Green Hotels = Energy and Waste Efficiency through Sustainability Management, an article by Scott Parisi of EcoGreenHotel, discusses the cutting edge methods of energy conservation for the hospitality industry. The current financial incentives for sustainability projects by the federal government make this ever more relevant. Conducting a utility audit is the first necessary step for a successful energy plan. The article highlights the three "energy hogs" all hotels face - HVAC, lighting, & hot water production - and their related "cures." Citing specific hotels' actions, Parisi shows how these solutions can yield strong ROIs and in sum net a 5-year positive cash flow sustainability plan. READ MORE

With so much information at consumers' fingertips, the hotel selection process has become an involved journey, often spanning many days and many sites and devices. Online travel shoppers are looking for content that speaks to their needs and wants at every stage of this shopping journey. The stories they encounter for hotels along the way are undeniably powerful and often the last stand between the hotel shopper and the booking. Video is especially in demand. In order for hoteliers to meet consumer demands for online video, the two most critical essentials are relevance and availability. READ MORE

Fukushima. Is it a non-issue for all but those living around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, as governments and obliging media have been saying; or are the meltdowns spreading invisible tentacles of radioactive death around the world, as some are insisting and others are wondering, a sense of unease at our prospects for the future. How, then, would these tentacles impact hotels and tourist destinations as news radiated into the consumer consciousness and people changed their eating and travel habits? READ MORE

What has happened to direct sales in the hospitality industry? Once a discipline of an enviable combination of great social skills, good business judgment, and powers of persuasion, direct sales was many times the starting point for learning the business of hotels. A knowledgeable sales person understood how each piece of business or account had an impact on revenues in all areas not just limited to rooms and not just for the short but the long term as well. How has the proliferation of technology impacted the way of doing business as well as enhancing the learning curve? Does the new generation of hotel sales people offer impersonal and cut and dry customer interactions and rely solely on technology to give a red light or a green light on a piece of business? Or are powers of persuasion and good judgment still critical in generating business? This article will reflect the insights and wisdoms of key industry leaders who were interviewed for this article on how direct sales has been impacted by technology and where they seen direct sales going in the future. READ MORE

Every day, your best employees have the decision to stay and invest their time with your company or to move on, taking their knowledge and skills with them. Finding and keeping your best people goes far beyond the recruitment process. It is directly impacted by the involvement of senior leaders as well as the culture of the organization and the perceived commitment to employees. Here's how you can identify employees at risk of leaving and what you can do to make a difference in engaging your best talent. READ MORE