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What is the role of tomorrow's leaders in hospitality?
More structure or do leaders really need to change their perspectives on engagement? A group discussion on a Harvard Business School video explores a wide range of approaches.

Leaders Need Partners, not Followers Jun 6, 2012: Three specific answers on building exceptional teams in hospitality from Enda Larking, Guest Columnist @HospitalityEducators.com

Do Better CEOs Get Better Feedback? Jun 4, 2012

Undercover Boss - CEO of Best Western UK, David Clarke Jun 1, 2012: This series of Undercover Boss features CEO David Clarke changing sheets, chopping veg and washing dishes in Best Western UK groups’ hotels.

Cornell Roundtable Focuses on International Opportunities and Challenges Jun 1, 2012: The global hospitality industry is gaining strength, but certain challenges remain, according to participants in the first International Hospitality Roundtable, produced by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR).

Improve Your Mental Toughness in 2 Minutes May 31, 2012: It is no surprise that it takes stamina and mental toughness to be successful in small business. The truly challenging part is achieving this level over an extended period of time. Dr. Jason Selk, a performance specialist and author of Executive Toughness, believes that "The way a person chooses to think will really control the way they behave." Having the right mental focus will lead to more successful business outcomes in the long term.

Hotel Managers Labor To Control Labor May 21, 2012

Coming out of lodging industry recessions, we have historically observed fairly significant increases in hotel operating expenses. Since the initial revenue recovery is typically driven by occupancy, variable expenses naturally rise with the increased volume of rooms occupied and guests served. In addition, hotel managers desire to reinstate the services and amenities that were discontinued during the downturn contributes to above-average expense growth. On the revenue side, the industry recovery observed in 2010 was "typical". In aggregate, the participants in PKF Hospitality Research's (PKF-HR) 2011 Trends® in the Hotel Industry survey saw their rooms revenue (RevPAR) rise 5.3 percent, the result of a 6.2 percent increase in the number of rooms occupied and a 0.9 percent decline in average daily room rate (ADR). One would expect such an imbalance of occupancy and ADR to cause a sharp rise in operating expenses, but that was not that case.
Robert Mandelbaum is the Director of Research Information Services for PKF Hospitality Research. He is located in the firm's Atlanta office. For more information on PKF-HR benchmarking reports, please visit www.pkfc.com/store. This article was published in the December 2011 issue of Lodging.

How Do You Make The Decision If You Need A Person Dedicated To Selling The Services Of Your Hotel? May 17, 2012: Most hotels with more than 100 rooms are likely to have one or more people focused on property sales. Depending on the meeting space or food & beverage options, there may be staff assigned to catering sales as well. Many hotels, especially rooms’ only properties, have come to rely on their location or brand affiliation. The question posed above, though, concerns what factors one needs to consider. The numbers of rooms, competitive set, your brand or location are all ingredients, but they are not the only factors.

The 8-Letter Word that Spells Either Boom or Doom for Your Business. May 14, 2012

ATTITUDE: The 8-Letter Word that Spells Either Boom or Doom for Your Business. By Eric Chester

I'd challenge you to find a kid over the age of 8 who hasn't been lectured to death about the importance of a positive attitude. They get it from their parents, from their teachers, from their coaches and, yes, from their employers.

Why then do managers struggle relentlessly to keep their front lines staffed with friendly, cheerful, enthusiastic young people?

The following is an excerpt from Eric's forthcoming book, REVIVING WORK ETHIC - A Leader's Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce.

Restaurants add multicultural training as minority populations grow May 2, 2012: "Cultural intelligence" training

Coming up with crisis PR responses is only part of the strategy that restaurant chains should take when tackling culturally insensitive incidents - the reactionary part. They can also be proactive to lessen the chances of them happening in the first place.

California Supreme Court finally gives employers some good news in Brinker Restaurant Corporation v. Superior Court Apr 30, 2012: Hotel Lawyer with some insights on the recent California Supreme Court Case, Brinker v. Superior Court

Last week, the California Supreme Court gave employers a "break" by resolving issues in a case that has been pending since 2008 -- issues that have cost California employers more than a billion dollars in settling and defending class action lawsuits.

Qualities of Remarkable Employees Apr 30, 2012: 8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees

Forget good to great. Here's what makes a great employee remarkable.