High operating expenses combined with increased “discounted” competition with day spas have painted hotel spas into a financial corner, making tight margins skin tight. Given that the average hotel spa can charge a premium of 50 to over 500 percent over the local day spa and still only achieve a departmental profit of somewhere between 9% and 15% is not only staggering, but leaves little room to navigate into more profitable seas. The global economic melt down that started in the latter part of the 3rd quarter 2008 and the tenuous progress that continues today has the potential to make a difficult situation dire. So the question at hand is how should a hotel or resort enhance, expand or reposition their spa and how best can they justify their “enhanced pricing” and still remain competitive? READ MORE

In the spa world of 2012, the word organic has been tossed around for some time, however the definition relayed to the general public has changed. While retailers, spas and cosmetic companies customarily have some type of organic ingredient in their demographic, not every company incorporates organics for the same reason. Some see organics as offering a higher concentration of pure ingredients and in turn, healthier for the skin while others view organics simply as an ingredient labels which helps sell the product or treatment. And, some see organics as a marketing ploy that doesn't make any difference in retail. Ultimately, we need consumer “buy in” to demand quality organic products on the market. READ MORE

A hotel may be elegant and deftly designed. The materials may be of the highest quality. It may provide five-star service and amenities. But if a hotel looks the same in Chengdu as in Chicago, then it is only an elegant, high-quality, five-star hotel. It says little about the place. And a unique guest experience is inextricably linked to place. What are the challenges and solutions to creating a memorable guest experience by design? READ MORE

Think about your business goals as a travel marketer: you want your online visitors to book more trips, extend their trips, book more higher margin trips, add items to enhance or expand their trip—insurance, tickets, car rental, etc. And you have to do this while fighting tooth and nail with competitors, high bounce rates, fickle consumers... you name it. There simply is too much noise, too many pricing wars and so much competition in today's market to not get your online strategy right. So start by following a few crucial fundamentals, and truly put the customer at the heart of your marketing universe. READ MORE

The way traveler's access information and services has changed dramatically since the introduction of the mobile web. We live in a world where people are often more comfortable asking their computer for advice then actually having to speak with a real person. Today's consumers are less willing to take the word of strangers as fact. Guests want to make their own decisions by evaluating their options through independent research. This trend has penetrated the hospitality industry, having profound implications for the hotel concierge. READ MORE

Understanding what guests are saying about their stay at your hotel and what is influencing their perspective enables your marketing and operational executives to determine what steps need to be taken to ensure the best experience possible. Mining and analyzing online feedback and summarizing massive amounts of raw text via an intuitive dashboard alerts your executives to operational and marketing strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities per every hotel, region and brand. At a glance, these real-time summary views provide a strategic look at where you are now, where you need to be going, and what needs to be done to get there. READ MORE

Marriott International is committed to a sustainable future. Both in our hotels and beyond, we strive to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our business operations. As global travel increases, we want to lessen our impact on the natural environment while offering our communities an opportunity for a better and more sustainable future. We are investing in a portfolio of innovative conservation initiatives - In China, a water conservation project that helps protect the water source for more than 2 billion people, and in Brazil, a preservation initiative to help preserve and protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest. READ MORE

New legislation. Increased consumer demand. Additional marketing opportunities. With each passing day, businesses in the hospitality industry are offered countless reasons to strategically pursue new sustainability initiatives and incorporate them into their everyday operations. Yet for some, a hesitancy remains, resulting in missed opportunities to not just better the planet but improve their bottom lines and their brands' reputation. READ MORE

Sustainability is the least applied, most misunderstood and yet most powerful success factor for any company today. The secret? Education! But why, then, are almost all of us on this planet making thousands of unsustainable decisions each and every day? Are we mean or stupid? No, of course not. We just don't have the right knowledge. READ MORE

Clean the World is an Orlando, Florida-based not-for-profit organization. Yet, in the three years since it commenced operations, properties representing a total of more than 300,000 guest rooms have come onboard. Their program is simple: take the used bars of soap left by guests in their rooms and refurbish them for distribution to the less fortunate. Since its founding in Feb. 2009 Clean the World has collected, recycled, and distributed more than 10 million bars of soap to children and families in communities around the globe. READ MORE

Connecting with hotel guests online today is mandatory today, fueled by the explosion of consumer online engagement and guest empowerment from hotel review sites. Still, some brands continue to struggle with how to best derive true business value from social media. This article is a case study on the success of Mandarin Oriental's global social media strategy. You'll hear insights from the Senior Manager of Social Media Marketing and stories from a hotel Director of Communications. And, you'll get a view from the top as the V.P. of Consumer Marketing shares her team's methods for delivering a clear brand direction during the age of the social media revolution. READ MORE

Economic downturns frequently result in companies analyzing possible cost-cutting measures in all aspects of operations. Companies in the hotel industry, and particularly smaller franchisees, frequently avoid layoffs as a cost-cutting measure whenever possible; instead, they increasingly defer to classifying administrative employees as “salaried exempt” to save costs associated with overtime. An aggressive approach to using this designation has resulted in hotels becoming involved in wage-hour litigation where, in states like California, they end up with more exposure than the savings enjoyed by the re-classification. The following article reviews exemptions available to administrative employees in the hotel industry and the framework for an initial checklist that can be utilized to ensure cost savings, proper classification and risk prevention. READ MORE

What if someone told you that by spending an estimated $5,000 (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more), you could show exceptional appreciation to the men and women that became disabled while protecting our rights during a war? Or what if you had a child that was disabled but loved to swim. Would you want them to be able to enjoy all of the amenities that a place of public accommodation has to offer, or would you want them to have to sit on the side of the pool while all of the other children were playing in it? Perhaps it is time to take a different perspective on the ADA. READ MORE

As with any business in the world today parking areas are a necessary and vital component that has a tendency to be underestimated as it relates to guest or employee protection. Every hotelier is aware that parking lots generate a large expense in maintenance, lighting, cleaning and the associated landscaping and accesses. Everything has a direct cost and security is no exception. READ MORE

All organizations seeking top professionals to create an outstanding service will want to pay particular attention to this article. Screen for these character attributes at the time of hiring service personnel and develop a work environment that nurtures and rewards those who demonstrate they possess them. You will then have a Concierge service team which can move on to the Six C's of Successful Concierges. READ MORE