do you consider the idea of community engagement a necessity to success? Learn why personalized attention in hotels is reshaping the way we offer guest service, and how your team can create advocates for your brand through something as simple as understanding what your guest really wants. Hint, it's not a fancy lobby. READ MORE

It is unquestionable that we are faced with strong economic conditions, especially in the United States, which have had a dramatic impact on the lodging industry. For the past five years, all success indicators (occupancy, average rate, and RevPAR) have climbed steadily and most owners have enjoyed record profits. In New York City alone, demand for the first six months of 2014 increased by 6.6%, breaking all records, per Smith Travel Research (STR). READ MORE

Gathering places for people to meet and hold events have been around since mankind began and there have been many fascinating meeting venues which have been built over the centuries where historically significant decisions have been made to shape the world we live in today! Back in 1981, a group of hoteliers recognized the need to provide a serious concentration on the productive meeting environment and founded the International Association of Conference Centres. In the years since the term "conference centre" was coined, and for IACC, it represents a total commitment to the concept. READ MORE

Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim summed up the key to a successful marriage in the musical Company by noting in the song 'Perfect Relationships' that “it's the little things.” So too with the partnership between a meeting planner and a hotel—it's the little things that add up to a booking, a successful meeting and the potential for repeat business. CMA Association Management (CMA) has provided comprehensive association management services to national and global professional and trade associations for over 25 years. In that role, we have staged hundreds of meetings, conferences and trade shows, most of which have been at hotels across the country and the world. READ MORE

When the hotel industry discovers what mankind has known for thousands of years that the human body has an energy field, hoteliers will have discovered the means to making the greatest transformation in the hospitality guest experience since the hotel industry began. It is both frustrating and amusing to watch hotels and hotel groups scramble over each other as they look for the next Big Thing that will give them the edge over everyone else. But as soon as one hotel group finds a new piece of technology or a new way to use the internet, they all copy each other immediately and then every hotel group becomes exactly the same again. Hoteliers have become so programmed to think in terms of technology and the internet that they cannot see any other possible direction to go in to find the next Big Thing. The blind are leading the blind. READ MORE

The hospitality industry recognizes that family travel is changing. People are time-starved, hungry for connection and hungry for experiences. They are traveling to far-flung destinations to explore the world with their children, and they aren't willing to compromise on their luxury hotel experience. The hotel brand that is able to create a home away from home and also provide them with the opportunity to truly experience these unique destinations will attract families and keep them loyal. St. Regis Hotels & Resorts has created a program that caters to the needs and requirements of the sophisticated family traveler - our hotels welcome and celebrate families around the world and offer unique destination-led experiences throughout a stay. READ MORE

Water features—such as a pond, decorative pool, or swimming pool—on the grounds of a hotel or other commercial property can add a great deal of charm to the landscape. In fact, these features are almost always the first thing that capture the attention of your guests. However, these valued and highly visible features require landscapers to consider a number of factors in order to ensure maximum health, beauty, and enjoyment of your ponds and pools by your guests. READ MORE

As the economy continues to improve, hotels are finally luring back business travelers, with business travel in the United States expected to increase by nearly six percent in 2014, and a continued upward trend anticipated into 2017. This is great news for the hospitality industry across the board, as business travel accounts for up to 40 percent of total revenues for hotels. But as business travel resurges above and beyond levels seen before the recession, many standard hotels are scrambling to find innovative ways to entice guests. READ MORE

The traditional group business meeting is becoming a thing of the past. Meeting planners want to ensure innovative events capture the hearts and minds of meeting attendees. Business travelers want and expect knowledge sharing and networking that show a real return on investment. Stepping up to the plate to address these needs are savvy hoteliers, who offer unique and differentiating experiences to their group hotel guests. This article highlights German hotel innovators and best practices. It also offers tips for hoteliers who want to maximize their guests' immersive experience as part of group travel. READ MORE

Event technology has been simplifying life for planners since the late '90s as entrepreneurs have used the most advanced tech to solve industry pain points, and to respond to constant demands from planners for new functionality. This article looks at 15+ years of event technology advancement, comparing old and new methods, offering anecdotes on tech adoption's early successes and challenges, and looking ahead at how technology will continue to change the meetings & events industry. READ MORE

With the power of the internet, business doesn't need to be conducted face-to-face. Even with this grand technological advancement, however, the act of meeting in person is still a highly productive activity. And oftentimes we overlook the impact of personal hotel spaces on the overall conference experience. By incorporating several key upgrades to guestroom design, a meeting or convention attendee can be better connected, work more effectively and have an elevated mood while staying at a property, thereby improving guest satisfaction, word of mouth and overall demand to allow for an increase in ADR and in turn revenues. READ MORE

As hotels implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives focusing on economic, social and environmental issues, the long-term success of these programs is dependent upon wide-spread, sustained action across the organization. This change can occur only when employees buy into and support the program. The idea of engaged employee has been studied broadly in organizations. This article examines the idea of employee engagement as a concept to support CSR initiatives. In addition, the ideas of leadership and followership, sensemaking and organizational collaboration are discussed as conditions which engender employee engagement. READ MORE

Digital findability is one of the most important factors when it comes to your global hotel website. After all, what good is a beautiful, well-designed and translated website if travelers in other countries can't find it online? To position your global hotel strategically on a crowded world stage, you need to plan for and implement multilingual search engine optimization (SEO). From professional keyword selection to populating your website with valuable localized content, follow proven best practices for ensuring optimal search rankings in each target country. READ MORE