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Shift Your Marketing Focus From Price to Value
Vikram Singh | July 6, 2015
by Vikram Singh It's amazing how much time and energy gets poured into deciding the price of a hotel room. There are STR reports, RMS Reports, and booking engine reports, to go along with the hundreds of tools that are solely focused on how much you are charging for your room. There are stacks of reports on top of other reports all showing pricing data – past, present and future. You want to know anything to do with pricing? There's a report for that. Now, where is the value report? You see, identifying your competition based on the size of your bed and the bathroom sink is an idea that is past its prime. Boutique hotels (a term that ...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 144; Hotel History: The City Club Hotel, New York, N.Y. (1904)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | July 1, 2015
"Hotel Mavens" Reviewed by the New York Times By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The City Club Hotel, New York, N.Y.* The City Club of New York was founded in 1892 by Edmond Kelly as a non-partisan men's club to promote effective and honest government in New York. Kelly (1851-1909) was an attorney, political reformer and sociologist, born in France to American parents. Two days after the City Club was incorporated in 1892, the Board of Trustees met for the first time and James C. Carter was elected President. Carter had previously been the President of the Harvard Club of New York from 1870-1872 and again from 1895-1899. Except ...
How to Craft the Guest Experience
John Hendrie | June 29, 2015
by John Hendrie Starbucks, once the darling of brand excellence, devalued, and now on an ascension, was never about the coffee. It was about the experience in a Starbuck's location - the colors, the texture, the sounds, smells, comfort and safety - a cornucopia for the senses. We are all consumers, and your staff, no matter the type of hospitality business - lodgings, restaurants, attractions, entertainment or retail stores- understand authenticity, appeal to the senses and the role of expectations in framing and delivering on the guest experience. But, sometimes, you, the manager, must synthesize and bring it home to your establishmen...
C-suite Demands More Productivity: How Will Corporate Real Estate Deliver?
JLL | June 23, 2015
JLL global survey reveals "pressure cooker" of expectations for corporate real estate teams SINGAPORE, LONDON and CHICAGO, June 23, 2015 – Skyrocketing C-suite demands for productivity are creating a "pressure cooker" of expectations for corporate real estate (CRE) teams worldwide, reveals a new JLL global survey. Although the CRE function is rapidly maturing, its transformation from tactical manager to trusted advisor is far from complete. JLL's third biennial Global Corporate Real Estate Trends survey shows that CRE teams are now even more challenged to transform their roles from order takers to order makers. More than half of resp...
ZENO’s Guest Experience Interface Connects Front Office Staff to Environmental Controls
June 11, 2015
New building automation tools from Zeno Controls LLC are equipping even the smallest properties with the equipment they need to monitor important engineering data; See ZENO Controls at HITEC in the Viconics / Schneider Booth #2133 [BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 11, 2015] - Today Zeno Controls LLC is putting sensor data in the hands of the people that impact the guest experience . . . the hotel staff. Using Zeno's InnPoint® Guest Experience Interface, data that normally is reserved for back-of-house areas is now available for guestrooms. InnPoint uses a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that collects data points from anywher...
Another Take on Hospitality Trends for 2015
Jana Love | June 10, 2015
By Jana Love What are Millennials? According to, Wikipedia, Millennials (also known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends. Researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980's to the early 2000's. Robert Rauch wrote an article, Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2015 that discusses the profile of a Millennial. The major focus for this group is exploration, interaction, and experience. Rauch says, "They are looking for a unique and novel experience and this has and will continue t...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 143 Hotel History: The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia (1766)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | June 8, 2015
My Latest Book Reviewed by the New York Times By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia* The Homestead is a famous luxury resort that opened a decade before the American revolutionary war. Located in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains, the area has the largest hot springs in Virginia. Native Americans used the waters to rejuvenate themselves during their many excursions through the area. Captain Thomas Bullett and Charles and Andrew Lewis were part of the militia and surveyors during the French and Indian War. They were told of the many healing qualities of the waters in the area. In 1764, at the ...
Tourism Tidbits: Some New and Some Old (but still valid) Ideas on Customer Service, Part 2
Dr. Peter Tarlow | June 5, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow When it comes to customer service, sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what not to do. It is not easy to give good customer service, and often people are not easy to deal with. If customer service is hard to do in business, it is especially hard to provide good customer service in the travel and hospitality worlds. Travel and hospitality providers are given an almost impossible task. Most visitors expect perfection, have little patience and often are rude. From the customer service perspective, time is not only of the essence, but forms the basis for a great deal of customer frustration and anger. Perhaps nothin...
