Thursday, August 28, 2008

Service information for Steve Porter

The InterContinental Hotels Group is holding a memorial service honoring Steve Porter at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Atlanta, Ga. For those who cannot be there in person, IHG is providing a live webcast during the memorial.

The webcast will appear on www.celebratingsteve.com. It will be archived for viewing shortly after the memorial and will remain on the website until Sept. 12. Stories and photos of Steve also are being collected on the site and a book will be compiled for the Porter family.

Several industry leaders who worked closely with Steve sent tributes to Hotel & Motel Management magazine, and they can be read here.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Poll shows positive outlooks

Eighty percent of voters in a recent HotelTalk poll think the current hotel industry downturn won't have long-lasting effects.
More specifically, 40 percent responded that "It's a cyclical industry and this is just the typical dip," and an equal amount responded that "The industry will recognize rate parity and use revenue management and marketing strategies to come out unscathed."
Only 20 percent of voters said industry fundamentals are in trouble as supply and demand numbers grow so disproportionately.

The question no one can answer is when things will start looking up.
Peter Willis, SVP of hotel acquisitions for The Kor Group, said we haven't seen the full extent of the downturn yet.
"Corporate accounts are actively out to bid," he said. "Our current challenges with the economy were likely not recognizable far enough in advance for property level annual budgeting to capture, especially given the dramatic rise in costs—energy, food/water, fuel for air lift and the downsizing of airline carriers to certain destinations."

Thanks to all who voted in the HotelTalk poll.

Come rest in this room

George Costanza would be proud. The five-star Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., took home the coveted Best Restroom in America award, given by Cintas, a provider of hygiene products and services. Tens of thousands made their voices heard on the program's website, and in the end, nothing could top the service, cleanliness and public access of the Hermitage Hotel facilities.

The men's restroom was first built in 1910 and remodeled in 1930 as the Art Deco facility you see now, with its lime-green and black leaded-glass tiles, lime-green fixtures, authentic terrazzo floor and two-seat shoeshine station. Apparently, the legend of this restroom has grown throughout the years, and it has been the backdrop for several music videos, business and political negotiations and wedding photos as you can (unfortunately?) see here.

Other hotels that made the top ten are 21C Museum Hotel in Lousiville, Ky., (second); El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and spa in Taos, New Mexico, (sixth); and The Montville Inn in Montville, NJ., (ninth).

My new career as a faucet designer

Okay, so as they say, I probably shouldn't quit my day job. But in all of the websites that I come across, occasionally one sticks out. What impressed me about the California Faucets website is its "Virtual Faucet Creator."

This interesting tool allows designers—or, ahem, would-be designers—to choose from a selection of spouts, handles and finishes to create a unique end product. My attempt is shown at right. With 17 spouts, 24 handles and 23 finishes, there are more than 9,000 combinations possible. The most amazing part is that the Flash animation on the website creates a realistic montage of your design as you build it. Once you're done, you can name it, print it, save it, download it, or email it.

The company also carries a line of stylish shower drains that look nothing like the boring circular grates that most of us have in our homes. You can check out the site and the Virtual Faucet Creator at www.calfaucets.com.

Monday, August 25, 2008

The green side of Memphis

I was quite impressed with how green the 6th Annual Memphis Hotel & Lodging Industry Summit felt. The meeting featured recycled cup insulators, notepads, tissues, pens and handouts. Chocolates on the table were made from sustainable organic agriculture. Even our lunchtime tablecloths crafted from recycled water bottles. (I still can hardly believe that one, they felt nothing like what I'd have expected, they almost seemed like a finely woven straw.)

Green also found its way into the program, with a panel discussion on how to make environmentally friendly hotels pay dividends—those of the financial sort.

Moderator Peggy Berg, president of The Highland Group, Atlanta, noted the way we use resources changes over time, from the cars we drive to recycling in our home to selecting locally grown or organic foods. She said that the green movement has many reasons for being hot, both large and small.

“When my mom went to the farm stand for fresh corn, it wasn’t a political statement, it just tasted better,” Berg said.

