Previous industry research found that staffing and training are one of the biggest challenges of the hospitality industry. The cost of turnover is tremendous and includes the expense incurred in recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining the employee and his/her replacement. Arguably, apprenticeships can help fill the gap in the labor force, get young people out of unemployment, and offer them a list of skills that are transferable to different industries. Apprenticeships are now available at almost every industry, including culinary, and offer several pathways: prep-cook to line-cook, garde manger to kitchen assistant, or craft chef to executive chef. READ MORE

On the food and beverage front, the tried-and-true approach of sourcing local produce not only remains a constant; it is now more significant than ever in the wake of the global pandemic. Despite all of the restrictions and immense challenges wrought by COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, the guiding principle of buying local is not just about your hotel being more reliant on its own backyard as a result of the coronavirus. It's also about, importantly, supporting your local communities as much as possible. Many family businesses are doing it tough and we're all in this together. READ MORE

The changing economy has resulted in underutilized and vacated modern office towers in downtowns across the country. Many of these 50-year-old office buildings, with their beneficial design, location, floor plans, and materials, have been rehabilitated into hotels and apartments. HRI Properties' adaptive reuse of Aloft New Orleans Downtown presented a tremendous opportunity for the rehabilitation of mid-century modern architecture. READ MORE

Many hotel executives see organizational effectiveness as an outcome of various factors such as employee engagement, information technology and strategy, and a culture inspiring innovation and creativity within hotels. Furthermore, hotel executives are encouraged to improve the bottom line and increase organizational performance. Financial and non-financial measures can illustrate whether the hotel's culture, employee engagement, information technology and strategy are contributing to bottom-line improvement. READ MORE

The hotel food and beverage (F&B) environment has been impacted significantly by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to many chains being forced by circumstances to pivot to a new way of operating. In the short-term, many hotel F&B divisions have looked at repurposing their spaces, while others have simply stopped operating for the interim. As we move towards the post-Covid world, here's what I expect to see happening in F&B as hotels try to get back to the new normal. READ MORE