This issue of Hotel Business Review is devoted to the concept of Sustainability, so how does energy efficiency fit into this topic? And why is it so important now? Well, because, as that famous philosopher Yogi Berra once said, “the future ain't what it used to be.” We're experiencing changing consumer attitudes with regard to the environment resulting in shifting market trends. We're seeing a vastly different and uncertain political landscape. Competition in many industries has begun to beat the sustainability drum. And all of these trends are linked back in one way or another to energy and how we use it - energy efficiency. READ MORE

This article discusses the overall benefits for hotel owners and managers of partnering with their local jurisdiction to promote sustainable tourism. Such a partnership goes beyond the typical relationship with the city's CVB in that it directly includes city departments and ideally the mayor's office. The partnership may take many forms; the type expounded on in this article is based on promoting environmental certification by a third-party to tout the hotels' and city's sustainability credentials. The city's support may come in the form of in-kind service and promotion or actual grants to subsidize program costs, such as for certification fees. READ MORE

There's arguably no other four-lettered word that has made quicker—and more impactful—moves in the hospitality industry than “data” has. With the ascension of the Internet igniting a brisk evolution of big data, the hospitality industry now orbits within an increasingly interconnected and technologically-savvy world. Keeping ahead of the curve in the midst of the Internet of Things (IoT) means hotels are not only evolving in how they meaningfully connect with their guests, but they also have to develop short- and long-term revenue strategies to capitalize on the new industry data and insights available to them. READ MORE

Do your hotel financial statements give you the information you need to effectively manage your hotel? Are you able to see if your profits are where they should be in an enhanced top line statement? Do your statements measure flow thru? Do you record your rooms business by proper segments and track the rooms occupied, rate and revenue in each segment? Do you record customers served in F&B and do you separate meal periods? Do you record liquor, beer, wine and mineral sales on your financials separately? Do you measure labor productivity in your financials? Do you record hours of work in your financials? Do you have payroll segmented by management and hourly classifications? Do you have a separate supplemental payroll and benefits statement? Do you track arrivals and departures? READ MORE

Water scarcity has been identified as among the top five global business risks in the next ten years. Tourism is recognized as a high water-use industry and hotels are some of the most water-intensive operations in the industry. Water scarcity disproportionately affects hotels since some of the most popular tourism destinations are in water-stressed areas, driving up utility costs and creating other challenges. For this reason and other reasons, reducing dependency on fresh water and making the best use of existing supplies makes good business sense. This article explains how hotels can respond to the looming water crisis by incorporating some low-cost best practices and strategies that have proven to save money and generate a return on investment. READ MORE