As an organization that values the feedback of its members and advisory boards in developing exciting new trade show features, HSMAI is on the forefront of the conference industry in order to fuel sales, inspire marketing and optimize revenue for its partners. HSMAI President and CEO Robert Gilbert provides insights into current trends that are being observed at trade shows, including increased pressure on exhibitors to demonstrate ROI, the challenge of attracting attendees who are time impoverished and securing their attention at expo booths, as well as dealing with the increasing costs of exhibiting and producing a trade show. READ MORE

Have you ever wondered what causes a guest to leave a negative online review about one of your hotels? Are these people just trying to get revenge, or do they have another motivation? For the hotel manager that works around the clock to make guests happy, a negative online review can be disappointing. What if you could anticipate exactly what causes negative online reviews, and how this affects your reputation? As an analyst for ReviewPro, I have access to one of the world's largest databases of online customer opinion, looking over 90 million pieces of guest feedback related to hotels. Common themes have emerged that provide insight into why someone leaves a negative review online. READ MORE

It's not a good feeling to be unappreciated -- especially if you are a hotel owner struggling to keep up with fees imposed by the franchise company. Steve Belmonte, Owner and CEO of Centerstone Hotels, discusses the importance of being part of a franchise in which mutual appreciation exists between franchisors and their franchisees. The end result will be a hotel full of guests that show their appreciation via continued loyalty. Because franchising represents about 60 percent of the hospitality industry and contributes billions of dollars in annual U.S. revenues, creating a solid franchisor/franchisee relationship is critical to the overall good of hospitality and travel. READ MORE

The idea of making money with social media is like an abstract dream. Everybody talks about it but nobody is doing anything about it. Applications such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are low cost ways of reaching people and clients. No matter where someone is they can be reached with social media. A sales team that is integrated with social media has a huge advantage over teams that rely on outdated forms of media to communicate and build relationships. READ MORE

The last thing any hotel needs are satisfied but underperforming employees. Employee satisfaction might be a byproduct of engagement, but engagement is more about employees working toward a hotel's goals, and the overall company's health. Successful hotels know that the key to an engaged workforce is a shared alignment, and a collaborative “we're in this together” culture. Engagement is defined as the unlocking of employee potential to drive. It's all about building a mutual commitment between management and employees. When done successfully, it results in the capture of discretionary effort of your staff - the “secret sauce” of business success. To look at it another way - satisfied employees care about what they get - engaged employees care about what they give. READ MORE