Recent issues of trade journals have explored the fresh importance being placed on strong sanitation practices. From outbreaks of Norwalk virus aboard cruise ships to fears over SARS as close to home as Canada, the media seems to report a new health scare almost every month. On a global level, proper sanitation can stop a number of these illnesses in their tracks. On a more everyday level, keeping a clean kitchen is just good business sense. Today, chefs and restaurant managers are not only more accountable for the quality of cuisine and experience presented to their guests, they are being held responsible for cultivating and maintaining a higher cleanliness ethic. This issue is so important that many operations are actually increasing their budgets to provide staff with both basic and leading-edge tools and training to achieve higher sanitation standards. READ MORE

Evolution equals success in the hospitality industry. The best restaurants and hotels are constantly refining, improving and evolving the product and experience they present to their guests. In turn, guests continue to elevate their expectations, becoming increasingly savvier and knowledgeable about food and wine. Banquet dining is no exception to the laws of evolution. Hotels that emphasize creativity and quality in plate presentation and ingredients will capture the lion's share of banquet business in their market. The industry is trending towards consumer expectations that they will enjoy a better banquet experience at a good hotel, than at an independent restaurant. It's a cyclical trend; in the past, consumers expected the best food to be found in hotels, where the owners and managers could better afford to hire, train and retain skilled employees. READ MORE

First it was a restaurant; then it was a gym; now the "must have" for luxury hotels is a spa. Responding to the increasing demands of luxury travelers for pampering and self-indulgence, several members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World have either opened a spa in the last year or are planning to do so in the coming year. Spas are truly changing the landscape of hotels and the way in which hoteliers structure their properties. Be it for business or leisure, guests are looking for those extra amenities to make their stay special. A spa is now that one thing that really represents the luxury lifestyle-experience. READ MORE

Experts are predicting that last winter's record high prices for natural gas are likely to become the new baseline for the near future. In any event, high gas prices will likely pose a continuing challenge for the lodging industry and others that rely on gas to a large degree. According to the latest data available from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the lodging industry annually spends over $5.5 billion for energy. Of the total energy consumed, natural gas represents about 40 percent. READ MORE

Conserving natural resources and protecting the environment make good business sense. For the hotel industry, the recent efforts in many parts of the country to ask guests for their help in conserving water is a compelling example. Hotels that have done so have strengthened relations with their customers by creating a positive connection between the hotel industry and the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), taking steps to conserve water throughout a hotel property can also cut water and sewer costs by up to 30 percent. READ MORE

When uncertainty develops in the nation's power industry, and it certainly has these past few years, the prospect of the local government taking over the power company is sometimes raised. Takeover proponents promise lower prices and greater reliability, questioning the local electric company's ability to deliver what hotels and other customers expect-a reliable and affordable electricity supply. But government takeovers aren't the answer. In the end, government takeovers of the local power company bring with them new risks and potential costs for hotel executives and all electricity customers. To assure your hotel of a competitively priced power supply that is there when you need it, we need a national approach that includes three elements... READ MORE

A significant change in the nation's electricity industry during the past five years revolves around who will supply your hotel with electricity. As with any change, how well your company responds will depend upon how well prepared it is. Competition, now that it is a reality, is here to stay. The U.S. Congress initially looked at mandating a specific date for all states to begin competing. Today, however, they are focusing their attention instead on the issues in the country's wholesale electricity markets that effect the success of competition at the state level. If your company has a hotel in an area that has adopted retail electricity competition or is considering it, how can you prepare for the change? Here are some suggestions. READ MORE

Electric company energy efficiency programs are familiar to many hotel executives. These can include incentives to purchase energy-efficient equipment and build energy-efficient facilities. The benefits extend to both your company and the electric utility industry. A closer look at some individual electric company incentive programs, and a glimpse at what the future may hold, will give you a better understanding of how to save energy and money in today's, and tomorrow's, energy markets. READ MORE