Dierdre Wallace, founder and president of The Ambrose Collection, Santa Monica, Calif., said her city is a great place to go green because of the very supportive community environment. Her hotel wasn’t originally envisioned as green when it was built, but their outlook has changed over the years.

“It’s not all just about going green, it’s still about offering a great guest experience,” Wallace said. “A lot of the things that we did when we built the hotel were green, though we weren’t thinking about building a green hotel at the time; they were common sense,” she said.

These items included energy efficient windows, efficient energy systems and Energy Star appliances.

Douglas Gamble, owner of The Q Hotel in Kansas City, said, “When you get ready to do this, write a plan. Put it all in writing, and then reach out to other folks and see what they think about it … some things that may be pertinent, be in demand in some areas, may not be in demand in other areas.”

The Ambrose is the first hotel to go through LEED-EB, a rating system for existing buildings, as opposed to the traditional LEED ratings for new construction. Wallace’s hotel has reached silver status.

“LEED-EB is fantastic for existing buildings because it really focuses on operations and maintenance, so you don’t necessarily have to do a whole overhaul of your existing structure, which can be very cost intensive,” Wallace said.

Wallace started policies and programs focused on green initiatives, including a preferred vendor list, an organic continental breakfast and 24-hour room service they cater through a local green cafĂ©, converting their shuttle to biodiesel fuel, instituting an on-site composting program and creating an “eco team” that monitors all documents and purchases. This helps avoid companies that are greenwashing—touting that they are greener than they really are.
Gamble agreed that greenwashing was something to watch out for.

“We found early on that people who are really sensitive to this stuff are so aware of greenwashing,” he said.

Environmentally friendly changes in a hotel can start in many ways, from operational changes to infrastructure.

“In-house recycling is one of the easiest things that you can do to green your hotel, it is definitely low-hanging fruit,” said Wallace. “We were a little concerned about how our guests would react to the program, seeing these receptacles in our guest rooms, but … they reacted very positively to it.”

Dennis Quaintance, president and CEO of Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., said his hotel currently has about 4,000 square feet of solar thermal, giving the property more than 60 percent of the energy it needs for hot water.

“It’s amazing, the boilers haven’t kicked on for three months,” he said.

Robert P. Smith, president and chief satisfaction officer, The Allied Group, explained that green can also be a focus both in deconstruction—where up to 90 percent of a building renovation can be reused or recycled—and in reconstruction, by installing environmentally responsible materials and products.

“Currently, the demand outweighs the supply of eco-conscious products and services, so we’re seeing a premium … but we’re beginning to see a shift, as the balance shifts to more prominent display of these products and services, you can expect to see the premium paid … to come down, and the costs become a lot more competitive,” Smith said.

In the green?
“Everyone asks, ‘does this save money?’ Some things do, some things don’t,” said Gamble. But he notes that a lot of government bookings are up at his hotel, as a result of their green initiatives.

Quaintance said it’s possible to do solar thermal fairly inexpensively. They received 30 percent federal and 35 percent state tax credits, and then borrowed $500,000 from the state at 3-percent interest for 10 years.

“When you put it all together, our return is like three years, it’s ridiculous. … We can’t wait for another season to see if there is something that we regret. So far, there hasn’t been, and we’ll put it on our other businesses.”

Additionally, Quaintance said that they were able to accomplish using 41 percent less energy, mostly by incorporating an intelligent, integrated design of the building from the start.
“We took 200,000, almost 300,000 BTUs of load out of the hotel’s HVAC system just by having an efficient building envelope and doing simple things. Everyone’s going to be doing this in a couple of years,” Quaintance said.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Yabba dabba keycards


You know how the Flintstones had modern-day amenities like vacuums and cars but everything was made of stone or woolly mammoth bones? Well, the "progressive" Democratic guests at the DNC in Denver will be entering their rooms with a Flintstone-esque innovation from Sustainable Cards.

These literally are keycards made of wood. They function in the same way—thin rectangles with a magnetic strip that you swipe to unlock a door—the material is just wood instead of plastic. If there was a colonial times version of the Fintstones, this is what guests at their hotels would have used. The reason for these cards in 2008 is the environment. The cards are 100-percent biodegradable, requiring far less fossil fuels to create them. And to top it all off, the wood comes from sustainably harvested forests.

