Meliá Koh Samui's general manager Ernesto Osuna outlines how he and his team stayed positive and productive as the global pandemic took hold after celebrating the resort's grand opening on January 10, 2020. From retaining the resort's staff and ensuring 100% of their salaries, helping the community, and introducing stringent safety and hygiene measures, to developing new guest experiences and maintaining strong sales, marketing and public relations efforts. READ MORE

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