Without guests, hotels would not exist. So, in order to attract and keep family travelers, you must listen to your guests and provide excellent customer service. As you read this article ask yourself if you are implementing these strategies in your day-to-day operations. If not, post the chart at the end of the article and get started. If you are already implementing these strategies - keep it up. Although I suspect you are far ahead of your competitors in the area of attracting and retaining family travel business, there is always room for improvement. READ MORE

For many years, hotel companies have wrestled with the challenge of operating a hotel management and franchising company ("Opco") and owning the hotel real estate underlying the business ("Propco"). As the stock market has typically valued a management company at a higher price/earnings multiple than a real estate company, there has long been a theory that the real estate element of an integrated hospitality company is dragging down the overall value. READ MORE

"Why can't a woman be more like a man?" Here in London, as elsewhere, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Professor Henry Higgins sang his famous lament, in My Fair Lady, on the differences between men and women. For starters, many of the 43% of business travelers who are now women - often holding high level professional positions, with good salaries and a keen eye for quality and efficiency - might object to being thought of as a "fair lady." The essential point, however, remains: there are differences between men and women, a fact most of us probably appreciate. From the hotelier's perspective the question is less about the differences in gender than about whether ladies and gents should be treated differently. Do women, in fact, want to be treated differently from their male colleagues and counterparts? READ MORE

With the demand for technology continuing to grow throughout the meetings industry, convention services managers (CSMs) throughout hotels, convention centers and convention & visitors bureaus have adapted to this demand by utilizing web-based applications and programs to help ensure a smoother event process for their clients. "The housing experience, many times, is the first experience the client will have with a city," said Madonna Carr, CMP, Vice President of Destination Services at Meet Minneapolis. "So if the process isn't smooth or flawless from the beginning, then it sets the tone for the rest of their experience with us." READ MORE

Those who make it through the current economic recession will be the owners, managers, and investors who take prudent steps to effectively assess their risks and protect their interests. This article offers a guide for those who want to survive the storm - and emerge as winners when the hospitality industry improves. READ MORE