As Hyatt Corporation experienced last month in the Caribbean island of Curaçao, and hotel managers in general have been experiencing with increasing frequency, hotel owners have the unfettered power to terminate their managers for any reason or no reason at all - even if the management agreement between the parties states otherwise. This means that owners may “take over” their hotels by installing new management at any time before the stated term of the management agreement has expired. Understanding agency law is critical to the relationship between hotel owners and managers, because it impacts the rights and responsibilities of owners and managers during a hotel takeover. READ MORE

Brands are still spending money sending inspectors into their hotels to measure brand standards. With the rise of social media is that money well spent? Could you use social media to inform quality assurance audits to actually get at experience elements and not simply brand standard? Quality Assurance has evolved to more subjective 'how did the experience make you feel' measures than the days of old, but where do they go next? READ MORE

Many hoteliers are just beginning to understand the power of positive guest reviews in driving traffic to their website, but they are unsure of where to begin in terms of proactively managing the process. Is it best to ask our PR company to take charge of this issue? Should we get a young intern to handle Social Media? I get these questions from hoteliers from around the world. At the Library Hotel Collection, our four NYC properties once ranked in the four top spots on TripAdvisor for New York City. Two years later, at the time of this writing, all four of our Manhattan properties rank in the top five in New York. So just what is it that makes these hotel groups so consistently successful with regard to their TripAdvisor rankings? READ MORE

In today's ever-evolving world, technology is at the forefront of every industry as it redefines processes, modifies systems, aides to services, and streamlines procedures - all with a goal to achieve more efficient, successful and productive outcomes. In hospitality, for example, significant technological advances have occurred within the past 10 years to the RFP process, reservations systems, and even event planning procedures. It's important for sellers to embrace these technological advances and incorporate these “tools” into the sales process along with nurturing client relationships. Technology will continue to change, but the fundamentals of relationship-building and the sales process remain the same. READ MORE

As a business owner, “social media” can be scary, too big or irrelevant. But it's not. Its impact is growing by leaps and bounds each year. Thanks to the plethora of social media networks available, customers have the ability to share their experiences with hundreds or thousands of people. Hotel guests share the good, the bad and the ugly. By embracing the value of and responding to online ratings and reviews, hoteliers can greatly improve their products and service, drive more online traffic to their websites and shape their reputation - all of which contributes to a healthier bottom line. READ MORE

Hotels and Resorts are increasingly finding it harder and harder to compete on the Internet, especially in this competitive environment. The struggle lies in not only finding ways to navigate the web that won't cause issues with the search engines, but also finding new and creative ways to attract customers. We are going to delve into one broad area that is actually awarded in the search arena today and can generate the attention of customers - social media and public relations. In addition to the overview, there will also be some discussion on some tools to use that can improve performance of social media and PR efforts. READ MORE

The most important way in which hotels differentiate themselves from each other is in the amenities they provide. But all too often amenities are thought of in strictly functional terms - what they are or what benefit they deliver, when in fact these amenities and the way they are presented are the substance and essence of the guest experience. Understanding how guests experience your amenities (which range all the way from the hotel website to the online receipt) is imperative in order to engage guests emotionally, which is possibly the most important thing a hotel can do. After all, research shows that 67% of the decision to stay in a particular hotel is emotional. READ MORE

With the winter season at the doorstep, there is nothing more important for the protection of a hotel property than proper snow and ice management. Winter weather comes in many forms, all of which present potential harm to a hotel landscape. In the article "Hotel Garden: Snow and Ice Management," authors Ken Hutcheson and Mike Fitzpatrick discuss how proper snow and ice management will help ensure that a hotel can operate efficiently and safely throughout the colder months. They also provide tips on how to maintain a hospitable and accessible landscape despite inclement weather that could otherwise pose potentially dangerous conditions. READ MORE

There are infinite digital resources positioned to assist consumers in all aspects of the travel continuum - from dreaming and researching to booking to traveling and sharing; therefore, ensuring your brand is part of the social conversation is well worth the required effort. The opportunity exists to amplify your brand message by engaging guests and potential guests via social media throughout their journey - every step of the way. READ MORE

Reviews and social conversations happen about you every day whether you pay attention or not. The great social shift allows guests to share with us in more ways than ever before. This shift has created a great opportunity for hotels to actively learn from and engage with their guests. How you listen and how you measure success, will greatly influence your success in the social space. READ MORE

Management compensation packages in the hospitality industry have traditionally been based on factors such as market share, financial performance, guest comment cards or surveys and staff satisfaction. But today, new measurements are being added that take into account the factors that drive real booking decisions today, such as TripAdvisor's Popularity Index, online review ratings, management response rates and social media engagement. READ MORE

China is currently the most social media connected country in the world. Not only do a handful of primary networks each have hundreds of millions of registered users, but their influence over Chinese consumers is also substantially higher than in other markets. As well, the country has seen rapid expansion in smartphone users, largely stemming from the growth of its educated urban populations. Knowing this landscape and its unique conditions will therefore be very important for future marketing purposes. READ MORE

The key to assigning social media management is to identify the company's goals - will it be used as a marketing and branding tool, a sales tool, a public relations tool or a customer service tool? When managed effectively, a social media program can and should combine all of the above. Once the goals have been defined, there will be a much clearer picture about who is best equipped to manage it - an established employee, a newly-created social media manager position or an outside consultant. READ MORE

I am certain we can all agree that we place a heavy emphasis on investing to acquire guests, patrons or customers to our establishments/businesses. The majority of investment frequently goes towards the search for new business. A smaller portion tends to be used for the upkeep or retention of the guest. Of course this is not in all hospitality establishments, however, why is this typically the approach? What can we learn from those who understand the other side (customer retention) and how this can be a stronger player in the success of the establishments and brand? READ MORE

Revenue streams as well as profitability movements are very different in a city hotel compared to a resort hotel. Developers and stakeholders are keen on ensuring that the project they create is able to produce a healthy return on investment. City hotels generally cater to the corporate segment while resort hotels tend to address the leisure segment. Comparatively, city hotels tend to have a lesser variety of revenue streams than resort hotels. Additionally, more and more resort hotels are becoming hybrid products serving business as well as leisure needs. This combination ensures that they do not have all their eggs in one basket and could have a better bottom line sustenance strategy over time. At the end of the day, that is what stakeholders will be looking for in their investment. READ MORE