It's Not the Economy - Stupid - By Dr. Rick Johnson
The Pygmalion Effect - Have you ever heard the term 'A Self Fulfilling Prophecy'? That is what the Pygmalion Effect is all about. You begin to talk so negatively about your sales challenges that you begin to believe in your own whining. ...more

Food & Beverage - Local: How to Use this Magic Marketing Word to Drive Sales - By Ken Burgin
Maybe you enjoy pizza from Italy, beer from Denmark and TV from Britain, but the L word - LOCAL - arouses special loyalty and emotion. Just like the Olympics. ...more

Going 'Off Book' - The Movement towards Empathetic Hospitality - By Shannon Pruce - Account Director, LRA Worldwide, Inc
In acting circles, they are the two words that can strike fear in the hearts of the most seasoned performer - 'off book.' The script has ceased to be a security blanket, the actor must rely on his ability to take words from the page and create something personal and memorable. ...more

Back to Departments

Hiring from Outside the Company: How New People Can Bring Unexpected Problems
As life-long employment fades and the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, many companies look to hire skilled, experienced workers to improve productivity quickly. Those workers, however, often bring baggage from prior jobs that can negate the benefits of their prior experience, according to new Wharton research. ...more

What's In the Stars? (Russian 5-star hotels don't compensate better than their 4-star counterparts) - By Tatiana Veller and Ekaterina Gil
What is the best way to start a career in the hospitality industry in Russia? After comparing the line staff salary data for 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels across Russia in 2008, we have drawn a few surprising conclusions. ...more

HRG Hotel Survey Shows U.S. Rates Leveling, Elsewhere Strong
Hotel rates for corporate travelers leveled off in North America for the first half of 2008, while other regions-particularly Eastern Europe and Asia/Pacific-continued to show strong rate hikes, according to six-month hotel surveys recently released by HRG. ...more

From Room Service to Lip Service, TripAdvisor Survey Reveals the Best and Worst of Hotels
Cleanliness, Quiet and Customer Service Top Three Issues for Travelers - 80 Percent of Travelers Concerned about Bedbugs ...more

Back to Departments

Carol Verret & Associates Announces - Training Solutions for a Difficult Economy
At a time of economic uncertainty, decreasing demand and increasing supply, the pressure is on hotel sales and revenue management departments to generate revenue - now! The skill sets that served sales and revenue managers well in the past several years when demand was high are not the same as those required in the current economic climate. ...more

Back to Departments

Wyndham Worldwide Announces Departure of Wyndham Hotel Group CEO Steven A. Rudnitsky
Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN) today announced that Steven A. Rudnitsky, president and chief executive officer of the Wyndham Hotel Group business unit, is leaving the company to pursue other interests. A search for a new CEO for the business is underway. ...more

Back to Departments

Marriott International Announces Five New Hotels for its Caribbean/Latin America Region
New hotels in Ecuador, Honduras, Peru, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago planned. Include upscale Marriott, moderate-priced Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn for extended-stay travelers brands. ...more

IHG announces sale of Holiday Inn Jamaica
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC announces the sale of the 524 room Jamaica Holiday Inn Sunspree Hotel to Octagon Hotels Group Limited for US$30 million, US$2 million in excess of net book value. ...more

Gaylord Entertainment Plans Resort and Convention Hotel in Mesa, AZ
Enters Into Land Purchase Agreement with Real Estate Development Firm DMB ...more

Back to Departments

Green Conscious Hotels and Destinations Promoted by Travel PR Firms
Green living means green hotels for many of today's eco-conscious travelers. People are making their choices of where to stay based on hotels that have programs centered on ecologically sensitive building approaches and service practices. Boutique PR firms that specialize in travel public relations are sending the message out that the properties they represent and the destinations they promote are eco-friendly. ...more

Back to Departments

Issue: Getting Along with Suppliers
The online travel agencies that formed Expedia had dreadful relations with hotel chains. How Expedia changed that is instructive. ...more

Back to Departments

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute Publishes Hotel Novel 'Saving the St. George'
In a departure from its traditional textbook publishing, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute has published a novel about the hotel industry, written by a former hotel company executive. ...more

What happens in a secret wing of an unassuming Hilton in L.A.?
Though you've probably never noticed it, chances are you drive past the Hilton Garden Inn LAX in El Segundo whenever you fly into Los Angeles. Tucked away on a side street between Sepulveda Boulevard and a Green Line rail station, the generic-looking building is almost a parody of a midprice, midmarket, middle-of-nowhere airport hotel. ...more

Travel Community Welcomes New Federal Initiative to Better Communicate U.S. Security and Entry Policies
More Than 40 Million Annual Canadian Visits and $13.5 Billion at Stake with Implementation of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative ...more

Back to Departments