Looking for fresh new ideas to market the spa has become an everyday challenge for the Spa Director. For fresh new ideas to market your retail look to the old; the ancient art of Feng Shui makes perfect sense for Spas whether you apply the 'feel good now' principles of immediate gratification, or the 'change your lifestyle' principles attached to learning how to live a healthier lifestyle. This article provides tips on how to make the Feng Shui principles work for your spa. READ MORE

Calculating the carbon footprint of a hotel will become routine in the coming years. Customers are requesting this information in different ways and to varying degrees. To meet the requirements of different stakeholders, many brands developed internal software and tools. The hotel industry's Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative developed a method for commonly addressing these client requests. With common guidance, more carbon metrics should arise within industry discussions. Value comes not only from knowing your footprint, but by being able to eloquently communicate to stakeholders what steps you have taken to reduce your carbon footprint, and by how much. READ MORE

When the time came to formalize Hyatt's long-standing commitment to the environment and society under a single global platform with a shared vision and common focus, we set out with the following objectives: 1) to allow the many local efforts already happening at our hotels to add up to make a big global impact, 2) to prioritize our focus on the issues and opportunities most material to our industry and most relevant and authentic to Hyatt, and 3) to engage our associates with a global strategy while allowing for its implementation to be uniquely local. READ MORE

What makes a "great" hotel is more than just a plush bed, fine food, and impressive service. Great hotels are inspired by their surroundings, and know just how to use their surroundings to comfort guests and inspire them. Great hotels also know how to use sustainability as a point of departure from the ordinary -- as a driving force for innovative service delivery. READ MORE

At first glance, the words 'luxury' and 'green', together, seem a contradiction in terms. After all, 'luxury' suggests sumptuous indulgent living, while many think that to be truly green one must somehow deprive him or herself of luxury for the sake of the environment. However, with a growing number of travelers demanding an environmentally responsible guest stay, four- and five-star hospitality providers are joining the sustainability movement. But can these hoteliers become good stewards of the planet without sacrificing their luxury status, and is green luxury even achievable? READ MORE

True or False: Managers are exempt from overtime. Employers who assume that managerial titles or merely bestowing a title upon an employee makes them exempt are making a mistake that can cost them significantly. The U.S. Department of Labor has stepped up enforcement efforts which will likely scrutinize whether employees are exempt. As this article discusses, the Fair Labor Standards Act places no relevance in a job “title.” Therefore, it is important that hotel establishments ensure that employees for whom an exemption is claimed, do in fact qualify for the exemption. READ MORE

The hospitality industry is an ancient one. For thousands of years people have travelled for commerce, education and recreation, and hotels and inns of one form or another have been opening their doors to provide them with a place to rest and refresh. While things might have changed a little over the years, fundamentally our purpose is the same. But before I start talking about the role of hotels in society today I want to take a step back and consider the question that precedes it - what is the role of business in society? READ MORE

This article will give you seven strategies to ensure that the stories that you pitch are newsworthy, thereby increasing the ROI of your outreach. Each of these qualities is important, however, it should be noted that each quality does not have to be included in each pitch in order to make it effective and newsworthy. READ MORE

Communicating with our employees is one of the easiest ways to get the information we need to improve efficiency levels, reduce costs, and enhance the guest experience, and yet, we tend to focus on guest feedback and everyday operations and forget that our people on the front lines often have terrific insights into enhancing the guest experience. By remaining alert and creating an environment that promotes communication, observation, and encourages employee feedback through regular surveys and rewards and recognition programs, you can maximize your best assets: your people. READ MORE

Hotel renovations are a fact of life. Stiff competition between properties almost ensures that every hotel will undergo some kind of facelift at some time. However, a renovation does not mean that the customer experience should fall by the wayside. In fact, it's just the opposite. In this article I examine some of the customer service mistakes hotel managers often make, and provide some tips on making the most out of the situation. Don't let renovations sour customers on your property. With the correct plan in place - despite the dust and noise - you can still "wow" your clients at every turn. READ MORE

From the day it opened its doors in February 2008, the InterContinental San Francisco demonstrated a uniquely passionate commitment to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency while not sacrificing the luxury experience. With the enthusiastic support of hotel management, Director of Engineering Harry Hobbs and the InterContinental San Francisco team have carried out a green campaign that in 2011 produced LEED Gold Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance) from the U.S. Green Building Council. InterContinental San Francisco is the first property in the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts portfolio and one of the largest in America to achieve LEED Gold certification for an existing building. READ MORE

Hotels operate around the clock, 365 days a year, hosting guests and offering various services and amenities with guest satisfaction as the number one priority. Keeping guests happy requires an extraordinary level of service and comfort, which usually means consuming high levels of energy. As a result, building upgrades can be especially difficult to implement, as any disruption in hotels can negatively impact the guest experience. Rowan Sanders of Veolia Energy explains how hoteliers can balance the guest experience, while implementing facility-wide energy saving measures, during a difficult economy. READ MORE

As Kermit the Frog said, "it is not easy being green," but it is worth the effort and investment. When done right, going green can help hotels reduce costs, increase profits and allow investment in areas that directly benefit guests. Whether a new build or a historic hotel, savings, both economical and ecological, can be made with simple steps. Water is an environmental issue that impacts all communities and hits the bottom line for hotels. READ MORE

There are many ways that hotels can incorporate green practices into their daily routines. Ways that can impact local communities and enhance their surroundings. These practices can be implemented without compromising luxury, and in fact they will enhance the experience. The ingredients lie in going back to basics and respecting our neighbors. Hotels can take steps in the green direction by implementing hydro-plants for safe energy, staffing from the local towns, planting gardens to source for the restaurant and spa, and educating guests in social responsibility. These and many other solutions are what pave the way to a new generation of travelers. READ MORE

Training the hospitality professional in guest service seems to be somewhat of a common sense concept that we all should apply in our hospitality establishments. We also do our best to find the best candidates that have the appropriate personalities and attitudes. Yet, training alone perhaps may not be sufficient. Additionally, it seems that there is a lack of truly demonstrating this skill (service) thoroughly. It seems that we need a bit more to execute the service element. Perhaps we need to reinforce it in meetings or on a one on one scale perhaps. Still, it seems that some of our employees do not get the overall concepts that are needed to own each moment of truth. That said why not put them through an education process, in addition to the training that you also may have for them? READ MORE