HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW
MARCH FOCUS: Human Resources

A Culture Shift: Creating a Thriving Culture through Collaboration

By Brenda McGregor Vice President of Human Resources, Chesapeake Hospitaliy | March 2020

There is a lot of (well-justified) emphasis in the hotel business these days on creating a strong culture. Hotel owners and operators are devoting a lot of time, energy and resources to cultivating and maintaining a strong culture, recognizing that the benefits (which range from a boost in employee satisfaction, that bolsters health outcomes, recruiting and retention, to an improved guest experience) can have a meaningful impact on the bottom line.

But there is perhaps not enough focus on what that culture should actually look and feel like-and even less attention being paid as to how to make that happen.

So what is a strong culture?

Depending on core values and internal priorities, the answer to that question might vary slightly from one company to the next. For some it might be honesty and integrity. Others might emphasize the importance of entrepreneurial energy and a culture of performance. Some hoteliers begin with the foundational premise that treating your people and your guests with respect, and cultivating an atmosphere of fairness, inclusivity, and professional growth should be Priority 1A.

The best in the business strive for and manage to achieve all of the above.

The specifics might vary. What does not change, however, is what it takes to build and sustain a strong culture. There are several pieces to that puzzle, but by far the most important is a workforce and a workplace that is both connected and collaborative.

Collaboration is one of those business-speak buzzwords that gets bandied about so often that it has begun to lose its power. But it is nonetheless essential to any strong professional culture. From the front desk to the back office, and from the break room to the board room, collaboration is the key. It both relies on and enhances communication. It fosters a sense of unity and teamwork that has meaningful and measurable benefits in terms of efficiency and productivity. It helps to avoid or resolve potential conflicts. It leads to not just mutual understanding, but mutual respect. In a business where treating people well is quite literally in the job description, finding and forging those connections internally is a critical first step in consistently creating inviting and immersive environments and experiences.

What follows is a road map of how to make that happen. How to not just aspire to a collaborative and connected company culture, but to actually achieve it: to ingrain and sustain that cultural momentum, and to reap the benefits of those gains over time.

Collaboration Is Impossible Without Communication

Communication is an absolute prerequisite for collaboration. That might seem obvious, but it's surprising how often this simple truth is ignored or under-leveraged. To be effective, communication must be clear and consistent, as well as open and honest. That begins with management setting a good example, but it also demands buy-in from employees who feel empowered and engaged and motivated to speak up.

One of the most important pillars of communication is making expectations clear. Employees crave and respond to clarity about goals, objectives and expectations. One of the fastest ways to short-circuit budding cultural progress is to be inconsistent or unclear about what management expects from employees-and about what those team members can expect from each other. And no set of expectations will ever truly be effective without feedback. Ideally, employees should have the opportunity to hear and learn from clear and constructive feedback on a regular basis.

But communication also needs to be able to flow laterally between team members and up the org chart, as well. The healthiest cultures have abundant opportunities for open and judgment-free dialogue, as well as channels of communication that enable employees to voice concerns or share ideas. The best hotel management companies put formal mechanisms in place that allow those individual voices to be heard and valued.

Discover What's Important To Each Individual

Lots of leaders (not just in the hotel business, but across a range of industries) pledge to value their employees. But far fewer actually follow through on that promise with meaningful action. It is important to begin with the understanding that you cannot truly value an employee until you understand what is important to that employee. Some employees may want schedule flexibility, others might have a specific salary or career objective, and others might simply want to occupy a certain role or be a part of something larger than themselves.

Employers should make every reasonable effort to acknowledge and address those priorities, and to use that information to make sure that they not only have the right person in the right seat, with professional responsibilities that match their skill set, but that those employees are inspired and fulfilled.

Listen Without Judgement

You can't address those personal priorities-or truly communicate or collaborate at all, for that matter-without listening. As an employer in the hotel industry, committing to hearing your employees out is almost quite literally the least you can do. It's also one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate that you value not just their contributions, but their input and perspective, as well. Almost without exception, the hotel owners and operators who have been most successful in fostering a people-first approach in their organizations are those that are the best at listening and responding to their team members.

Judgment-free listening can help convey the all-important message to your employees that this isn't just a place to work-it's a place to belong. And once that kind of culture is in place, it will make it possible to attract and retain the industry's top talent.

