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
Bring on the Youth or Cease to Exist!
Georges Panayotis | September 24, 2015
by Georges Panayotis Professional activities are all caught up in an unbridled cult of youth as the new solution for saving on expenses and gaining in managerial "flexibility". Could the management of a professional soccer team act as a model? Experience acquired during years spent climbing the social ladder can become a handicap rather than an asset for companies providing services that are ready to replace them with more flexible, young employees and even with more easily programmable robots... The American army is recruiting exceptionally gifted video gamers to win the new electronics war. Far from the battle fields, they a...
When Hoteliers Become Heroes – Are Your Staff CPR Trained?
Larry Mogelonsky | September 23, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Don't dismiss this so hastily; it could happen to you. On the unusually warm spring night at New York's Hotel Pennsylvania, Security Supervisor Ruben Hernandez had just begun his shift when he received an urgent call for help. The call was for an unconscious male, not breathing and not showing a pulse. Ruben immediately removed the onsite automated external defibrillator (AED) from its box and responded to the location. Upon arrival, he and his fellow Security Officer, Danny Sandoval, began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After numerous CPR attempts failed to revive the g...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 149; Hotel History: West Baden Springs Hotel (1902)*, West Baden, Indiana
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | September 21, 2015
Availability as an Expert Witness By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: West Baden Springs Hotel, West Baden, Indiana In 1855, the town of Mile Lick, a mile north of the giant salt lick and springs in French Lick was renamed West Baden. In 1888, Lee Wiley Sinclair acquired controlling interest in the West Baden Hotel. Sinclair promoted his hotel as a cosmopolitan resort including a casino known as "The Carlsbad of America", an opera house, a two-deck covered oval bicycle and pony track. The Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates held their spring training in the area. Unfortunately, the ent...
In this Difficult Trade, a Smile is Worth Something
Georges Panayotis | September 17, 2015
by Georges Panayotis The hotel and restaurant industries are sectors where there is direct contact –in the noblest sense of the word– between customers and service personnel. It is about providing a service that meets or exceeds the natural expectations of consumers. The difference lies in the additional dose of soul, enthusiasm, kindness, sincerity that changes a simple commercial service into a warm and human relationship. All brands extol the quality experience customers may expect at their properties. They define standards, train personnel to develop the right reflexes and good expressions... but they sometimes forget what's es...
Some Advice for Enhancing Wine Sales
Larry Mogelonsky | September 16, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Discussing wine at dinner with friends and colleagues over the years, what becomes quite apparent is that those who work in the restaurant or hotel business have vastly superior wine knowledge than the layman. In fact, most people couldn't tell you the difference in taste between a cabernet sauvignon and a merlot. For them, it's just red or white, or on special occasions, a sparkling white. How then do you get the upsell? How do you convince a patron to go from drinking by the glass to purchasing a bottle for a table? How do you get someone to opt for one of the more expensive listings inst...
It’s High Time for a Change in France!
Georges Panayotis | September 10, 2015
by Georges Panayotis As the month of August came to a close, cries of victory could be heard rejoicing over the good results for summer tourism in France. While many economic sectors continue to suffer, arrivals and activity figures of Tourism professionals exploded like fireworks in the night. But the bursts of light hide a less brilliant reality. Growth in turnover this summer is fragile and misleading. On the one hand it relies on fear that is aroused by instable geopolitical situations across the Mediterranean. There is no glory in being a substitute destination, a kind of second choice destination. On the other hand, long-term grow...
Tips for Bathroom Renovations
Larry Mogelonsky | September 9, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) The washroom is such a personal, private space that any minor annoyances are especially hard to forgive because of their heightened impact on one's emotional state of being. You simply need to browse through TripAdvisor or other third-party review site comments to see how vital it is to provide for a superior washroom experience. Before diving into a batch of more specific grievances, let's address those flaws which are readily apparent and should already be on your mind: Bathroom not properly cleaned Not enough towels, floor mats or hand towels Not enough hygiene products Mold, rust, ...
When You Turn The Lights Off They All Look The Same!
Doug Kennedy | September 8, 2015
By Doug Kennedy September 8, 2015 There is one thing that every hotel room in the whole world has in common; when you turn the lights off they all look the same! When you stop to think about it, the activity which most guests spend the most time doing in their hotel room is sleeping! When you subtract out sleep time from their total time in the room, the hours a guest spends awake and conscious in a room is actually quite few. For a business traveler, this might be as little as three or four hours in the evening between dinner and bedtime and maybe one or two more hours in the morning before the workday. Even for a leisure traveler on v...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 148; Hotel History: French Lick Springs Hotel, French Lick, Indiana*
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | September 8, 2015
Availability as an Expert Witness By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: French Lick Springs Hotel, French Lick, Indiana* The first hotel was built on this site in 1845 by Dr. William Bowles as a health resort to take advantage of the natural sulphur springs and mineral water. The original hotel burned down in 1897 but was rebuilt on a grander scale by Thomas Taggart, the mayor of Indianapolis (and later a U.S. Senator). The Monon Railroad built a spur directly to the hotel grounds with daily passenger service to Chicago. Casino gambling, although illegal, flourished at the resort. In its heyday in the Roaring Twenties, the surroundi...
