Online advertising, social media, email, mobile - there are so many online marketing activities for hoteliers to manage in order to keep pace with travel consumers. One thing that is catching on in the industry is visual merchandising. It's not something that you do in isolation; rather, it fits in with many of the marketing initiatives that you already have underway. But what exactly is involved? How does it help hotels connect better with online travel shoppers and ultimately convert them to guests? What are hotels doing? READ MORE

While every, if not all, hotel and hospitality businesses are thinking about branding, we question the process in which it's done. Branding alone does not get the results the end user needs, whether it's the hotel's team members, the hotel's guests, or owners. We believe in design thinking, which is a somewhat new term in the ever-changing and branding world. Each project is profoundly different but there are some commonalities at the core. This is what we call DNA, which to us stands for Differentiators, Nuances and Attributes. Let's examine the process we take with each project and client and how we deliver the ideal branding experience. READ MORE

As more and more information comes online concerning the diversity of hospitality services available to business travelers, the costs for getting your property in front of this lucrative market is rising as well. In this article I highlight a few innovative software platforms that are catering to the data needs of the savvy but very selective business travelers in both the public and private sector. I will also identify how utilizing these platforms to market your property or chain can help stabilize RevPAR projections and generate accurate data for your property's CSR reporting needs. READ MORE

"Can I get a free upgrade?" Isn't that every hotelier's favorite question? Guests have learned the tricks of the trade and since we have trained them to push us for better deals and more freebies, and we cannot blame them for using these skills! While you may not be able to provide an upgrade to a suite or offer other free extras, you can train your staff to provide suite-like service to guests that will increase customer loyalty and get customers to forget the word "upgrade." READ MORE

As we go into our 26th year, we see that the challenges spas are facing this year may be a bit new, but we really think many of them have been there for a long time and now they are really more visible rather than new. There are numerous dormant issues that the industry has not had to face in "healthy" times. The "wellness" of our industry has deteriorated; some spas have taken precautionary and preventative care and are still doing well. Others have ignored the symptoms and have not set-up a self-care program so they are ill. Unfortunately, some spas are in denial or are paralyzed by the circumstances or have not reacted quickly enough and are, therefore, on their death bed. READ MORE