The value of the facade preservation easement donation is usually determined by applying the "before and after" valuation approach. Performed by a qualified real estate appraiser, the amount of the charitable deduction is computed by determining the difference between the fair market value of the property before the granting of the preservation easement and the fair market value of the property after the granting of the preservation easement. However, because each facade preservation easement valuation depends upon a number of variables that are unique to each property, including existing historic preservation laws that may already impact the property, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to valuing facade preservation easements. READ MORE

To really look at the value of PR and the effects that its efforts can truly have on a hotel's bottom line during a recessed economy, I asked three industry insiders about their belief in (and faith of) the timeless art of Public Relations. Below are answers from: Ed Donaldson, Senior Vice President for JG Blackbook of Travel, a hotel sales and marketing company based in New York with properties across the globe; David Morgan-Hewitt, the Managing Director of the 100-year old, family owned Goring Hotel in London and Ilan Segal, Managing Partner of Tcherassi Hotels, a luxury boutique hotel brand in Latin America. READ MORE

Leading organization change is difficult even in the best of circumstances. Once projects begin change leaders inevitably encounter obstacles and challenges that require redesigning the plan or creating work-around solutions to help meet broader project objectives. Some problems are technical and can be solved by applying expertise. Others require solutions that are more adaptive and focused on navigating human emotions and behavior. Most problems are a combination of both and require a set of capabilities that allow change leaders to navigate the ambiguity and create flexible solutions to keep initiatives on track. To go beyond platitudes and achieve the operational benefits of broader behavioral change, project leaders can apply five tools that will enable project teams to more rapidly identify adaptive solutions and create more comprehensive success. READ MORE

Year after year, hungry lovers march to the altar to validate their love. By the time the honeymoon comes, a couple is often times so exhausted by their efforts of putting on the grandest most amazing show, that the honeymoon comes and goes too quickly, if at all, with our tight economic times, endeavoring careers, and pre-existing families. The most important thing for a couple to remember is that they are the ones getting married and that the memories created during that time should literally be referenced upon as, the best day of their lives. Coincidentally, the most important thing for a Hotel or Destination Resort to remember is that they have the honor to help a couple make their greatest wedding dream or fantasy, a reality. READ MORE

If only the travel industry were like the banks, or the biofuels business. Then it would have this huge stimulus fund to research and develop product, attract new customers and access the capital necessary to grow without the burden of huge debt. However, the travel industry does find itself in a good position presently. It is in the midst of a comeback. But economic comebacks have a flaw, being that access to ready capital. It is time for marketing innovation, a stimulus fund if you will. That stimulus program for the travel business has come in the form of direct response innovation. READ MORE

Butlers first began to appear in hotels a quarter of a century ago. However, they have been in service for a millennium and have become synonymous with the highest level of service to employers and guests alike. How butlers reached such giddy heights is not the subject of this article, but how their standards of service are being recognized and adopted as the most important consumer trend in 2010 is what you will find in the following few paragraphs. High-end hospitality providers and those who care to provide superior service will recognize their own standards being validated, and it is to them this article is dedicated. READ MORE

Over the last decade mobile phones have changed the way we conduct our personal and business lives. No longer just a communication tool, mobile users now need their phones as a life management tool. The mobile community has an agenda. They no longer want to merely interact, they want to streamline their life via a tool where they can conceptualize, organize and categorize their daily life tasks. As hotel marketers we need to strategize and monetize. READ MORE

The ageless cliche that "time is money" has never been so appropriate in our industry. As valuable to you as the accuracy of the data you use to ensure the success of your business is the timeliness of that same data. If you are working with anything less than "real time", you are potentially bleeding cash you don't have, and negatively impacting your bottom line, your flow, and by extension, the value of your asset. There are solutions - both systematically and in terms of time management. Do they cost? Of course they do - either in dollars or changes to your routines. The return, however, could be the difference between success and dramatic failure - especially now. READ MORE

National climate and energy policy has been batted around for the last several years. In 2009, Obama introduced a plan to cap carbon emissions and spend $15 billion on R&D in the clean energy space, but it was met with heated resistance. In early 2010 legislators went back to the drawing board, and created a new draft of an energy bill. Very little has been disclosed about the contents of the bill. However, we do know that it aims for a 17 percent reduction of 2005's levels of climate-altering gases by 2020. So why should hoteliers prepare themselves for effects of climate legislation? READ MORE

Nearly all hotel fitness centers have some type of staffing needs. The question often arises as to whether or not it is feasible to staff this type of fitness setting given the overhead involved and the non-tangible ROI associated with it. Although controlling payroll expenditures is an important consideration it is imperative to not loose sight of the overall mission of the hotel fitness center - In the broad picture it is one of many branches of your customer service which, unlike the others, specializes in offering your guests a safe, effective place to workout. To help fulfill this mission you need the right type of staff.more importantly the right type of personal trainers. In this article, I break down the different traits to look for when hiring a personal training, specifically targeting the different fitness certifications. READ MORE

Do you question whether your customers are loyal to your brand? Bringing customers back should be a top priority. The majority of your guests, while on-site at your property, spend most of their time in their guestroom. There are several ways you can enhance the guest experience, in a unique way, to make the most of their time in their room and get them to come back to your property the next time. Maximizing your guests' experience in the guestroom is an easy way to build the loyalty that will keep heads in your beds, night after night. READ MORE

Are you ready for some out-of-the-box ideas that won't cost you anything, yet will increase employee engagement and eventually your occupancy rate? These signature practices come from all over the world and are proven winners for the GMs who created and implemented them. You'll surely want to review this easy-to-read list of best practices from some of the most successful GMs in the world. As you read them, think about how you might apply these eight practices to your property to solve an issue you may be grappling with? Want to improve your guest scores, read on... READ MORE

A common mistake made in hospitality as it relates to the fitness amenity, is trying to offer a "health club" look and feel within the confines and constraints of a hotel or resort. Unless you have 40,000-60,000 square feet available, achieving health club levels of scope and segmentation are simply unrealistic. The solution is to provide your guests what they need while they are with you versus what they expect from a membership level facility they frequent at home. How is this achieved? Let's begin by focusing on what not to do. READ MORE

We are well into 2010 and perhaps still facing many decisions on whether or not to pull the trigger on possible technology purchases. So, if technology purchases of any kind can be made, then it is more important than ever that hotel companies make sensible choices with these purchases while still keeping a close eye on the bottom line. Therefore, what should be the guideline for selecting technology that is right for the times? Once that is determined, then the next question to answer is "What would be those best types of technology choices that are most likely to impact the bottom line and thereby influence a more positive cash flow for an operation?" READ MORE

I could just give you a big list of sites you should be involved in - but that's too simplistic. Instead, we must approach social media with the end goal in mind. Decide on objectives, and from there, pick tactics. Social media works best when it is closely aligned to the culture and values of an organization. There's no use forcing social media culture on a hotel where the guests will not embrace it. Social media should be a service, so selecting platforms to participate in must involve thinking through how your social media activity will provide better service. READ MORE