It is widely agreed that a great team requires great leadership, and I believe that a truly great leader empowers his employees with leadership skills. All of my employees are capable of greatness, and it is my job to cultivate that in-house ability. When cooks are humble, ready to learn, and hardworking, they are on the path to become the next generation of leaders. These are the chefs I seek out and hire because I know they are invested in developing themselves. In the long run, these chefs become the best candidates for promotion. READ MORE

Many hotel guests enthusiastically book rooms online, bypass a front desk check-in with their digital room key, and choose to receive their bill via e-mail in an effort to streamline and control their own experience - and at Hilton we support (and have led the charge on!) many of these innovations. At the same time, human interaction remains the crux of hospitality. And hospitality is, after all, a main driver of guest satisfaction and repeat business in our industry. Year after year the J.D. Power North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM has shown that the number of interactions guests have with hotel staff READ MORE

Social media has shown the world its power. Your power. It's your voice that is shared throughout the world via underwater fiber optic cables and wireless networks. This voice has played a key role in the development of global politics, criminal justice, relationships and economic development. Economic development is a broad term, but when there is growth in a town, city or county, a hotel is likely to appear. Alike every other business, hotels have a target segment, or two, or ten. It's unlikely that a four or five star hotel will appear in small, rural town, and it's unlikely that a large convention will be held in a small hotel, regardless of geographic location. Although each hotel has target markets, hotels can increase their reach through humanizing engagement on social networks as well as increase their revenues by developing a "fully-connected" consumer. READ MORE

Do you smile when you think about or see Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett or Chris Rock? Chances are you do... "What do these folks have to do with my hotel property?" you are most likely asking yourself. Study after study confirms that happy teams produce amazing results in the following areas: increased productivity, improved revenues, and higher employee engagement. Imagine how satisfied your guests will be when you and your team add joy to your property! READ MORE

Of all the latest trends taking over the hospitality industry in 2017, branding serves as the most essential marketing tool allowing hotels to communicate their vision, values and mission. Branding has evolved past the company's name, slogan, sign, symbol or design. Although it is still used as a means to identify a company, branding has developed into a complex but ultimately necessary concept in the marketing world. READ MORE