The spa or health and wellness segment is one of the fastest growth segments in the hotel market in the USA, in many EU countries and elsewhere, that is in Eastern Europe, and in Asia. In Austria revenues in health and wellness tourism are reported to be 30% higher than traditional tourism. The pace of development suggests that hotel spas are meeting a demand that has not been satisfied in the traditional beauty channel. Indeed hotel spas are growing in countries, among them France, where the traditional beauty market is stagnant. READ MORE

Despite the constant barrage of news about corporate theft and fraud, there are still far too many situations in which hospitality companies unknowingly pay criminally-minded individuals or phony companies posing as legitimate vendors. How is it possible that "legitimate" companies have a private mailbox at the local UPS Store, a private residence, or even a prison address? Or that invoices a month apart with consecutive numbers both get paid? Or "invoices from a "vendor" whose address happens to match that of a company employee get paid? READ MORE

There is a lot of movement and focus towards personalizing your guest's experience in our industry today. What exactly is "personalization of the guest experience"? You could think of personalization as the next wave in product differentiation and creating and reinforcing guest loyalty. At the highest level, it has to do with delivering to all of our guests a more intimate stay, and on an individual level, delivering a unique service or product to each guest according to their preferences. READ MORE

What other industry is so directly involved with serving its customers in many significant areas to their well being? Food, drink, and sleep are three of the most important needs of an individual. But just meeting these needs does not ensure a successful operation or client loyalty. Nor does it ensure that the customer's needs were met with good service in a hospitable manner. This article will address the opportunity and benefit for the hospitality industry to be the leader in providing hospitality and setting standards for other industries to emulate. READ MORE

First, what is public relations? Who can honestly explain public relations? Try it right now before reading further. Answer the question - what is public relations? The text book definition is: The identifying and nurturing of relationships with publics that are essential to the success of an organization. The PR industry definition is: The sum total of the opinions your audiences have of you, your product, or your organization. (And do you know what that opinion is?) How did you do? Is it now clear as mud? READ MORE

A recent report on the groups and meetings industry published by PhoCusWright, "Groups and Meetings: Market Opportunity Redefined," estimates the current size of the meetings industry in the U.S. at $164.1 billion and projects it to grow to $175 billion by 2008. PhoCusWright estimates that nearly one quarter of all online travel in the U.S. will be groups and meetings related by 2008. What the hotel community should recognize is that a key factor in this growth is the anticipated increase in small meetings. While the total market for corporate meetings will be relatively flat, PhoCusWright reports that corporate meetings with fewer than 25 attendees are projected to grow a 13% in 2007. Obviously, this shows that to grow your business in this market you have to focus on increasing your market share and attracting more small meetings. READ MORE

"Build it and they will come" may work in The Field of Dreams, but in the hotel industry, the more accurate sentiment may be "Build it RIGHT and they will come". To realize the highest room sales potential, it is important for owners and managers to make sure that each room is configured to its highest and best use. Many times, with very little expense, room revenues are significantly impacted through occupancy and/or average rate increases, by making minor adjustments. This is especially true in the case of small, boutique hotels, where each room sold has a significant financial impact. By understanding and implementing a few basic principals, owners and managers can potentially avoid costly miscalculations in revenues and expenses by building it correctly or by reconfiguring an existing property. READ MORE

Outsourcing over the past several years, has taken on a negative perception in the market place. It has recently been associated with the idea that big businesses outsource some of their support services and functions in foreign countries in order to reduce expenses, and that this is invariably at the expense of customer satisfaction as well as local jobs. An example of outsourcing gone bad is technical support services moved to foreign countries where the technicians who are not fluent in the customer's native language, try to communicate complicated technical information and provide solutions to problem. And, to make matters worse, the service is also priced at a high rate per minute; so inefficient problem solving is very, very costly to the customer. But, in the case of small independent hotels, outsourcing can provide major benefits which would allow these properties to provide specific services and expertise that they would not be able to offer because of the costs associated. As selling rooms is the primary goal, these enhancements only create an opportunity to increase demand for your property. READ MORE

"Build it and they will come" may work in The Field of Dreams, but in the hotel industry, the more accurate sentiment may be "Build it RIGHT and they will come". To realize the highest room sales potential, it is important for owners and managers to make sure that each room is configured to its highest and best use. Many times, with very little expense, room revenues are significantly impacted through occupancy and/or average rate increases, by making minor adjustments. This is especially true in the case of small, boutique hotels, where each room sold has a significant financial impact. READ MORE

In November 1997, a terrorist attack in the ancient city of Luxor, Egypt, took the lives of sixty-eight people and left scores more injured. However, the deaths and injuries caused by the attack were just the beginning of the problems it caused Egypt. Tourism, the lifeblood of the country, went into a tailspin, resulting in mass numbers of hotel- and restaurant-related workers losing their jobs in a country that already has chronic high unemployment. A few months later, realizing just how much the incident was affecting business and the economy, Egypt started a $4 billion marketing campaign to woo visitors back. In addition, they dramatically stepped up security throughout the most visited sections of the country. In effect, the country is still reeling from the incident and its impact on the tourist industry. Just imagine what would happen if something even more serious were to happen in Egypt or any other country in the world-such as the spread of H5N1 avian flu. READ MORE

Working through the maize of spa consultancies is becoming increasingly difficult. The variety of entities offering assistance is expanding, yet the quality of assistance is being diluted. Why is a qualified consultancy important to your project? You can probably name numerous reasons. In addition to those that you already know, consider the following: The spa Industry has undergone rapid growth. When spas first emerged in the hospitality industry, a resort or hotel was very unique because it had a spa. Soon spas became an "expected item" in resorts and hotels much as swimming pools were expected in the 70's. Currently, the phenomenon has evolved to requiring much more than just "having a spa" to be unique in the market place. It now demands a very unique and compelling spa concept that delivers a high level of service and draws business and attention to the property. What once was a unique feature just by its mere existence, has become fairly mainstream and is now seeking to distinguish itself once again. READ MORE

It is hardly surprising buyers and media alike are confused by the different models available to guests for vacations when a good part of the industry is, too. Which makes the two upbeat and well-attended IMN symposiums in Orlando between April 18 and 20 most timely. So what are these alternatives? Let's define terms first... READ MORE

The global travel market is one of the fastest and dynamic growth businesses on the planet. Not only are business travelers jetting around the globe attending to, and managing the globalization of commerce, but leisure travel is just as robust as the so-called 'tourists' look for more adventure and uniqueness in their limited free time. How has the travel and hospitality industry adjusted to meet this insatiable demand for both business and leisure travel? READ MORE

The retail and commercial space within a hotel is one of its most important components. In some ways, it helps define the image of the property; a chic spa or hot new restaurant can generate publicity and excitement that brands the hotel in a very positive way. It also provides important services to hotel guests and having the right mix of retailers, restaurants, and other amenities contributes to the experience people have when they stay there. And of course, it provides a significant revenue stream. Most managers are very conscious of maintaining the correct balance for their property. But what are the best techniques for achieving that? READ MORE

New rules governing eligibility for overtime pay for various types of employees have significant implications for the hotel industry. Designed to clarify and update what were perceived to be ambiguous and sometimes confusing regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor has redefined what constitutes exempt and non-exempt employees. Although the new regulations do not alter the fundamental rationale behind the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime rules - that employees who work over 40 hours per week must receive overtime pay unless they are otherwise exempt - these new developments are extremely important for hotels, especially those whose workforces are not governed by collective bargaining agreements. READ MORE