When it comes to a hotel's food and beverage programs, there are studies upon studies on what contributes to the success or failure of one. While it is imperative to stay current with the trends - small plates, world cuisine, DJs spinning in restaurants - are becoming increasingly popular - it is equally, if not more so, important to remember the fundamentals of food and how they make or break your hotel's food and beverage plan. READ MORE

Many leisure travelers want to get out and visit the city they're in and having lunch or dinner in local restaurants is part of the way they savor the city. They want to be where the action and excitement are so they usually choose to have only breakfast or a snack or drink on property. If the hotel restaurant is nearly empty, it is not appealing. Travelers want to eat in interesting places that are vibrant and busy. Often, the busier, the better. READ MORE

In response to sophisticated guest tastes and their corresponding high expectations, USDA Prime steaks have been served in all Capriccio Grill Restaurants in all Peabody Hotels for many years. In each hotel, not only do hotel guests tell us how important quality meats are but the local community agrees as evidenced by a great mix of in-house capture rates and frequent patronage from locals. Guest feedback scores and commentary confirm the importance of this trend as guests continue to patronize restaurants where Prime steaks are served over those that do not focus as much on their meat quality. READ MORE

Meetings leaders rely on data intelligence from hoteliers to validate their return on investment and meeting analytics. A chain-wide global sales organization should collect client data across all of its brands and locations whether the property is corporate-owned or franchised while an independent property or local hotelier may only have the micro metrics for its location. Before you present any data, understand the key requirements of your client and the type of environment that they are in now so that you can present your data in the order of their priorities. Don't fall into the analysis abyss and think that all metrics are necessary. Instead, use this data checklist and ask your clients what metrics are important to them. READ MORE

From banking, to shopping, to booking travel, today's consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with using the internet in every aspect of day-to-day life. By the end of 2012, travelers will book one-third of the world's travel sales online, according to a new report from PhoCusWright, so if your property isn't effectively reaching consumers where they are researching and purchasing travel - online - then you are missing out on valuable bookings and leaving money on the table. READ MORE