Despite decades of effort, hotels continue to use more energy than they actually need to fully achieve their business mission and at the same time fail to extract maximum value from the energy they buy and from the time and effort put into managing that energy use. This article suggests why this is so, and puts forward an approach informed by ideas from Albert Einstein himself. Taking AHLA advice in 1984 would have given the hotel industry 30 years of energy profits; now's the time to avoid a second miss. READ MORE

After cautiously testing the cloud computing waters for almost twenty years, the hospitality industry has been diving in head first lately, and for the most part, made nice, controlled entries with minimal splash. And for the majority, the dive was followed by a graceful, controlled float to the top. Others, however, found themselves disoriented, bumping into other swimmers, and gasping for breath. The cloud is indeed like a community pool in many ways, but after reading this article, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to quickly find your lane and swim faster laps than ever. READ MORE

High potential talent retention is the thing that keeps me up at night. And nowhere is this a greater challenge than with millennials. I am thrilled when they stay and grow with us, and heartbroken when I have invested in them and they leave. Our industry needs new paradigms to attract, motivate and retain millennials. The expectation that they will manage their careers “the way we did” must be cast aside. Millennials are quickly becoming the foundation of successful companies today surpassing Gen Xers as the largest generation in the U.S. Labor Force according to Pew Research Center. READ MORE

Hiring and retaining great talent is by far one of the most challenging aspects facing businesses today. Hotel owners or operators know all too well that employee turnover in hospitality is high - and it can cost your property 100-200% of an employee's total compensation. In fact, the U.S. Bureau for National Affairs estimates employee turnover costs U.S. businesses $11 billion annually. So, what can you do to lessen turnover and keep those dollars flowing through to your bottom line? Focus on employee engagement. READ MORE

We know that guests always expect the absolute most from us. I would ask you before reading this article to think back to the last time you had a great customer service experience. I would bet it started with a warm and friendly smile that made you feel good. How we can win guests over with a service smile is quite simple in theory, not as easy to execute. It starts with a culture, a service smile, the positive actions that follow - I call this service the "Wow Factor" The "Wow" is all about how we make a guest feel when he/she is staying at the hotel. READ MORE