Consider "Wild" Ideas

Big impact comes from big ideas. If there is one consistent theme throughout history, it's that some of the biggest breakthroughs and most popular and successful innovations have come from ideas that were so outside the mainstream that they seemed impractical, unworkable, or even ridiculous when they were first proposed.

The biggest fish don't swim in that mainstream, however. They occupy the hidden pools and unexpected currents where no one thought to look-until they did. What sounds outlandish at first often ends up seeming obvious in retrospect. At Chesapeake, for example, we pledge to our guests and to our team members that they will have the chance to "experience what's possible." That foundational pillar of our professional philosophy isn't just aspirational in nature, it's also inherently open to new ideas and novel experiences.

These are exciting times for the hotel industry. New tools and technologies are changing the way we book and experience hotels, and hospitality experiences are becoming more creative and engaging. So, don't settle. Don't be timid. Your guests and your team members will recognize and respond to boldness, bravery and big ideas. Strive to be audacious in embracing innovative new concepts. After all, a promise to "experience what's practical" isn't quite as appealing.

Assess the Potential Impact

Projecting the impact of ideas is a notoriously tricky game. Small changes can have a ripple effect that ultimately makes a much larger impact. And in a working hotel, there is a lot to consider beyond the immediate practicalities. A change in marketing strategy can have an adverse impact elsewhere, and a modest operational shift might boost employee satisfaction, but have an unacceptable impact on the guest experience. Balancing these complex and sometimes competing priorities is at the heart of what experienced hotel management professionals do every day.

That said, connecting new practices or strategies to projected results is part of the process of continual improvement that separates good from great, and, whether it's employee feedback or a hotel management company's strategy pitch to an owner, making an effort to accurately project the downstream effects of a change is important.

Help Deliver the Results

Be willing to not just accept feedback or a new idea, but to commit to it. As long as there is a reasonable possibility that a change could be positive, it makes good sense to go for it. Get behind it. Invest. Set the skepticism aside and put your team's talents and tactics into effect. If your team sees that you truly value their contributions, you will be taking a sizable step towards the kind of collaborative culture that distinguishes great organizations.

The bottom line is if you claim to have a true "entrepreneurial" management style, and if you want to foster a culture of performance and results-driven successes, you have to not just allow ideas to breathe, but support their implementation. Ultimately, that is exactly what hotel management companies are asking owners to literally and figuratively buy in to, and it's important to practice internally what you preach to professional partners.

Assess and Understand the Impact of Changes

Make sure you use metrics and measurables to evaluate the impact of any strategic or operational shifts. But also recognize that one of the underlying reasons why a collaborative culture is so critical in the hotel management business isn't just to make your organization a more appealing place to work, or even to benefit your own bottom line: but to promote the kind of collaborative engagement and mutually beneficial mindset that characterizes the most rewarding relationships between hotel owners and operators.

Collaboration isn't just a big part of hotel management-in many respects, it is hotel management.

If it isn't clear by now, let's emphasize the point that collaborative culture does not just happen-it takes work. That work needs to be consistent and continuous. And the philosophical pillars and operational specifics that support that work need to be aligned with your core values. Because, one way or another, you will be defined by those core values as much as your core competencies. Which is why the best hotel management companies approach every opportunity in a manner that doesn't just factor in expected performance metrics, but reflects core values. That's a playbook for consistency, and the building blocks of a collaborative culture that resonates with employees, guests and professional partners alike.

Terms & Conditions

The following are terms of a legal agreement ("Agreement") between you and HotelExecutive. By accessing, browsing and/or otherwise using this web site, HotelExecutive, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions, and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. export and re-export control laws and regulations. If you do not agree to all of these terms and conditions, you may not access, browse and/or use HotelExecutive. The material provided on HotelExecutive is protected by law, including, but not limited to, United States copyright law and international treaties.

These terms of access apply to your access to and use of HotelExecutive and do not alter in any way the terms and conditions of any other agreement you may have with HotelExecutive for products, software, services or otherwise, unless otherwise directed by HotelExecutive. If you breach any of these terms and conditions, your authorization to use HotelExecutive automatically terminates and you must immediately destroy any downloaded or printed materials and discontinue use of any hyperlinks to HotelExecutive.

