Hospitality is one big balancing act. Hotel Owners constantly balance the expectations of guests, teams and investments. Managers are faced with a similar balancing act. Keeping the guest experience top-notch while meeting the needs and desires of their team all while making certain that there’s no negative impact to the bottom line is a lot [...]
Every hotel out there makes a unique sales proposition to its guests. Some hotels strive to be trendy and hip, others angle toward being homey and some are totally comfortable being basic and affordable. While choosing where your property fits in your market is a start, that’s not enough to compel your guests to [...]
A Standard Operating Procedure assumes that there is one standard (right way) that will successfully apply to all types of situations. Theoretically, applying the standardized process to any guest situation that your team encounters will deliver the same expected and preferred result. Sadly, that's just not the case. There's no standard that could possibly apply [...]
Truth #1: a ‘Fad’ is not a ‘Trend’ Though sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, a ‘fad’ is not the same thing as a ‘trend.’ A ‘fad’ is a quick behavior while a ‘trend’ is something that evolves over time to become, usually, a permanent change. A chia pet is a fad. [...]
Lately, business has been good for hoteliers. Really good. Revenue per available room is up, average daily rates are strong and occupancy is higher than it has been in quite some time. With the numbers looking this good, what could go wrong? Everything. It’s no secret that the hotel business is a cyclical [...]
Before we get too deep into the intricacies of a hospitality venue’s culture, we should have a better look at our weighty statement. The first part is straightforward enough “Everyone works for the guest.” That means the Executive Housekeeper, the Porter, the Bell Staff, the Controller, the Director of Sales, the Marketing Coordinator [...]
Hotels, motels, B&B’s, inns, resorts and campgrounds all satiate our basic needs while we’re away from home: physiological, safety and belonging. Most offer the facilities we need to feel good about our visit – a place to eat, a place to sleep, a place to relax, a place to wash up, and on and on. [...]
Let’s sit down for a cup of coffee. Back in the day of the commodity driven economy, we would have bought or traded for our own basic coffee-creating commodities like water, firewood, coffee beans, milk and sugar to prepare that delicious cup of coffee. Our cost for a commodity based cup of coffee [...]
The clichés are endless: 1. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do 2. Actions speak louder than words 3. The customer is always right By definition, clichés are sentences or phrases expressing a common thought void of innovation. So let’s get right to it: The guest experience drives your revenue engine. [...]
The U.S. lodging industry is, just like you’d expect, recovering. While hoteliers are pleased with growing room demand, that demand is increasing at a pace faster than room rate. If you’re tracking with us, and paid attention in economics, a robust increase in demand should lead to an aggressive increase in price, right? Absolutely [...]
