It’s engrained into our minds at a very early age: call 911 in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, for many of us, our emergency know-how ends there. For hotel staff, emergency preparedness skills can not only save the lives of guests or fellow employees, those skills can also help to prevent injuries, disable hazards, maintain operations and protect property. Though these events occur without warning, that doesn’t necessarily mean hotel owners and their staff have to face these situations unprepared. In this article, we discuss what hotel owners can do to prepare staff to better handle emergencies. READ MORE

Owners are keen that employee workforce is kept engaged and motivated always with a fair compensation package, good development opportunities and a regular acquisition of new skill sets through training and other methods. Nothing upsets the owners more than a high employee turnover ridden workforce which is struggling to meet the demands of customers. Owners will want that the top management beginning with the CEO or head of the unit drive the succession plan process. This is enough evidence of the power of an effective succession plan process in developing and grooming an employee complement with requisite skill sets to meet the business challenges in future. READ MORE

The lodging business is really about providing guest service. Keeping a loyal client hinges on providing exceptional experiences – ones that people will talk about, share, remember and entice them to return. Today’s consumer is much less forgiving and there are no second chances when it comes to providing a great experience. Fortunately, realizing the negative implications of a bad encounter with a customer, companies in all industries have upped their customer service game. Today, there is no excuse for a hotel not to provide excellent customer service. All it takes is a simple yet powerful technique of managing customer expectations by under-promising and over-delivering on your service commitments. READ MORE

The best leaders in hospitality understand why and how to empower their staff, assigning not just tasks but giving them the “permission” to solve issues that come up in our everyday conduct of business, internally or with guests or our professional partners. Moreover, adopting this leadership style has many valuable benefits for hospitality organizations in helping to recruit new staff, in encouraging community involvement and in growing a culture of quality and value. Another key element of leadership is in having the intent, skills and confidence to empower our staff—assigning responsibilities, but, also, giving individuals defined authority to solve issues, internally or with guests and our professional partners. READ MORE

With growing purchasing power and cultural influence, Millennials (and their Gen Z successors) are quite literally becoming important F&B "taste makers. Savvy hotel owners and operators and smart F&B professionals have already begun changing their menus and their strategies to appeal to younger diners. Understanding how the industry is evolving-and what kinds of demographic-driven changes will continue to shape F&B in the years ahead-begins with appreciating how Millennials and Gen Z diners (and employees) are influencing everything from menu design, to marketing and communications, to programming and facility layouts. READ MORE

More than just a passing fad, experiential travel is the new norm. Whether it's for business or pleasure, travelers today are seeking out authentic experiences that leave an indelible memory. In today's world of #foodiegrams and followers hotels differentiate themselves by delivering culinary experiences that are delicious, delightfully memorable… and camera ready. Our Food+Drink Innovation team at PM Hotel Group is launching culinary concepts that break with the traditional "hotel restaurant" formula and instead creating foodie-focused experiences that activate our public spaces, attract locals and guests alike and deliver moments to remember. Hyper-local beverage programs mix with thoughtful activations to create memorable moments. READ MORE

Before there were personal computers, the typical family in the U.S. sat around the dining table every night, chowing down together. With the advent of TV dinners in the late 50s and 60s, families still ate together, but they were glued to their favorite shows instead of involved in close conversation. Then along came all the fast food chains, enticing families away from the home-cooked meal. The eating-out habit took hold in the American consciousness, escalating over the years until now, for the first time ever, Americans actually spend more on eating out than they do on meals at home. READ MORE

Critical to the success of any hotel and as important as friendly attentive service and comfortable sleeping arrangements is food & beverage. That includes dinner of course but let's not forget to mention breakfast, lunch, snacks and late night fare as well. Many years of experience in the hospitality industry tells me that the food & beverage portfolio of any hotel is a hugely important part of guest satisfaction and continued loyalty to your brand. In the midst of a culinary renaissance today everyone can benefit – guest and operator alike. This article will examine consumer demand for delicious healthy dining and operators need to be mindful of ever changing gastronomic trends. READ MORE

Millennials have become the fastest growing consumer segment in the hospitality industry. They have also become one of the most discerning audiences, demanding authenticity, connection and social responsibility from the brands they invest in. Hospitality brands must now look at the entirety of their mix of products from the design aspects of their properties to how they are creating guest engagement and entertainment in order to attract new customers and keep current ones loyal. Scott Acton, CEO and founder of Forte Specialty Contractors breaks down how to design F&B for this new generation to create long-term loyalty. READ MORE

The recruiting process can be very difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Recruiters that leverage successful approaches from other areas of a hotel, such as marketing and sales, can generate value for the industry by limiting the amount of time that roles go unfilled and finding stronger candidates. The easiest way to get the most out of the hiring process is to be thorough and never stop recruiting. In this article we take a look at 4 key ingredients that ensure a maximum return on your recruitment investment. If you employ these techniques in your hiring process you can be guaranteed to bring in stronger employees. READ MORE

The events of the last 12 months – from the Las Vegas massacre to large-scale point-of-sale (POS) attacks to the #MeToo movement – have dramatically changed the risk landscape for hotels. Industry leaders are increasing guest-staff interaction, revamping longstanding “do not disturb” policies, ramping up to fight cyberattacks and phishing, bolstering employee safety training, and even providing panic buttons to housekeepers to prevent sexual assault. We’ll take a deep dive into three key risk areas – guest security, data security and employee safety – and identify interventions that all hotel owners and operators should make during these changing times. READ MORE

Today, it appears that the digital marketing discipline has been stopped in its tracks in the face of new laws or regulations and creative lawsuits. The recent developments in litigation regarding the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") to website accessibility for the visually impaired, are important to note. An interesting legal question is whether "places of public accommodation" are limited to physical locations, or whether the definition can be broad enough to include digital locations - websites.To best understand what is involved, it is helpful to understand the background of this topic, the nuances, and points to consider. READ MORE

96 Billion dollars is being spent by Generation Millennial. The decisions and choices they are making are changing and rocking this industry. Millennials are armed with an arsenal of social media tools to quickly research and aid in their decision making process. Farm to table has much more meaning to the millennial than just a trend. It's a sense of place, a wellbeing, a shareable experience. From froze all day to the grass fed bresaola to the avocado toast Tuesdays that get 400 likes, the millennial generation choices are changing the landscape of Food and beverage in hotels throughout the US and the rest of the world. READ MORE

The millennial generation represents a significant portion of the population, making it necessary for restaurant owners to embrace the latest food trends and technologies if they are to grow their businesses. Consider the collective buying power and social influence of this generation, and it's easy to see why catering to them is a worthy endeavor. This generation and their habits have taught us a lot about the importance of taking the time to understand guests and their behaviors when planning the dining experience. It's an experience that involves creative sustenance with a side of innovative technology. READ MORE

Millennials – a buzz word and increasingly important travel group that is breaking trends as fast as they set them. They are reminding hoteliers that the only constant in the hospitality industry is change. For the generation marked by continually shifting needs and wants, flexibility is key for any F&B program to remain relevant. High standards of quality must be met by equal parts imagination and adaptability. Dianna Vaughan, Global Head and Senior Vice President, All Suites Brands by Hilton, discusses how by remaining open to the changing influences of Millennials hoteliers can create dining experiences that appeal to guests of all ages READ MORE