If someone could "bottle" a blueprint of what will happen in the next decade in the meetings, events and incentive travel industry and how hotels can get in on the action they would be an overnight industry star! What's coming down the road? What should the business focus on? How can you set your brand apart from competitors vying for the same clients? Though not quite an iron-clad fortune-telling tool, a new study called "The Power of 10" - commissioned by the IMEX Group, organizers of IMEX in Frankfurt and IMEX America, together with Fast Future Research, can offer some helpful and well-founded insights. READ MORE

The convergence of social, behavioral and technological trends are defining a new way for hotels to interact with data and people. Will you and your business be ready? Hotels that use analytics to decipher online feedback are well positioned to deliver a superior quality experience and earn continuous customer loyalty. READ MORE

Facilitating effective domestic and international law enforcement liaison is advantageous to hotel patrons, security and the parent company. Having credible and timely law enforcement and security information can save lives, protect property and help to safeguard a hotel's reputation and “bottom line”. The liaison facilitated information can help determine the most efficient and effective risk management implementation measures to prevent or reduce the impact of possible threats to specific hotel locations and the company at large. This can be achieved through minimal effort and cost correlating to a high return on effort and investment. READ MORE

On June 28, the Supreme Court settled the debate looming over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, upholding the individual mandate scheduled to go into effect in 2014. Since enacted on March 23, 2010, the Act continues to phase-in significant reforms many of which impose requirements affecting employers. Although legislative attempts and political discussions continue to swirl for repeal of the Act, the time-line for full implementation of the Act continues. Businesses, including those in the hospitality industry, should be in compliance with those provisions that have gone into effect and ready for those remaining to be phased-in. READ MORE

There are varying degrees of maturity in Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) hotel contracting and inevitably, most hoteliers want to learn how to avoid the onerous contract negotiations in these environments. Even in a seller's market, the Buyer wants to be in the driver's seat of racing down the road of terms and conditions. When meeting/event contracting is integrated with transient travel contracting, the process penitentiary causes confinement for months with legal beagles shredding their opponent's side of the contract. When hoteliers understand the SMM Hotel Contracting Maturity Model© and how it affects their negotiation strategies, then the hotel can author terms that satisfy their clients and increase the chain's revenue. READ MORE

This article will analyze the extent to which green policy has had an impact on MICE bookings. It will go into further detail on the type of hotel conference center trends the two chosen member properties have seen for 2013, whether or not the current economic climate has affected the hotels' green policy investment and which markets are most receptive to green policy. READ MORE

The corporate meetings segment has become an increasingly perplexing market that still dictates the success or failure of many new and established hotels. Gone are the conference travel norms of yesteryear; today, this segment is made up of a diverse group of consumers who can no longer be defined as one homogenous population. In addition, the lines between business and leisure are becoming increasingly blurred, due to the current economic climate. Taking all this into consideration, hotels can no longer attract meeting planners with simple cookie-cutter products that are delivered in an uninspired format. READ MORE

The world's hotels play a key role in supporting the success of the group meetings industry. Without enough meeting and networking space in town and sufficient rooms for people to rest after a long day of business, large and small meetings would be unable to operate effectively. So what's ahead for 2013 and beyond for hotels that want to begin or expand their group meetings business? How can you, as an hotelier, increase your value proposition? As Germany is the #1 associations group meeting destination in Europe and #2 globally, I'd like to offer some trends we've seen here that are applicable for hotels of all shapes and sizes…all around the world. READ MORE

Conference and meeting space can play a very different role in the ecosystem of a hotel, depending on factors like its location, targeted audience, and other amenities. In the first article of this series, Eric M. Rahe, AIA, LEED AP, explained that regardless of the type of hotel, there is a shortage of conference and meeting space across the industry. An increased demand from corporate meeting planners for different sizes and kinds of space may indicate that its availability and flexibility will be increasingly important to hotels' operations and revenues. Michael Prifti, FAIA, Managing Principal at BLT Architects, will explore the role of meeting and conference space in different hotel types and how each can strategically maximize its value through design and planning. READ MORE

The impact that one individual can have on others in our world today is singly a person's greatest reward. Look back to the differences that others have made in your life, chances are the value was in listening, mentoring and caring that came with providing your precious time to others. Have you ever put a price on the time you spend making a difference, of course not, you give of yourself because it is the right thing to do! Often in a day of volunteering, whether it is at 7am or 7pm, I often find myself much more productive when completing work thereafter. How about you? READ MORE

Hotel business centers are changing because hotel guests are changing - and the result is that hotels are finding creative new ways for their on-the-go guests to stay plugged in. According to industry trends and surveys, today's guests can be classified into three broad categories - Boomers; Generation Xers; and Generation Y travelers, or millennials. They think differently and they travel differently. For hotels to properly serve these three groups, hoteliers must properly understand who they are and what they want. This column examines the differences between Boomers, Xers, and millennials - their characteristics, their preferences, and especially their technological expectations. READ MORE

Think of all the reasons you haven't developed a mobile application for your hotel: usually the list will include “it's too expensive” or “my guests won't use it” or “my property is small, therefore I don't need one”. Some of those reasons may have been true at one time, but generally speaking they just don't ring true anymore. With an ever-changing market and tech-savvy travelers becoming the norm, a mobile application is quickly becoming a necessity for hotels of all sizes. Without a mobile app, you are cutting off a great opportunity for additional revenue and you could be losing guests. In this article, we will discuss the potential an app has for revenue generation. READ MORE

Congrats! You've done the hard work of putting together a media list, drafting your press release and distributing your pitch and the media is interested in covering your story. Now comes the important part: preparing for the interview. From a blog, to a newspaper, to a live TV interview, this article will provide you with a guide to prepare for any media interview. By following the media training tips included in this article, you will be more effective at communicating your story and your key messages in an interview, which will help create a stronger, more newsworthy story. READ MORE

Your online reputation is what cybershoppers and potential guests use to decide if they would like to visit your property and managing your internet reputation is key in today's “I want it now” climate where hotels rely so heavily on review sites such as TripAdvisor. What should you know? What should you consider? And how best do you work to serve your existing guests so that you can continue to garner rave reviews and attract new customers to your property? READ MORE

Since the down turn hotels have largely struggled with growing revenue year over year. A decrease in revenue growth can be caused by not having the proper mix of business in house, but your revenue manager's job is to bring in the right mix of business for your hotel. Staying competitive is important, but a hotel should look to be competitive in not just occupancy, but ADR and RevPAR as well. Finding consumers in your market, qualifying them for your hotel, and optimizing their rate with your current mix can largely help hotels struggling to grow. READ MORE