In today's market where rewarding staff with salary increases and bonuses may be difficult to come by, the use of recognition and non-monetary rewards to drive engagement is no longer just an optional or nice thing to do. Hotel leaders are seeing the return on investment of non-monetary reward programs through increased guest satisfaction ratings and loyalty. Nonfinancial rewards, such as a sincere thank-you note and a flexible work schedule, can cost you little to nothing, yet they can produce results that money could never buy. READ MORE

Experience tells us that the best way to make things happen in organizations is to drive them from top to bottom... think sales, service, quality, safety. Intuitively, the same should be true for retention. Who is held accountable for service? Are the same leaders held accountable when your employee who gets the most positive guest comments leaves? READ MORE

They are 70 million strong, but often ignored. They are Gen Y (those born after 1978) and they're about to change everything you think you know about doing business. This latest group to hit the workforce requires a different style of management. They are also seeking a different type of relationship with brands they choose to affiliate with. The sooner you connect with Gen Y, the more profitable you'll be, as this generation isn't going away anytime soon. READ MORE

The hospitality industry plays a vital economic role in local communities throughout the world. Travel and tourism is one of the world's largest industries, generating US$6 trillion or 9% of global GDP and supporting 260 million jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Many of those jobs are created by the hotel sector, giving our industry a tremendous opportunity to help local communities prosper. But why is creating local economic opportunities so important? And how should hotel companies go about driving local economic growth in a way that has long term benefits - both to the communities in question and to businesses themselves? READ MORE

The guests that rent rooms in our hotels have an expectation that the proprietor has done some form of due diligence in screening the employees who have access to their valued possessions left in a hotel room. It really does not matter to them that you may provide an in room safe, install expensive door hardware and have appropriate window stops if you have not taken the time to investigate the employees that you grant access to their personal and often treasured possessions. The hospitality industry is sometimes fragile and susceptible to large revenue losses as a result of a single negative event such as theft of valuables of a guest who just happens to be with a large convention group. Word travels quickly with these groups and meeting planners can be quite adept at researching these issues when deciding on a hotel for their convention. READ MORE