Blocking FCC-Approved Wi-Fi Hotspots is “Patently Illegal” – What You Need to Know
Jim Butler | September 4, 2015
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com 04 September 2015 Blocking Wi-Fi connections is "patently unlawful" On August 18, 2015, the FCC announced a $750,000 civil penalty and formal Consent Decree with Smart City Holdings for blocking consumers' personal Wi-Fi access at various convention centers, meeting centers and hotels around the United States. Smart City is an internet and telecommunications provider for such facilities, and had been blocking personal mobile "hotspots" being used by convention and meeting attendees. Apparently referring to the $80 daily fee charged by S...
Desperately Seeking an Identity
Georges Panayotis | September 3, 2015
by Georges Panayotis The official priority of hotel groups today is to build a recognized brand, convinced that it is the best response to the banalization of offers listed by price on all the comparison search engines. And yet what they build with one hand through concepts, communication and marketing, they destroy with the other through revenue management, discounting and digital distribution. Hotel managers are now divided between the need to position a brand with strong attributes that differentiate them from the competition, and the need to sell the ephemeral hotel night at the best price. Stuck within an optimized distribution log...
How the Sharing Economy is (Mis)shaping the Future
Alan E. Young | September 2, 2015
Is this disruptive new trend really good for the economy and consumers? By Alan E. Young Chances are, you've used some sort of "sharing" service or technology recently. Maybe you've taken an Uber ride home from the airport, or rented out a loft from Airbnb for a weekend trip. Many people are saying that the sharing economy is the way of the future. It may indeed be disruptive, but is this trend really good for the economy and consumers? Whether you call it the Sharing Economy, the Collaborative Economy, the Gig Economy or C2C (Consumer to Consumer), it's certainly innovative and by all indicators, on the rise. More and more startups and...
The Four Horsemen of the Hotel Apocalypse
Larry Mogelonsky | September 2, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) We survived Y2K. We outlived the end of the Mayan calendar. But are you ready for the total annihilation of everything your property holds sacred? These four ever-present issues are what I see have the four largest problems that we hoteliers will need to confront within the next decade. As I present the hypothetical 'Four Horsemen of the Hotel Apocalypse', let's keep in mind that not only has the idea of the biblical four horsemen changed over time, but so too will the four main detractors to our industry's current practices. PLAGUE (red horse) – The OTAs This one is like beating a dead h...
What Every Hotel Owner (& Operator) Needs to Know About “Data Security” After Wyndham Worldwide Case
Bob Braun | September 2, 2015
By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers | Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com Massive data breaches affect hotels and their legal responsibilities. As unauthorized hacking of confidential data explodes in volume and seriousness, minimum expected standards are evolving that hoteliers and others must follow. Interestingly, the latest guidelines are provided in an August 24, 2015 appellate court decision involving Wyndham Worldwide as if to emphasize that these rules (really) apply to the hotel industry. How did this case arise? What are some basic steps that everyone with confidential data is expected to take? What h...
On the Eve of a New World Order
Georges Panayotis | August 27, 2015
by Georges Panayotis Of all economic activities, Tourism is undoubtedly one of the first to adapt to changes in individual behavior and economic forces, generating the rise of new models in terms of services and products... Contrary to what politicians have long believed, Tourism is not a minor industry; nor is it secondary or folkloric. It bears global challenges, brings global giants into play, requires a veritable strategy adapted to continents and countries alike. Already several thousand years old, this activity is also the one that offers the best perspectives for the future since the desire and need to discover the world is self...
Beefing Up Your Hotel Gym In Eight Steps
Larry Mogelonsky | August 26, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) Wellness is all the rage these days, and that isn't bound to change anytime in the next decade. We are increasingly becoming a health-conscious society and, with comfortable guestrooms, spas, restaurants and fitness facilities, hotels are primed to capitalize on this movement. It's the latter of these operations that is the focus here. Spas and wellness go hand-in-hand, and your F&B department likewise has numerous options in this regard (organics, local sourcing, gluten-free, calorie counting and so on). A property's gym and any other associated sports facilities are often neglected 1....
