A good corporate culture of safety and risk management starts at the top and spreads to all staff until it is woven into the fabric of the hotel's daily activities. An effective safety program holds everyone from executives to housekeeping staff accountable for implementation and execution of clearly defined safety procedures. Hotel staff need to be proactively thinking and talking about safety - immediately wiping up spills, reporting pot holes in the parking lot and cutting off bar guests who've had one too many, among other things. By creating and implementing a top-notch safety program and holding employees accountable to it, hotels can significantly reduce their risk exposure and save millions of dollars in avoidable claims or potential reputational damage. READ MORE

Millennials have become the fastest growing consumer segment in the hospitality industry. Therefore, changes in quality and experiences provided in hotels across the nation are essential in ensuring greater competitiveness and overall success. Millennials, who are heavily reliant on technology and seek non-traditional features in services provided, are looking for a different approach to hospitality; with immersive lifestyle experiences their main priority, resulting in a rising demand for special visual imagery and more comprehensive sensual engagement. Accordingly, it is necessary for the hospitality industry to adjust to this new trend in consumer preferences, demanding that hotels put substantial effort into creating a new environment, appealing to consumers' five senses. READ MORE

As hospitality industry executives, being an effective leader is essential for running our companies successfully and promoting a positive work environment for higher productivity and lower attrition rates among our employees. We learn about, and encounter, effective leadership skills from a variety of avenues such as books/articles, first hand experience, education classes, peer discussions, etc. What we don't hear as much about is how important strong management skills are to the organization. For any business to really thrive, consideration of both skill sets is necessary, especially in hospitality. READ MORE

The millennial generation is the most socially aware and feedback-driven yet. To attract and engage this cohort, hoteliers must rethink their success metrics, tying them to a higher level of social responsibility. They must be willing to share more information, more freely, with their workers than ever before. And, they must provide frequent feedback, inviting employees and guests to do the same. For managers who are accustomed to holding information close to the vest, this will require nothing less than a mindset change. READ MORE

In under a decade 50% of all travelers will be between the ages of 44 and 28. Travel for meetings, conferences, and knowledge sharing will undoubtedly play a role. Millennials will also be front and center in planning and hosting business gatherings, and Gen X and Boomers will also continue to be strongly in the mix. This generational mash-up, and the intersecting meteoric rise in technology, poses new and interesting challenges and opportunities for marketing hotels globally. Hotels need to create forward looking, fresh ways to engage with planners -- especially online -- tipping tradition on its head and straddling generations more creatively. READ MORE