Today, most companies collect some type of feedback from their customers. But many of these programs fall short. Some fail to get enough feedback. Some rely on one narrow channel. Others fail to take action, or engage employees in solving problems. Getting the most from your customer feedback isn't necessarily hard, but it does take commitment. Here you'll find 10 golden principles we have seen applied by the hospitality brands that consistently outperform. READ MORE

Imagine this situation: you phone a business colleague, leaving a voicemail, and then this person replies two days later with a text message. How does this reply effort make you feel? For me - and this is just me we're talking about here - I'd feel rather insulted. Barring extenuating circumstances, a telephone call and corresponding voicemail imply a timely response effort be made via a return phone call. READ MORE

It's all about the team. Whether you are looking to fill open positions in an existing hotel, hire a new staff for a property soon to open or add talent at the corporate headquarters, attracting, assembling and retaining a top-notch team of employees is critical to success. Once hired, it is especially important to provide each team member with clear expectations, strong direction and a path of advancement within the organization. This entire process should both be true to and reinforce a company's core culture. READ MORE

Truly luxury hotels have the ability to engage their guests in a distinctive, exclusive and meaningful way not found elsewhere. They create a certain mystique that becomes almost addictive, bringing guests back time and time again. But because there is no standard definition of luxury, hotels have a challenge to be able to cater to a wide range of personal interpretations of luxury. From a sense of style and comfort, a legendary location, pampered attention, extravagance or ultra-simplicity, luxury is many things to many people. But one thing is clear - luxury delivers unexpected pleasures that exceed expectations in original ways. Learn how to best deliver that luxury touch. READ MORE

The “moral” of this article is: Every better business result requires a better conversation.” Every business result you want from your team involves engaging them in a conversation…actually an ongoing conversation. Whether it is a more gracious, welcoming guest experience; better teamwork; or employees showing more ownership and initiative, if you want better results than what you've been getting, you will need to engage them in better, more effective, more productive conversations. In this article, you will learn a six-step protocol that sets the stage for a productive conversation; a conversation that leads to commitment rather than compliance, a conversation that brings you the better results you desire. READ MORE

While Silvio Berlusconi, three times Italian prime minister, faces prison for fraud, the web of cross-holdings between Italian banks, commerce and industry is unraveling and the economic outlook is bleak. The recession is likely to persist through 2013, with uncertainty whether the gentle recovery in Germany and France will help Italy up also. READ MORE

A booming German leisure market is welcome relief for European hoteliers, reports recent research from BDRC Continental READ MORE

Designing a hotel for operational efficiency can save owners money and increase a bottom line, while still offering guests aesthetically pleasing and comfortable rooms with competitive guests. In this article, Value Place's Chief Operating Officer and President Kyle Rogg will discuss how hotel owners can improve a hotel's efficiency through design changes in lighting, flooring, fixtures, geographic building designs, and energy management systems, as well as the monetary savings that can be achieved. READ MORE

Aligning your departments' goals with your overall hotel goals will ensure you sleep better at night. If you involve your staff in the goal-setting process, not only will you have slept like a baby but you will be so relaxed the next morning that you will savor your morning cup of coffee. Why? Because, giving your staff one goal to focus on regardless of their department reduces cross-departmental friction. Additionally, involving them in the process gives them a sense of purpose and belonging which reduces attrition and improves morale. You know what they say? A happy employee makes a happy guest. READ MORE

The notion that diners go out with strict limits on their spending is a myth, but one that many floor staff implicitly accept. The cost of this is heavy. In reality there's a direct relationship between higher spend and happier diners. Diners want to have their choices informed, and they secretly want the pleasant dining experience to be an exceptional one. These desires are far more important than the moderately higher bill that accompanies them. The challenge is to ensure that all staff members recognize the many opportunities that exist to boost revenue and diner satisfaction simultaneously. READ MORE

It doesn't matter whether you're a luxury resort, boutique hotel, large chain, eco lodge or even a surf shack, social media marketing will boost your brand awareness and generate targeted website traffic all while engaging your past, present and potential guests. Were you aware that 55% of travelers liked Facebook pages specific to their vacation, while 76% posted their vacation photos to their social networks? Implementing a strong social media strategy can catapult your hotel into an entirely new playing field of guest engagement. Social media has the power to sway travelers' decision making process and in this article I will discuss why every hotel needs a comprehensive social media strategy, recent social media statistics, real success stories and how to get things started if you haven't already. READ MORE

Faced with the constant challenge of seeking and finding top talent, the use of social recruitment can be a valuable addition to any company's tool box. Just one facet of today's revolutionized communication, social recruitment has become widespread in companies across the globe. In fact, according to a Harvard Business study, organizations who do not adopt social media for their recruitment needs will be out of business in the next five years. This article explores the use of social recruitment in the hospitality industry, and offers suggestions for best practices and policy development. READ MORE

Hiring the right employees can translate directly to the bottom line. Integrity Tested employees are easier to hire, manage, and cost managers less in terms of lower rates of employee theft, fewer sick days and other important indicators. Optimizing an organization's performance through Talent Management has been a popular topic of discussion for several years with HR professionals. This article will provide the strategic management team and HR professionals with a detailed understanding of why pre-employment assessments should be an integral part of any company's Talent Management process, specifically the recruiting component. Identifying the best people to hire is critical to the success of an organization. The cornerstone of this assertion is based on the idea that people are a company's most valuable asset. Properly managing the Recruiting process is the most important responsibility of the HR executive. READ MORE

Talent resourcing and retention are still major issues as we emerge from the recession. Recruitment as a central tenet to organisational success has grown to its highest level since 2008 and Job-seekers report renewed confidence as the private sector reports growth, providing a challenge to find the necessary talent to take up vacancies (CIPD, 2013 a). Graduate fast track schemes are still popular with big hospitality companies who recognise their contribution to skills gaps and succession planning. However, without the correct strategy they often result in a poor return on investment when graduates leave too soon, porting valuable skills with them. READ MORE

Most people value their smart phones over their laptops. Unfortunately, many business leaders, not only human resource professionals, have overlooked the value and growing importance of mobile technologies in people's lives. We all know that the youngest generations, especially The Millennials, love this technology. Not only do they enjoy connecting with technology, it's almost as if it is an extension of who they are. They live and breathe social media and mobile applications. As the hospitality industry replaces its sometime tech-reluctant retiring Baby Boomers with its tech savvy Millennials, we will see a growing importance to these, now established, technologies. READ MORE