Hoteliers in the Golden State better pay heed to a recent decision by the California Supreme Court and think twice before neglecting to pay workers for routine, albeit trivial, duties that are handled off the clock. The ruling in Troester v. Starbucks Corporation severely limits a hotel or resort operator's ability to rely on the so-called "de minimis defense," an argument that California employers have, for years, successfully asserted in wage and hour litigation brought by employees seeking compensation for brief tasks undertaken pre- or post-shift. As the author explains, hospitality employers, in the wake of Troester, are encouraged to leverage available technology to capture all of the time their employees actually work on any given day. READ MORE

Hotel developers are realizing financial, marketing and operational advantages of building more than one brand on a single site and in many cases sharing a single building. Multi-branded hotel developments usually share back-of-house operations, administration, staff, recreational facilities and meeting rooms, but in order to maintain brand recognition and foster brand loyalty, they most often have separate entrances, separate lobbies and individual architecture and decor corresponding to each one's particular brand standards. In this article we will look at this relatively new product, how it is being developed today and what the prospects are for future development. READ MORE

The best business decisions are often derived from Big Data. With revenue management so heavily influenced by dynamic changes in data, this is more true of the hotel industry than most. Just consider the variables: seasonality, local events and conferences, room types, amenities, variations of packages (such as breakfast included)... the rate permutations across hotels in a given market can easily run into the millions. So how do revenue managers adapt to this firehouse of data? It's about having the most relevant dataset. With that in mind, Gino Engels discusses the good, better, and best tactics for leveraging data effectively. READ MORE

How we find, manage, and retain top talent at revenue-managing hotels has changed dramatically since the big-data boom began. It's important that we continuously strive to provide ongoing education and support in this competitive job market. Blended learning approaches are key to accommodate varying levels of expertise, job roles, and employee age groups. On-demand, quick learning tools are especially relevant as high-turnover rates necessitate faster uptimes of skilled, productive employees. Beyond that, career trajectory and a clear pathway for upward mobility must also be considered to attract top performers. Properly training, maintaining, and elevating talent is essential to achieving an ongoing return on investment in your people, technology, and processes. READ MORE

Millennials are entering the workplace with the ideology that their tenacity and education would propel their professional career. They are being met, however, with some stark realities. In speaking to numerous millennial hospitality workers, it was apparent that there are some gaps between what they expected from the workplace versus what they are actually experiencing. These gaps are explored, and supplemented with direct quotes from millennial hospitality professionals. The millennial worker is a valuable resource to our industry, especially given the size of this young generation. It is important that industry professionals understand these misconceptions so as to maximize performance. READ MORE