Contemporary travelers in the luxury market are searching for a safe haven and are time-challenged. These guests seek unique, memorable and local experiences that reveal the culture of the country and city they are visiting. They want to capture the "Spirit of Place" - that magical intersection of culture, monuments, cuisine - which defines a locale without taking the time to read the great travel writers like Lawrence Durrell, Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, or Evelyn Waugh. Who, within the hotel, could serve as the guides, filter the overload of information and tailor it to individual guests' desires and needs? READ MORE

How do you recover as a service organization when everything that could possibly go wrong, does? I had a recent experience with United Airlines where I spent six hours on a plane to fly from Newark to Chicago and I was actually almost grateful to have done so! As a service professional, I became fascinated with the way the captain and the customer relations department handled the situation each step of the way. It was a textbook example of Service Recovery that made me marvel at how well it was executed. READ MORE

Integrating the Concierge Department with the Marketing and Sales effort in servicing groups makes excellent business sense for hotel management. Meeting Planners have unique and specific needs and the concierge is well equipped to facilitate them by reaching out to their vast network of local contacts. Concierges have the capability to enhance the revenue from groups by being the onsite problem solver, transportation expert, link to authentic local experiences, finders of last minute piano players, boxes of fine cigars, or a bubble machine for their display at the convention center. Having worked both sides of the desk, as a Meeting Planner and a Concierge, I have seen this natural synergy. Read on... READ MORE

"Why won't the hotels follow the corporate graphic standards?" "They don't understand that my hotel's market is different?" Sound familiar? In many cases, the rapport between the corporate marketing department and hotel field marketing can be described as a love/hate relationship. Creating synergy between the two will have a positive impact on the brand image as well as the bottom line. But as part of the corporate marketing team, how do you accomplish this sometimes daunting task? READ MORE

Marketing partnerships can provide multiple benefits. They can help stretch your marketing budget, expand your brand visibility, provide a low-risk test marketing opportunity, generate incremental dollars and create community goodwill, just to name a few. However these same marketing partnerships can explode and cost you unexpected time, money and brand credibility if they are not developed in a strategic manner. At m-k-t-g, we employ an eight-step approach to the development of strategic partnerships and marketing alliances to ensure that all parties involved receive a ROI that is favorable to both their brand image and bottom line. READ MORE