I Believe In You
Bryan Williams of B.Williams Enterprise | May 28, 2015
by Bryan Williams "I believe in you". Those four simple words are incredibly powerful, yet are not used often enough. While I don't know for sure, I would bet that most working adults have never heard those words said to them. Regardless of your job title, each person has the direct ability to brighten someone's day by using those four, simple words. I believe in you. Your team If you are a manager, supervisor, or someone in authority, I have a message for you. Only allow and keep people on your team who you genuinely believe in. Or put another way...if there are people on your team who you don't believe in, then they shouldn't be on yo...
Tourism Tidbits: Some New and Some Old (but still valid) Ideas on Customer Service: Part 1 of 2
Dr. Peter Tarlow | May 21, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Hospitality, and the hospitality industry, have been around a long time. The Western tradition goes back to the time of Abraham and his receiving of the three angles (messengers). Abraham's receiving of the three messengers stands in sharp contrast to the lack of hospitality shown to the same messengers by the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are those who believe that Sodom and Gomorrah's true sins were not sexual but rather that the cities' citizens lacked a sense of hospitality. The term hospitality is also related to the term for hospital. In fact, we derive the terms hospital, hotel, and hospitality all from ...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 142; Hotel History: Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora, Florida (1883)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | May 20, 2015
My Latest Book: See the New York Times 1. Hotel History: Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora, Florida* The Lakeside Inn is a 132-year old property in the historic town of Mount Dora, Florida. It was first built as a ten-room two-story wooden structure called the Alexander House by John Alexander, Annie Donnelly and her husband John P. Donnelly and Colonel John A. McDonald. The first guests of the Alexander House were intrepid sports enthusiasts who arrived by a series of long boat trips from the cold north. For the most adventurous of the guests, snake hunts were organized, but most guests were content with the superb lake fishing. The ladies, att...
The Hospitality Industry from a Management Perspective
Robert Rauch, CHA | May 6, 2015
By Robert A. Rauch Management Company Perspective What key components have contributed to the growth of RAR over the last 6 months? At RAR we are actively and continually involved in all facets of the tourism and hospitality industry. We have focused on bringing the latest trends to each hotel with a focus on driving revenue and building loyalty. After generating revenue, we concentrate on optimizing that revenue and converting it to net income. We are always cognizant of asset value and net income is what measures that value. Innovative digital marketing and social media marketing and management helps our portfolio stay ahead of the tr...
The Free Website Trap: Lessons From Priceline’s Rebranding of Buuteeq
Vikram Singh | May 5, 2015
by Vikram Singh Last year, Priceline.com made a splash when it acquired Buuteeq, a digital marketing and website "cloud-based system" for independent hotels, for what looks like $98 million. My detailed analysis of that purchase made a lot of headlines, and also missed a lot of headlines when some of the top hotel news websites did not carry my article. (Buuteeq was a big advertiser for them.) Last week, Priceline announced that it would no longer let Buuteeq operate as an independent brand, and that they now offer free websites in exchange for a 10% commission on every dollar generated on those sites. Here is my analysis of what this m...
Nobody Asked Me, But…No. 141; Hotel History: The Grand Hotel, Point Clear, Alabama (1847)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | May 4, 2015
My Latest Book: See the New York Times Review By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Grand Hotel, Point Clear, Alabama* The site on which The Grand Hotel sits today has seen two earlier hotels so named and the area surrounding the hotel and grounds has had a long and exciting history. It begins in 1847, when a Mr. Chamberlain built a rambling, 100-foot long, two-story hotel with lumber brought down from Mobile by sailboats. There were forty guest rooms and a shaded front gallery with outside stairs at each end. The dining room was located in an adjacent structure, and a third two-story building, called The Texas, housed the bar. ...
Google’s Mobile Update: Keep Calm and Get With the Program
Vikram Singh | April 20, 2015
by Vikram Singh Every time Google issues an update, hotel marketing agencies have a field day writing articles and trying to give you a reason to panic about your online presence. To provide you with a respite from the hyperbole, I would like to assure you that: Everything is going to be okay. This update is actually a great opportunity for you to take your online presence to the next level. Here are my answers to some of your burning questions about the Google Mobile Update of 2015. Why is Google doing this update? Good question. The simple answer is: Google wants to make more money. (Just for reference, this is always the reason G...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 140; Hotel History: Palmer House, Chicago, Illinois (1871)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | April 20, 2015
My Latest Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Palmer House, Chicago, Illinois* The original Palmer House was built in 1871 by Potter Palmer who began his career as a bank clerk in upstate New York. He later became a dry-goods store owner in Chicago where he revolutionized the retail trade. He was the first to make big window displays, to use big advertising spaces, to send goods on approval to homes and to hold bargain sales. He became a brilliant hotel man as he applied his successful department store methods to the operation of his hotel. He saw no ...
