Energy costs are going up but you do not need me to tell you that. Were you aware that hotels currently spend approximately $2196 per available room on utilities? Let's not take that lying down though! There are multiple innovative new products on the market that can not only reduce overhead but also keep your guests delighted. Everything from occupancy and night detection thermostats to modern boilers to pool management systems exist to make your hotel easier to run and increase the bottom line. Additionally, sustainability is in! Consumers love green companies. This is a wagon worth boarding. READ MORE

In Part 2 of this 2-part article the six identified defining characteristics of Gen Y and their Eastern equivalent 'Post-80's' are discussed, with focus on how a hospitality company can address and leverage these traits through engagement and retention strategies. With a look at best practices, approaches covered include how the employer can outline their requirements and suitably communicate with Gen Y while guiding, involving, empowering, mentoring, training, motivating, recognizing, incentivizing and rewarding Gen Y in the interests of aligning employer and employee goals, promoting job satisfaction, and improving colleague relations; in turn keeping the all-important guest satisfied. READ MORE

Hotel brands have been focusing on catering to the millennials - a segment of around 80 million Americans between 9 and 31, and many more in other parts of the world. However, all the work and development of brands catering to this segment has pointed to one inconvenient truth: there are probably no real differences in hospitality needs between millennials and boomers. The net result, however, has been an overall improvement in the design and quality of hotels across the brand spectrum; it has also highlighted the huge opportunity for independent hotels and small chains to grow their business through the boomer market segment. READ MORE

A lot of exciting things are happening in the hospitality industry as 2014 opens. Based upon more than $68 billion of hotel transactions, JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® has made its "top 10" pick of the events, issues, trends, and developments that will have the biggest impact on the hotel industry. READ MORE

What's the value of your hotel participating on social media? You know you should be on social media. Everyone is on social media. You also know that creating branded and engaging content that responds to the online community takes time - and time is money. So what value should you expect from your social media efforts? If we align your social media efforts with you sales pipeline and measure the results compared to traditional methods of marketing we can effectively measure the return on investment. READ MORE