With thousands of keycards plowed through each year per hotel, this may be an interesting move into a cleaner, greener future. Hey, if we ever want to ride in flying cars and have robot maids like the Jetsons, certain steps need to be taken, right?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Memphis preview


The Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association and Pinkowski & Co. are kicking off their annual Memphis Lodging Industry Summit ... this year is the 6th iteration of the event.

The kickoff event this evening was a grand cocktail reception and dinner at Memphis' famous Peabody Hotel. Part of the banquet festivities was a MH&LA PAC silent auction, along with a live auction at the start of dinner. The organization even brought in a genuine auctioneer, who wowed the crowd with her down-home southern charm and insanely rapid-fire auction calling.

Tomorrow's schedule looks great, with speakers including Shawn McBurney, Senior VP, Government Affairs for the AH&LA; Tom Corcoran, Chairman of AH&LA and General Chairman of FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc.; Randy Smith, CEO of Smith Travel Research; and Colin Reed, President and CEO, Gaylord Entertainment. More details on the conference will be posted here in the coming days, so please stay tuned.

Monday, August 18, 2008

A look at the bright side

I had a fascinating chat with Wayne Goldberg, President and CEO of LaQuinta, about the challenges and promise of the select service hotel segment. LaQuinta is growing—and fast. They have 663 hotels open, and their pipeline includes more than 200 projects. The company's hotels are getting fresh looks—from new signage to new exterior paint schemes to new designs, including the envelope-pushing "Vibrant" scheme (see bottom photo).

Goldberg feels that LaQuinta is somewhat unique in that they are both hotel owner-operators and a franchisor. Franchisors like the fact that La Quinta, "has skin in the game," he said. "We aren't asking them to do things at their hotels that we aren't in turn having to do at our 400+ corporate-owned hotels."

The current downturn isn't a huge concern for Goldberg. "This, too, shall pass," he
said. "Everything is cyclical." He notes that we have to learn from our past and the things that we have been through as an industry. Plus, he said, there are some positives. "The pipeline this time, in the upcycle, never got nearly as aggressive or as strong ... that pipeline from a growth standpoint, is not nearly as big as it has been in several of our cycles where, when the demand slowed down, you had all of these new hotels and properties ... the development this time didn't get nearly as out of kilter."

Goldberg also spoke about green issues, but from a slightly different perspective. He explained that as an industry, we have done a very poor job of taking credit for the things that we have historically done.

"The original reason a lot of those things started being done were because there were opportunities to save money at the same time you were doing the right thing for the environment ... but originally, they were designed because they were cost-effective," Goldberg said.

Because of that, said Goldberg, people may have been afraid to talk about these efficiencies, whether they were the use of compact fluorescent bulbs or replacing older PTAC units with newer, more efficient models.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Vote in our first poll!

Steve Belmonte, president of both Lexington Collection and Hospitality Solutions, recently told me about a conversation he had with Tom Corcoran, founder of FelCor Lodging Trust and chairman of AH&LA, while the two dined during the NYU Conference. In that conversation, the two hospitality industry experts agreed that this is the first time they were unable to wrap their head around a downturn and how soon the industry would rebound. Belmonte said he hears analysts say this is simply another dip in the timeline, but fears there are deeper fundamental issues.

What do you think? Vote in our first HotelTalk poll to the right. We'll discuss the outcome at a later date.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Is Travel and Tourism Promotion necessary?

Working on our August issue helped me learn about some aspects of the lodging industry that I hadn't considered before. One issue I researched was that of travel and tourism promotion.

The issue centers on getting people to travel to the U.S. This article on CNN.com highlights our problems in this area. Here is a snippet of the figures:

"According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, the United States had 51 million international visitors in 2000, more than 7 percent of the 682 million international arrivals worldwide. But as international arrivals worldwide jumped to 846 million in 2006, the U.S. saw roughly the same number of visitors as it used to -- dropping its share to 6 percent.

Nearly 26 million people traveled to the United States from overseas in 2000. But that dropped drastically after 9/11, according to data from the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Travel & Tourism Industries. The number bottomed out in 2003 with 18 million overseas visitors, and with 24 million last year still had not returned to previous levels."

