How many extra room nights do you have to sell to make an additional $1.5 million in profit? No matter what size or type of hotel you own/operate or what market you compete in, your answer most likely is "a lot more than I might be able to in today's competitive climate." Ironically, few hotel owner/operators think in terms of extra roomnights needed to be sold when weighing the pros and cons of renovating a property and/or reflagging and repositioning it. This is just one reason why so many renovations and reflaggings fail to recoup an adequate return on investment and why capital markets for such projects today often are deemed too risky. These and dozens of other "cancers" are blackening what otherwise undoubtedly would be a much-brighter profitability picture for lodging. Due diligence means 'do your homework,' which includes many steps along the road to success. Let's look at eight crucial areas that you will need to focus on... READ MORE

It's tough out there nowadays and there's no denying it. This miserable economic climate that prevails has caused most hoteliers to write off 2009 with only hope that 2010 will be much better. But we can't afford to keep our heads in the sand for a year and expect to pop it out and everything will be fine and dandy, as though we are waking up from a bad dream. That type of fairy dust just doesn't occur in the real world. Hoteliers need to keep their head above water and do more than tread it-they need to find tools to build a proverbial raft to stay afloat. READ MORE

I'm amazed at the current turn-over rate at a majority of hotels. It's almost as though the personnel department is like a revolving door. Instead of offering career development for leaders, hotels tend to be offering jobs for lackeys. It's my opinion that there seems to be a real disconnect between hotel owners and their staff. Throughout my career I have been approached by a multitude of owners who would brag to me that they hired a general manager for a pittance wage. On top of that, they would be tickled pink because they were able to schedule the GM to pull a shift or two at the front desk. READ MORE

As spas have become a must-have amenity at four and five star luxury properties throughout the world, we're called on more and more to create a signature spa brand or identity for many of our clients. While our approach remains the same, and the function of a spa remains similar from property to property, what we've found is that there is no one look or trend that translates completely from region to region. READ MORE

As every chef knows, providing fresh, wholesome, attractive seafood is the desire of every hotel's food and beverage operation. However, providing customers the seafood they want in an increasingly environmentally-conscious world can be a difficult task. Numerous issues confront us in today's seafood marketplace. In fact, more often than operators like to admit, the products they think they are buying are not what they are getting. Besides mislabeled products, another major concern is agreement on a clear, and universally accepted standard for "organic" seafood. But, with proper oversight and a desire to be proactive, you can create a program that is both in tune with the wishes of today's hotel guest and creates value for your company. READ MORE