Online user reviews, on TripAdvisor, Online Travel Agency sites or Google, have become incredibly influential in terms of influencing where the customer books. Most people agree that they send a clear, unbiased signal to the marketplace about the quality of the hotel, and are much appreciated by customers as a valuable and powerful input into their decision making process. However reviews also have a deeper, more hidden value. Properly analysed, reviews can give you deep and meaningful real-time insights into what is important to customers in your marketplace and your relative strengths and weaknesses compared to the competition. READ MORE

A day in the life of a social media manager is anything but slow. But, it can be routine, stale, and tiresome. When that happens, a social media audit is a perfect opportunity to uncover hidden gems and rededicate your efforts to connecting with your audience. Whether you've got a dedicated social media team on-site, liaise with a contractor for social media management, employ an agency for campaign creation, or haven't touched your Facebook page in months - a social media audit can inject some inspiration and strategy into your social. For hospitality brands, there are a few specific boxes you must check to have the whole picture READ MORE

With the start of a new year, customer acquisition and employee retention are both topics of conversation around many board rooms. Brands that understand the challenges are; hiring consultants to educate them, creating strategic plans to implement, or holding annual planning retreats, to find new solutions. Everyone is looking for the secret to brand loyalty. It is no longer enough to attract the ideal customer; brands must find a way to connect with them emotionally, to turn them into raving fans. Not surprising, it seems the same is true for employee retention. Staff turnover, beyond natural attrition, can be largely attributed to a lack of appreciation or a toxic culture. READ MORE

Running a successful bar or lounge operation certainly has its challenges and pitfalls. Putting the right elements together in a package that appeals to your target audience and has longevity is in itself a huge challenge. If you can get this right, just enjoy the fruits of your labors and don't over think things. Chuck Kelley Partner, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants opines on experiences from his early days as a Lounge Manager and provides examples of what can make the operation successful in the eyes of all stakeholders and what are some of the pitfalls that can derail a successful operation. READ MORE

This article offers practical contributions for hotel executives at all levels of the hotel. Hotel executives will see how hotel leadership not only can directly support financial performance, but it can also cultivate effective technological initiatives, which will enable organizational processes within hotels. I also present hotel executives with a new idea in that when change becomes increasingly valuable, hotel leadership manifests as a catalyst to implement effective changes in hotels' internal resources. Hotel executives leverage positive effects on information technology. Thus, I provide evidence that hotel leadership is used in corporate infrastructure for technological decision-making. READ MORE