The Internet of Things: The Impact on the Travel and Hotel Industry
Alan E. Young | August 26, 2015
Converging Technologies for Smart Environments By Alan E. Young The Internet of Things (IoT) is a relatively large topic that is widely circulating around these days, but I think it is very important to point out its practical implementations. According to HOSPA in 2013 there was one device connected to the internet per person on earth. They forecast that by 2020, this number will increase to 9 devices per person. Currently, 80 'things' connect to the internet every second but we will see this figure rise to more than 250 'things' connected to the internet every second in just the next few years. This trend will have a huge impact on th...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 147; Hotel History: The Montauk Manor, Montauk, Long Island, N.Y.*
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | August 24, 2015
My Four Hotel Books; Availability as an Expert Witness By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Montauk Manor, Montauk, Long Island, N.Y.* The history of modern Montauk on eastern Long Island is intimately interwoven with the legendary real-estate developer Carl Graham Fisher. In 1925, Fisher purchased the entire peninsula of Montauk – over 10,000 acres in total for $2.5 million – to develop as a grand resort. Much of what makes up today's Montauk – its roads, churches, downtown village, harbor area, golf course, and dozens of commercial buildings and homes, were built by Fisher during a whirlwind of development from 1926 to ...
The Luxury Boomer: A Unique Demographic
Larry Mogelonsky | August 19, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) I have written on this topic since August of last year, but as the grand horde of boomers among us continues to gradually work their way into retirement, this topic is once again worth addressing. Normally when we discuss retirement, we talk about the nuances of balancing a tighter budget with far fewer inbound monetary streams to buoy any excessive spending. In short, retirement at a macro level means less spending overall. However, the baby boom presents a fascinating counterargument to this established demographic trend. That is, the boomers (at least in a North American sense) came into...
Reservations Call & Email Lead Management Software Helps Capture and Convert Direct Business
Doug Kennedy | August 19, 2015
By Doug Kennedy August 19, 2015 For hotels and resorts looking to reduce the cost of customer acquisition and cut down on fees for third party bookings, investing in software that allows reservations agents to track and manage call and email inquiries makes a great deal of sense. Although the contribution of the OTA channels will undoubtedly be strong for the foreseeable future, there are plenty of guests who call and email the hotel to double check the rates they see online; others inquire about special needs and requests that they are more comfortable making directly. If reservations agents simply quote rates, answer questions and ma...
Hone Your Brand By Purging Its Following
Larry Mogelonsky | August 12, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) As a hotelier, you would have to be a Neanderthal to be unaware of the impact of social media on your business. Well into the throes of its growing pains, one concept that most knowledgeable marketers are now aware of is that the most primitive social statistic – likes, followers, etc. – is not the supreme measurement of influence. Instead, we look for more complex metrics like levels of interaction, website click-throughs and rates of sharing. Moreover, we look to the content marketing side of things, analyzing what generates activity and what contributes to the white noise of cyberspa...
Make It Dirty, Make It Clean
Alan E. Young | August 12, 2015
By Alan E. Young, President and Co-Founder of Puzzle Partner I have been honored to work for some amazing CEO's in my career. They all had one thing in common, other than their strong leadership skills and their inspiring, visionary aptitude. They understood the need to be first and fast. Having had the privilege to work for Charles Philips (Infor), Larry Hall (Springer-Miller) and Ben Jost (TrustYou), I learned a great deal from each of them. Though these three companies all have different products and sometimes focus on different markets, they all develop software - and in today's ever-changing technological landscape, they all unders...
Getting Burnt by Your Own Fire
Georges Panayotis | August 6, 2015
by Georges Panayotis "Nothing endures but change" and each day that passes we are reminded of this maxim stated by Heraclitus some 2,500 years ago that still holds true. But there are two ways to live this change: submit to it or anticipate it. That is what innovation is for, forecasting an ever-changing future before anyone else. This is true for all areas of human activity and even more so for hotel accommodations which affect daily lives. This innovation was not spontaneously generated, but is fed by a regular observation of behavior, an organized consideration of customer expectations, attentive consultation with those closest to t...
Be A Community Leader By Supporting Local Artists
Larry Mogelonsky | August 5, 2015
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.lma.ca) It goes without saying that a big marketing topic these days is search engine optimization, or SEO. We're all looking for ways to increase website visibility and countless articles have pointed steadfastly to heightened exposure amongst neighborhood businesses or community organizations as a highly workable strategy. Indeed, the Google algorithms are set up to look for these local connections and give priority to businesses with the most local activity. But if everyone is going after the same thing, how do you differentiate yourself? My solution: specific and dedicated strategy. And the app...
