The Marginal Impact of Changes | Difficult trading conditions are good opportunities to reconsider basic business principles which have stood the test of time but have recently taken a backseat given the continuous emergence of new management techniques. Most hoteliers have understood that the current environment coupled with an uncertain future requires them to make appropriate decisions in orde...

A mix of customer-generated media and non-traditional Fairmont content, the new site will serve as a virtual gathering place for Fairmont guests, colleagues, and others and be an interactive environment where fans of the brand can post photos or video from a memorable trip, participate in exclusive polls and contests, access exclusive hotel and destination content, and engage in dialogue with...

Although loyalty programs have become widespread in the hospitality industry, it's still not clear how loyalty programs contribute to increased sales—or whether they work at all. The featured article in the February 2010 issue of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) focuses on how to make the most of a hotel, restaurant, or casino loyalty program.

Best Western International – The World’s Largest Hotel Chain® - is launching its luxury brand - Best Western Premier, in Indonesia, with the opening of the Best Western Premier Hotel Solo.

Convention center hotels in Denver are set to gain new competition when a new 403-room Embassy Suites hotel opens directly across from the Denver, CO, Convention Center in December 2010. Windsor Management Services, the hotel management arm of Windsor Capital Group headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, has reached an agreement with developer, White/Peterman Properties, Inc. in Merrillville, IN, to m...

The Plaza and the Pierre | I recently visited two restored hotels at Grand Army Plaza in New York. The contrast could not have been greater between the Plaza and the Pierre Hotels: The Plaza Hotel, once labeled the greatest hotel in the U.S., no longer qualifies for that designation. After a 2-year conversion to a condominium hotel with 50 private residences, 181 condo hotel rooms and 282 t...

The global recession has changed the landscape for business, for people, for markets and forever. A new order changes everything. It changes behaviour, attitudes, confidence, brands and how people decide. One thing is for sure, the new way will not reflect the old way. A business, any business, waiting for 'the good old days' to return better have a rucksack full of survival gear. The 'good o...

Electronic channels have changed hotel sales and marketing forever. Internet web site marketing, the Global Distribution System, social media, and third-party aggregators have all presented new marketing opportunities for hotels around the world. In effect, the Internet has created the first affordable global marketplace for large and small hotels everywhere.

Plan A Public Relations & Marketing, Inc., a full-service marketing firm specializing in the hospitality industry, is proud to announce the addition of Celebration, Fla.-based Libra OnDemand to its growing list of clients around the globe. Libra OnDemand is a web-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution built entirely on Force.com to help hoteliers consolidate guest information, dri...

It is clear that catering companies play a very important role in the venue space. At the very minimum catering companies now provide F&B services -- often on a managed basis, i.e. the venue outsources its F&B - and frequently the caterer also manages sales which attracts new clients and new business for the venue.

VFM Leonardo, leader in online visual content distribution for hotels, today announced that Best Western International has adopted its VScape® Digital Asset Management System and named them the preferred distributor of rich media for Best Western properties. Best Western, the WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently owned...

Hotels throughout the Middle East & North African (MENA) region have shown modest signs of recovery towards the end of 2009, with occupancy rates improving. Key points: Room rates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fall to 2007 levels | Two consecutive years of RevPAR decrease in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) | Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries show mix-reactions in 2009 | Rest of MENA sh...

The Canadian economy still has a long road back to recovery and hoteliers should expect a bumpy ride, according to Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC World Markets. Shenfeld delivered a state of the industry presentation during the Hotels Association of Canada’s 2010 Annual Conference at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

“Our research indicates that there is a close relationship between movements in rooms revenue performance and total revenue performance for both UK provincial and London hotels. However, our analysis also indicates that London hoteliers have the ability to adjust fixed costs more quickly in response to changes in revenue performance, whereas provincial hotels have been less able to mitigate falls...

Dolce today announced that Mike McNeill, vice president of operations for its North American hotels and resorts, has assumed additional responsibility as general manager of the Dolce Norwalk hotel in Connecticut. McNeill was promoted to his current position in May 2009 after serving the company as regional vice president, overseeing the operation of Dolce’s managed Doubletree Hotel Boston/Bedford...

In this position, York is responsible for maximizing all potential revenue opportunities for Aqua Hotels. Activities include forecasting, opportunity analysis and pricing strategies. York comes to Aqua with extensive experience in the Las Vegas hospitality and gaming industry. He started his career at the Flamingo Las Vegas, part of Caesars Entertainment. Over the course of seven years, he ste...

A 21-year company veteran, he previously was general manager of the Dolce Norwalk in Connecticut. From 1994 to 2003, he served the former Dolce Tarrytown House in New York as general manager, assistant general manager and conference director. From 1988 to 1994 he was conference services manager and sales manager for the former Dolce Hamilton Park in Florham Park, N.J. Dolce is a 1981 graduate o...

By Gabor Forgacs
A solid understanding of revenue management’s key concepts and the selective application of its most effective strategies and tactics have become mission critical for most hospitality operations. This NEW book explores the applicability of revenue maximization strategies and their operational aspects. This new book provides readers with a concise overview of this important discipline.