After a long Request for Proposal process, Amazon finally revealed its two locations for HQ2 in 2018-Long Island City, New York, and Crystal City, Virginia. Despite recent trials and tribulations regarding the Long Island City location, which ultimately ended in Amazon pulling its plans to establish a presence there, the Amazon HQ2 plans for Northern Virginia remain strong. Among the anticipated near- and long-term benefits of HQ2 is an influx of new hotel demand. The Washington, D.C. and New York City HVS Consulting & Valuation teams examine the potential impact on northern Virginia's lodging market in the following article. READ MORE

Hotel Managers are on the frontlines of preventing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation from occurring in the workplace. They are in the best position to spot warning signs that harassment may be occurring and they are most likely to be the first person an employee confides in with a complaint. As such, it is important that managers are equipped to stop harassment and any future harassment lawsuits in their tracks. This article details a "5 Step Plan for Managers" in the midst of the growing #MeToo movement to help them foster harassment free workplaces. READ MORE

At a time when technology and social platforms make guest feedback and reviews more accessible and impactful than ever, a hotel management company's ability to consistently create a memorably outstanding guest experiences is more important than ever before. The best way to make that happen is to create a "culture of yes". That means building a team that's more than just being agreeable, but demonstrates both a willingness and an enthusiasm for responding to guest needs with positivity and problem-solving. Understanding the obstacles to getting there-and the best practices that can help you overcome those challenges-is essential for hotel management excellence. READ MORE

Service is not a drive by event, it requires the ability to prepare for sincere and quality interactions. The Goal: An experience that cannot be replicated for the guest! The hotel industry must go above and beyond to be part of forming the perception of the guest before they even step foot on the property. Automation is making it too easy for your team to hide behind the curtain of platforms and processes. They serve a purpose, but it does not SERVICE your guests in the way that a human connection can. READ MORE

The term 'Future of Work' (FoW) has quickly become part of our everyday lexicon and has arrived with very real-world implications for companies and firms across the globe. Hospitality organizations are certainly not going to be an exception. From dizzying advances in FoW technology and consequential job design, to sweeping workforce demographic changes, to the reality of having to leverage greater numbers of agile/on-demand talent, hospitality companies will need to rely even more on their HR functions to navigate these inevitabilities. All this, on top of an industry already with a bit of an image problem. This article discusses some of the implications of FoW for the hospitality industry and presents three questions for organizations to ponder as they begin to adopt the necessary strategies, tactics, and practices to support FoW. READ MORE