UniFocus Study: 93 Percent of Hoteliers Optimistic for 2012

A new study from UniFocus offers revealing insight regarding how hoteliers assess the future of the industry, what they learned from last year, and what they are doing differently in 2010.

A few of the other significant research findings were:

• 29% of respondents believe the most important lesson from 2009 was to broaden their customer base.
• 40% ranked paying more attention to guests as the #1 thing hoteliers are doing differently in 2010.
• 60% of respondents found recognition to be most effective in motivating associates.

The purpose of the UniFocus research project was to ascertain the general attitude in the industry and to gain a better understanding of what’s working best in the present market environment. The participants in this study represented a cross-section of property-level GM’s and corporate C-level executives.

“One of the primary takeaways from the research results is that discounting rates never works in the long-term; a better strategy is to diversify your customer demographics and work more on creating loyal guests and meeting planners,” said Mark Heymann, UniFocus President and CEO. “It’s also more important than ever to pay more attention to your customers, instill ownership in your associates with recognition and manage your workforce more efficiently so that there is always the right staffing to optimize service.

“Also noteworthy in the study is that there is uniform consensus that now is the right time to reinvest and take advantage of the upswing in the market,” continued Heymann. “The progressive and forward thinking hoteliers who invest in technology and human resources now will surely reap the benefits later.”

For the full report “Ramping up for the Future” from FocusED, visit the UniFocus web site at:

About UniFocus | Based in Dallas, UniFocus serves hospitality, casino and resort operations in the U.S. and overseas. UniFocus offers full-service operational analysis, management and staff training, financial and labor management applications, as well as staff, meeting planner and guest satisfaction measurement programs, along with a unique mystery evaluation system that can link service standard attainment to guest and employee perceptions. The resulting database allows UniFocus to uniquely correlate and benchmark each client’s performance to their particular competitive markets. Enhanced reporting capabilities allow hospitality executives to have a “total picture” overview of their operations, set strategic actions and gain asset value.

UniFocus is a member of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), a member of the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International (ACCED-I), a Microsoft® Certified Partner, an affinity partner of the International Association of Conference Centers, and an allied member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. For more information, visit or call 972-512-5100.