The extraordinary events that have rippled through the nation's electric power industry during the past few years have touched businesses and consumers alike. Electricity competition. Regional reliability concerns. Enron. In the hotel industry, perhaps the most visible impact has been the energy surcharge that many hotels placed on customer bills. Questions about the cost of power, and in some locations, even its availability, were two issues that caused turmoil for hotel guests and managers alike. Understanding where we are now, and what to expect down the road, will help hotel executives prepare an energy strategy to improve their profitability in the future. READ MORE

As a hotel executive, the last thing you may want to think about is whether your hotel is considered "green." You are worried about filling your rooms, satisfying your guests, and perhaps getting the big business of government and companies. But being designated as "green" can actually help you do all of these things: it can increase your room-nights, enhance your guests' satisfaction, and boost your business with big customers. This series will show you how. We begin by examining what it means for a hotel to be "green." The word is, of course, shorthand for being environmentally responsible (or sustainable) so as to minimize environmental impacts in purchasing, operations, and plant management. READ MORE

A diet low in refined carbohydrates is actually not new to many cultures. In fact, in some places in the world, the lifestyle has been around for centuries. Asian cuisines revel in the use of fresh vegetables and fruits. Very little white flour or bread is used. And even though rice is a staple, the most popular form used is brown rice, a source of the good, complex carbohydrates that nutritionist tell us are healthy. Mediterranean cultures also emphasize cuisine based on seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the great seafood that is so abundant in the region. I was reminded of this fact as my team and I were researching the cuisines of the Mediterranean countries - Spain, Italy and France - in preparation for a new concept for our menu in The Terrace, the Hilton Short Hills' more casual dining venue. READ MORE

An issue of interest to the nation's hotel industry-chains as well as independents-is appearing on ballots in a number of city elections this year: Who should be the electricity provider-the existing electric utility or a newly created city department? Iowa is one state where a number of local ballot initiatives are asking residents if their city should municipalize, or more accurately, takeover the role of electricity provider. California is another. And in recent years the question has come up in Florida, Nevada, and New York and elsewhere. The bait is typically lower prices and greater reliability. But government takeovers can't guarantee either. To make improvements here, we must look beyond local control issues and address the national issues that are affecting the country's electricity system. And this can only be accomplished through comprehensive national energy legislation. READ MORE

Have you ever asked yourself, "how do travelers decide where to stay?" Did you ever question how travelers view your hotel, resort, bed & breakfast or inn compared to your competition? If these questions sound familiar, then qualitative marketing research may provide some of the answers you seek. This article is the first in a series about qualitative marketing research. It provides a basic overview about this methodology, especially for those in the hospitality industry who are not fully acquainted with it. READ MORE

As the world's largest single industry, the hospitality industry as a whole continues to become more complex, competitive, global, and technological. As such, the industry struggles with a high percentage of low-skilled or unskilled workers and a scarcity of well-trained personnel at management levels. In this ever-changing environment, companies are looking for employees who will be successful in tomorrow's economy. These people should possess specialized job skills and should be able to think critically, communicate clearly, manage ethically and contribute to the community. Therefore, attention must be given to improving the level recruitment and training provided to potential managers, especially if they are responsible for delivering the experience demanded by the luxury traveler today. READ MORE

Spa guests seem to be shopping virtually everywhere but their favorite spa. Mass marketers understand this, and have slapped the word "spa" on everything from dish soap to shoes. Spa guests are ready, willing and able to shop your Stay Spa. But what motivates them to buy? Will retail be merely an afterthought in your spa facility? The "Stay" Spa's notoriously weak retail performance-as low as 2% of revenues in some facilities-- has created a chicken-or-egg dilemma for spa designers. Do Stay Spas retail poorly because their clients aren't interested in home care products, or because the spas themselves make it difficult to shop? Here's how to ensure that you reap the rewards of retail. READ MORE