Beginning with Arizona's controversial SB 1070 law, more and more states have begun proposing new legislation to try to close the gap in a broken system.  If you're a hotel manager or owner and have tried to procure a visa for a foreign-born employee, you may know how badly this country needs to update its outdated immigration laws. In our current system, individuals without a bachelor's degree in a specialty occupation field will face much difficulty qualifying for a work-based visa.  If you operate a seasonal business like a ski lodge, some visas may suit your needs just fine but other hoteliers may find themselves out of luck. READ MORE

Have you ever found yourself in a hotel room with grab bars, a roll-in shower and a fire alarm strobe? More than once while traveling with people with disabilities I have swapped rooms with someone who reserved but was not rented an accessible room. Among friends and colleagues creative thinking, a shake of the head and good-natured chuckles solve the problem. The fact that certain members of the traveling public are unable to obtain lodging meeting their needs is no laughing matter, and the U.S. Department of Justice has intervened to improve the travel experience for individuals with disabilities. READ MORE

Guest Service practices are concerning us lately. We understand that trimming the operational costs is a must during times like these, and I also understand that there is a constant pressure from ownership as well. We have to maintain levels of competitive in order to see ourselves with or beyond the index line in competitive reports. Rates have been reduced in order to increase (motivate) occupancy levels. Yet there needs to be a service sense of urgency from a hospitality establishment, and I am noticing that this is not being implemented as a fundamental part of the daily operation of a hospitality facility in many brands. This article is intended to alert what truly is happening and what remedies can be implemented so that guest services are consistently up to par. READ MORE

Sale is the only means of earning profit in any business. Hotel managers are also not an exception to this phenomenon. In accommodation sector it is the sale of rooms that brings more revenue. When sale is the only means of earning profits as in other business, hotel managers also think that sale of room, good occupancy is the only means to improve the bottom line, since room sales compared to any other sales of the hotel provides better departmental income. Hence to earn more revenue by selling more rooms' managers adopt ARR /ADR technique... READ MORE

As the economy improves, managers in most sectors, including hospitality, find themselves again challenged with finding, and keeping, the best people to run their businesses, and serve their guests. The last few years have given rise to the mistaken notion that we don't really need to worry too much about how we treat our employees. Things like staff training, merit increases, and employee recognition have slipped from the priority list. Recognizing the need to recommit to the people practices that we know improve business results, this article lists nine practical ways to stabilize and enhance the team, starting with ideas for retaining the good employees you've already got on staff, and then tips for finding, attracting, and hiring the best to build your team. READ MORE

If history repeats itself, your employee turnover is about to shoot up. This has been true during the recovery periods after each recession in the past 20 years, and it makes sense that workers who have slowed their urges to change jobs now have pent-up drives to do so. Various studies indicate anywhere between 50% and 90% of workers plan to change. Who is held accountable for undesirable turnover? Does your company solve retention with processes driven from the top or with programs driven by HR? Learn the "secret sauce" - three key solutions that will help you solve this problem. READ MORE

A 17 year old cook working with a 40 year old sous-chef. A 65 year old housekeeping supervisor working with a 22 year old room attendant. A 35 year old front desk manager working with a 50 year old reservation associate. These are all realities within the hotel and hospitality sector, where multigenerational teams need to work effectively together. All four generations are in the workplace (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Ys), and often you may have younger generations managing older employees. In such a diverse age environment, it is important for executives to realise that people strategies can no longer take a 'one-size fits all' approach. READ MORE

Even in today's challenging economic environment, many hotels and other companies are bringing on new staff and hoping that they will be able to make a real difference as quickly as possible. There's plenty of work to be done and, in a time of real budget constraints, there's even more pressure to make the best hires and get the most out of every employee. But all too often we begin these new and very important relationships with a set of old and tired ideas. Ideas that fail to unlock the real brilliance and potential of every new hire and, in the process, fail to build the type of connection that will earn their engagement and loyalty. READ MORE

Turnover and retention topics have lost their appeal with the recession, but not their relevance. Even in high turnover environments like leisure and hospitality, most employees do indeed elect to stay on average a minimum of 2.5 years, with greater tenure found in the management and professional ranks, as well as with workers over age 35 . Exploring what compels staff to stay with a company offers employers the unique opportunity to understand what is actually working well. A review of retention and turnover drivers provides further insight as to what existing programs - or investment in new ones - are likely to drive a better return on investment and retention of the right employees. READ MORE

After more than 20 years of initiatives designed to improve effectiveness, most HR functions have achieved neither the value promised by strategic HR, nor the operational efficiency expected of new technologies, Six Sigma, shared services, or outsourcing. The path to better human resources management practices begins with a focus on the operational enablers required for enhanced managerial decision-making. READ MORE

An area that is often overlooked in the operation of a spa is staff training. The importance of training frequently both as a team and individually is borne out through the operational and financial success for those facilities that do this. Each area of the spa should receive its own specialized training regimen. These areas include front desk, sales and marketing, retail, locker room and maintenance, service providers (therapists, estheticians and nail technicians) and all other key departments. The frequency and consistency of staff training is critical to the success of any spa whether it is in pre-opening mode or after the doors have opened. READ MORE

Keeping employees engaged in the current economic environment can be difficult. When times are good, many employers go to great lengths, and sometimes to great expense, to reward and recognize their employees to keep them motivated and satisfied. When occupancy rates decline and margins shrink, employee rewards and incentives can fall by the wayside. This may lead to increased employee turnover and disengaged employees. Find out what you can do to keep your employees engaged and your customer service levels high even when company funds are tight in my article, "Hotel Worker Recognition: How to Keep Your Employees Engaged." READ MORE

Some hoteliers have expanded the use of “tip pools” which, if done properly, can provide hotels with a federally sanctioned way to reduce payroll expenses and provide job security for more of their employees. However, federal law is very strict regarding the type of employees for which a “tip credit” may be taken and what's required for an employer to operate a qualified tip pool. While tip pools and tip credits can help reduce labor costs for hoteliers, they should not be adopted without careful consideration of the rules and without the assistance of qualified employment counsel. READ MORE

Is being green important? Absolutely. And, hotel guests expect hotels to be stewards of the environment. But increasingly, guests expect "doing well by doing good" to be a part of a hotel's business strategy. And, they're happy to reward companies that give back with both respect and patronage. READ MORE

When a guest registers a complaint through internal surveys or in person, do you as a hotel manager: a) look busy; b) skulk out the back door; or c)handle the matter personally? Regardless of how a hotel operator chooses to respond to a face to face confrontation with a disgruntle guest, it is vital to the success of a hotel that online reviews receive responses. The response should come from the hotel management staff in timely matter with clear and sincere verbiage. Online reviews deserve even more time than internal surveys, as the feedback is just as, if not more, valuable, and the impact is instant and vey public. READ MORE