Siegel Sez: Not Your Father’s Power Socket
September 3rd, 2021
The Most Important Hotel “Salesperson” Right Now Is Working Behind Your Front Desk
Doug Kennedy | July 22nd, 2020
What Hotels Can Learn From Walmart
Larry Mogelonsky | December 7, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Years ago, and well before my hotelier days, I traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas selling ergonomic furniture, mouse pads and the like. The Walmart offices were huge then and I can only imagine how much they have grown since. Today, Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue ($288 billion) and employees (2.2 million), rivaling the GDP of many nations, including some that are traditionally defined as first-world. What's most interesting to me is that hoteliers, by and large, have never really looked to this retail titan to see what they can glean. Perhaps it's a stigma whereby Walmart ...
Ten Considerations To Fix Your Property’s Balance Sheet
Larry Mogelonsky | November 30, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) "Ownership is disappointed with the results." Through over 30+ years in the hospitality industry, this phrase is one that I hear all too often. Glass half full, it should open a further discussion as to why top or bottom line financial data is not living up to the plan, which usually then leads to spending cuts in a mad dash to restore the P&L to some sort of fiscal profitability. But why does this have to happen? In the packaged goods business, my vocation prior to entering the hospitality world, cutting expenses was rarely considered a primary solution to a brand's challenges. Rather,...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 170: Hotel History: Washington Square Hotel, New York City (1902)
Stanley Turkel | November 29, 2016
by Stanley Turkel, CMHS A haven for writers and artists for more than a century, the Washington Square Hotel, located at Waverly and MacDougal Streets, just off the northwest corner of Washington Square Park, occupies a unique place in Greenwich Village's history. The hotel facilities include 150 guestrooms, a renovated lobby with unique art works, 24-hour front desk service, fitness room, lobby bar and the highly-acclaimed North Square Restaurant & Lounge. Complimentary wireless internet access is available in the lobby and lobby bar. The Washington Square Hotel was built in 1902 as a residential hotel named the Hotel Earle after i...
With Google, Second Place Is The First Loser
Larry Mogelonsky | November 23, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) "Second place is the first loser." -Dale Earnhardt, American Racing Legend (1951-2001) This is a bold prediction I am about to make, and so I've channeled one of the boldest (and wealthiest) sportstars of our time. We all admire Google. While much is made of their self-driving car, Google Glass and other audacious new devices or applications, Google is also hard at work refining its core business – internet search. And this refinement has but one primary goal. However much the company espouses its noble goal of helping people find just about anything on the web, it is accountable to i...
Rethink What You Call A Lifestyle Hotel
Larry Mogelonsky | November 16, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Just what exactly do we mean when we call our property a 'lifestyle hotel'? Is it an expression that is readily understood by all our customers? I began wondering these questions and more during one of my all-too-familiar-yet-never-frequent-enough trips to sunny Los Angeles. Withholding its name so we can keep this discussion neutral, the property itself was a one-time Hyatt that had seen a recent – and what I am told was, extensive – renovation. The open concept lobby's enormous size was augmented by its sleek, reflective tile surfaces and made only more inviting by the vibrant...
How the Marriott-Starwood Merger Will Affect You…
Jim Butler | November 11, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Global Hospitality Group® survey results: What does all the recent consolidation in the hotel industry mean to different stakeholders? Marriott closed its acquisition of Starwood on September 23, 2016, following Accor's closing of its acquisition of Fairmont/Raffles on July 12, 2016. Other consolidations may already be underway. In any event, most of us in the hotel industry expect some very important consequences to result from such transactions. The hotel lawyers at JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® thought it would be int...
Hotel Lawyer: The PROs and CONs of Multi-Branded Hotels
Bob Braun | November 10, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Hotel Lawyer on multi-branded hotels. Hotels with more than one brand are increasingly common, but it wasn't always so. Although some compelling advantages are driving this trend in many situations, developers and owners should weigh the advantages against other considerations. My partner Bob Braun is a senior member of our Global Hospitality Group® and has experience with many hundreds of hotel management and franchise agreements. Bob is also co-author of the Hotel Management Agreement & Franchise Agreement Handbook (3rd edition),...
2016 Phocuswright Conference: Top Picks for Presentations and Exhibitors
Alan E. Young | November 9, 2016
By Alan Young, Co-Founder of Puzzle Partner The annual Phocuswright Conference has become the epicenter for travel innovation, providing an exceptional forum for global travel executives to discover and discuss the latest trends and opportunities reshaping the travel landscape. This year's event has a line-up of intriguing presentations from top-shelf visionaries, along with some of the most exciting exhibitors from around the world. One of my favorite segments is The Innovation Summit, where companies battle it out on stage to pitch, demonstrate and face off with the Phocuswright Dragons, a panel of the industry's most informed ins...