Basically, we are off our game. To get us back on track, many feel we should spend more government money on commercials and P.R. and promotion to encourage more visitors to vacation here in the states.

I tend to agree with this philosophy in some respects. We should be working to change our image as a nation so that other countries have a more favorable outlook on who and what we are, but I also think there is a cheaper, quicker solution that will jump start the whole thing—not having George W. Bush as president anymore.

I'm not trying to tip my political hat with this; and I'm definitely not saying that Bush is the sole contributor for this problem or any problem. But I do think he is a contributor. Regardless of one's political leanings, President Bush's tenure hasn't made a whole lot of other countries happy. During these past eight years, it has been noted that America's image has taken a hit, which has probably played a part in this drop in numbers. I'm sure it can be hard for some travelers to separate our desirable, hospitable tourist destinations from the image they have of our war-time commander and chief. Now, if you don't care about pleasing other countries, that's fine, but if you are looking to solve what many in the industry feel is a problem, I think this is something to consider.

During the "2008 Obamamania World Tour," it seems Barack Obama is the guy for healing our P.R. wounds. I think a vote for Barack Obama could do more for travel and tourism promotion than any bill Congress could pass. This statement could be way off base, but if travel and tourism is really an issue you care about, I think this position is something to consider.

But, then again, if taxes and card-check are your thing...this may be a poor direction to go.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Turning leaders into celebrities

Of my passions in life, the first two undoubtedly are pop culture and politics; ask me for a third, and it’s the written word. So, imagine my sheer joy when our staff collaborated to develop the Aug. 11 issue of H&MM, focused on the upcoming elections—finally, I could share my passion for politics through the written word of the magazine. (The only thing that could have made it better would have been if the staff agreed to a photo page of movies that featured presidents in hotels—there must be a few, right?)

But it seems my dreams of mixing politics and pop culture came true when presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain unleashed a new commercial juxtaposing presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama with hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

The commercial says he is “the biggest celebrity in the world—but is he ready to lead?”

No offense to any of you with personal connections to Ms. Hilton herself (after all, I love her role on The Simple Life, and I thought her response video to his commercial was absolutely brilliant), but I found this comparison to be a bit far-fetched. Sen. Obama may be a celebrity, but he is no Paris Hilton. And what makes his celebrity a bad thing?

Many leaders have garnered celebrity status over the years. I don’t necessarily mean they have paparazzi followers and receive red-carpet treatment, but rather I mean that any good leader of any industry will build up fame because of his or her success. Does the fact that Bill Gates is on the A-list mean he can’t run one of the most successful companies in the world? Certainly not.

Yes, Sen. Obama does have celeb status, probably even more so than Sen. McCain. But I think the vigor he instills in so many should be viewed as a breath of fresh air to those people who call youngsters in my generation “apathetic” and “unconcerned” with the future.

It doesn’t matter what position a leader holds—whether it’s president, general manager, editor—Millennials want someone who has this air of celebrity to lead them. We want someone who inspires us, yet also pushes us to do our best. We want someone to promote new, fresh ideas, yet also who can teach us from his or her experience, whether it’s personal or professional.

Our August issue, under the new leadership of our editorial director Paul Heney and the veteran staffers, including Stephanie Ricca and Jason Freed, who both have stepped into new positions, did just that for me. The political topic inspired me and made me want to work hard to publish what we view as one of our best issues; it was a fresh idea for us—a bit different from our straight news style; and I learned from the experience of all the staff members. Each of us has a different background and brought different ideas to the table. Each of us worked hard to set aside any political differences we may have had and present the facts to you, the readers, to make an informed decision. I truly hope you enjoy reading the issue as much as I enjoyed collaborating on it. Let me know any feedback you may have, good, bad or otherwise. And if you want to chat about the issue, let me know—I’m not one to turn down a good debate.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Industry veteran Stevan Porter dies


InterContinental Hotels Group has sent the following announcement:

It is with much sadness that InterContinental Hotels Group today announces Steve Porter, president of the Americas region and main board director, passed away peacefully at home last evening following a short illness, aged 53.

