For the lodging industry, energy conservation is a well-recognized element in lowering costs. With energy typically accounting for three to five percent of a hotel's total operating expenses, getting the most value out of every energy dollar can improve profitability. A comprehensive plan can lower energy use by up to 20 percent. America's electric companies encourage you to explore new ways to use energy more wisely. Power companies are promoting the wise use of electricity because it benefits hotels and all their customers. They are also doing so because it helps electric generating plants and transmission wires to operate more effectively. This can improve the reliability of electricity supplies, especially during peak electricity demand periods such as the summertime. Encouraging the efficient use of electricity also helps the power company to conserve natural resources and protect the environment. Many energy-saving measures cost little or nothing. But the returns could surprise you. Here are some easy-to-implement tips that can be put in use today... READ MORE

As hotel guests in every sector of the industry, whether it is middle market or luxury, become more and more educated and discerning, there are two key elements that guests look for and will make a property stand out: personalized service and perceived value. Not only do guests want to feel special but they want to think they are getting value. In this case it is not necessarily about financial savings but about an experience worthy of those hard earned dollars. With the hotel industry beginning to show signs of an overall recovery and travel options abound, guest service and satisfaction will be critical elements in not only maintaining current guests, but attracting new ones. READ MORE

Is there anything more universally loved by American eaters than a buffet? The love of the buffet is a great equalizer; from $100,000 weddings where guests feast on a caviar buffet, to Grandma's birthday bash where well-wishers chow down on barbecue and home-made potato salad. After a long, stuffy dry spell, the art of the buffet is back in the hospitality world and it's better, but not necessarily bigger, than ever. In the past, buffets were extraordinary displays of food used during banquets to feed vast numbers of people. The method was quicker and easier than plating a traditional banquet meal. Many culinary teams also viewed the buffet as a great opportunity to express their creativity; chef garde mangers and pastry chefs, along with their teams, really had the opportunity to shine. Not only was there an abundance of food, but the centerpieces and garnishes were considered equally important to the whole buffet. READ MORE

Your spa is a place that your guest delights in relaxation and escape. Not always. A spa facility has a myriad of liability pitfalls and potential risks, for both your guest and staff. It is alarming how many spa owners pay little attention to these issues, until, of course, they receive a notice from an attorney's office of a suit being filed. Then, your Spa Director is called in to determine "What happened?" By then it's too late. We offer the following guideline as a starting point to bring to light just some of the safety issues that you may not have addressed within your facility. Let's walk through your facility and address each area for its potential jeopardy. READ MORE

The lights have long been turned back on after last August's blackout that put the northeastern United States and Canada in the dark, but the work continues to prevent another major outage from happening again. While it would be impossible to guarantee that it will not, the electric power industry has come together and is putting in place safeguards to minimize the possibility. Longer term, though, the nation needs to strengthen and expand the country's transmission 'grid'. The grid is being forced to find ways to keep up with the continually growing demand for power with limited ability to site or encourage investment in new transmission facilities. The grid is also evolving from serving state and local needs to serving the regional needs of the country's evolving competitive electricity markets. The result is greater congestion on the lines. This can lead to higher power prices for hotels and all customers. It also stresses the electric system, which creates the potential for reliability problems. READ MORE

One of the greatest personal debates we often face centers on character. Do you believe that it's possible for a person to possess both a public and a private character, even if the two are very different? What you do in private is your own business, as long as it doesn't affect your public performance, right? Not necessarily - especially when your personal performance impacts your business performance. Once you divide your personality and your actions into two or more categories, you deviate from the very definition of the word "character." At its root, one's character is defined by one's integrity - "The quality or state of being complete, unbroken condition, unimpaired, of sound moral principle, uprightness, honesty and sincerity." - (Defined by Webster) Therefore, if your character - which defines who you are - is broken into two or more entities, you no longer have integrity because you are no longer "whole." Without integrity, you don't have much character. Unfortunately, without integrity it is still possible to run a successful business. However, the chance of your being successful is greatly minimized, and while certain people may do business with you, it's most likely out of necessity. When your integrity is low, "people know it." READ MORE

