In this economy, every marketing dollar counts. Public relations and media relations are among the most high-impact, low-cost marketing tools out there. When it comes to building and executing a public relations and media relations campaign for the gay and lesbian traveler, too often common mistakes are made, which ultimately hurt your company's reputation and credibility. This article outlines "Jeff's Top Ten List" to build and execute an effective public relations campaign on a tight budget. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes, save time and learn ways to find new leads to bring business to your hotel now. READ MORE

What is the point of a performance test anyway? Traditionally, a performance test was designed to determine whether the hotel operator was “keeping up with the Joneses” and the hotel was “performing” well under the hotel operator's management and came within striking distance of the annual budget. Usher in a global economic collapse and this untested territory has hotel owners, operators and lenders taking a long hard look at traditional performance tests. This compelling article will assist owners, operators, and lender analyze the traditional performance test and determine whether traditional performance tests perform as expected. READ MORE

Reports of the death of travel agents have been greatly exaggerated, and T&H organizations should keep this in mind when developing marketing programs. Travel agents still matter, and that doesn't even take into account group and meeting planners. In fact, for many travel & hospitality providers, travel agencies still represent a major - if not the largest - channel for guest bookings. Read on to learn more about how to engage this ever-important segment in your marketing efforts, including specific tactics that have worked and processes to get your program up and running. READ MORE

As the economy continues to rebound, so too will the hospitality industry, and properties that have suffered through the recent slump will now have a new opportunity to compete for clients. Whether in the leisure or business travel market, hotels that haven't already done so need to take this opportunity to evaluate the condition of their facilities and determine whether renovations are possible, necessary, or desirable and whether the economics of these investments make sense. In some cases, such as most properties with franchise agreements, there are likely continuous requirements for maintenance and renovations during the term of the agreement, with funds set aside in replacement reserves to keep the hotel up to the brand's standards. READ MORE

The benefits of developing, building and opening a new hotel from the ground up in an urban, downtown metropolitan area are many. Closeness to attractions, whether they are major retail centers or sporting venues, and proximity to hubs of business and tourism are just a few examples of the benefits. However, metropolitan markets present significant barriers to entry for ground up development and construction of a new hotel. These barriers can prohibit and delay a project, which in turn can present significant added cost and unbudgeted expense for new hotel development projects. READ MORE

Since 1986, employers have been required to verify the employment eligibility of all employees in accordance with the federal Employment Eligibility Verification program. Employers must document their determinations that acceptable identity and employment authorization documents presented by employees reasonably appear to be genuine, relate to the employee and establish employment eligibility. On-going comprehensive immigration reform debate and the current economic downturn have put the magnet for illegal immigration, unlawful employment, in the enforcement spotlight. This article discusses aspects of the government's current worksite enforcement strategy and the consequential need for employers to implement an effective compliance program. READ MORE

Like housing prices, there seemed no end in sight for maximized hotel rates, spurred by ever-increasing demand. But the economy moves in cycles. Every peak overlooks a valley. And so it is in the hospitality industry. However, many managers never have encountered low demand or zero growth. What can they do maintain revenue? There are a number of strategies that properties can use to maximize revenue during the downturn. Robert A. Gilbert, president and CEO of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), outlines advice for revenue managers. READ MORE

If demand in the U.S. will be down 5.5% this year, then why will average daily rates be down nearly 10%? Have our results become a byproduct of our own forecasting doom and gloom? Rates are down in most markets because of the panic of a few hotels, which started a downward spiral of discounting that wasn't even necessary to accommodate the existing demand. Other hotels in these markets have followed suit and consumers benefit from the industry panic. Come on, hotel industry, take control! Are we to quick to blame the economy for all of our problems? Whether you are an owner, operator, or sales and marketing professional, tapping into the P.O.W.E.R.R. of sales and marketing will help you recover much faster from the current recession than your competitors -certainly long before the hotels that may have started the rate war in your market in the first place. READ MORE

Business travel continues to be scrutinized, especially as companies look to cut costs in this current economy and as corporations shy away from incentive travel as public focus lingers on the so-called "AIG effect." The 2009 decline in U.S. business travel will be about 10.3 percent compared to 2008, according to the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), a group that represents 15,000 business travel professionals. Spending on business travel in the U.S. is expected to dip to $234 billion in 2009. READ MORE

An effective public relations director can be worth his or her weight in gold in safeguarding a hotel's brand and image. But how do you find the right person? The challenge can be vexing, particularly if those doing the interviewing are new to this job category. On the surface it would seem that the public relations director's job is to "get press" - print and broadcast publicity that will shed positive light on the hotel. In fact, the job is much more than that. In most hotels, the public relations director is the "go-to" person for a wide range of needs, including writing and editing (press releases, media alerts, invitations, speeches, etc.), event planning, hosting of media and hotel VIPs, photography, video production, and all manner of trouble shooting. The most effective and successful in-house public relations directors bring to their positions a complex set of skills. READ MORE

The news release has been around for 100 years (that milestone passed in October 2006), conceived by public relations pioneer Ivy Lee who used it to convey to the media details of a fatal train accident on behalf of his client, the Pennsylvania Railroad. For much of its history, the news release (a.k.a. press release) remained unchanged, taking the form of a written statement of news, facts or information on behalf of a company or a cause. Our goal - and yours, I hope - is to better understand how and when to use this basic public relations tool, and how and when not to use it. READ MORE

Public relations, a vital component of hospitality marketing, has seen dramatic growth, both in approach and in practice. Thirty years ago, it was all about publicity - sometimes for publicity's sake. The phrase "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is an extreme example of this idea. The goal was primarily to create awareness and to inform. The word "branding" hadn't yet come into PR focus. Today, while publicity remains at the heart of most hospitality public relations efforts -- whether on a corporate or unit level - it is approached in the context of a broader marketing initiative... and branding is key. For the sake of image, business building and efficiency, it is targeted to a specific audience and it seeks not just to inform, but to engage the prospect in a relationship - one that will have long-lasting benefit for both the constituent and the client. READ MORE

Trends born out of new technology - some unheard just months ago - are rapidly transforming how public relations is being practiced today. The sooner these can be acknowledged, examined and considered, the better equipped we will be to develop and maintain the optimum strategy for our organizations or our clients. And the better prepared we will be to anticipate and incorporate the next wave of innovation in our business. READ MORE

Of all of the marketing disciplines, public relations is, to many, the most difficult to assess. "Are we getting our money's worth?" "Are they as productive as they can be?" "Are we achieving the best results?" "Is it time to make a change?" These are the kinds of questions that surface periodically during the life of almost any client-agency relationship. They may crop up often in a new relationship as it struggles to seek a firm foundation, but they occur even in the most established and longstanding of marriages. The questions are natural and they are understandable. Employing a framework for assessing your particular situation will aid in arriving at solid answers. The process will either support the conclusion that you have the right agency in place...or suggest it may be time to make a change. It will also serve as a guideline for working effectively with your agency so you can be secure in the confidence that you are getting the most from your agency and your public relations budget. READ MORE

Communication, on the surface, is easier and quicker than ever. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips, allowing us to be better informed in our communication with others. We can communicate in real time, cutting across georgraphic, time zone and even cultural boundaries. We can easily inform ourselves of basic cultural idioms as we craft communication directed to people in other regions of the country or far flung areas of the world. When the situation calls for it, we can access translation services at the touch of a button. And yet it seems that true communication is more elusive than ever. If you accept that communication creates understanding between the giver and the receiver, then we seem to have quite a way to go before we can call ourselves consistently effective. It may be, as someone said to me years ago, that communication is the last great frontier. READ MORE