Going back a few centuries to the time of castles in France, the concierge was the individual who held the keys to the castle rooms and looked after the needs of visiting royalty. Henceforth the correct meaning of the title; "The Keeper of the Keys." READ MORE

I receive lots of questions from my clients about the best practices in social media. Because social media is constantly evolving - both in the expectations of users and the number of networks available - it's an exciting job, but one that can also be quite confusing for marketers. So I went to the source, Whitney Manson, a social media expert from Bows, Boots, & Blue, to get answers to the most commonly asked questions about how to use social media to promote a hotel or hospitality business. READ MORE

In today's competitive business environment, concierge services are popping up everywhere-from automobile dealerships and car rental companies to physicians, hospitals and banks-all promising the value-added services that hotels have created and nurtured for so long. Yet, at the same time, there has been a trend toward outsourcing this service within the hospitality industry, particularly in markets like Hawaii and New York. Has the concierge department become dispensable? In this column, Sam Wilhelm, chef concierge, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, provides insight into what his department has been doing to make its 22-member team a priceless and indispensable service for the Resort's discriminating guests and for management too. READ MORE

That unflappable, multi-tasking concierge in your hotel lobby, who grants guests' wishes like a genie, can actually boast of belonging to one of the world's oldest professions. And the history of the concierge reads like the history of civilization itself; beginning as a helper along ancient trade routes, to the keeper of the candles in grand European castles, to the modern-day concierge with a smart phone full of contacts around the globe. And through the centuries, the goal has always been the same: To assist and comfort travelers and lodgers. READ MORE

As customers, we are bombarded with thousands of messages every day across various traditional, digital and social media channels. As employees, we have been asked to do more with less and to do so more quickly. In such an environment, the task of onboarding and effectively educating new employees is an even greater challenge due to this ever-increasing competition for attention, engagement and ongoing loyalty. To navigate this complex path, loyalty programs, B-to-B brands and even employee engagement strategists are increasingly relying on “gamification” strategies to create more meaningful, interactive experiences with their participants. Considering brand experiences succeed or fail at the very hands of the people who interact with these valued customers, there is an opportunity to leverage these same strategies as a component of internal employee training endeavors. READ MORE

Like many hotels, we are in the midst of creating our coming year's marketing plan and discussing our long term plans. The addition of a Social Media Manager is high on the marketing department's wish list and our discussion has centered around what the ideal candidate should look like. Is this a position at all or a third-party company contracted to manage these platforms on our behalf? Hands down, the most heated debate involves whether this will be a senior or junior position. With the increase in popular platforms, handling social media is getting harder within the confines of our regular job roles, that is a glaringly obvious fact. READ MORE

This article is addressed to Hotel Executives in the process of hiring a concierge. It contains inside characteristics that will help the recruiter at finding the right candidate. Most of them are personality traits, since the essence of the concierge performance is highly personal: establishing powerful relationships with guests, coworkers and vendors. The concierge mindset directly impacts the hotel's overall objective to offer memorable experiences through personal service. READ MORE

“A hotel without its employees is nothing more than a building with beds,” states Niki Leondakis, president and COO of Kimpton Hotels. That's why it's so critical to retain the employees who make your guests feel like they have come home. Here's what you can do to make a lasting connection with those who matter—your employees. READ MORE

The key for the current concierge is to beat tech-savvy users at their own game. Concierges need to engage their arriving guests early in the process through the channels they are using, remain engaged through the stay and prime guests for the next stay by continuing to engage after departure. READ MORE

Pinterest recently updated their social network with Place Pins, which add a new layer of rich interactivity to location-based pins. Historically, Pinterest has been a great place to explore products and craft ideas. Upon noticing that many users shared travel photos as well, Pinterest developed Place Pins as a way to give users more context about the photos they're viewing. With this release, hoteliers can finally take full advantage of Pinterest's 70+ million users, at last making Pinterest a viable marketing solution that can rival Twitter and Facebook at driving new guests to your website and booking engine. READ MORE

The luxury travel market has remarkably transformed in recent years. One of the world's leaders in research for consumer regions throughout the world, Euromonitor has spelled out some of the stark changes. Emerging markets are growing faster than advanced markets to drive worldwide growth of the luxury segment. While traditional travel destinations (Italy, France and the U.K.) are still the most popular, Gulf countries and China are growing fastest. Today's luxury traveler considers the entire globe to be a potential destination; whereas past generations may not have looked past Western Europe. READ MORE

It is interesting to observe how the role of the concierge has evolved over the centuries. Particularly in Europe, concierge means "keeper of the keys," referring to someone who was the caretaker of a small inn, usually living on the premises. Over time, the role of the concierge transitioned into the hotel employee whose occupation is to assist guests with special requests, anything from directions, to dinner reservations, airport transfers and tickets to concerts among other things. READ MORE

Under the eye of storm for a while, Rate Parity has become one of the biggest challenges for hoteliers today. Is it just another headache or will it turn out to be the primary influencer when it comes to online sales? Is rate parity restricting your ability to maximize your revenues or presenting an opportunity to go for fairer Net Based Parity. With the recent UK Office of Fair Trade's ruling, hotel industry is debating whether this finally brings the death nail for parity as we know it. But does end of parity going means end of worry for hoteliers? Let's explore the ongoing debate over rate parity and what it means for the hotel industry. READ MORE

The Affordable Care Act began its official rollout on October 1, 2013, and with it a whole new set of regulations was added to an already complex system, effectively making a do-it-yourself approach no longer feasible, even for an independent hotelier. However, while having to outsource payroll is becoming a must, hoteliers must be careful about which provider they choose, because not every payroll or accounting software provider is able to offer the expertise, support and understanding of the complexities associated with the unique employee needs of the hospitality industry. READ MORE

While travelers dream of white sand beaches and warm locales during the cold winter months, you may be surprised at how many from around the world make the trek to New York City. More at the end of the year, in fact, than any other time: September through December is the busiest travel season for the world's most visited city. People seek out Santa at Macy's, the famed Rockefeller Center tree, and designer holiday shopping, but what many guests to New York don't realize is how much there is to do aside from the "typical tourist" activities, and especially the best way to navigate the city when millions of visitors take on the streets. READ MORE