Businesses, consumers and the news media continue to throw around the terms "green building", "eco-friendly" and "green initiatives," but what do they mean and how do and/or will they affect the hospitality industry? Contrary to some naysayers, the green movement is not going away. Therefore, hospitality companies need to implement green initiatives now to keep pace with the competition. The hospitality industry has a unique opportunity to reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with guest rooms, event spaces and their general facilities through measures such as water and energy efficiency, waste management and reduction and local purchasing. As hospitality companies grow, build and expand they should also consider pursuing LEED certification. Green initiatives do not have to be costly and the hospitality industry is likely to realize a measureable return on their investment, whether in the form of energy savings or increased popularity with green conscious consumers. READ MORE

How are you monitoring your direct sales force efforts? Who do you count as a member of the sales team? How often are you validating their effectiveness and what are the measurement criteria you are using? Who is interacting with the sales team on a daily, weekly and/or monthly basis? How often does the sales team speak with the revenue management team? Who is on the REVENUE MANAGEMENT TEAM? The answers to each one of these questions can be the difference between success and failure, between REVPAR growth or lost business. READ MORE

The best way to build and maintain guest loyalty during times of commodity price wars is to use Customer Centric Strategies (CCS). The term "commodity" means that the consumer sees all products as the same and the only difference to the consumer is their price. In a commodity market, consumers will usually make their purchase decision based predominately on price. Do you want to keep from becoming a commodity, and settling for the prevailing price of the other products that the consumer sees as a substitute? To avoid being bought as a commodity you can either make your product better than the competition, in the eyes of the consumers, or differentiate yourself to the consumer in another way. READ MORE

Room rates should be not the first but the last thing to touch. Room rates are too important to play a continuous game of pull/push with. Hotel brands that held their rates and didn't dilute their rate integrity were the first to lead REVPAR recovery after market slumps. Coming down with room rates, can be done pretty fast. Previous recessions have taught us that rebuilding it, after heavy discounting may take years and it will be uphill all the way. Tactical discounts reflect a short-term approach. Strategic thinking is harder but it may lead to long-term success. READ MORE

Hospitality industry experts advise hoteliers to be careful not to drop their rates this year, and boost them when possible. The process of building the rack rate however, leads to price wars, within properties in a certain destination. The economy has caused hotels to price out one another, as travelers seek value and the lowest rate possible when booking a hotel. Often times, travelers don't mind at all to book last minute, taking advantage of lowest rates as they shop among area hotels. But, what does all this mean to hoteliers who are doing what they can to keep their hotels alive through the downturn of this global crisis? READ MORE

In this schizophrenic booking environment, it's more important than ever to analyze your booking process to understand where your reservations are coming from, and where opportunities to generate more business exist. At HEDNA's Winter Conference, we not only agreed that the voice reservations channel was not dead, but also laughed that there may be an opportunity to sell rooms for mobile through iTunes since the payment mechanism already exists. Simultaneously, we're seeing reports of consumers fleeing the online booking process for the security of their travel agent, while monthly data from Pegasus shows revenue through the leisure channel setting records from growth over 2009. READ MORE

Hospitality marketers are increasingly recognizing the importance of a cross-channel approach to guest communications -- orchestrated across direct mail, email, mobile marketing and web. But if we can't do everything right away (and all at once) what marketing channel offers the fastest and surest return on incremental marketing investment? Within a cross-channel framework, email is clearly the most effective guest communication tool in the hospitality marketers' toolbox. In this article, I focus on the foundational building blocks of effective email marketing - list building and "housekeeping" maintenance - and how they can have a direct impact on campaign effectiveness. READ MORE

In a highly competitive hospitality and tourism market, consumers are becoming more selective and demanding while choosing accommodation and its products. Under these circumstances the consumer relies on grading of the establishment to make a right choice. While the star system of grading is recognized universally, the system is not administered consistently at an international level. This means there is inconsistency in interpreting what grading means in different countries. READ MORE

Gone are the days when it's enough for a hotel to simply create a Facebook page and never look back. In the third of a five part series on social media for the hospitality industry, the Knowland Group's CEO, Mike McKean, demonstrates how to build a meaningful presence on Facebook. Today the social networking giant has been embraced by more than 500 million users across the world, from young professionals to politicians and corporate CEOs to soccer moms. McKean explains how hotels can take advantage of the tremendous opportunity to reach this audience by making their page stand out and keeping fans coming back. READ MORE

Accurate pricing has been shown to be the fastest and most effective way to increase profit across the hospitality sector, but even with a rising amount of information about pricing and increasingly sophisticated technology, few hotels appear executing it well. While setting a price for a room or service may seems like a simple decision, it is also inherently complex and not without its risks. However, if you get these decisions right, a successful pricing strategy can be one of the most significant, positive profit-impacting decisions your hotel can make. READ MORE

As the hospitality industry continues to emerge from the economic recession, there is little doubt that this year will bring both opportunities and unexpected challenges. Last year, we witnessed the opening of a number of new hotels and resorts worldwide, including a dozen new hotels in New York City alone. Many new management deals were also announced in 2010. On the other hand, the recent recession has left us with a considerable number of disputes between owners and operators. Those controversies serve as a reminder that, in good times and especially in bad, owners and operators need to understand their respective rights and responsibilities in the hotel management agreements they enter into. Because it is better to identify potential problems before they occur, this article briefly explores how owners and hotel operators may address legal and economic issues in hotel management agreements for major development deals. READ MORE

There are two ways to increase profits - raising revenue or lowering costs. Hospitality employers often miss opportunities to lower costs by missing valuable tax savings attributable to hiring incentives. The federal government provides businesses with tax credits for hiring members of disadvantaged groups. This often represents a larger share of a hotel's staff than one would imagine. A member of a targeted group can be as simple as someone who lives in a designated area to one of the 40 million plus recipients of food stamps. Overall, a hospitality employer can expect between 15% and 25% of new hires to qualify for tax credits. Here is a rundown of the major programs to look at for 2011... READ MORE

For years it was assumed that hotel guests wanted staff interaction at the front desk. Today's reality is clearly different. Findings from a recent Harvard Business Review survey on Self-Service (conducted in cooperation with the Corporate Executive Board, a leading research and advisory services company) concludes that businesses need to "stop trying to delight [their] customers." Rather than creating more nuisances (disguised as guest services) that require guests to stop by the front desk, the study shows that "customers want [to take] control over how and when they interact with companies." Anything less, analysts say, can result in "major competitive disadvantages, irreversible brand damage, and a loss of key revenue opportunities." READ MORE

Hotel marketing has gone mobile.  Mobile marketing offers a cost-effective way for hotels to reach customers, whenever and wherever they are, driving business and bookings. Has your property harnessed the incredible marketing opportunity that mobile has to offer?  If not, then this article is a must-read as it describes four ways that hotels can 'go mobile' today. READ MORE

Chinese Investment in the hospitality sector is increasing as capital needs and investment opportunities in the United States drive the "yearn for yuan." Investment has been through both government-sponsored funds such as Chinese Investment Corp. (CIC), China's $300 billion sovereign investment wealth fund, as well as private funds and companies. Learn from the lawyer who represents and structured the investments for Shenzhen New World Group, Ltd., one of the largest Chinese investors in the Lodging Industry. Get an inside view as to how these deals are being structured, what Chinese companies are looking for in making an investment, cultural differences to consider in doing business with the Chinese and the forecast for Chinese investment in the lodging industry for 2011. READ MORE