Hoteliers who support their clients' SMM initiatives win more group business and build stronger relationships. Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) is the #1 trend in the meetings industry. Simply, SMM is to meetings what Disney is to theme parks. SMM leaders expect hotels to offer high quality, consistent, flawless meetings for all business units in a controlled, compliance-driven environment with personalized attention that appears seamless to attendees, driven by the undercurrent of data consolidation. Those hotels that take the initiative in understanding and collaborating with organizations on SMM are viewed as solid contenders for inclusion in the organization's program. READ MORE

Daily digital deals have exploded in popularity, and the online space once only occupied by Living Social and Groupon has gotten crowded with the arrival of Facebook Deals and Google Offers. These sites and others use collective consumer buying power to offer deep discounts to hotel guests. But given the mournful margin on these hotel flash sales, does this suggest engagement at any cost? This article looks at hotel guest expectations relative to online deals, shares forecasts for web coupon growth for 2011, and delivers digital insights from hoteliers just like you. READ MORE

With Conferences & Events revenues accounting for a significant portion of a hotels financial performance, an increasing number of companies are starting to focus on these activities to support their facility's bottom lines. However, with the rise in prominence of Conferences & Events, there are a number of key issues that savvy revenue managers should consider, including: what are the key issues needing to be addressed when trying to optimize conference & events space and more importantly how will the role of the revenue manager look in the future? READ MORE

Given the importance of generating unsighted and organic revenue in this continued challenging economy, I will identify the myths and reveal the corresponding truths in a "Top Ten" list-giving you the edge and insight you will need to intelligently approach business prospects. Based on almost twenty-five years of hands-on experience in the field of sales and lead generation, my compilation of myths and subsequent truths will be helpful as you continue to grow your respective pipelines to meet your revenue commitments. READ MORE

Whether it is the meeting planner trying to spend their corporate travel budget more effectively or the leisure guest looking for who has the best travel deals and satisfaction ratings, customers are hungry for information and it is readily available. Guests are increasingly savvy in checking not just the property website, but travel-review sites, tweets, blogs, and rating websites written by fellow consumers. The growing availability of hotel and conference center information on the internet and through travel-themed apps has in many ways empowered consumers and helped them make smarter decisions. READ MORE