Five Hot Tips on Designing Your Hotel Lobby

By Roger Hill, Chief Operating Officer, Gettys

Walking into a hotel lobby is like shaking the hand of someone you just met. It’s all about the first impression. Just like people, hotel lobbies embody distinct personalities. A lobby can be aloof, inviting, intimidating, or unbelievably cool. As an hotelier, you cannot stand by your front door greeting all the guests that make their way onto your property, but you can choreograph initial experiences by transforming your lobby into an oasis...

Effectively Understanding the Role of the Hotel Concierge

By Leigh Anne Dolecki, Chef Concierge, Campton Place Hotel

The word concierge actually dates back to mid 17th century Europe, when hosts, usually of a lavish property or castle, provided a servant whose primary responsibility was attending to the comfort of their traveling guests. This servant eventually catered to the every whim and wish of visiting nobles; they held a very important position in the household, and often kept the household keys. Eventually hotel concierges began to appear in the finest hotels of Switzerland and France, expanding on the value of the “guest service” begun in those royal households. It wasn’t until the mid 1970s that American hotels began to add the position of concierge to their staff, providing their guests with the impeccable guest service that they have come to enjoy in Europe ...

Keys to Reaching the Mature Segment: The 1st Hump in Your Hotel’s Generational Marketing

By Bonnie J. Knutson, Professor, The School of Hospitality Business, Broad College of Business, Michigan State University

For any hotel, generational marketing is a strategic business perspective that studies the effects of age cohorts on marketing decisions. So in this article, the first of a four-part 2008 series, we will look at the first “hump” of a hotel’s four-humped customer camel – the Matures or Silent generation. In subsequent articles, we’ll look at the 76+ million Baby Boomer group, the infamous Generation X, and the generation that will be filling your hotel’s coffers in the coming years – the Y or Millennial generation. So just who are the Matures? And how can you best reach them ...

Five Little Things that Make A BIG Difference in Spa Customer Service

By Gary Henkin, President, WTS International, Inc. and Kate Mearns, Executive Spa Director, WTS International

In today’s highly competitive hospitality environment, an inviting spa can create a truly memorable guest experience. To that end, there are any number of “small items” that can make a big difference in how your spa is perceived by both a guest and non-guest population. These areas include several basic initiatives with your staff and with the guest that will assist in providing impeccable guest service while energizing the spa...

Measuring Public Relations Success — A Guide to Understanding the Return-on-Investment

By Gini Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer, Arment Dietrich, Inc.

Raising awareness of and gaining additional exposure for your property is one thing. Being able to prove the efforts behind such an increase in market visibility and occupancy is a direct result of a public relations campaign is quite another. The difference lies in identifying and tracking the effect of a public relations campaign on your business, and the biggest factor is measurement. Public relations is a powerful tool in the hospitality industry. From establishing or repositioning a brand to drawing attention to a hotel opening or the addition of a new amenity, public relations can be one of the most value and credible communications tools around. Not only can a well-executed public relations program raise awareness, but it also can be a highly influential force with current and potential guests ...

The Architectural Attraction: How Great Architecture Attracts Tourism

By John Poimiroo, Principal, Poimiroo & Partners

Within the past decade, many of the nation’s leading museums and concert halls have hired starchitects the likes of Gehry, Calatrava, Libeskind, and Taniguchi to create singularly stunning structures that, like massive titanium magnets, attract visitors to them. So, too, hoteliers are renovating landmark buildings in major cities into new use as signature hotels. Branded destinations are exporting their architectural concepts abroad...