While RevPAR is a powerful measure of how hotel assets are delivering optimum Room Revenues, often they may not be telling the entire story. The channels of distribution being adopted by a hotel to generate room revenues may have varying costs to them. Accounting methods make these costs be disclosed among expenses in a hotel Income Statement. Factoring in those costs in the calculation of RevPAR provides a realistic picture. Is your hotel taking this critical step? In other words, are your channels delivering optimum Room Revenues net of costs? READ MORE

We are now at a point where artificial intelligence is no longer an “if” question - it is an inevitable “when” - and the impacts could be enormous. In human resources, specifically, we are already beginning to see AI technologies inform better hiring decisions and predict future job performance through machine learning, one of the more fruitful branches of AI. So, how could the hospitality industry benefit from the use AI technologies in our HR departments? Let us explore! READ MORE

Technology impacts how consumers today live, work, shop and play today. They are moving at the speed of light, and they expect the companies they interact with to keep up with them. This “digital impatience” means consumers increasingly expect that technology understand them, and be intuitive, personal and seamless - including with travel. Expedia's Melissa Maher, SVP Global Partner Group at Expedia, Inc., offers insights and tips for hoteliers to capture the attention of and engage today's digitally savvy traveler. From increasing efficiency and personalization, to inspiring with digital imagery, to optimizing reviews. The hotels that will thrive in today's highly competitive landscape are those that leverage tools to better understand and respond to the needs of their guests. READ MORE

While hospitality organizations are making strides developing and retaining female talent, there is still room for improvement. With the economy steaming forward and Baby Boomers exiting the workforce in larger numbers, the need for organizations to engage, develop and retain these professionals has been exacerbated. Research suggests that organizations who fill their senior leadership ranks with women perform better on a variety of business and financial metrics. This article discusses the challenges associated with putting and keeping women on the leadership path, including those borne of second-generation gender bias. READ MORE

The Millennial generation, born during the years 1980 to 2000, is firmly entrenched in the workforce. As the largest generational cohort to emerge since the baby boomer generation, human resource professionals and managers need to adjust their leadership approaches and how they engage with these workers. Three hospitality millennial professionals were interviewed and share insight and advice for both millennial employees and managers of any age. Human resource professionals and savvy managers can lead the way toward effective strategies for capitalizing on the innate talents and perspectives of the millennial generation resulting in competitive advantages for their organization. READ MORE

Are you frustrated by the revolving door of excessive employee turnover? Unfortunately, it is not likely to stop anytime soon. Having said that the key to staffing stability in the future is to maintain the focus on extending the tenure of each new hire and maximizing the time you have each employee on your team. Remember, people don't want to quit! But in order to encourage them to stay longer, you must create a place where people want to work and be a manager people want to work for. Success requires better on-boarding, fool-proofing your systems and processes, improving management effectiveness, and more. READ MORE

If you have been employed within the hospitality business for any length of time, you may have seen your Human Resources department evolve from the “Personnel Department” to the “Department of Talent Acquisition”. This office has evolved from a cost center, which was mostly compliance-based, focused on record keeping, workplace safety, salary management and employee grievances, to essential centers for talent engagement. Employees have gone from “resources” to “assets” and have become recognized as a valuable source of competitive advantage. Our most successful hospitality companies understand that their talent acquisition, retention, employee engagement and reward, requires continuous innovation in order to remain competitive in attracting top talent. READ MORE

No contemporary workplace challenge is more immediate for employers than sexual assault and harassment. Such wrongdoing, once veiled in secrecy, denial and inattention, is now receiving the consideration it deserves, thanks, in part, to the #MeToo movement. Employers from every business imaginable have taken notice and are making an effort to eliminate inappropriate behavior on the job. Still, there is much work to be done. For their part, hotel and resort owners, operators and management face a particularly acute crisis with respect to sexual misconduct in the workplace, and must take affirmative steps to address this growing epidemic which uniquely impacts their industry. READ MORE

The advent of companies like Airbnb and the growth of the "sharing economy," have undoubtedly changed the hospitality industry. The question we should be asking, however, shouldn't be about if this change is simply a fad and when it will end, but rather how more traditional hotels can fit into the evolving landscape. Jackson Thilenius, principal at Retail Design Collaborative, explores how smart hospitality brands are keeping up. From boutique hotels born from giants like Hilton and Mariott to "poshtels" and out-of-the-box loyalty programs, this article offers insight into what will differentiate a successful hotel from one that will soon be forgotten. READ MORE

Significant shifts on the world stage continue to drive a widespread yearning for personal development and transformational experiences. This article examines elements of social and global change, how to structure savvy returns on investments and weigh in uncommon, high-demand hotel spa and wellness overlays to serve the increasing inevitability of development. This article also highlights how the rise of wellness-driven hospitality ties to an impetus based on personal development, instituted on the mainstays of self-help philosophies with an ever-increasing demand for transformational services, higher quality of life, and physical and emotional well-being. READ MORE

Is your hotel website accessible to those with disabilities? If you don't think this will impact your property, think again. More than 800 federal lawsuits claiming lack of website accessibility were filed in 2017, including many against hospitality companies and hotels. Christine Samsel and Jonathan Sandler, shareholders at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, dive into what the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) has to do with websites and why the hospitality industry is particularly susceptible to individuals filing claims against them. READ MORE

Still worried about leadership potential and the quality and value of the talent in your pipelines? There is no escape from the challenges posed by on-going skills shortage and our attempts to maintain a credible talent focus as we navigate our way through the demands of an ever-changing HR landscape. Talent management is still a top agenda item for business leaders, as they flex approaches to try to secure and retain the talent needed to sustain operations and to ensure continued success. These efforts are considered necessary to counterbalance the impacts of constant change across societal, economic and demographic contexts. READ MORE

Over the past 20 years, the workforce has changed dramatically. The evolution of the consumer landscape and employee demographics have resulted in a complete shift. In the service sector, however, the best companies know that one thing has not changed: the reality that you cannot succeed in the marketplace unless you first succeed in your workplace. People Report was founded in the mid 1990's by a group of chain foodservice companies that were tired of guessing what good performance looked like. Through benchmarking their employee metrics, these companies were able to establish more value within their organizations and within the community. READ MORE

Want to win the War for Talent? Of course, you do. Most hospitality leaders will agree that employee engagement drives service and service drives profit. What many do not yet realize is that it is the accumulation of positive experiences that drives engagement. This article details unique ways that hospitality leaders are connecting with their team members and creating exceptional work environments where employees can not only enjoy their work, but even thrive. We will look at every touchpoint in the employee life cycle from recruiting to retention to find all of the opportunities for you to connect with your team members. READ MORE

Are you taking it personally? It is easy to take words personally especially if they are said in a way that you may perceive as impolite or hostile. There are many reasons for us to react emotionally; the most powerful reason has to do with our brains. Our brains react before we are conscious of our emotions. The brain immediately senses and reacts to conflict situations with a fight or flight response. Although this response can be lifesaving in situations where you are in danger, an emotional reaction to words or perceived wrongs such as getting angry, yelling or disengaging, does not serve us well! READ MORE