Meeting the Generation X business traveler's ever evolving needs is keeping hoteliers awake at night. I toss and turn wondering what needs to be done to stay ahead of my competitors while meeting and exceeding travelers' expectations. Determining business traveler's interests and managing costs effectively is what keeps making hoteliers sleep deprived. With the demographics of travelers constantly changing, the hospitality industry is charged with one of its most challenging tasks to date and there is no clear-cut answer. The face of the traveler is changing so dramatically by age, sex, nationality and other factors that present additional challenges to the hospitality industry. Times seemed much simpler 10 years ago when it was easier to predict what the business and leisure traveler expected. Today, hoteliers not only deal with the changing face of the traveler but with the amount of knowledge they educate themselves with prior to arrival. In today's world there is no longer an uneducated traveler. I jokingly state to my associates that this began with the launch of USA Today and it becoming one of the most read newspapers by travelers. READ MORE

First and foremost, if you are contemplating the development of a spa at your lodging facility, do you already have an unused or underutilized space in your hotel, or will you need to build the additional facility? The cost difference between the two can be significant and because it is all about the revenue per square foot that your spa will generate, and its ability to enhance your existing revenue sources so that you can justify your construction costs. A spa in a lodging environment must compliment and enhance your current operations. Spas are no longer amenities reserved for 4 and 5 star resorts. They are found in many varied lodging products, and when done correctly significantly bolster room rate, extend length-of-stay, fill in low- and shoulder-season demand, augment food and beverage revenues and create added spa and related retail revenue. READ MORE

As all of us know in the food and beverage industry, we are in a highly competitive and low-margin business. Most of our products are perishable, and providing top-notch service is expensive. Technology is becoming more important to making gains in productivity, in managing products to keep our inventories low, and in keeping products fresh. Technology is also helping us become more competitive by allowing us to manage CRM. And although technology is useful, we need to be careful when applying it so that we do not diminish the experiences that our guests expect. We need to apply it in areas that do not inconvenience or burden our guests when using it. It may make sense for guests to use a kiosk ordering system at an airport, but I would be reluctant to place that kind of technology in a full-service environment. In a full-service food and beverage operation, I feel that it would be a grave mistake to replace service with technology even though it is available. READ MORE

About ten years ago, spa receptionists came of age. Shedding the gum-smacking image of the salon receptionist, these front line employees were renamed "spa concierges" and "spa coordinators." No longer did they simply book appointments, check clients in and out, and catch up on the salon gossip between customers. Spas had evolved, and their receptionists were now part of a professional customer-care team... READ MORE

Kickbacks are an all-too-common restaurant and hotel crime involving insiders and outside vendors. Hospitality companies that acknowledge their vulnerability to these schemes are one big step in the direction of preventing and deterring significant losses. Kickbacks in hotels and restaurants can take many forms, but regardless of their unique and often ingenious qualities, nearly all kickback crimes boil down to improper payments being made to a company employee by an outside vendor. READ MORE