No consumer characteristic exists in isolation. They exist in various profiles which the marketing industry calls lifestyle segments. In other words, knowing your DINKS, SINKS, and HENRYS will help you keep heads on your beds. In this article, we are concentrating on HENRYS - those High Earners, Not Rich Yet folks. Specifically, smart hoteliers will hit bullseyes in 4-Ss - Status, Service, Story, Smarts - with this market. The takeaway for every hotel brand will be this: HENRYs are important and have the potential to drive your revenues. The key to capturing and keeping this market is finding the sweet-spot between class and mass. And as you see, I'm a firm believer in hotels not looking to other hotels for ideas. Rather, look outside the industry for ideas that can be adapted and incorporated into your story and experience. READ MORE

At some point, we have all experienced that sinking feeling when a valued employee walks in to let us know that they are leaving. We ask ourselves the question, what went wrong? (if you didn't, you should have) After navigating through the initial onslaught of emotions when discovering you have lost yet another good employee, you might ask yourself, “What is missing? How do I retain top talent in this new generation of employees that constantly job hop in hopes of quick advancement?” READ MORE

On September 29, 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Continuing Resolution, passed by Congress to avoid shutting down the Federal government by continuing to fund government operations and most of its agencies. The Continuing Resolution is a temporary solution, and continues funding at 2016 levels only through December 9, 2016. A number of programs are included in the Continuing Resolution, among them, the EB-5 Regional Center program. In this Article, I will discuss some of the major issues and impacts on the EB-5 Immigrant Visa Program anticipated for 2017, and review the benefits to financing hotels through the EB-5 Program. READ MORE

The FTC's has stepped up enforcement of social media advertising in the entertainment and fashion industries and this effort is likely to continue and expand to other industries. Advertisers and retailers in the travel tourism and hospitality industry need to be mindful to make sure that if any content is sponsored or any influencer or spokesperson is paid to promote a product or services online, a clear and conspicuous disclosure is required. It is possible that FTC enforcement also may soon target individual influencers and require clear and conspicuous disclosures by them regarding the endorsement of products or services for compensation. READ MORE

They're Coming to the U.S.A. Foreign investors are making headlines as they take ever bigger positions in the U.S. hospitality market. Notably, the structure of the hotel management agreement (HMA) - a complex and often misunderstood instrument - has major legal implications for foreign owners and managers. In this article, we explore the friction between owners and operators whose interests are not always aligned - particularly during periods of economic downturn. Therefore, negotiating a proper HMA is critical to governing the relationship. READ MORE