1. USE RESTRICTIONS

Copyright. All Site materials, including, without limitation, text, pictures, graphics and other files and the selection and arrangement thereof are copyrighted materials of HotelExecutive © 1996-2016, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, or by the original creator of the material. Permission is granted to display and use the materials on HotelExecutive for private individual, educational and noncommercial use only, provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the materials. You may not, however, distribute, copy, reproduce, display, republish, download, or transmit any material on HotelExecutive for commercial use without prior written approval from HotelExecutive. You may not "mirror" any material contained on HotelExecutive on any other server without prior written permission from HotelExecutive. Any unauthorized use of any material contained on HotelExecutive may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity and communications regulations and statutes.

Trademarks

The trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos (the "Trademarks") used and displayed on HotelExecutive are registered and unregistered Trademarks of HotelExecutive. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, icons and scripts are service marks, trademarks and/or trade dress of HotelExecutive, and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of HotelExecutive. You acknowledge that the Trademarks used and displayed on HotelExecutive are and shall remain the sole property of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer any right of ownership of any of the Trademarks in you. Further, nothing in HotelExecutive shall be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right to use any Trademark used or displayed on HotelExecutive, without the express written permission of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. The misuse of the trademarks displayed on HotelExecutive, or any other Content on HotelExecutive, is strictly prohibited.

Hyperlinks

You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a hypertext link to HotelExecutive provided that such link is to the entry page of HotelExecutive and does not portray HotelExecutive or any of its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. This limited right may be revoked at any time for any reason whatsoever. You may not use framing techniques to enclose any Company trademark, logo or trade name or other proprietary information including the images found at HotelExecutive, the Content of any text or the layout/design of any page or any form contained on a page without HotelExecutive's express written consent. Links to third party sites on HotelExecutive are provided solely as convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive has not reviewed all of these third party sites and does not control and is not responsible for any of these sites, their Content or their policies, including, without limitation, privacy policies or lack thereof. HotelExecutive does not endorse or make any representations about third party sites or any information, software or other products or materials found there, or any results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third party sites linked to HotelExecutive, you do so entirely at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that HotelExecutive shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such third party sites.

Downloadable Materials

Any software, including codes or other materials that are made available to download from HotelExecutive, is the copyrighted work of HotelExecutive and/or its suppliers and affiliates. If you download software from HotelExecutive, use of the software is subject to the license terms in the software license agreement that accompanies or is provided with the software. You may not download or install the software until you have read and accepted the terms of the applicable software license agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, copying or reproduction of the software to any other server or location for further reproduction or redistribution is expressly prohibited unless otherwise provided for in the applicable software license agreement in the case of software, or the express written consent of HotelExecutive in the case of codes or other downloadable materials.

Limited Access

Except as otherwise expressly permitted by HotelExecutive, any access or attempt to access other areas of HotelExecutive computer system or other information contained on the system for any purposes is strictly prohibited. You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automatic device, or manual process to "screen scrape," monitor, "mine," or copy the Web pages on HotelExecutive or the Content contained therein without HotelExecutive's prior, express, and written permission. You will not spam or send unsolicited e-mail to any other user of HotelExecutive for any reason. You agree that you will not use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of HotelExecutive. You agree that you will not take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on HotelExecutive's infrastructure.

Additional Use Restrictions

You shall not post, transmit, e-mail, re-transmit or store material on or through any of the services provided by HotelExecutive (the "Services") which, in the sole judgment of HotelExecutive: (i) is in violation of any local, state, federal or non-United States law or regulation, (ii) is threatening, obscene, indecent, defamatory or that otherwise could adversely affect any individual, group or entity (collectively, "Persons") or (iii) violates the rights of any person, including rights protected by copyright, trade secret, patent or other intellectual property or similar laws or regulations including, but not limited to, the installation or distribution of "pirated" or other unauthorized photos or software products that are not appropriately licensed for use by you. You shall be responsible for determining what laws or regulations are applicable to its use of the Services. In addition, you may only use the Services in a manner that, in HotelExecutive's sole judgment, is consistent with the purposes of such Services. If you are unsure of whether any contemplated use or action is permitted, please contact HotelExecutive at editor@HotelExecutive By way of example, and not limitation, the following uses described below of the Services are expressly prohibited:

A. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages or other materials (collectively, "Content") that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, sexually intolerant or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

B. impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a Company official, forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;

C. forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any Content transmitted through the Services or develop restricted or password-only access pages, or hidden pages or images (those not linked to from another accessible page);

D. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements;

E. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party;

F. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes" or any other form of solicitation;

G. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any material that contains software viruses, worms or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;

H. interfere with or disrupt the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Services;

I. intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including, but not limited to, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any national or other securities exchange, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, and any regulations having the force of law;

J. 'stalk' or otherwise harass another user of HotelExecutive or Company employee or official;

K. promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities, promote physical harm or injury against any group or individual, or promote any act of cruelty to animals. This may include, but is not limited to, providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades and other weapons, and creating "Crush" sites; and

L. effecting security breaches or disruptions of Internet communication. Security breaches include, but are not limited to, accessing data of which you are not an intended recipient or logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access.

M. advertising to, or soliciting any user of HotelExecutive to buy or sell any products or services through the unauthorized or impermissible use of the Services. You may not transmit any junk email or chain letters to other users. If you breach this Agreement and send unsolicited bulk email, instant messages or other unauthorized commercial communications of any kind through the Services, you acknowledge that you will have caused substantial harm to HotelExecutive, but that the amount of such harm would be extremely difficult to ascertain. As a reasonable estimation of such harm, you agree to pay HotelExecutive $500 for each such unsolicited email or other unauthorized commercial communication you send to each user through the Services.

2. DISCLAIMER WARRANTY

HotelExecutive, including all software, functions, materials, and information is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. HotelExecutive disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of non-infringement and implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, title, merchantability of computer programs, data accuracy, system integration, and informational Content. HotelExecutive does not warrant or make any representations regarding the operation of HotelExecutive, the use, validity, accuracy or reliability of, or the results of the use of the materials on HotelExecutive or any other sites linked to HotelExecutive. The materials of HotelExecutive may be out of date, and HotelExecutive makes no commitment to update the materials at HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive does not and cannot guarantee or warrant that the files available for downloading from HotelExecutive, if any, will be free from infection, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. HotelExecutive does not warrant that HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be uninterrupted or error-free or that any defects in HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be corrected.

3. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event will HotelExecutive, its suppliers or other third parties mentioned at or in HotelExecutive be liable for any damages, including, without limitation direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, damages resulting from lost profits, lost data or business interruption arising out of relating to the use, inability to use, or resulting from the use of HotelExecutive, any web sites linked to HotelExecutive, the materials, software or other information contained in any or all such sites, whether based on warranty, contracts, statutes, regulations, tort (including but not limited to, negligence) or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages. If your use of the materials or information from HotelExecutive results in the need for servicing, repair or correction of equipment or data, you assume all costs thereof.

4. REVISIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT

HotelExecutive may revise this Agreement at any time without notice by updating this posting. By using HotelExecutive you agree to be bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit HotelExecutive and page to determine the then current Terms of Access and Use conditions of use to which you are bound.

5. TRANSMISSIONS

Any idea you transmit to or post on HotelExecutive by any means will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary and may be disseminated or used by HotelExecutive or its affiliates for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, developing and marketing products. You are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from HotelExecutive any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, profane material or any other material, including but not limited to any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under both domestic and international law.

6. YOUR WARRANTIES

You warrant to HotelExecutive that:

You are the sole owner of all rights in the materials posted or uploaded by you (including all related copyrights) or that you have the absolute right to license their use as provided in this section. While you will retain ownership of the copyright in the materials posted or uploaded by you, you agree that all materials posted or uploaded by you shall become part of a database, and that HotelExecutive will own the compilation copyright in that database. In addition, you hereby grant HotelExecutive a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, publicly perform, publically display and distribute such materials, and portions of such materials and any derivative works created from such materials, in print, electronic and other media, by any means now known or developed in the future. We may sublicense all of our rights and licenses or assign them to third parties. Neither HotelExecutive nor any third party using the materials in accordance with this section will be obligated to pay you any royalties or other compensation for use of the materials.