Recent issues of trade journals have explored the fresh importance being placed on strong sanitation practices. From outbreaks of Norwalk virus aboard cruise ships to fears over SARS as close to home as Canada, the media seems to report a new health scare almost every month. On a global level, proper sanitation can stop a number of these illnesses in their tracks. On a more everyday level, keeping a clean kitchen is just good business sense. Today, chefs and restaurant managers are not only more accountable for the quality of cuisine and experience presented to their guests, they are being held responsible for cultivating and maintaining a higher cleanliness ethic. This issue is so important that many operations are actually increasing their budgets to provide staff with both basic and leading-edge tools and training to achieve higher sanitation standards. READ MORE

Evolution equals success in the hospitality industry. The best restaurants and hotels are constantly refining, improving and evolving the product and experience they present to their guests. In turn, guests continue to elevate their expectations, becoming increasingly savvier and knowledgeable about food and wine. Banquet dining is no exception to the laws of evolution. Hotels that emphasize creativity and quality in plate presentation and ingredients will capture the lion's share of banquet business in their market. The industry is trending towards consumer expectations that they will enjoy a better banquet experience at a good hotel, than at an independent restaurant. It's a cyclical trend; in the past, consumers expected the best food to be found in hotels, where the owners and managers could better afford to hire, train and retain skilled employees. READ MORE

First it was a restaurant; then it was a gym; now the "must have" for luxury hotels is a spa. Responding to the increasing demands of luxury travelers for pampering and self-indulgence, several members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World have either opened a spa in the last year or are planning to do so in the coming year. Spas are truly changing the landscape of hotels and the way in which hoteliers structure their properties. Be it for business or leisure, guests are looking for those extra amenities to make their stay special. A spa is now that one thing that really represents the luxury lifestyle-experience. READ MORE

Experts are predicting that last winter's record high prices for natural gas are likely to become the new baseline for the near future. In any event, high gas prices will likely pose a continuing challenge for the lodging industry and others that rely on gas to a large degree. According to the latest data available from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the lodging industry annually spends over $5.5 billion for energy. Of the total energy consumed, natural gas represents about 40 percent. READ MORE

Conserving natural resources and protecting the environment make good business sense. For the hotel industry, the recent efforts in many parts of the country to ask guests for their help in conserving water is a compelling example. Hotels that have done so have strengthened relations with their customers by creating a positive connection between the hotel industry and the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), taking steps to conserve water throughout a hotel property can also cut water and sewer costs by up to 30 percent. READ MORE

When uncertainty develops in the nation's power industry, and it certainly has these past few years, the prospect of the local government taking over the power company is sometimes raised. Takeover proponents promise lower prices and greater reliability, questioning the local electric company's ability to deliver what hotels and other customers expect-a reliable and affordable electricity supply. But government takeovers aren't the answer. In the end, government takeovers of the local power company bring with them new risks and potential costs for hotel executives and all electricity customers. To assure your hotel of a competitively priced power supply that is there when you need it, we need a national approach that includes three elements... READ MORE

A significant change in the nation's electricity industry during the past five years revolves around who will supply your hotel with electricity. As with any change, how well your company responds will depend upon how well prepared it is. Competition, now that it is a reality, is here to stay. The U.S. Congress initially looked at mandating a specific date for all states to begin competing. Today, however, they are focusing their attention instead on the issues in the country's wholesale electricity markets that effect the success of competition at the state level. If your company has a hotel in an area that has adopted retail electricity competition or is considering it, how can you prepare for the change? Here are some suggestions. READ MORE

Electric company energy efficiency programs are familiar to many hotel executives. These can include incentives to purchase energy-efficient equipment and build energy-efficient facilities. The benefits extend to both your company and the electric utility industry. A closer look at some individual electric company incentive programs, and a glimpse at what the future may hold, will give you a better understanding of how to save energy and money in today's, and tomorrow's, energy markets. READ MORE

The extraordinary events that have rippled through the nation's electric power industry during the past few years have touched businesses and consumers alike. Electricity competition. Regional reliability concerns. Enron. In the hotel industry, perhaps the most visible impact has been the energy surcharge that many hotels placed on customer bills. Questions about the cost of power, and in some locations, even its availability, were two issues that caused turmoil for hotel guests and managers alike. Understanding where we are now, and what to expect down the road, will help hotel executives prepare an energy strategy to improve their profitability in the future. READ MORE