Empowered employees are engaged employees. Engaged hotel staff results in higher guest satisfaction and ultimately higher profits. The Gallup Organization reports that companies with higher-than-average employee engagement had 27 percent higher profits, 50 percent higher sales and 50 percent higher guest loyalty. Engaged employees result in higher retention rates. Turnover costs can run anywhere from 25 percent to 250 percent of a position's annual salary. According to a Deloitte Hospitality report in the U.S. the average employee turnover is 31 percent, while it ticks up to 34 percent in the UK. With percentages like that can you really afford to have disengaged staff running your hotel? READ MORE

Millennials make great travelers. They see vacation as a way of life. But are they worth the focus? Millennials travel often which is music to the ears of the travel industry. They travel the most, but spend the least. All surveys point to the increasing importance of Millennials to the family travel market as well. They believe travel agents are totally worth it, and they like to cruise. Tap into these interesting facts about how the Millennials are traveling that will have the travel industry singing a happy tune. READ MORE

Marriott recently announced the implementation of global anti-human trafficking policies and a training program for all employees. The company's efforts highlight the growing national and international trend toward requiring companies to proactively weed out trafficking from their business and supply chains. Both domestic and international laws are making fighting trafficking a business imperative for hotels who want to avoid brand and liability risks. READ MORE

Brands increasingly seek ways to distinguish themselves in the marketplace by creating a “local” experience. The rehabilitation of vintage buildings offers real opportunities. The historic spaces give a window to the local past. The stories associated with the buildings create a unique guest experience and real sense of the community they are visiting. This article focuses on five case studies from around the country: The Langham in Chicago, the Crawford at Denver's Union Station, the Monaco in Washington, D.C, the Argonaut in San Francisco, and the Adelphi in Saratoga Springs. READ MORE

As the ski season comes to an end, my article looks at the unique challenges of running a hotel in the mountains, and at the winter-specific services provided at ski resort hotels - from the humble Lake Louise Inn in Banff National Park with its affordable family units, packed pizza restaurant, and popular pub nights for ski workers, to the spectacular Waldorf Astoria Park City, the only Waldorf on snow, that gives guests access to high-end, brand new ski and snowboard equipment, and use of its own dedicated Frostwood Gondola a few steps away from the hotel entrance. READ MORE