While living in metro Detroit for over thirty years, I have experienced the highs and lows of the great Motor City. What is happening now is so exciting that talking about it with you brings me chills! The media has provided the nation with a plethora of perceptions, focusing on the darkest days for...read more

The arrival of Daylight Saving Time and the sight of Mr. Robin puffing his bright red chest as he enjoys a budding limb signals the season for a good Spring Cleaning! Spring is the perfect time to sweep out the "we've always done it that way" and the "don't fix it if it's not broken" cobwebs.Today's...read more

A key to repeat business is pleasing the business traveler. As a frequent traveler myself, I like to select my seat on an airplane. I prefer more legroom and an aisle seat. I will even pay a little extra for that comfort. When I take a cruise, I'll pay a little more to select the cabin I prefer,...read more

In the wake of the third disaster at sea in 27 months for the Carnival Corporation, discussions of safety and disaster preparedness are at the forefront. In 2013, the safety of a venue is also advertising a venue. I am a Carnival Past Guest and have a cruise scheduled this year that I continue to...read more

February reminds us that while we concentrate on the important occupancy and revenue goals, that meeting the needs of project owners, planners and attendees of meetings and events is the heart of our hospitality business! While we have come a long way from the thermal baths and monasteries of Bible...read more

Watkins Research Group, a business-to-business research organization, published its  2012 Meeting and Convention Planners Survey where they polled 730 veteran planners about their love/hate relationship with CVBs and DMOs. Below is a synopsis of the research as presented in the January edition of...read more

January is a great month to reflect on past results and future growth. In the ever changing technology of hotel management, we have achieved more than in prior years but we are still trying to catch up! We can expect 2013 hospitality technology users to grow exponentially. Now that we have a comfort...read more

The GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) BTI Outlook-United States 2012 Q4 released in January forecasts a promising 2013 with a 4.6% increase in overall travel. The report mentions three key factors in this much awaited increase. Alex Eaton, president of World Travel Service in Tulsa, is...read more

Remember when Grandma's telephone was a shared line with the neighbors (a party line) and the only computers were in big hidden rooms in banks and other businesses? Remember when you got your first cell phone and it stayed in the car because it was larger than a bread box? Remember your first...read more

Homewood Suites by Hilton released their 2012 Workstyles Study, a study polling 553 business travelers on what they are looking for in a hotel experience when traveling. The study revealed that business travelers need room to work and opportunities to network with colleagues and fellow travelers....read more

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are terms that continue to create buzz in the hospitality and events industry. But what do these terms really mean and how can your convention center or hotel property start to engage in this process?  First, the definitions:...read more

The business teeter-totter from 2008-2011 really began to level off in 2012, giving relief and hope for a better bottom line. Time spent finding new ways to fill rooms, juggling dates and rates and scrambling to stay afloat creatively has defined a more streamlined approach to group rooms business....read more

Preparing for 2013 revenue management requires a revenue management gurus that fully understand your hotel's business with exceptional analytical and mathematical prowess. Same old song, same old dance. Not in 2013. On the revenue management dance card will be sales, reservations and catering. The...read more

In recent months, the United States has dealt with crisis in epic proportions; Hurricane Sandy, the Oregon mall shooting and the unfortunate Connecticut school incident the most prolific. These overwhelming tragedies affect local communities and the American community at large. We all want to...read more

Meetings and Conventions Magazine recently polled 242 meeting professionals in order to find out what is a real turn off when it comes to hospitality marketing efforts. As it happens, the hard sell is probably the fastest way to make certain they never call you back.  But hotels and convention...read more

As you look down the road at 2013 group business, CVB and hotel marketing folks think they can sell their destination either through digital efforts such as LinkedIn and Facebook or by advertising a meeting venue in publications. But what about old fashioned "snail mail"? Is it passe? I say no...but...read more

Meeting planners are continuously seeking the next great idea to add excitement and ROI to their group events. Christine Born and Libby Hoppe discuss "11 Ideas Changing Meetings" in Connect magazine, some of which you can incorporate into your meetings strategy as a hotelier in 2013. Below are five...read more

Have you ever considered what you might learn from this gathering as you advertise for group travel? Here are five simple things we can all garner from this wonderful day of food, rest, and relaxation. #1: You always know the day.    Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Always....read more

Four years ago if someone had said the word 'future' in the same sentence as 'travel and tourism,' it would have been more likely a fear that there would even be a future. In 2012 the landscape has changed dramatically. The economy is still struggling but travel sources report that the future of...read more

Groups are stepping away from the buffet and don't want the standard rubber chicken offering. Attendees are taking back their food choices and they want a say as to what goes into their mouth. Believe it or not, one of the options they are excited about is…food trucks.  Food trucks are becoming...read more