The understanding that customer loyalty needs to be at the center of a business strategy --- and not just a tangential strategy --- and realizing that loyalty is a dynamic and ever-changing process is crucial to success of such programs. This is because loyalty is no longer just about points --- but rather about the multitude of new technologies, touch points and interactions that a brand has with their potentially diverse and empowered audience. READ MORE

It is not uncommon to hear about companies learning from hotels. Hotels, particularly top-tier hotels like the Ritz Carlton provide an enviable standard of customer service. After a lot of hard work and focus on the goal, the four hospitals featured in this article have all earned the coveted Employer of Choice® Award. Each organization has created its own program that works for its stakeholders; each has remarkable results to share. These programs are low and no-cost and fairly easy to apply to your property. When implemented, these programs can yield great results for you, too! READ MORE

People are talking about your hotel on Twitter. Last year, tweet volume reached 25 billion. Twitter widgets are popping up on hotel websites everywhere and this social media powerhouse isn't slowing down. So what advantages can this micro-blogging tool offer you? This article shows hotel executives the benefits of adopting a real time mind-set, and how Twitter connects you with customer needs quickly so you can deliver value faster. Read and discover the style of a hotel twitter superstar, see 10 examples of community building tweets, and find out 5 tweet habits to break right now. READ MORE

The American writer, George William Curtis (1824-1892), was prophetic when he said: "It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage." Little did he know that in 2011, his comments would hit the hotel industry head on. In these turbulent economic seas, when guests are not traveling, new guests are harder to recruit, and operational costs are rising, hoteliers face unprecedented challenges today and uncertainty tomorrow. If you feel like you are shooting the rapids in a rubber raft, you are not alone. There are a lot of properties in the same type of raft. But is it too easy to be hypnotized by all the hazards in the water, to the threat of capsizing your hotel's ship? The short answer is yes. READ MORE

The first sign of the times, you ask? Perhaps it was back in 2006 when Ritz-Carlton looked in the mirror and realized that “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen” didn't exactly apply to a 32-year-old CEO in jeans and a t-shirt. In a nod to the changing demographics of those who consumed “luxury,” Ritz loosened up a bit, recognizing the need for a generational component to its time-honored and revered operational and guest service standards. That shifting mindset has only grown in our industry, as virtually every facet of a hotel operation has needed to step back and take a look at how it does business based on ever-widening generational needs. READ MORE