When asked, the most successful hotel executives tell me that their greatest challenges concern people: hiring the right people, bringing them onboard effectively, engaging them, and of course retaining them. On top of that, you need to insure that there will be a pipeline, so that in the event that someone leaves, you have a trained employee to step into that role. Handle these five areas well and you will be considered a great leader. Miss even one of these areas and you will not succeed. Here's your roadmap to success with your people. READ MORE

Why is it so important to see the real personality of an applicant? Everyone will put their best face forward for interviews so it's prudent to try to discern the “real” personality before hiring them to avoid unwelcome surprises later. Social media profiles allow a peek into a candidate's life, interests and relationships. What would have taken hours or days of background calls and checks can now be done in a few minutes on a smart phone or tablet. READ MORE

The hospitality industry is challenging, to say the least. Minimum wage paychecks and difficult customers magnify the stress of long hours andaching feet, leading to high turnover rates and unhappy employees. It's no secret that happy employees work harder and lead to happier customers, but what is the recipe for success when so many factors of workplace satisfaction are out of management's control? While customer behavior can be volatile and frustrating, managers have the ability to encourage employees through providing understanding, preparation for unpleasant realities and appreciation for a job well done. READ MORE

The lodging industry is no stranger to the fickle whims of the economic climate. The catastrophic events that we have come to know as the “great recession” forced many businesses into triage mode, and those who would weather the recessionary storm were left with the dizzying task of doing more with less. While cautiously optimistic, HR professionals believe that there is no such thing as “returning to normal”. Instead, they understand that we are now operating under a new normal — the landscape has been permanently altered. READ MORE

Three of the nation's top hospitality brands gathered together recently at the 6th Annual National HR in Hospitality Conference & Expo in San Francisco to share how they have taken a unique approach to building their organizations' talent bench. This highly anticipated session, “Re-Building the Bench: Strategies for Improving Your Organization's Talent Depth,” featured an expert panel of HR executives from Hilton, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and the Denihan Hospitality Group. The panel discussed provided a unique insight as to how these leading brands of varying size and complexity successfully tackle today's current talent challenges, and how they are approaching strategic issues of the future. READ MORE

The search for all levels of hospitality management talent is an excruciating process for many companies. Looking for anyone from Front Line Managers to Chief Operating Officers can be a grueling, time-consuming exercise. There are many opportunities for talented hospitality professionals, yet there are just as many open positions that remain on open position reports for months. In an economy where unemployment has been rampant, how can this phenomenon in the hospitality industry exist? The number of layoffs that occurred in the hospitality industry while a global economic meltdown occurred should have numerous qualified people sitting on the sidelines just waiting for those available opportunities. Yet some of these opportunities were available even at the height of the recession. How too can this be? READ MORE

The impact of social media to hotel operations has gone beyond marketing and communication. This paper outlines the HR challenges created by social media and the Web 2.0 technology under the areas of job analysis and job design, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation plans, performance appraisals, discipline and retention management, social responsibility, and ethics. Under the influence of social media, there are many emerging HR issues that need hotel executives' attention. Hotels are advised to include HR operations in their comprehensive social media strategy. READ MORE

Today's social media channels, combined with other more traditional recruitment tools can attract the best high performing sales candidates. You must know how to act quickly and appropriately in today's social media environment. It's challenging to source outstanding sales talent in this highly competitive market. A vacancy in your sales department will have a severe effect on your revenues and you don't want to hire just anyone out of desperation in order to fill a territory. How you speak to prospective candidates, in this fast paced, savvy world of social media will help you vie for the best sales talent in the market. READ MORE

There are diverse issues in human resources and this discussion will address just a few. As we move forward we see new issues in our industry for the sustainability of businesses and its employees. Sustainability, while typically aligned with the environment and or green issues also should focus on people and the employment of local populations to help sustain a community by making a profit. As an industry we need to identify our pools of talent that will be tapped for qualified leadership, management and line workers in an industry that still requires people to provide quality products and services. READ MORE

In today's market where rewarding staff with salary increases and bonuses may be difficult to come by, the use of recognition and non-monetary rewards to drive engagement is no longer just an optional or nice thing to do. Hotel leaders are seeing the return on investment of non-monetary reward programs through increased guest satisfaction ratings and loyalty. Nonfinancial rewards, such as a sincere thank-you note and a flexible work schedule, can cost you little to nothing, yet they can produce results that money could never buy. READ MORE

Experience tells us that the best way to make things happen in organizations is to drive them from top to bottom... think sales, service, quality, safety. Intuitively, the same should be true for retention. Who is held accountable for service? Are the same leaders held accountable when your employee who gets the most positive guest comments leaves? READ MORE

They are 70 million strong, but often ignored. They are Gen Y (those born after 1978) and they're about to change everything you think you know about doing business. This latest group to hit the workforce requires a different style of management. They are also seeking a different type of relationship with brands they choose to affiliate with. The sooner you connect with Gen Y, the more profitable you'll be, as this generation isn't going away anytime soon. READ MORE

Organizations must actively motivate their high performers to stay on their teams in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Money talks; but research increasingly shows that financial incentives alone are not the most effective in today's workplace. This article reveals hidden nuances in monetary rewards and identifies a modern incentive paradigm that is evolving and which better fulfills the extrinsic and intrinsic motivators that staff have at all levels of employment. READ MORE

Employee loyalty is inextricably linked to consumer loyalty. Just as companies develop distinct brand propositions and segmentation strategies to attract and engage their most valued customers, it is critical to think similarly when attracting, retaining, and motivating talent. With this in mind, it is clear that hotel customers are researching and making purchasing decisions very differently today. This dynamic has led to a profound shift in thinking among marketers. Recognizing a clear connection between front-line employees and a customers' experience with the brand, business leaders are increasingly applying marketing best practices to their employee loyalty and engagement strategies. READ MORE

Retaining high quality leadership is critical to the success of any business, particularly hospitality. It is surprisingly difficult, even today, to find quality front-line staff, but even worse to lose them. The best way to attract and retain quality staff at the bottom, however, is by developing great leadership at the top. The General Manager is the lynchpin to a healthy culture at any given property. They set the tone and influence the quality of life for everyone else at the hotel. READ MORE