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

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

In 2012 you promoted your hotel and may feel really great about the work you put into enhancing your social media and getting on the instant digital advertising train! Progress is good and you can pat yourself on the back for finally taking the step on that branding journey. You may be tempted to...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

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

Guests who enter the front doors of your property are impressed and well they should be. Your entrance is eye catching. Your service is top notch and the decor is impeccable. The bottom line is looking much better than in 2009 and group business is booking with greater lead times! Things are going...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

Some hoteliers have identified a strong playing power that wins new group business. A typical contract between a hotel and planner lists services that are contracted for the particular group. However, the hotel winning group business is the one who can add the most goods and services valuable to the...read more

For the first time in a long time, hotels hold a few of the good cards in the traditional Autumn negotiating season "hand" with corporate travel departments.  Recent years saw hotels providing generous pricing and perks in the quest to stay afloat amid the turbulent waters of the economic...read more

Everyone loves a bargain.  So, you set a nightly special in your primary food and beverage outlet, but no one is taking you up on it and you do not understand why. I venture to say the reason your guests are not aware of the specials is because they are tuned into their handheld devices. They are...read more

In the ever changing world of hospitality marketing, it appears that the following still holds true:  "The customer is always right."  The problem for most of us in this industry which is chock-full of uncertainty and chaos due to room pirating, block issues, and steep competition both within our...read more

Summer vacation season is just tapering off, but those sweltering temperatures are still hanging on. Hard to think about the upcoming holidays, but the time is NOW to design holiday packages that will entice groups to host their special occasions at your resort! How can you create a package that...read more

You've heard the idiom, I "couldn't see the forest for the trees." Are you working your SMERF (Social, Military, Educational, Religious, Fraternal) market harder, not smarter, by missing the obvious? Who are the SMERFs among you? Let's examine SMERF opportunities that hit you where you live. The...read more

Short lead times, one of the most obvious indicators of a challenged economy, stabilized earlier this year as reported in MPI's June Business Barometer. But as the result of the longest lasting depression in history, fear continues to plague the hospitality industry with June 2012 suffering lead...read more

Have you ever wondered how a meeting planner's mind works? Why they chose a particular property? How you can win more business from them? As a meeting professional for almost 20 years, I can tell you it isn't really rocket science. But there is some methodology to the way planners think. The...read more

The Olympics are here and who doesn’t enjoy the competition, the stories and the fruition? Behind the glory of each competitor lies a strategic plan for success. There are many examples that can be applied to your own quest for success! Below are seven gold medal lessons for selling group rooms like...read more

Have you been trying to attract senior level business travelers to your property? Wondering what the trick is in doing so?  LMA Communications recently conducted a survey targeted at corporate senior management with company sales of $100 million or greater. This blog will identify the demographics,...read more

Group sales is about connections. Sure you call past guests, purchase leads from database companies. perform site visits with potential clients and work the associations. You have approached your sales goals and initiatives in an organized fashion following the same process for years. In 2012 you...read more