Insuring that workers are safe on the job is an issue that is increasingly in the spotlight. While it applies to the entire hotel staff, it is especially relevant to those who often work in isolation, with housekeepers being a prime example. The industry is responding with new programs that include devices which staff can activate to signal an emergency alert when in distress, i.e. personal safety devices (PSDs). A safer workplace also contributes to employee confidence and satisfaction, augments health and wellness, and aids in reducing worker compensation exposures. This article explores the role of technology in achieving these goals. READ MORE

Revenue management has in the past decade or more redefined the traditional and archaic reservation function. It took reservation from an administrative and often clerical function and placed it front and center as a business strategy. It has had its challenges during this time but has reinvented itself multiple times proving it sustainability. Cross Selling was one such reinvention phase. Its promise of integration of revenue streams delivering incremental revenues is a powerful factor since the paranoia that owners have of year on year growth is take care of. It puts a smile on stakeholders faces - a dream not just for every hotel revenue manager but the entire management. READ MORE

Fred Cerrone has celebrated 50 years in the hospitality industry. His genuine love of people drew him to a business that thrives on guest service. Over five decades, it's hard to calculate the number of guests his career has touched. When he founded his own firm, he developed a set of Value Statements as guidelines for the firm's associates. In this article, he shares how three of those statements impact the treatment of guests. Acknowledging that guests are human and aren't always right, he points out that they must always be treated as guests! READ MORE

Guest service is at the core of what we provide; our "product" as an industry. In determining how each individual hotel defines service, we must know our unique independent brand. As hotel leaders, we must ensure that our building, our staff, collateral and marketing all reflect the level of service and message that we want to communicate to our guests. To start, we must ensure that all hotel staff members are treated with great worth, value, dignity and respect. To truly drive results and deliver fantastic service, we must find the right people, treat them well and hold them to high standards. READ MORE

Every hotel management team strives to create a service oriented culture. In today's fast pace world of technology, guest expectations and demands continue to go up every year. The best management teams realize that building a service oriented culture is much more than finding the right people and training them on the soft skills. Strong leaders realize hotels need to adopt technology and build a culture where preventing problems is as important as solving problems and staff are able to perform their job more effectively using the latest tools available. READ MORE

The methods we use have changed, but the cornerstone to great hospitality stays the same: great guest service and great guest experience. While service resolution has traditionally been in reaction to guest complaints after the fact, today we have can proactively catch issues or needs much earlier in the stay and deliver better results than ever. With the tools to gather guest feedback via a number of channels from various touchpoints and the processes to action operational and service improvements accordingly, we can leverage a combination of reactive and proactive methods to deliver exceptional guest experience. READ MORE

The explosive increase of hotel brands in recent years has reached an astounding level. Smith Travel Research recently listed 1,073 brands globally. Of the major hotel companies, Marriott, following its merger with Starwood, has accumulated 30 brands; Hilton has 14 brands, AccorHotels has 34 and InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) has 14. New independent brands continue to pop up at a rapid rate fueled in large part by the insatiable appetite of millennials for new and unique experiences in their lodging choices. In this article we explore the advantages and disadvantages of brand proliferation and look at some of the unique new brands in some detail to understand their appeal. READ MORE

A quarter of the population, millennials are increasingly a targeted hotel consumer. Boutique hotels historically presented an alternative to standardized chain. Their edge however has been eroded by the arrival of soft brands, such as the Marriott Autograph and Hilton Curio. Portland, Oregon-based Provenance Hotels, with 2,500 rooms under its control, attempts to expand on the boutique hotel by creating a truly unique place. As envisioned by its President, Bashar Wali, Provenance Hotels defines its audience as "forward thinking creatives" and sees its opportunity by smaller-scale properties that provide a more handcrafted or curated approach to design, operation and experience READ MORE

Industry leaders recognize the importance of culture and people for driving customer satisfaction in addition to technology and business processes. Hospitality organizations stand to significantly gain by focusing on these fundamentals, demonstrated by leading brands like The Ritz-Carlton and Hilton Hotels and Resorts. Research shows that engaged companies can grow profits as much as three times faster than competitors with employees who are 87% less likely to leave. Hotels must create a defined strategy for attracting, engaging and retaining the right people with the right cultural values to better compete and drive guest satisfaction. READ MORE

In the midst of a busy day caring for guests, it is easy to get caught up in the policies and protocols of the many challenging tasks at hand. But, what happens when a novel challenge presents itself; and how do we build an organizational structure that inspires great guest service? The answer is in having a great foundation of shared values to guide our actions, inspire confidence and demonstrate that we can make a meaningful contribution to the guest experience. READ MORE

When we look at other industries, we see how the likes of Uber and Amazon have revolutionized the face of customer service through technology. For something so important to hospitality, it's crazy to think that so little has changed. The problem is that the fragmented nature of technology used within a hotel makes operations and communication extremely challenging. It undermines staff confidence and impacts what all hotels strive for the most – an exceptional guest experience. Isn't it time for us to work with technology that bridges these silos and enables your staff to focus on what they should really be doing? READ MORE

In this article, based on an experience in October 2018 at a boutique hotel in Philadelphia, we will examine customer service quality that contradicts the organization's stated values and lofty mission statement. Too often, management assumes that the goal of managing performance is to ensure employees possess adequate job knowledge and demonstrate sufficient job skills; that is, to be deemed capable. But subpar service quality rarely has to do with frontline service providers' competency. More likely, service quality suffers due to a disconnect between employees' daily job responsibilities and an enduring organizational purpose. READ MORE

It has been a long journey for boutique hotels. In the last 40 years (or so), this concept has dramatically changed the landscape of standard, box-type hotels selling average experiences and mostly clean rooms and hot breakfast. The disruption continues with the birth of similar-ish concepts that have evolved as well as how they are perceived around the world. I have followed this phenomenon for many years now and I hope you will enjoy my point of view and insights on this topic. READ MORE

Today's consumers are demanding more personalized services and unique experiences than ever before. This continues to create rapid change and heavy competition across many industries as they struggle to meet these new challenges, and hospitality is no exception. But how do you keep pace with the ever-changing demands of your guests? Although certain technologies can help you plan for and anticipate these needs, it's your people that will make the most difference. Learn how Holiday Inn Club Vacations engages, invests in, and provides its team the skills and knowledge to be one of the fastest-growing timeshare companies in the industry. READ MORE

A rising renaissance in the roadside motel has prompted a growing trend in the transformation of the formerly dated designs to reinvented brands for the modern traveler. Building on nostalgia, the millennials' desire for authenticity and romance combined with wanderlust, David Ashen, principal and founder of interior design and brand consulting firm dash design, explores some of the more interesting trends in this category, including, for instance, the conversion of a typical Super 8 motel into an independent and funky property offering local and unique experiences that pay homage to the brand's past while highlighting today's conveniences and tastes. READ MORE