You will comply with these Terms of Access and Use including, without limitation, the USE RESTRICTIONS set out in Section 3 above;

You agree to indemnify and hold HotelExecutive harmless from any claim or damages (including any legal fees in relation to same) made by a third party in respect of any matter in relation to or arising from your use and/or membership arising from any breach or suspected breach of these Terms of Access and Use by you or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

7. ACTIONS WE MAY TAKE AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION

HotelExecutive may take any or all of the following actions at our sole discretion:

Remove any member profile (including photographs) or other material that, in our sole discretion may be inappropriate or we suspect to be illegal, subject us to liability or which may violate these Terms of Access and Use or where required to do so by law;

Issue members with verbal or written warnings and may take such further action as we deem appropriate if such warnings are not heeded;

Suspend or terminate a member's access to the members's area of HotelExecutive or a member's account without notice at any time;

Inform the appropriate authorities and provide them with information regarding any suspected illegal activity; or bring legal action against a member or other user of HotelExecutive in relation to any breach of these Terms of Access and Use or any illegal or suspected illegal activity.

8. GOOD SAMARITAN CONTENT AND COMPLAINT PROCEDURES POLICY

A. Policy

We have provided opportunities for you to contribute Content to our Site. It is our policy, however, not to allow any Content which may constitute intellectual property infringement; violations of federal, state, or local law; obscene or defamatory material, or may otherwise be unacceptable or inappropriate. Upon learning of such Content, we will attempt, and you hereby give HotelExecutive the right, to delete, edit, remove, disable, change, or restrict access to or the availability of the Content, which in our sole discretion, is otherwise unacceptable or objectionable. We may or may not notify you about what action we take with respect to the disputed Content. The provisions of this section are intended to implement this policy but are not in any way intended to impose a contractual obligation upon us to undertake, or refrain from undertaking, any particular course of conduct.

B. Complaint Procedures

If you believe that another user or other third party has posted Content which violates this policy or specifically the USE RESTRICTIONS in Section 3 above, you may notify HotelExecutive via e-mail at editor@HotelExecutive . In order to allow HotelExecutive to respond effectively, please provide HotelExecutive with as much information as possible in your correspondence, including: (1) the nature of the right infringed or violated (including any applicable registration numbers of the federally-registered intellectual property allegedly infringed), if applicable, or the unacceptable or inappropriate Content; (2) all facts which lead you to believe that a right has been violated or infringed, if applicable; (3) the precise location where the offending Content is located; (4) any grounds to believe that the party or user which posted the Content was not authorized to do so or did not have a valid defense (including the defense of fair use), if applicable; (5) if known, the identity of the party or user who posted the infringing, offending, or inappropriate Content; and (6) in the case of alleged copyright infringement claims, information sufficient to identify the work and your claims to ownership.

C. Indemnification/Waiver of Certain Rights

By contacting HotelExecutive and complaining of an alleged violation, you agree that the substance of your complaint shall constitute a representation made under the pains and penalties of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of California. In addition, you agree, at your own expense, to defend and indemnify HotelExecutive and hold HotelExecutive harmless against all claims which may be asserted against HotelExecutive, and all losses incurred, as a result of your complaint and/or our response to it.

D. Waiver of Claims and Remedies

We expect all users of our Site to take responsibility for their own actions and cannot and do not assume liability for any acts of third parties which take place at our Site. By utilizing the Good Samaritan procedures set forth herein, you waive any and all claims or remedies which you might otherwise be able to assert against hotelexecutive under any theory of law (including, but not limited to, intellectual property laws) that arise out of or relate in any way to the content at hotelexecutive or our response, or failure to respond, to a complaint.

E. Investigation/Liability Limitation

You agree that we have the right, but not the obligation, to investigate any complaint received. By reserving this right, we do not undertake any responsibility in fact to investigate complaints or to remove, edit, disable or restrict access to or the availability of Content. We will not act on complaints that we believe, in our sole discretion, to be deficient, incomplete, or otherwise questionable. If you believe that Content remains on HotelExecutive which violates your rights, Your sole and exclusive remedy shall be against the user or other party responsible for said content, not against HotelExecutive. your sole and exclusive remedy against HotelExecutive shall be to terminate your use of HotelExecutive and service.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act Compliance. As set forth in Subsection (b), you must contact our agent if you believe that a work protected by a U.S. Copyright which you own has been posted on our Site without authorization or that our Site, in some material way, contributes to its infringement. It is our policy in appropriate circumstances, if possible, to terminate the access rights of repeat infringers and other users who use HotelExecutive in an inappropriate or objectionable manner.

9. COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

HotelExecutive reserves the right to fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing HotelExecutive to disclose the identity or other information regarding any user or member alleged by any governmental entity to be using HotelExecutive or any Content or materials available in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive in violation of any law or regulation, or in violation of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the posting of e-mail messages, or publishing or otherwise making available any such materials. By accepting this agreement you waive and hold harmless HotelExecutive from any claims resulting from any action by HotelExecutive during, or as a result of, its investigations, and from any actions taken as a consequence of investigations by either HotelExecutive or law enforcement authorities

10. APPLICABLE LAWS, VENUE, JURISDICTION & MANDATORY ARBITRATION

If any provision(s) of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to law, then such provision(s) shall be construed, as nearly as possible, to reflect the intentions of the parties with the other provisions remaining in full force and effect. HotelExecutive's failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by HotelExecutive in writing. The section titles in this Agreement are solely used for the convenience of the parties and have no legal or contractual significance. This Agreement may be assigned in whole or in part by HotelExecutive. This Agreement may not be assigned in any manner by you without the express, prior written permission of HotelExecutive.

Any and all disputes or controversies of any kind, including but not limited to any performance, duty, obligation or liability arising under or related to this Agreement which are not first resolved informally, shall be determined by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The final award in any such arbitration proceeding shall be subject to entry as a judgment by any court or competent jurisdiction, provided that such judgment does not conflict with the terms and provisions hereof. The jurisdiction of the arbiter (or arbiters) with respect to legal matters shall be limited only by the statutory and common law of the State of California and the United States.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any and all disputes, which the parties cannot informally resolve, regarding the scope of issues or matter with the jurisdiction of the arbitrator, shall be resolved by a separate dispute resolution process whereby HotelExecutive, in its sole discretion shall elect the dispute to be resolved by either (1) a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of California or (2) a panel of three new arbitrators.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California notwithstanding any conflict of laws provisions. You and HotelExecutive agree that the venue for all legal disputes, controversies, actions of any kind arising under or related to this Agreement shall be San Francisco, California. You and HotelExecutive further agree that in case of any litigation regarding this Agreement, you irrevocably and unconditionally (i) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the County of San Francisco, California for any litigation or dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, (ii) agree not to commence any litigation arising out of or relating to this Agreement except in the California Courts, (iii) agree not to plead or claim that such litigation brought therein has been brought in an inconvenient forum, and (iv) agree the California Courts represent the exclusive jurisdiction for all litigation relating to this Agreement.

11. MEMBERSHIP FEES

Hotel Business Review Subscriptions

If you choose to purchase a subscription, member subscription payments can be made in U.S. Dollars, as well as a variety of international currencies. Membership terms are Annual Recurring, and Monthly Recurring. The Annual Recurring subscription is an annual commitment and subscribers will be charged each consecutive billing cycle. Annual Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first billing cycle and within 30-days of the billing date for a full refund. Monthly Recurring subscriptions are ongoing and subscribers will be charged each consecutive monthly billing cycle. Monthly Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first month and within 7 days of the monthly billing cycle for a full refund.

12. PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Payment for the services provided to you in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive may be made by automatic credit card, debit card, direct debit, bankwire or Paypal and other approved payment means offered in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive, and you hereby authorize HotelExecutive and its agents to transact such payments on your behalf.

You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

Receive our Newsletter

2025 Hotel Construction Outlook: Rates, Risk, and The Rise of Private Credit

By Shivan Perera, Managing Director of CRE, Bridge Marketplace

How Will Rates Impact Hotel Construction Most experts predict that the Feds will move rates downward in the second half of 2025 however the cuts are expected to be gradual. The cautious approach by the Feds could lead to ongoing volatility in interest rates throughout the year. The direction of interest rates will depend on a mix of economic indicators and policy decisions. If inflation continues to ease, it may cause the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark rate, which typically brings down other borrowing costs. However, ongoing and volatile inflationary pressures, such as those caused by tariffs, could...

