Can you really manage your competition? Well, you can certainly manage your competitive relations and the impact your competitors have on your business. And, in good times and bad, there are ways for you to always come out on top. Start by being realistic about who your competition is. Too often we like to flatter ourselves by imagining that we directly compete with hotels far more luxurious and packed full of more services than our own. A guideline that I use is that if a nearby hotel's rates are usually within 30% of mine-higher or lower-they are a direct competitor. And that means I need to treat them as a competitor. Here's how with seven ways to manage the competition: READ MORE

Immediately after a catastrophic event such as Hurricane Katrina, the thoughts of hotel owners and operators go in many directions. First priority is the safety of the guests and employees. Once the human situation is secure, attention then turns to rebuilding the facilities and services of the hotel and getting "back to business." READ MORE

Whether it was a guest who made a scene in the lobby, a random falling ladder by the elevator, noisy construction episodes bothering the community, a room fire or a property flood, or any act of terrorism, your hotel needs a plan to respond and handle the situation. Crisis management is the process that identifies, analyzes and suggests resolutions to real potential scenarios that can affect your hotel. Your PR agency and/or professional should be part of this process and must be involved at an Executive Committee level. Until a couple of years ago, traditional approaches to crises worked well. Now, everything has changed. With the economy on the way to recovery, the dynamics, and the communications vehicles have changed. We've officially entered the Era of Social Networking and there's no turning back. READ MORE

With the exception of popular metro cities that lure travelers around the clock, there are thousands of destinations that operate by the season, with some alive only for weeks out of the year. The nature of your destination affects hotel occupancy and the way you manage your business daily. Without presenting a specific town/city/island example, I would like to examine what it is like to factor into your public relations strategy the idea of destination public relations and marketing. While this is no easy task, there are ways to link the two and provide your location with the exposure it needs to become appealing to travelers. For you the goal is simple: when travelers and potential guests read about your destination they should automatically think of your hotel as the perfect place to stay. In order to do this, consider the following strategy and tweak it to fit your property's profile... READ MORE

Stop! If you are reading this and thinking about cutting back on your Marketing budget, reconsider. If public relations is part of this budget, think again if you should cut it. Because once it is gone, PR is very hard to ramp up again and recoup for lost time. In tough economic times, as the one we are currently going through, we all know it's important to cut corners and switch into survival mode until things look better. But, just because you are slimming down costs right now, this doesn't guarantee you save time and money in the long run. Read my column to find out why investing in media relations is sensible for your property, especially during a downturn. READ MORE