To consistently get great work from your ad agency you need to understand how to be a great client. It's not about giving in to your agency--rather it's about giving them the direction, feedback and opportunities to become one of your hotels most valued partners. READ MORE

We live in a world that's all about image. Where people make snap judgments and buying decisions based solely on the way something looks. Putting on a good face is no longer a figurative imperative, it's a literal one. Consumers are bombarded by over 3000 marketing and advertising messages per day and everyone is competing to be noticed in a world that's increasingly built around sound bites and brief flashes of photography and video tantalizingly sliced to capture your attention. If you believe "a picture is worth a thousand words" then you can only imagine how exponentially more valuable a really great picture is worth, especially as you think about a networked society that's taking these images and effortlessly distributing them to every corner of the world and sharing them on mediums ranging from computers to PDA's to phones. How you depict your hotel has never been more critical and the role that photography plays has never been more important. READ MORE

Choice proliferation has overtaken the hotel industry. As marketing guru Jack Trout quipped, "Like an amoeba dividing in a Petri dish, the marketing arena can be viewed as an ever-expanding sea of categories." So whether your hotel is a limited service, a full service, or a bed and breakfast, your guests have more choice than ever before. And there is no end in sight. This means that your property needs to compete by standing for something; i.e., you have to own a position in the consumer's mind. You, like Disney, Southwest and Wal-Mart have to get it. You have to do more than have a better product, service and value. You have to been seen as different. In other words, if you own it, flaunt it. READ MORE

Concept clarity is a lot like deciding whether or not you need an extreme makeover. You look in the mirror, you see a lot of warts and blemishes, and you have to decide-am I going to put on a lot of make-up and try to make it work? Or am I going to go under the knife and become that person? Translated to the hospitality industry, if your concept is not clear-from the confirmation email you send, to the doorman who greets you, to the pantyhose at the concierge desk-then all the make-up in the world is not going to cover up the warts. The minute a customer sees that your marketing concept is just a clever make-up job, you run the risk of alienating them and losing loyal brand advocates. READ MORE

It's easy to see how a legitimate news event is the most logical route to securing national broadcast coverage. But how does one best approach national broadcast? How does one capture the attention of the major morning shows, feature programs like "The View", and other high profile broadcast opportunities? Here are a few useful tips to get you there. READ MORE