Consider any one of the beautiful colorful postcards that arrive in guest mailboxes, showing new resorts and promising relaxing, memorable experiences. The mailer arouses the guest's curiosity and they call to learn more. The first person who answers the phone is not familiar with the mailing but knows enough to take the reservation. As the guest asks more questions about this new property, they get polite, standard answers that technically fill those guests' needs (restaurants, room profiles, property features, etc). However, they don't get the feeling, the ambiance or the excitement that the mailer was able to communicate with a picture and a few simple words. Those intangible qualities, the promise of service and the possibility of a new, memorable experience are what motivate guests. Now that guest is confused. Which source is to be believed more...the mailer or the person? Will guests get what they really want when they get there? READ MORE

PLEASE light my candle! All the other table candles in the restaurant were lit, except ours. The time was twilight and we had a water view from our table. PERFECT timing for a lit candle. Our nice setting quickly became an incomplete experience. None of the waiters or waitresses noticed nor could we get their attention until several minutes later. Why use the space for a candle that only sits in darkness? We were disappointed that this little gesture was an oversight and a detail that did not seem important. Big service opportunities come in little service gestures. Little efforts can score big with guests. Those hotels and resorts that do take the time to invest thought and effort in the smaller moments and gestures will score big in the overall guest experience. READ MORE

Good old Johnny Appleseed! This is his time of year, with peak apple season from September to November. How would Mr. Appleseed have felt if any of the seeds he planted turned into trees with rotten apples? How do hotel leaders feel when employees they have selected, trained and groomed change from positive to negative? Will they end up damaging the rest of the crop of employees as well as guests? It's amazing how one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch if not removed. How do hotels and hospitality organizations handle those employees or even managers who taint the others? READ MORE

Under a recent Harvard study, 6 percent of U. S. traffic accidents are caused by drivers talking on cell phones, producing 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries each year. Prudent Employer's would be well-advised to consider what risks are posed when their employees make business calls while driving. Some recent lawsuits vividly drive this point home: In a pending lawsuit in Virginia, a Palo Alto based law firm was sued for $30 million when an attorney, making business phone calls while driving, veered off the road killing a child. READ MORE

As a hotel, how do you protect yourself from liability issues associated with the gym? Developing a comprehensive risk management plan and taking steps as early as the design phase to limit liability is a must in protecting your hotel from litigation arising from injury to either a guest or your staff inside the fitness center. Risk management within the gym centers on a comprehensive plan that facilities should adopt to create a clean, safe environment for both your guests and staff. Following is five crucial areas within the fitness center that should not be overlooked. With the proper planning and risk management plan in place, addressing these issues can drastically reduce your hotels liability. READ MORE