Emerging Trends That Will Inform Hotel Design in 2024

By Sergio Saenz, Arq., Intl. Assoc. AIA, HKS

In this period of rapid environmental and social change, adaptive design and innovation are increasingly important topics for consideration within the hospitality industry. As we navigate the challenges of climate change, shifting work paradigms and evolving guest preferences, the industry is witnessing a transformative shift in how hotels are conceptualized and built. This article explores key trends shaping the future of hospitality design, from embracing climate resilience and reconnecting with nature to adapting to the burgeoning Work-From-Hotel movement. Each trend reflects a response to immediate needs and a forward-looking approach to creating sustainable, functional, and memorable guest experiences. ...

Gen Z: Possibly the Biggest Cluster-Uck in the Hotel Workplace

By Steven Ferry, Chairman, International Institute of Modern Butlers

The following article would be too “out there” to be accepted in our industry but for the revelations occurring in the last few years that have given the majority pause to question the conventional wisdoms that have lulled us into accepting, with sinking heart, the inevitability of non-optimum situations. Take, for instance, the recent article by Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge, bemoaning the unemployability of Gen Z candidates (20-somethings)*—a frustrating situation for Gen Z itself as well as those Gen X managers (45-60 year-olds) who find themselves dealing with concerns such as “I want 80K to start…”, “I don’t get...

Managing Social Media: Tools, Trends & Careers

By Robert O'Halloran, Professor & Director, Hospitality Management, East Carolina University

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) noted that social media is collaborative, dynamic, and interactive online applications, platforms, and media, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content on social media platforms. Engaging guests via social media networking is a sustaining trend of investment for tourism and hospitality firms, termed “social media engagement.” Social media has changed the way individuals interact with each other and is redefining the way firms connect with their customers in the hospitality and tourism industry.Social Media ToolsExperts generally, outline three kinds of social media tools: listening platforms, publishing platforms, and competitive analysis platforms. Separately, each tool...

Eco-Friendly Hotel Practices: a Blueprint for Sustainable Luxury

By Chintan Dadhich, Complex General Manager, Conrad New York Downtown & Tempo by Hilton Times Square

In luxury hospitality, elegance and environmental responsibility are no longer separate ideas. Guests today expect hotels to create meaningful experiences that blend indulgence with impact. As leaders, we are redefining what it means to deliver exceptional service — not just through comfort, but through conscience.At Hilton, our global ESG strategy, Travel with Purpose 2030, commits to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and reducing water use and landfilled waste by 50% across managed hotels. This ambitious goal reflects our belief that sustainability is not a department; it is a discipline — one that touches design, operations, food, events, and community...

How Boutique Hotels are Using Micro-Influencers to Create Authentic Guest Experiences

By Angelica Olivas, Public Relations Coordinator, Crowe PR

Boutique hotels are now taking a unique approach to social media partnerships, discovering that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to the modern, social media-driven hospitality landscape. Rather than pursuing costly collaborations with celebrity or macro-influencers, many properties are now finding greater success by partnering with micro-influencers – content creators with followings between 10,000 and 50,000 – to showcase authentic experiences that resonate with audiences and potential guests. This strategic shift reflects a deeper understanding of how social media influences the booking decisions of today’s discerning travelers. While large influencers may offer broader reach, micro-influencers often deliver higher...

Marketing That Moves: Why Storytelling is Hospitality's Hidden Revenue Engine

By Jacqueline Villamil, Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Solution Partners

The hospitality industry has long relied on aesthetics, amenities, and service as its primary marketing differentiators. Yet, in an age where digital attention spans are shrinking and customer acquisition costs are rising, these traditional approaches are no longer enough. Marketing that simply showcases rooms or lists amenities is easy to scroll past. With countless options available to travelers, visual appeal alone can no longer command loyalty. For hotels to stand out, they must connect with potential guests on a deeper, more emotional level. That connection is forged through storytelling. Storytelling is a strategic tool that builds emotional resonance, increases brand...

HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW MARCH FOCUS: Human Resources

A Culture Shift: Creating a Thriving Culture through Collaboration

By Brenda McGregor Vice President of Human Resources, Chesapeake Hospitaliy | March 2020

Terms & Conditions

Receive our Newsletter

HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW
MARCH FOCUS: Human Resources