Regardless of a guest's interest in how well a facility can consistently provide quality services, the high frequency of employee turnover that is endemic to both the tourism and hospitality industries adversely affects how consistently properties can meet this expectation. In this article I will try to briefly review some of the reasons why turnover rates are so high within the hospitality industry, simple steps that managers can take to incentivize higher levels of performance by their employees, and how implementing a property-wide performance reporting process can help foster a higher level of loyalty on the part of employees as well as guests without making a huge dent to your revenue. READ MORE

Everyone remembers the relatively gradual shift to online booking, right? A little over a decade ago, online travel agencies (OTAs) and proprietary booking engines were just becoming mainstream—from test platform, to customer convenience feature, then finally to a required marketing channel for hotels. By 2009, 60% of leisure and 40% of business travel were booked online. Contrast this with the emergence of the “mobile front desk”—a whirlwind of mobile technology and split-second change. In a very short timeframe, the mobile front desk has begun to take shape; let's take a look at this evolution further. READ MORE

Is your service plan working for you? Are you performing internal inspections, mystery shops, and effectively gathering guest comments? How are you analyzing the results of your measurement efforts? Implementing a successful service plan requires solid planning, the latest technology, and the right partnerships. By taking a magnifying glass to our people processes, this article will show you what you can do to make sure the service plan you are implementing is a good one. READ MORE

How do you know if you are providing Value to your guests? There is a host of general accounting formulas that have been used to calculate the value of a loyal guest to your hotel's bottom line. But there is no such definitive formula to calculate the value of staying in your hotel to a gues.. Why? Simply because the value of being your guest is so individualized. What is valuable to this person may not be as valuable to that one. As difficult as it might be for you as an owner or manager, it is much easier for people to calculate the value to themselves of staying in your hotel because it can be summed up in one question: What's in it for me? It's simply a cost-benefit ratio - to your guest In this article, you'll learn two simple questions whose scores can be used to calculate your guest's Value Index Score (VIS). READ MORE

Leveraging the customer lifecycle for on-site and post-departure marketing communications engenders deeper engagement, and ultimately, increased return visits. While marketers routinely focus on pre-arrival and post-departure communications, they are missing a huge on-site opportunity. These highly targeted messages should focus on enhancing the guest's stay, based on critical information gathered during pre-arrival. Also important is the post-departure stage of the program when satisfied guests become repeat guests, loyalty is built and brand champions created. The conclusion of this two-part series explains how implementing on-site and post-departure best practices will pay larger dividends in terms of guest engagement and ROI. READ MORE

Spas and salons were early targets of group buying sites because of the sheer number of locations in the industry, the cost structures of the spa financial model and the state of the economy. There are tens of thousands of spas and salons in the United States alone. Competition for customers is fierce. The economy over the same time period has been abysmal, especially for the spa and salon industry. Hence the uprising of the Deals and the Group buying sites. READ MORE

In this article I discuss the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets and how they have created new marketing opportunities for your hotel. It outlines the many ways your hotel and your guests can benefit from the latest innovations in mobile. I discuss the tablet market and how hotels are beginning to use them to enhance the guest experience and add efficiency for the hotel staff. I also takes a world-wide look at mobile usage in the U.S. and abroad and how these two markets affect one another. READ MORE

Mark Grenoble, President of Enchantment Group Spas & Resorts, offers insight on how Mii amo in Sedona, Arizona, markets to past and prospective guests by communicating the value of their stay. This involves educating the potential traveler on the price, package inclusions, personalized service and experiences available at the destination spa through a marketing mix of direct mail and e-mail campaigns, interactive and online efforts, and public relations initiatives. READ MORE

In this article, I asked several Spa Directors to share what they did to make sure their spas would survive and what they plan to do to make them thrive. Sometimes we tighten our belts so much that we are doing a great job controlling expenses, but it inhibits us from generating revenue. I think the Spa Directors have presented lots of practical ideas. I also asked one of the more astute Directors of Finance to share his thoughts on what the Spa Directors have done and what advice he would give them and why. I hope you take-away at least one idea that will help your spa be a more marketable and profitable business venture rather than a lazy asset department. READ MORE

The economy continues to creep while hotel spas are doing well but challenged by the newly savvy, penny-pinching consumer. While things seem on the upswing the spa-goer is forever changed by the recent prolonged unemployment, rising fuel costs and economic instability. The truth is, the spa-goer profile was changing anyway. As spas increased in number so did those frequenting spas, however, their wants and needs were changing. No longer will the $200 per hour spa service make it in most cities without the recipient feeling that they have really received something with a measurable impact on their health and well being. How does your spa add value, reduce costs and generate revenues? READ MORE

As the hospitality industry evolves in a dramatically changed landscape, the goals are ultimate customer engagement and relationships across all channels. This starts with a quest for creating emotional allure and going straight for the heartstrings; creating a lifelong consumer is the ultimate prize. Spas, more than any other hotel service or amenity, provide the personal, intimate and comforting experience sought by today's consumers and provide an entry into Relationship Marketing that hotels and resorts need to stay competitive. READ MORE

Consistently satisfying the needs and desires of spa guests results in loyalty and valuable referrals. The key to creating high levels of satisfaction, rates of return and recommendations is through the use of a comprehensive spa quality management system that is designed to know what the spa's guests want, to deliver what the spa's guests want consistently and expertly and to know whether or not the experience the spa delivered met the guests' needs and expectations. This system creates superb services and facilities as well as staff professionalism that results in satisfied guests who rave about the spa, return often and share their positive spa stories with others. READ MORE

Social media has, and continues to change the hospitality industry. While hotels have embraced the opportunities unearthed by being able to tap into what their guests are saying, listening is no longer enough. For hotel marketing and operations executives, turning their feedback into actionable customer intelligence is a business imperative for delivering a superior customer experience and increasing revenue. READ MORE

The hospitality industry has experienced an explosion of spa development in the past decade, realizing the vital role spas play in attracting business. The recession has prompted resort/hotel spas to re-evaluate their marketing strategies and develop unique promotions, discounts and packages as well as target new audiences. These innovative strategies proved to be successful, but spas now face the challenge of maintaining special offers. READ MORE

Having some type of green meeting practices in place continues to be an important area of focus for venues in the meetings industry, as a business with one of the largest environmental footprints. In order to successfully have an effect on global warming while reducing costs and saving their respective organizations money, convention centers, hotels and other venues continue to examine how to successfully make these changes-both behind the scenes of their events and in visible ways. READ MORE