Do You Have A Suite Tooth?
Larry Mogelonsky | November 9, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Over the past year, I've stayed in 40 hotels and many fine properties have upgraded me to their suite products. With a nod to all those hoteliers who have graciously provided this bonus, I say thank you. Attempting to learn from these experiences, I ask: what makes a suite special? And, if properly differentiated, how can you fashion your suites as a truly differentiated product set? First, let's define a suite. Whereas many hoteliers may consider it as just a larger guestroom, a true suite has a door that physically separates the sleeping quarters from the living/dining area. Note, many ho...
Train Your Hotel Sales Team to Tell Stories Not Just Quote Rates
Doug Kennedy | November 7, 2016
By Doug Kennedy As marketing professionals across all industries know, the concept of storytelling is an integral component for success in today's environment. You can see this approach playing out across all mediums from print to web to radio and television. Car ads are no longer about the features and benefits of the car, but rather about all of the places that car can take you. Soda ads are not so much about the taste, but about how happy you will be by sharing it with friends and family, showing bottles labeled with real names or "dad" and "grad." Maybe the best example is the new Liberty Mutual Insurance advertising campaign where ...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 169: American History: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; My Hotel Books
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | November 7, 2016
From the Editor: The award-winning hotel historian, Stanley Turkel, has an additional life as an American historian. The following article describes his recent invitation to the newly-opened National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. by Stanley Turkel, CMHS On September 17, 2016, I was invited to the Collection Donor Preview & Reception at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The invitation came as a result of my donation of 670 artifacts* to the Museum which I collected over a fifty-eight year period. My lifetime interest was triggered by a chance exposure. In...
Hey Independents! Are You Thinking About Joining An Association?
Larry Mogelonsky | November 2, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) For most independent hoteliers, the decision to join an association such as Leading, Preferred, Small Luxury or Relais & Chateaux is a critical and complex decision. All of these organizations have stepped up their game of late, with grand improvements to both their web and sales offerings so that they can all stay relevant as traveler behavior changes. Moreover, the impetus to participate is exacerbated by the proliferation of inventory in the alternate lodging sector – that is, Airbnb – coupled with the marketing behemoths that are the OTAs. The costs of joining an associa...
Doug Kennedy Announces His New Book On Hospitality Training and Guest Services Excellence
Doug Kennedy | October 31, 2016
"So You REALLY Like Working With People?" Is a fun and fast moving book that will inspire both frontline colleagues and top-level hospitality leaders. Greetings readers, clients and hospitality industry friends! Well it took me 10 years to finally finish this project that only runs 70 pages, but maybe that is an indicator of how important it was for me to get the message just right. My new book "So You REALLY Like Working With People?"- Five Principles For Hospitality Excellence contains the core essence of all of my hotel and lodging industry training workshops and conference presentations. Readers so far have said it's a fun and fast ...
Rule of Law or Law of the Mightiest?
Georges Panayotis | October 27, 2016
by Georges Panayotis Globalization is largely viewed as an opportunity for Tourism in general because it facilitates international travel and for the hotel industry in particular, which has seen its customer base grow with each passing year. This would truly be an ideal world if this growing strength of exchanges did not go hand in hand with troublesome secondary effects. It also gave birth to global corporations that have taken the risk of freeing themselves from national laws as much as possible to take refuge in legal loopholes. The digital giants known as GAFA (Google Apple Facebook Amazon) have dragged their cousins along in their ...
Consider Traditional Marketing To Differentiate Your Hotel
Larry Mogelonsky | October 26, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) When was the last time you took a serious look at a traditional advertising campaign, by which I mean print (newspapers and magazines), broadcast (radio and television) and outdoor (billboards, bus shelters, posters and so on)? Given that we are well into the digital age, you may be under the belief that advertising has moved exclusively into the online domain where automated programs such as Google Adwords, retargeting and SEO programs dominate. With traditional dissemination continuing to subside in perceived value year-over-year, many have come to rely solely on digital channels which al...
ADA Defense Lawyer: Philadelphia Court Hits Uber and Lyft for ADA Violations
Jim Butler | October 24, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Uber and Lyft are back in the headlines again, but not for the usual ride share issues. This time it is for alleged violations of the ADA. Here is what my partner Marty Orlick, Chair of our ADA Compliance & Defense Group, has to say on this development. The City of Brother Love is Showing Love to Persons with Disabilities Under the ADA, but not to Lyft or Uber by Martin H. Orlick, Chair, JMBM's ADA Compliance & Defense Group From coast to coast, Uber and Lyft have come under increasing fire from disability rights organizations and ...
