Every property has to control pests such as insects or rodents, but you want to do so in a way that doesn't compromise the health and aesthetic quality of the environment you create for the benefit of your guests. In particular, the concern is that potent, toxic chemical pesticides may very well eliminate a pest problem but create a human health or environmental problem. Having your guests become ill - or suspect that they may - is not a good alternative to their finding a roach in their rooms. On the other hand, you want to ensure that pests are not part of your guest experience, so you must find an effective as well as safe way of controlling or eliminating them. The environmentally preferred way is through Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which is offered by some major hotel service providers. This article will describe the fundamentals of IPM and what to specify from your service provider. READ MORE

To market you go. In the "old" days, that might have meant hiring a great sales person, an ad agency and a PR firm, and turning each of them out to do what they do best. But how much did they talk with each other? How often did they put their heads together to plan or consolidate initiatives? With time, technology and "touch," many smart companies have evolved to the strategic, integrated marketing communication approach, defined as "a management concept designed to bring all elements of marketing communication - such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing - together as a unified force, rather than permitting each to work in isolation." Read how... READ MORE

The retail mix is not a simple process of picking merchandise and putting it on the shelf, it's the culmination of factors that you will use to satisfy your guests' needs and influence their purchase decisions through your merchandise offering, promotions, and your visual merchandise display. With a bit of planning, organization and a consorted effort on your part you can build a winning retail mix and manage your retail depart for financial gain while delighting your guest - and here's how... READ MORE

Developers are increasingly finding alternative uses for ports. Through the years, port development has been the focus of many big cities from San Francisco to Boston and most recently, in Washington, D.C. as the nation's capital develops its Southwest Waterfront. Ports can be an economic boom for cities. In some cities, ports have become a tourist attraction. As ports generate more higher-income uses, this is good news for the real estate industry as the property values rise resulting in many redeveloped high-end apartments, condos, offices, restaurants, and of course, hotels. What challenges do hotel developers face when building near ports or on waterfront property? READ MORE

Cultural events have long been touted by arts organizations as benefiting hotels. Research studies by the Los Angeles County-based organizations prove the claim. In the late 1990s and again in the early 2000s, the effectiveness of major art exhibits to attract visitors to Los Angeles County were studied by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and by The Museum of Contemporary Art as driven by LA's Cultural Tourism Department. Those studies documented not just the economic and social impact of major Vincent Van Gogh and Andy Warhol exhibitions, but proved once and for all time that strong exhibits - effectively promoted - attract out-of-town visitors, sell rooms and can be extremely lucrative to hotels. READ MORE