In the hospitality industry, it's no surprise that the guest experience is a top priority. Yet customers today are looking for more memorable and dynamic experiences - ones that make them feel their business is appreciated. Whether it's altering a menu item to accommodate individual preferences or extending a room check out time, these above-and-beyond actions are what guests have come to value in their experiences. While organizations place an importance on this need to please customers, many fail to realize that their employees play a pivotal role in creating these guest experiences. The reality is that employee satisfaction and employee loyalty have a direct link to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. READ MORE

Lately, business has been good for hoteliers. Really good. Revenue per available room is up, average daily rates are strong and occupancy is higher than it has been in in quite some time. With the numbers looking this good, what could go wrong? Everything. It's no secret that the hotel business is a cyclical one and where there are ups, there will most certainly be downs. Regardless of market conditions or environmental factors, there is one component of the hotel business that every hotelier can and must control the success of: the guest experience. READ MORE

Historically, hotel quality assurance or “QA” programs have their roots in the hotel franchise model. Franchisors needed a way to ensure their franchisees were living up to the franchise agreement. Internal auditors or third parties were often deployed to measure hotels on a set of strict standards and unwavering objectivity. After all, the results of a QA inspection can play a big role in determining if a hotel gets terminated or de-flagged from its brand. Partially to keep things consistent and mostly because it wasn't a priority, little to no attention was paid to measuring the guest experience or customer service—all that has changed. READ MORE

Great guest service means that you need to have solid processes in place to (a) avoid problems in the first place, (b) make it more likely that customers will tell you about problems so they can be resolved before your reputation is hurt, and (c) ensure that front-line staff (the folks on the other side of the process bridge) can solve problems quickly when they do occur. Staff smiles and apologies will only go so far; they can't make up for defective processes that lead to bad experiences. Find out what it takes to build a solid process bridge between your staff and your guests and back again to build your profits. READ MORE

There are three options to expanding your portfolio of hotels. You can purchase an existing property and leave it as is, build a new property or purchase an existing one and renovate it. Economics is what will drive your ultimate decision. In order to determine which expansion option best meets your objectives, it is important to properly and reliably evaluate each opportunity by breaking down its time, cost and quality elements in order to ensure success. READ MORE