The basic rule to achieving maximum retail success is "offer the right products at the right price." But what are the right products for the hotel pantry? With everything that is available and all of the snack and beverage trends that come and go, how does a manager go about selecting a winning assortment that meets the two most important hotel retail goals: maximum revenue and total guest satisfaction? READ MORE

The hotel pantry was once little more than a guest convenience - a smattering of snacks and sundries. Too often an under-stocked, unkempt retail offering that barely covered the cost of the inventory required. But as the economy began to tumble, and everyone began to look for new ways to increase sales, many turned to the hotel pantry as a new and important source of revenue. And with that came a new approach to hotel retail and the need to market this lobby asset to guests. There are several ways to successfully market your hotel pantry offering, but before you begin any effort, you need to evaluate the message that will most effectively resonate with your guests. READ MORE

Looking for ways to add revenue and new profits to your hotel's bottom line while increasing guest satisfaction? Adding a hotel pantry to your lobby is a quick and affordable project if you know what you need and where to look! There are just a few must-have items that are easy to find and easy on the budget - allowing even the smallest hotels to put a profitable pantry in place quickly and painlessly. READ MORE

If "Location, location, location" applies to all hotels, an even more relevant adage for boutique properties might be "Service, service, service." When you have no grand ballroom, less than 100 rooms, no health spa and fitness center and only one restaurant, you don't "make do" and apologize, you make the guests love you. It's all about the guest experience, and that is all about the quality of hotel-customer interaction. It is also about knowing who your guests - and potential guests - are. Of course, it's very nice if you also have an ideal location and convenient access to some facilities more typical of a larger hotel. READ MORE

Despite millions of unemployed workers, there is an acute shortage of talent across industries. The hotel industry is no exception and with this industry growing at an exponential rate, the talent shortage hits especially hard. As more facilities are opening to tourists, hotels are in dire need of general managers to implement human resource strategies that build a foundation and reputation for a positive work environment, sales managers that are committed to the customer's needs, and housekeeping staff that understands and respects the importance of image - just to cite a few examples. READ MORE

Why do people REALLY love hotels? It's NOT the scratchy towels and continental breakfasts. It's NOT the out-dated patterned carpeting in the meeting rooms. It's NOT the travel sized bar soap or the cold bathroom tile. It IS the opportunity to get away from daily routines. It IS the opportunity to live out expressions of aspiration. It IS the opportunity to become a "celebrity" for a day - to the extent that a guest FEELS the experiences of both extraordinary recognition and paramount service. A Habitat is the incarnation and delivery of the sentiments of relevant, experiential, and meaningful promises. This is also how a BRAND is actually defined. READ MORE

How do you get people to "stay" in your hotel when people are traveling less? How will you make your hotels money this year? What do you really have to offer locals? How are you different than hotels in your areas? The answer lies in the old casino adage: The longer they stay, the more likely they'll lose. In the absence of gaming itself, how is this strategy translated into practical, relevant and profitable outcomes? READ MORE

In my first article for the Hotel Business Review, I proposed that many hotels may benefit from a shift in branding and marketing toward a "habitat" model - providing an ongoing "hub" of activity and experiences for locals as well as out of town guests. In my second article, I discussed means of cross-marketing these activities once they were created. In this article - allow me to back up and clearly address the activities themselves - what I will call Event Marketing - and how they can make hotels money both now and in the future. READ MORE

Within the past decade, many of the nation's leading museums and concert halls have hired starchitects the likes of Gehry, Calatrava, Libeskind, and Taniguchi to create singularly stunning structures that, like massive titanium magnets, attract visitors to them. So, too, hoteliers are renovating landmark buildings in major cities into new use as signature hotels. Branded destinations are exporting their architectural concepts abroad. READ MORE

Tourism has become recognized as essential to sustaining historic preservation and California's tourism industry is responding to that reality. Responding to encouragement by President George W. Bush's historic preservation advisor, John Nau, III, Californians organized a California Cultural Heritage Tourism Council in 2004 which subsequently has sponsored symposia and efforts to connect tourism with cultural and heritage preservation. "We recognized that California's vast geography and diverse heritage and cultures kept tourism, cultural and heritage leaders from speaking to one another and thus cooperating. By coming together, we have been able to generate highly visible promotional efforts and stimulate cooperation, to the benefit of preservation," says Susan Wilcox, co-chair of the California Cultural Heritage Tourism Council and Deputy Director of the California Travel and Tourism Commission. READ MORE

With skyrocketing fuel prices eating into profits, hoteliers have few reservations about cutting energy expenses. They're adjusting thermostats, dimming lights in lobbies and hallways, consolidating trips for supplies, and even posting signs that ask guests to "please reuse towels." While these are all good ideas, they're really just a start. To maintain or even maximize profitability, hoteliers need to go beyond mere cost-cutting and step into the realm of energy budget management. It can be a very effective strategy for reducing operating expenses and is something that, surprisingly, many hoteliers are overlooking. READ MORE

In January, the United States inaugurated its forty-fourth commander in chief and ushered in what's largely considered to be a landmark administration. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their cabinet, have promised sweeping policy changes in several areas. Among the list of Obama's priority issues are the economy, healthcare, foreign policy, and of course energy and the environment as global climate change is one of the fastest growing points of anxiety for America. His plans to address global climate change caused by carbon emissions have been intensely analyzed by policy makers and the media. READ MORE

The first businesses to feel the immediate effects of pending federal legislations will be the energy producers, and in turn, every energy consuming business. Regulations on carbon emissions production and requirements to be greener can be safely associated with higher costs and higher prices for end consumers. Companies who purchase energy to operate multiple sites, like big box retailers, restaurant chains, and hotel chains should take a close look at changes happening at the state level to be prepared for the day when their own states' energy producers are expected to meet similar guidelines, and they in turn see prices jump. READ MORE

With oil prices recently hitting an all time high of $100 a barrel, business leaders have never been more motivated to optimize their energy use. Thanks to market forces, going green now makes good business sense. And there's no better industry to make the business case for going green than hospitality. The hotel industry spends nearly $5 billion annually on energy. Much of that is wasted on empty rooms, inefficient equipment, and poor energy management practices. That's the bad news.With that in mind, here are some basic, yet effective demand-side initiatives to lower hotel operating costs. Some of these ideas apply to existing buildings; some are for those still on the drawing board. All will have a measurable impact on the bottom line. READ MORE

In today's economy, it's difficult for any type of business to commit to a new expense. For hotel operators who remain dedicated to sustainability, it may seem that their green initiatives will have to suffer in these hard times. What many are unaware of are all of the opportunities for energy conservation that cost nothing, or very little. The article that follows details some of the simplest ways to reduce energy consumption and see fast payback in the form of lower energy bills. There's no reason not to take a few easy steps to green your business and add to your bottom line. READ MORE