Hotel Capital Markets Update: David Loeb, RW Baird
Jim Butler | October 21, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com David Loeb, Senior Research Analyst at RW Baird, presented his research during the Meet the Money® 2017 planning meeting hosted recently during The Lodging Conference. His presentation covered factors currently impacting the hospitality industry, including the stock market, cap rate changes, hotel REITs, and new technologies. I found David's presentation very interesting and noted the following highlights: Hotel supply and demand growth are nearly in equilibrium, and forecasts still call for continuing positive grow Many investors a...
Life and Desire for Hotel Employment in Jeopardy
Georges Panayotis | October 20, 2016
by Georges Panayotis Jobs in hotels and restaurants, and, more generally, in tourism, bear the brunt of the backlash from the accumulation of cyclical or structural crises. For years, the biggest problem for the industry was to convince younger generations of the interest of and career growth potential within this very real industry. The constant shortage of quality staff, powered by high turnover, was enough to upset the most inventive Chief Personnel Officers. Today, it is more a question of saving jobs and keep the workforce in place. Who would have imagined, only a few years back, that service jobs would ever be so endangere...
Breakfast Foods for Lunch and Dinner
Larry Mogelonsky | October 19, 2016
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) In a very general sense, I'd like to make the case for you to offer breakfast foods on your lunch and dinner hotel restaurant menus. While I realize supply chains may be an issue, there is indeed a demand for this type of cuisine at all hours of the day and night. Think late night diners in New York City or 24-hour restaurants along the Las Vegas Strip. Next, consider McDonald's which experienced substantial fiscal growth in 2015 attributed to the expansion of breakfast foods beyond the 11am cut-off. Non-scientific in my sample base, I reviewed the collection of menus acquired from hotels I...
Google Trips: A Step in the Right Direction- But Only a Step
Alan Young, President of Puzzle Partner Ltd | October 18, 2016
Per Forbes, Google Trips is a "fantastic… travel app you should download now." Many hail it as a personalized travel app, but I'd argue it's not quite there, yet. By Alan Young Google Trips got a good bit of attention on its recent release in September, but I'm not sure I understand the fanfare. Per Forbes, Google Trips is a "fantastic… travel app you should download now." Many hail it as a personalized travel app, but I'd argue it's not quite there, yet. Here's what it can do. It scours my email to find itineraries and provides quick access to the original emails if I need them....
ADA Compliance & Defense Lawyer: ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits Escalate
Jim Butler | October 18, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Click here for the latest articles on ADA Compliance & Defense. JMBM's ADA Defense & Compliance team takes the ADA seriously, and we recommend that our clients take a proactive approach in identifying and solving potential problems before they become lawsuits. For many years now, we have called attention to the importance of making website ADA-compliant, but hotels, resorts, restaurants, banks, retailers and other owners and operators of commercial real estate continue to be vulnerable to one of the more recent and serious waves of...
So You REALLY Like Working With People?: Five Principles For Hospitality Excellence
Kennedy Training Network, Inc. | October 18, 2016
Florida, USA – October 18, 2016 – Kennedy Training Network Inc., USA, announced the publication of a new book by KTN President Douglas Martin Kennedy. "So You REALLY Like Working With People?": Five Principles For Hospitality Excellence is a fun and fast moving book that will inspire both frontline colleagues and top-level hospitality leaders. His new book goes beyond offering traditional hospitality concepts such as "telephone skills," "using customer names," and "techniques for handling complaints," all of which have been covered again and again by others. Instead, readers explore the true heart of hospitality, because tha...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 168: Hotel History: Hotel Monaco, Chicago, Illinois*
Stanley Turkel | October 18, 2016
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS The Hotel Monaco which opened in 1999 was originally built as a hat factory for the D.B. Fisk & Company in 1912. Daniel Brainard Fisk was born in Upton, Ma. in 1817 and came to Chicago in 1853 where he developed the largest wholesale millinery business in the U.S. After the original Fisk building burned to the ground in the Chicago Fire of 1877, D.B. Fisk moved to a six-story building on the site where the Marshall Field Annex Building is now located. When Marshall Field wanted to construct the present Annex, they built the 13-story D.B. Fisk building at South Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue in 1912. The archi...
Hotel Fights Back: Judge Dismisses High Frequency Litigant’s ADA Pool Lift Case
Jim Butler | October 17, 2016
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com Click here for the latest articles on ADA Compliance & Defense. JMBM's ADA Defense & Compliance team takes the ADA seriously, and we recommend that our clients take a proactive approach in identifying and solving potential problems before they become lawsuits. But sometimes serial plaintiffs just go too far with claims that cannot be justified and which violate the purpose and spirit of the ADA. Today, my partner Marty Orlick talks about a recent case that offers property owners and operators some relief against this type of harass...
