Quite the buzzword in today's literature, 'millennial' is often associated with words such as 'narcissism' and 'entitlement' - generalizations that may or may not be entirely accurate. A simple internet search of 'millennials in the workplace' will display nearly one million results advising you as to best practices in 'dealing with' this new generation of workers. Much of these publications focus heavily on the problems and challenges associated with this new labor pool. It stands to reason, however, that it is futile to spend one's time complaining about the millennial generation, when one should instead focus on how to successfully work with this generation. READ MORE

This article looks at how hotels in ski resorts are having to offer their guests more than just skiing and snowboarding these days in order to keep them satisfied. In fact, an analysis of market trends suggests that an increasing proportion of those who take winter sport holidays on a regular basis do not ski at all. Also, avid skiers are typically skiing less. As a result, winter resorts, and the hotels operating in them, have realized that they have to offer more activities - both on- and off-snow. The article provides examples of two hotels responding to these trends. READ MORE

I'm an experiential traveler, looking for different types of places to stay depending on the nature of the trip. I'm not brand-loyal. What matters to me is how the place I choose to stay in fits my needs, so service and distinctiveness matter to me more than familiarity. Community matters to me, too. I like to feel at home wherever I am. I also want to stay in a place that surprises me - pleasantly. I book trips different ways, too. READ MORE

Big data has become a big buzzword. Like any buzzword, all of the talk about big data has created big confusion in the marketplace, and it can be easier to tune it out than to take it on. The reality is, whether you want to call it big data or not, there are now new opportunities to take advantage of data to drive decision making and ultimately competitive advantage. Identifying these opportunities and understanding what to do about them is the challenge facing hotel managers today, particularly in revenue management. It is time for some plain speaking and practical advice about this complex phenomenon. READ MORE

If you haven't heard of the “Internet of Things” (IOT), remain calm - you are not alone. But, all hotel owners, managers as well as the hospitality industry ecosystem (architects, construction companies, furniture suppliers, technology providers, etc.) should be aware of the revolution in the years ahead being powered by IOT technology. IOT will become as ubiquitous as tablets and smartphones and will impact hotel operations and the guest experience. And with 26 billion connected IOT devices by 2020, you would be wise to become IOT-savvy. READ MORE

Far too many business leaders in the hospitality industry today are failing to invest in one of the most critical aspects of a successful business - their leaders of tomorrow. Most hotel executives recognize the importance of leadership in building the long term success of their business. Yet, many executives fail to develop their managers of today into great leaders that will successfully drive and guide the future of the business tomorrow. With guests raising the bar and demanding more every year, the ongoing success of your properties is ultimately determined by the recruiting, hiring, development, and retention of your future leaders. READ MORE

Employee engagement is the secret sauce that sets leading companies apart. Employee engagement, profit, growth, client satisfaction, and solid leadership by themselves are not sustainable. These outcomes are from something bigger: purpose. Having purpose is the magic dust for organizations. Employees tend to be happier, healthier and more productive when they feel a sense of purpose in their work. Employee engagement strengthens when employers explain how their employees are contributing to the success of the business. READ MORE

It's All About Leadership: A 2013 global C-suite study by the IBM Institute for Business Value suggests that, by a pretty wide margin, the top two concerns of Chief Human Resource Officers are 1) talent development and 2) employee engagement and commitment, outcomes that are influenced more (much more) by the quality of leadership at a person-to-person level, than organizational attraction. The operative precept here is that our employees don't always get to choose the manager they report to, but they choose daily which ones they're going to come back tomorrow and exert real effort for. READ MORE

We both travel much in our work as consultants and keynote speakers. We watch for ideas to help our clients create environments that support, nurture, and retain talent. We seek insights to nurture resilient organizations that grow through engagement challenges. We realize one source of continual insights often comes from our experience as guests in hotels around the world. When asked to write this article, our collective brains hit upon an idea that many of you already have in place: superb training to enhance the guest experience and encourage repeat visits. READ MORE

If you don't measure it, you don't manage it. If you don't manage it, you can't change it. No one is more aware of the wisdom of these adages than hotel operators, who measure many expenses on a cost per occupied room night basis. Yet this is generally not the case for their hotel owned or on-premise (OPL) laundry costs. Shouldn't it be? Improved laundry practices can reduce a hotel's carbon footprint and boost the bottom line, important objectives amid intensifying sustainability mandates. READ MORE

Although some claims of sexual harassment made by hotel and restaurant employees may not prove to be true, an employer's failure to properly address sexual harassment complaints may render the employer liable for significant damages to a prevailing employee. Once an employee has complained of sexual harassment, an internal investigation is necessary to address and resolve the claim. This article describes best practices to take when conducting an internal investigation of a sexual harassment claim. This article also describes policies and procedures an employer can implement to help avoid sexual harassment claims READ MORE

For some time, the biggest buzz in business has been around the influx of Big Data and its application to hospitality - and specifically to revenue management systems. Historically, revenue management systems (RMS) were already the biggest data owners within the hospitality enterprise, with two or more years of detailed reservations data consumed by the system, across a variety of room types, customer segments, length of stays and more. With this data, RMS analytics generated billions of forecasts used for further optimization, subsequently producing billions of pricing, availability and overbooking decisions. That is to say, Big Data existed in revenue management systems before it was even known as “Big Data.” READ MORE

Given the increasing usage of smartphones for travel-related online research and purchases, the importance of having a seamless mobile website presentation cannot be understated. Unless a hotel's mobile website loads quickly, however, it runs the risk of dissuading consumers from direct bookings as well as utilizing the brand.com for subsequent inquiries. This is compounded by the fact that websites typically load slower on mobile platforms. While this is a constant issue for developers and programmers, there are many solutions that senior managers can initiate and undertake themselves. READ MORE

The intense competition to secure the best talent continues, with organizations engaging evermore creative recruitment strategies to ensure they get the best from international graduate pools. Fueled by new technologies, market globalization and frequent changes to business models, the demand for organizational talent grows. Talent supply, however, is another issue with the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group (2011) indicating shortage across 25 countries by 2030. A ready-supply of engaged talent is needed to enhance service quality and to achieve this, graduate talent skills sets must become culturally embedded investments across international hospitality industry organizations. READ MORE

The U.S. labor market in October reached its longest stretch of job creation since at least World War II. U.S. employers, which added 214,000 jobs to payrolls last month, are on track to post the best yearly gain in employment since 1999. The steady job growth has pushed the nation's unemployment rate down to 5.8%, which is great news for job seekers and not so great news for anyone in search of talent. READ MORE