Pechanga Resort Casino, located in inland Southern California, is the West Coast's largest resort/casino. Its head chefs are nearly all millennials, but they're overseen by one Gen X chef. If he's at the executive chef level, why does he still feel the need to get on the front lines with all of them? Why would he spend the very small amount of free time he has sitting in traffic to get to Los Angeles to check out one restaurant? Duane Owen seeks out culinary knowledge everywhere he goes, and with it, he pushes his proteges to be and do better. READ MORE

Inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places. For instance, senior living facilities are taking their design cues from the hospitality industry, which is not unlike what we have seen in the development of luxury high rise living in the last decade. David Ashen, president & CEO of interior design and brand consulting firm dash design, relays the ways senior living developers are applying lessons learned from the hotel industry to create unique experiences in the senior living space, using case studies to demonstrate how they are realizing innovative public spaces and programing. READ MORE

In this article we look at interesting statistics and takeaways from the 2019 Leisure Travel Study. The annual research provides a comprehensive look into consumer shopping and booking preferences and behaviors. This year's data shows that hotels are missing out on a huge opportunity to reduce reliance on OTAs and drive more direct bookings, that it may be time to invest in a branded mobile app, that consumers aren't quite ready to embrace voice-enabled technology, and that Millennials really are quite different than previous generations. READ MORE

Digging deep into many of the complexities of creating successful music architecture solutions, we can move into the future of guest experiences. To me, that means bundling the music content service with the audio and video integration. AV technology today has the potential to be so much more than background music and a screen with static information. There are endless opportunities with the latest technology to drive the guest experience and engagement in innovative and unforgettable ways. READ MORE

Way back when, on June 10, 1963, then-President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law – a bold piece of legislation that amended the Fair Labor Standards Act and requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work within the same establishment. Fast-forward fifty-plus years, and it's apparent that work remains to be done. Today, females in the workplace earn 80% less than white men, with women of color faring much worse. And while the hospitality industry performs better than the national average in terms of the gender pay gap, disparities remain that must be stamped out once and for all. READ MORE

A study of hotels in New Zealand shows both strength in their disaster resilience and a few areas for improvement. The Disaster Resilience for Hotels framework is used as a basis for the surveys which were distributed to hotel general managers and staff. Analysis of the results helps to understand hotel resilience predictors. Hotel leaders can use this information to make evidence based decisions about their organizations disaster management activities and operational choices. Key findings: include front line service staff in planning, hotels need to network with community and government organizations, and operational capacities in disasters need analysis.? READ MORE

Millennials like me are changing our industry, but we're nothing to be scared of. We love to travel and seek new experiences, which happens to be our core business. We like to eat, too, which is great if you are a Chef. Listening to members of my generation, two predominant concepts have emerged that I believe are influencing younger consumers' choices, ideas that are not just trends, but are likely generational and permanent: wellness and authenticity. How hotels provide authentic experiences that contribute to our guests' wellbeing will determine how we create brand loyalty with these critical consumers. READ MORE

The restaurant experience has gotten a lot of attention in the hotel space with the proliferation of lifestyle hotels and the desire of customers for local and authentic experiences. These demands have spread into the events space and they have gone beyond needing a few local items on the catering menus. It has spread into the design, programming and packaging of event experiences and how those play into the local community and regional products. Just as your restaurant needs to have an authentic story and position against the local community, your events experience needs to take the same targeted approach. READ MORE

Hotel beverage programs often fall into two categories: the "set it and forget it" model, where minimum brand standards are met and not much innovation happens afterward to keep it relevant; or the lofty, mixologist-driven approach focused more on the person making the drinks than whether guests actually want to buy and try those beverages. In-between those extremes is a profitable middle ground where a wide range of guest tastes can be satisfied, while those behind the bar have the freedom to create and attract customers with on-trend menus. READ MORE

Is food and beverage still a supporting amenity value business venture for hotels or now a designated revenue driving force? This article aims to show how food and beverage with hotels has dramatically developed, evolved and changed as a guest social experience to prove itself as a revenue driver for guests who now through immersing themselves in food education, culture, and local cultural experiences, look to the hotels food and beverage service and theme as a way to not enhance but define their stay experience. READ MORE

The relationship between wellness and hospitality is no longer a playful flirtation or a trend-enforced marriage. As wellness awareness increases at a great pace and as the power of leadership and authority in wellness moves from the hands of the wellness practice into the hands of individual consumers, there is a paradigm shift required in the way we think of spas and wellness facilities. With wellness trends, it becomes apparent that the ubiquitous 'hotel spa' as we got to know so well is now becoming an endangered species. The article also addresses trends in new hotel & resort development, stimulating fresh thought on the integrated hospitality investment methodology. READ MORE

Today's consumers want more than spa. They look for integrated wellness within hotels. U. S. Spas have a long history starting with colonial times when Europeans arrived on American shores. European customs included thermal or mineral spas. During the Civil War and the two World Wars, spas converted to military hospitals. As antibiotics evolved, spas closed for the "cure". Fast forward to the 1940s when Elizabeth Arden opened the first women's spa called "The Maine Chance" in Arizona and Deborah Szekely opened the first destination spa "Rancho La Puerta" in Tecate, Mexico. By the 1990s there were many independent day spas as well as hundreds of hotel spas. READ MORE

"Feel Welcome" became the new signature of Accor back in 2015, which, according to Accor chairman, is a strong commitment to its audiences and enriches the bond between Accor and its brands. "Feel Welcome encapsulates the generosity and the very essence of hospitality. It is a promise addressed to all our audiences: customers, employees and partners, so that they feel expected, unique and privileged." During our 2018 Spa Director's Academy, a gathering of the entire Accor North and Central America Spa directors, we discussed the changing guest landscape and the correlating challenges and opportunities that enable us to deliver upon this promise especially for our guests recovering from cancer. READ MORE

Proper Hospitality is expanding from a single Proper-branded hotel – San Francisco Proper Hotel – to a high-end lifestyle hotel brand with three additional properties opening this summer - Santa Monica Proper Hotel in June followed by Austin Proper Hotel & Residences and Downtown LA Proper Hotel. Led by Brad Korzen and Brian De Lowe, Proper Hospitality designs and operates high-end lifestyle experiences under its three distinct brands - Proper Hotels and Residences, Avalon Hotels and Custom Hotel. Proper Hospitality seeks out emerging, urban innovative districts within dynamic U.S. cities. Each Proper property is designed by world-renowned international tastemaker Kelly Wearstler and is an ode to its respective city. READ MORE

Unlike with some recent industry-wide disruptions (think Netflix vs. Blockbuster), the hotel industry has weathered the rise of Airbnb, and held on to most of its market. A new study from Clever Real estate uncovers some of the competitive advantages that have allowed the hotel industry to compete with the $38 billion upstart, from 24-hour reliability, to a specific class of amenities, and points the way toward a future of renewed vitality and innovation. READ MORE