Tourism Tidbits: Tourism Security Challenges
Dr. Peter Tarlow | April 2, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Tourism is facing four challenges that are perhaps more threatening than at any time since September 11, 2001. What is interesting is that just as in the years prior to September 11, 2001 many tourism officials have simply chosen either to ignore threats or to dismiss them with a great deal of verbiage and little actions. Although Al Qaeda, as it was constituted some 14 years ago, is less of a threat, terrorism has evolved into new and perhaps more dangerous organizations. This month Tourism Tidbits presents some of the major threats facing the world of tourism and what the industry can do to protect itself. -Be awar...
Hospitality Industry Service Leadership 2015
Robert Rauch | March 31, 2015
By Robert A. Rauch A "business success plan" for the hospitality industry requires a new set of disciplines. Today, knowledge acquisition of the changing technologies alone represents a challenge. Coupled with strong service leadership skills, the transfer of the success plan to each unit manager is made much easier. Perhaps the most critical items for a business success plan are to have a vision, a clearly defined set of goals and a "glass is half full" mindset. If the vision is to lead the market in revenues and one of the goals is raising revenues through average rate or check average, detailed knowledge of the competition is paramou...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 139; Hotel History: The Equinox (1769)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | March 30, 2015
My Latest Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: The Equinox, Manchester, Vermont* Known in various times as the Marsh Tavern, Thaddeus Munson's New Inn, Widow Black's Inn, Vanderlip's Hotel, The Taconic, The Orvis Hotel, and Equinox House, Equinox today stands as a symbol of the history and lifestyle of New England over the past two centuries. It was at the Marsh Tavern that the local Council of Safety held its first meetings and that Ethan Allen's younger brother, Ira Allen, proposed confiscating the property of Tories to raise money to equip a regime...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 138; Hotel History: Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (1806)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | March 16, 2015
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, Bedford, Pennsylvania (216 rooms)* Few properties can boast the historic significance of Bedford Springs Resort, located in the Allegheny Mountains of south-central Pennsylvania. For more than 200 years, the eight mineral springs located on the resort's property served as an important gathering place. Eventually, the resort would be the site of many significant moments in American history, hosting a long list of celebrities, wealthy clientele, corporate magnates and dignitari...
Tourism Tidbits: Sustainable and Ecotourism
Dr. Peter Tarlow | March 10, 2015
by Dr. Peter Tarlow Certainly one of the buzzwords in tourism today is "sustainable tourism". Sustainable tourism is often combined with ecotourism, although the two terms are different. To add to the difficulties there is no one definition of sustainable tourism. Sustainable urban tourism then is different from sustainable rural tourism, aquatic tourism or beach tourism. For the most part we can define sustainable tourism as a form of travel and tourism that permits outsiders to visit a place and not create a harmful impact on the locale's culture, environment, economy or way of life. If this goal is attainable is very much an open que...
Let’s Keep It Real: The Truth About Hotel Meta Search
Vikram Singh | March 9, 2015
by Vikram Singh Hotel marketing types love trends. Every day there is the same old story about a new thing that changes everything. It's always a thing that, if the hotels would only start doing it, or hire an agency to do it, or subscribe to a tool that would do it... the heavens would open and it would rain revenue. I'm sure everyone remembers (if they are not still living in) the Social Media Monetization Era. Now, the new craze is Hotel Meta Search. Unfortunately, over the past few years, its virtues have been overstated, to say the least. Yes, it's a channel worth trying. But no, it's not a magical weapon that will transform your o...
The Seventh Inning Begins
Robert A. Rauch, CHA | March 4, 2015
By Robert A. Rauch Baseball is a great game. Even if you do not play it, you can watch it or use it as a metaphor to depict where we are in the economic cycle. We have completed the sixth inning of this ball game. The "Great Recession" followed by the "Great Hangover" ended last year and there is some degree of certainty ahead. Occupancy and rate growth levels have both moved steadily upward on the hotel side. Meetings business is starting to see daylight and attractions are reporting positive year over year growth. The tourism industry continues to show signs of growth relative to increased corporate demand, resulting in improved hotel...
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 137; Hotel History: Mohonk Mountain House (1869)
Stanley Turkel, CMHS | February 23, 2015
My New Book: "Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf" By Stanley Turkel, CMHS 1. Hotel History: Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York (267 rooms)* A spectacular natural setting in the heart of a 26,000-acre area in the Shawangunk Mountains makes the Mohonk Mountain House one of the most popular resorts in the United States. Alfred and Albert Smiley, devout Quaker twin brothers, created the resort in 1869 when they bought Mohonk Lake, a tavern and 300 acres of surrounding land from John F. Stokes. As the Smileys expanded the hotel, they operated in accordance with their Quaker beliefs: no alcohol, d...
