New mobile devices meant to simplify life also create new challenges for the hospitality industry. For example, the latest must-have mobile device, the iPad, comes with bandwidth requirements that have significantly impacted hotels providing free Wi-Fi. Point of fact: iPad video traffic is more than 600,000 times more data intensive than equivalent text. If a hotel's bandwidth is “hogged” by a few iPad users, the remaining guests will have a poor Internet experience. READ MORE

Do you have a “...just because” culture? If you do, I suspect you work for a hotel that lacks innovation, empowerment, and engagement. I also suspect your hotel's occupancy rate is lower than the market average, your guest satisfaction levels are lower than the industry average, and employee voluntary turnover is higher than your competition. You're also most likely retaining only your marginally engaged employees, which will ultimately lead to marginally engaged guests. I also predict that in due time, your hotel will become a parking lot, or shopping mall. But there is still time for you to transition your hotel from a “...just because” to a “why not” culture. Read on… READ MORE

For an industry that prides itself on customer service, and connecting with guests, ensuring repeat visits; one area that could use some “spit and polish” is in the booming channel of mobile communications. While travelers are increasingly going mobile, hotels have yet to fully embrace the platform's potential. What is the holdup? So sluggish has been the hospitality industry's mobile embrace, in fact, that a recent New York Times article, in addressing the challenges of converting websites to their mobile format, only discussed third-party sites like Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline and Hotels.com. No mention of hotels following a similar path was reported. READ MORE

Do you have a fixed monthly budget for your hotel market or gift shop? If so, what factors are used to determine that monthly amount? And what happens to profitability and the ability to meet your guests' needs when inventory runs out before the next month's budget can be used? How managers define and set the hotel retail inventory budget has an undeniable impact on both retail profitability and overall guest satisfaction, yet many purchasing managers are getting this important revenue source all wrong by treating it like a capital expense and setting a fixed budget that limits profitability and disappoints guests. READ MORE

For most people, even top executives, media interviews can be a stressful thing. Unexpected media interviews can be even scarier. I'm going to give you the tools you need in order to create an efficient plan-of-action for you staff to handle the unexpected media interviews. I'm also going to share with you techniques you can practice and master, so when you're asked to be a spokesperson without warning, you come across as calm, collected, and you get your messages out there. Crises happen and events come up, but I'm going to help you be prepared for the unexpected media interview. READ MORE