While it is obvious that the spa-goer or hotel guest is the primary client at any spa facility your staff or your internal clients are just as important. Particularly in the spa environment where clients are so closely handled, touched, and communicated with the tone of the technician's mood can make or break a client's experience. Consequently finding and retaining excellent staff with demeanors to match is a crucial although challenging part of running a successful spa. READ MORE

As most companies wrap up their 2009 financial planning season, many creative and impressive strategies have been developed to maintain ownership's expected levels of return. As I travel to meet with clients, the bigger issue I see is not how to create an aggressive plan, but how to turn it into reality. A great plan is only as good as its execution, and this starts with the training of the people who are going to actually execute it. READ MORE

Hospitality managers work hard through many different efforts to generate revenue for the property at all levels. Many are surprised to find thatheir success at this process does not always fully make it to the bottom line. The "leakage" is caused by many reasons, but most often by error and theft. Every hotel experiences these issues in some degree, impacting bottom line EBIDTA anywhere from 1% to as much as 10% or more. In this article, we discuss some areas which are at risk and how establishing an effective revenue control system can prevent them. READ MORE

Hoteliers spend tremendous time and energy looking for strategic ways to utilize technology to improve their operations and drive financial performance. What many fail to look at is that the hotel itself usually sits in the middle of a large parking facility. This facility often takes up as much real estate as the hotel itself, but because parking is outside of the core focus of the industry, parking technology is rarely part of any strategic capital or IT plan. This article will explore how some of the latest advancements in the parking industry can help hotels capitalize on unrealized profit. READ MORE

To employ or not to employ? That is the question. The answer can be fairly easy, provided, the employer has taken care to ensure that it is fully protected pursuant to the terms of the hotel management agreement. What tips the scale will vary based upon many factors, imputation of liability, collective bargaining agreements, union labor vs. non-union labor, and the applicable law of the jurisdiction in which the hotel is located. Sophisticated owners and managers carefully address each of the issues related to employment in the hotel management agreement so if an employment related issue arises, it is clear which party is responsible. READ MORE