No business has been unaffected by the economic downturn of the last few years. Most often, the state of the economy IS the state of the hospitality industry. Though the current recovery of hotel industry, overall, has been stronger than that of most businesses. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says as the US economy inched forward, the travel segment experienced a “robust recovery.” In 2011, PwC reports, the hotel industry experienced an 8.2 percent increase in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), just 2 years after it reported a 17 percent dip. READ MORE

The world has never moved more quickly than it does at this very moment, and we can certainly expect the pressure to grow. This increasing need for speed may be the only constant in an ever-changing world with distractions and various new obstacles in our way. The companies that succeed in today's economy will be those that can adjust their cultures from the contentment of the status quo to a sense of urgency. But how do we kick-start a sense of urgency? How do we communicate the need for change? How do we continue to fan the flames of urgency and avoid resting on the laurels of success? We will explore the ways in which to react to this stark reality, and how to propel ourselves from a state of inertia into one of perpetual motion. READ MORE

I recall when I was getting my feet wet in the lodging industry, how we had so many changes in ownership/management, and how each new manager had a different strategy/approach to position the hotel and it's the brand according to the local market and also, the levels of service it provided. This was a very confusing panorama for staff members, as well as for external customers. Does this sound very familiar to your operation? Let's discuss further experiences and solutions on how to position our properties appropriately, ensuring that we are on the right track to viable operating levels. READ MORE

Networks are getting increasingly more crowded, with the skyrocketing adoption rate of smartphones and other wireless devices. Wi Fi offloading has become one of the best ways to address this issue: users are finding that switching to Wi-Fi delivers a better user experience with faster data speeds. Additionally, many applications are available only over a Wi-Fi network, and devices are increasingly being designed with Wi-Fi in mind. What can hotels do to address this? How can they leverage new options such as Wi-Fi offloading to their advantage, for new revenue streams and to increase guest loyalty? READ MORE

With Stakeholders demanding sustained bottom line performance even while there is growth in the number of hotel properties it becomes a tightrope walk for group CEOs to deliver. The additions to the portfolio may not add to the bottom line enough, dragging down group profit numbers. In other words, when newer hotel properties become operational in a group, whether the newcomers are "above" or "below" the group average profits is crucial. Further, the timing of the newer hotel property openings is critical. Thus not only the composition of the portfolio but also the timing of the additions needs to be strategically planned. Group Hotel CEOs have their work cut out for them. READ MORE