The economic indicators that track occupancy, room revenue and average daily rates appear to be going from worse to still worse. The dollar value of commercial mortgage-backed securities issued in connection with hotels during the past few years is reportedly a very intimidating $30 billion. One of the key concerns on everyone's mind is what happens next? In these times the underlying mechanism may begin with a deed in lieu of foreclosure, or the court appointment of a receiver to assert dominion and control over the hotel. Some of these matters will go right to litigation with no intervening process to attempt to negotiate a resolution. Some of these matters, and perhaps it will be a majority of these matters, will be resolved through negotiation to try to achieve a workable result and preserve any capital that might remain for the preservation of the asset rather than the payment of professional fees. This compelling article will assist owners and operators, alike as they navigate these treacherous waters. READ MORE

As we know from experience, the economic pressures affecting the hospitality industry can create contract-related pressures for hotel owners and operators. As an example, disputes frequently arise during economic downturns between hotel owners and operators concerning their rights and duties under their management agreements. The industry's key players need to understand how hotel management agreements are likely to be interpreted and what they can do to protect their rights. READ MORE

The hotel spa business is maturing and is now faced with greater competition plus a consumer recession. New beauty providers are now targeting frequently used services and are eroding profitability for the established players. Beauty salons/spas, especially at the upper end of the market, are offering more lucrative skin care and body shaping treatments. Demand for these new and high-tech treatments has also been showing double-digit growth rates for years. There are significant barriers to entering this market but hotel spas have the option to provide these new treatments. READ MORE

The days of fitness as merely an ancillary concern or an afterthought for hotels and resorts are long gone. So many of today's business and vacation travelers make fitness and longevity a daily focus of their increasingly active lifestyles. But don't just take my word for it. A number of leading hotel brands have conducted extensive guest surveys, with fitness ranking on average as the second or third amenity priority for travelers when assessing and choosing a hotel. That's serious business indeed. This article provides a detailed look at the baseline elements your fitness offering needs to incorporate to keep your customers coming back. READ MORE

Based on the three to five billion transactions Pegasus Solutions is processing each month for more than 95,000 hotel distribution customers worldwide, leisure travelers are regaining confidence. In fact, booking volumes through the alternative distribution systems (ADS), made predominantly by leisure travelers, climbed +13.93% above 2009, +9.13% above 2008, and a staggering +33.83% above 2007 levels. Future booking data in the same channel evidenced positive growth in reservations on the books through mid-2010. That means the bookers for your rooms are there, and continuing to come back. The question becomes, how are you going to get them? The answer is through revenue management driven by actionable competitive intelligenc READ MORE

All the lodging metrics appear to tell us that 2006 was a remarkable year for the industry. On average, room demand has steadily increased month over month and room rates and occupancy are up from 2005 - yielding a third consecutive year of revenue growth for U.S. hotels. And, it appears that each sector from full-service to limited has reaped the rewards. With such a rosy outlook it is easy to forget that industry performance is cyclical. Experience demonstrates that meteoric growth cannot be sustained and will eventually soften or even deflate. In addition, the country's economy has historically experienced a recession in the early part of each decade and clearly the lodging industry will be adversely affected in the likely event that history repeats itself. What does this mean for hotel owners and operators? READ MORE

In order to ensure your message reaches the right audience, you need to not only be targeted in your media outreach, but in order to do so, you need to understand your end consumer. The following article helps guide you to discovering who your customers are and once you have that information, how you can use it to reach the proper media outlet and journalist. With thousands of messages bombarding both journalists and consumers daily, it is essential for yours to be relevant and on point. READ MORE

The competition is fierce. New hotels open each day, older ones undergo renovations and everyone in the middle is vying for the attention of the media as well. Whether a small boutique hotel, large chain hotel, far off country estate or a city center business hotel, one thing remains true across the board. In order to garner your desired media attention, you need a story. Through creating unique guest experiences, offering value, targeting appropriate media outlets and fostering relationships with the media, success will be imminent. READ MORE

Whatever happened to just having a good product, excellent service and an interesting history in order to get great media exposure? The simple answer is increased competition in a crowded travel landscape and the everyday shrinking of the travel media. With travel pages disappearing and newspapers and magazines folding by the day, there are far fewer places to secure coverage so hotels have to fight amongst themselves for those coveted column inches. Now more than ever, innovative, smart and non-traditional approaches to getting your hotel more exposure are required and I am going to help you discover how. READ MORE

With exercise, balance is an all-important factor to getting the results you seek. This is also the case with managing a successful fitness facility. A well-balanced fitness amenity is critical to keeping your guests happy and realizing your property's business goals. Too much strength equipment and not enough cardio? Too much noise or too little breathing room? These areas and more are things that must be considered and addressed to create and maintain balance in your facility. This article will teach you about the factors most-critical to a well-balanced fitness amenity. READ MORE

Usage rates for hotel/resort fitness centers have increased steadily, increasing the priority that hotel operators are placing on these environments as a source of both customer satisfaction and revenue generation. After fifteen years of focus in the fitness industry, and working with thousands of hotel and resort properties, I offer you some of the top-line considerations, when embarking on a new or remolded fitness facility project. With competition on project bids as fierce as ever, this unique and detailed knowledge should help to further set your company apart from the rest. READ MORE

What factors inspire guests to utilize your fitness amenity? Are they purely driven by an acceptable level of equipment offering? Not any more. Properly outfitted and substantive fitness equipment offering some time ago moved from being an option to an expectation. Today, the best examples of hotel based fitness amenities incorporate a thoughtful design of space, not simply a supply of gear. The most challenging aspect of this endeavor is that an offering in fitness should not simply be static in nature, but rather a continually evolving and dynamic space, incorporating inspiring esthetics while always remaining functionally relevant. READ MORE

Whether managing the front desk, or the fitness center, every hospitality professional strives to provide a satisfying guest experience and exceed expectations. The challenge is the fact that guests may vary in the level of quality and service they expect, but several non-negotiables exist in relation to the fitness amenity. In this article I break down the practical measures anyone tasked with the management of a fitness facility should take to ensure a fitness experience that's satisfactory across the board. Check it out. You may be surprised at how cost-effective customer satisfaction can be. READ MORE

Hotels have a rich history of shaping American society - and a hotel's public space is a crucial part of its service to travelers and to the local community. So now's a good time to re-think, re-shape, and re-new your lobby. Whether your hotel is economy or extravagant, your interior design professional can help make more effective use of your available public space - through architecture, through selection and placement of furniture, and through use of artwork and accessories. In the process, you'll make some living history of your own! READ MORE

Hoteliers face two trends which are seemingly at odds with each other, but now a definite winner seems to be emerging. On the one hand, the economics of franchise brands and real estate development call for a uniform product that's easy to build and monitor regardless of where in the country the property is located. It's the "cookie-cutter" or "one size fits all" syndrome. On the other hand, recent surveys show that having a memorable experience - whether at dinner, in a store, or on a trip - is quickly becoming more important to Americans than accumulating material wealth. This is the customer's request to "wow me" or "show me something special." In short, "wow me" is beating out the "cookie-cutter." Here's why and how. READ MORE