The single greatest step to improve employee retention is to ask first-line managers to achieve a retention goal and then hold them accountable for doing so. This sounds like a foreign language to CEOs and HR executives who continue to ask what more they can give employees such as more money, better healthcare, improved newsletters, or a new career development program. But our research along with the research of other companies proves this is true. Our path is to first place a dollar value on turnover in order to grab their attention to take action. READ MORE

This year, several state and local governments are raising their minimum wage rates, and federal law may soon follow suit. Given the large number of low-wage workers that they employ, hotels will be particularly affected by these changing requirements. Faced with increased operating costs, hotels often implement measures, such as downsizing workers, that threaten to impair guest satisfaction. Fortunately, the tax code offers another solution known as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). A straightforward and lucrative incentive, WOTC provides businesses with tax savings ranging from $1,200 to $9,600 for each new employee hired from certain target groups. READ MORE

An increasing number of hoteliers are embracing social media because of its potential for engagement and collaboration with networked consumers. Through social media, marketers can gain rich, unmediated consumer insights, faster than ever before. This article will focus on M Live APAC, Marriot's new Asia Pacific state-of-the-art marketing and brand newsroom command center, which has become the company's epicenter of real-time marketing to customers in the region. M Live APAC allows Marriott not only to seize more chances to engage with consumers quickly, but also to create memorable and shareable experiences. READ MORE

Leaders in the hotel and lodging industries know that employee engagement is intricately linked to guest satisfaction and loyalty, as how guests feel about their experiences is significantly impacted by their interactions with hotel staff. While it's widely known and accepted that happier, more engaged employees have a positive effect on guest service, productivity, and retention, translating to competitive advantage, leadership often grapples with how to improve employee engagement and where to begin. READ MORE

I spent more than 30 years practicing Human Resources, most of it as Chief Human Resources Officer for Golden Nugget and its successor companies, Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts. I still get asked what it was like to hire, train and manage the more than 125,000 people I hired at places like the Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Macau. Here's my answer. READ MORE