I attended the “Re-Think Waste” Massachusetts recycling meeting, and was absolutely blown away by a session on textile recycling. I'm sharing with you what I learned, and hope you too will consider making textile recycling as important as we all make paper, aluminum, plastic and glass recycling. Fleece, flannel, corduroy, cotton, nylon, denim, wool and linen. What can you do with these fibers when you're finished wearing them, sleeping on them or draping them over your windows? One way to benefit both your community and the environment is to donate used textiles to charitable organizations. Most recovered household textiles end up at these organizations. READ MORE

Who is the first person your guest has a conversation with as they arrive and enter? Is it the doorman, parking valet, front desk associate, or bell person? By the time your guest enters the hotel, one or more members of your staff have already effectively communicated your property's number of stars -- official or not. This messaging is telegraphed through the owner or operator's philosophy of management and training, and it goes well beyond any off-the-shelf or even custom training program or protocol. It requires a good dose of soul. READ MORE

In a world full of options, real-time media and people connected around the globe like never before, it's no surprise that people are also sharing experiences and reviews like never before. But let's not overlook the fact that people have always shared reviews with each other. In fact, if we went back to caveman days, we're almost certain that they probably were telling each other what cave had the best rocks and why. The question is, how do you make sure people are talking about your rock? READ MORE

Getting top rankings on Google and the other search engines is the prime marketing objective for hotels. Insight into the logic of Google's madness is a must for your PR agency. While no one pretends to know their secret algorithms, a qualified travel public relations firm should understand how to achieve the objective on page one. While everyone agrees getting high on the search rankings is key in today's Internet driven environment, why do so many hotels miss the boat? The reason is clear: hoteliers must understand that integrating the PR and SEO functions into your marketing programs at the outset is the answer to making this happen. READ MORE

We all accept that the manufacture and transport of any products to customers generates carbon and other greenhouse gases which is then released into the atmosphere - this, in turn, has most agreeing that it is the root cause for global warming and severe weather patterns. To reduce, and in some cases eliminate, our negative environmental impact as a business we decided to offset our greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. our carbon footprint) by financially supporting various carbon reduction projects around the world through purchasing carbon offsets. Business has a fundamental duty and obligation to act in a way that reduces its environmental impact. READ MORE