In the evolving legal landscape between hotel operators and owners, the operator's primary goals remain the same to maximize brand recognition and revenue. These goals, however, are often in conflict with an owner's focus on his hotel's bottom line. As a result, owners should protect themselves from operators that all too frequently seek to compete against the very hotels from which they are reaping significant management fees. One way that owners can do so is by pressing the duty of loyalty that operators owe them as managers of their hotel -a duty which prevents the manager from competing with them. READ MORE

Real-time, seamless, transactional booking is the future of small meetings. Unlike the transient side of hospitality and because of the inherent complexities associated with group business, the meetings industry has struggled to provide buyers and suppliers with frictionless booking capability. Changes are on the horizon, but we still remain in the infancy stage of booking meetings in real-time. READ MORE

Just as hotels operate more smoothly with focused guest communication, a private residence club must also provide consistent, informative communication to its homeowners. Homeowners have a stake in the success of the property from both a resort and a real estate perspective; anticipating and addressing their concerns is crucial to productive hotel-homeowner relationships. The relationship between management and residence owners at fractional private residence clubs is a complex one-it requires special attention to issues that are new to most hoteliers. With this in mind, here are the important things to consider when communicating with residence owners: READ MORE

No matter what your job title, as a hotel executive you are always in the business of hospitality sales and marketing. The core of your success centers on the guest experience. The question is how best to convey the message that you adhere to your vision? How best to let people understand what makes you unique? How best to let people know that you fit their needs? If you say PR, I agree. But exactly what does that mean? READ MORE

The new year has begun and now is the time every business is setting their 12 month sales goals. Here are two words which could easily give you a significant boost in your sales this year - follow up. Two simple words that are rarely followed in a timely fashion and in some cases ignored completely. We are in the age of instant information. Because of technology we now have the opportunity to connect 24/7 with anyone around the world. People carry their cell phones with them to the grocery store, the restaurant, the bank and the movie theatre. From your phone you can send e-mails, documents, text messages and receive pictures across the globe. READ MORE