Today's quickly-changing marketing environment turns traditional approaches on their ear, with guests calling the shots, dictating the timing and preferences for communications and engagement. For marketers, this customer-driven, fast-paced environment mandates a new approach to optimize engagement - the points of contact with the brand - and maximize the guest's lifetime value. But most traditional database-driven marketing solutions fall far short of these goals. That's why savvy marketers are turning to sophisticated relationship marketing.but no relationship marketing strategy will work without the right digital marketing system. READ MORE

Every year The International Spa Association releases the spa industry trends for the coming year. The report is valued by the spa industry and looked at as a tool for marketing individual spas. Our overview of the 2010 trends focuses on the shift the spa industry is seeing and provides ideas for proactively working toward making our Spa businesses more efficient. READ MORE

In the sixth century BC, Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed "Everything changes but change itself." Twenty-six centuries later, it's still just as true. It certainly applies to today's hotel customers. Travelers, whether business road warriors or families on vacation, are more selective, value conscious and well-informed than ever before. They also have a whole new set of expectations. Hotels have a unique opportunity now to embrace and benefit from this new customer reality. Read this article to learn how you can capitalize on it in ways that will differentiate your property's brand, rise above the competition and increase customer loyalty. READ MORE

2009 is finally behind us. Now what? According to PhocusWright, demand won't reach 2007 levels until 2011, supply will fall less than 1% from 2011 - 2013, occupancy will not get back to 60% nationally until 2012, preventing rates from trending upward until 2011 and RevPAR will reach only 90-95% of 2007 peak levels sometime in 2012. So what do hotels and hotel companies do to not only survive, but also thrive in the two years ahead? How do you win going forward then? By changing the rules and the application of those rules to change the competitive landscape. READ MORE

In general, a company's culture is defined by the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of the people who represent it. While strategies and specific objectives may change or evolve over time, a company's core values and beliefs, and hence its culture, should not. But what if they do? This year, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Over the course of the last century, the company's history has been marked by three distinct periods, each bringing its own set of priorities and cultures. READ MORE