It's no secret that employees are the heart of any hotel or casino to deliver quality operations and a high-level of customer service. With the low rate of unemployment across the United States, now it is more important than ever for companies to take a strategic approach to engage and retain quality employees. This article provides information about four approaches for hospitality leaders to consider for their teams – including using behavioral sciences, developing ways to monitor the employee experience, predicting turnover through data science, and approaching your employee marketing the same way your approach customer marketing. READ MORE

As recreational marijuana usage has become legal or decriminalized in a number of states and medical use has been accepted in even more, it has become important for business owners to understand marijuana's position in the workplace. In particular, hotel owners should understand its impact on safety and productivity. In this article, John Welty, president of SUITELIFE® Underwriting Managers, will discuss new changes to cannabis laws and what they mean for hotel owners and management. He will discuss employer rights when implementing a drug-free policy in the workplace and offer best practices to include in employee training and handbooks. READ MORE

There is a great deal of focus in the wellness world on physical fitness, but very little on mental fitness. The latest research shows that it is possible to grow and strengthen our brains to prevent cognitive decline. These are exciting scientific developments not just for those at risk for cognitive impairment disorders, but also those interested in increasing their mental potential. Corporate groups, in particular, are seeking programs to increase productivity and boost the cognitive performance of their top talent. Just as with strength training to grow muscles, cognitive fitness programs can increase the size and power of the brain. This is an area of opportunity for expanding your wellness offerings and attracting new business. READ MORE

Hotel executives can improve organizational processes through employee engagement that will enhance organizational learning and personal development. These leaders can effectively engage employees in organizational decision making process because it takes a task-based approach by translating the management of knowledge into various organizational processes. This task-based approach develops a firm-specific approach by which organizational knowledge provides a significant contribution to business objectives through the context-dependent way it is managed. This can help hotels identify their inefficiencies in each process, and subsequently recover them on an instantaneous basis which enables hotel managers to prevent further operational risk. READ MORE

Tru by Hilton disrupted the midscale hospitality segment by taking a deep approach to gathering insights and leveraging owner feedback to build the brand from the ground up. Combined with consumer research, this approach unleashed new ways of thinking and resulted in a complete reimagining of every aspect of what a midscale brand can deliver to both developers and consumers. With the fastest brand launch in the industry, a REVPAR index premium, 100-plus open properties and 320 hotels in the pipeline, Tru's success has proven how innovative thinking can lead to true differentiation. READ MORE