Steve was an outstanding individual. A man of complete integrity and one of the leading hoteliers of his generation, he was enthusiastic and passionate in everything he did. He was, in every sense, a real ‘people person’ and felt as comfortable in the break room as he did in the boardroom.

A 32-year veteran of the hospitality and related industries, Steve joined IHG in 2001 as COO for the Americas. In 2002 he assumed the role of president. During his time at IHG, Steve led a fantastic team who together have built IHG’s Americas operation into a dominant force in the region. Under his leadership, IHG acquired its sixth brand, Candlewood Suites, and launched its seventh brand, Hotel Indigo, the industry’s first branded boutique.

Prior to joining IHG, Steve served with Hilton Hotels Corporation starting in 1990. He held roles of increasing responsibility including senior and executive vice president of operations where he was responsible for overseeing the management of nearly 350 hotels and more than 40,000 employees. Steve began his career in the hospitality industry in 1976 with Stouffer Hotels.

A big believer in making a difference both professionally and personally, Steve served as an industry expert at various conferences and was very active with many philanthropic organizations. His popularity and innovative thinking meant he was constantly in demand to appear at events across the Americas region.

He was on the board of directors of the IAHI Owner’s Association and was a member and past chairman of the Business Advisory Council for the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University. He was immediate past chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Government Affairs Committee and served as Executive-in-Residence at the University of Tennessee.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Steve was a graduate of Miami University and received his Master of Business Administration from Xavier University.

A devoted family man, Steve was a keen singer and loved music. Steve’s other recreational interests included being, in his words, “a casual jogger, a big swimmer and a miserable golfer.”

He will be deeply missed by everyone that knew him both professionally and personally.

He is survived by his wife Francey and their two sons, Charlie and Steve.

Contributions
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society or Miami University.

To donate to the American Cancer Society in honor of Steve, click here.
Donations to Miami University, Steve’s alma mater, can be made here.
Alternately, checks made payable to the American Cancer Society or Miami University can be forwarded to Amanda Nicewander, IHG, 3 Ravinia Drive, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30346. IHG will send an acknowledgment of your donation to Steve’s family on your behalf.

Trump is newest condo-hotel to take hit

It looks as though the ongoing struggle of condo-hotels has struck gold—the gold and glitz of the Trump brand itself.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this week that an investor in the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is trying to back out from his contract. A lawsuit filed there asks for a $146,000 deposit to be returned, alleging that the plaintiff was misled into signing a contract in 2005 for $730,000 on the basis that it would be a great investment. However, the claim is that the property was to open last year, while today the building's website shows an opening date in 2009. So now I’m wondering if my own immediate tendency to scoff at lawsuits may be silenced a bit by what could be a legitimate gripe.

While I’m still fairly new to the world of hospitality (I’m officially closing my fourth week here at H&MM today), I do understand that the condo-hotel market has taken some hits recently. Lawsuits are mounting and the market has been left over-saturated by way too many properties. However, when reading back on what Hotel & Motel Management reported on the topic, I found the Trump brand is one that’s actually been touted for its success. In our July 21 issue, contributing editor Christine Blank referenced consultants’ views that the Trump projects have thrived despite the downturn because of a plan to not cater to individuals who want to rent their units, but rather to those who legitimately are looking for a space for personal use.

It looks like the effort wasn’t entirely successful, though. Or maybe that just wasn’t the case at all.

The suit in Florida now shows that at least one buyer was trying to make a buck off of the purchase. The plaintiff is arguing that it was stressed to him during the sale that the condo-hotel could bring potential returns on his investment, especially thanks to the Trump name, the Sun-Sentinel reported. However, while the condo was marketed as an investment, the claim is that it was never registered as a security.

Frankly, a lot of this is still confusing to me. What I do know is that $730,000 is a lot of money. Would I be a bit peeved if I signed a contract to invest that kind of change into a condo-hotel from which I might now never see my expected return? Sure. But would I be willing to believe that return to be guaranteed (no matter how good the sales pitch may have been) when hundreds of other properties are going up, essentially, right down the street? I guess I don’t know the answer. Maybe when I get that raise …

We are not alone

What blogs do you read on a regular basis (other than this one, I hope)? In our industry alone, there are numerous topics; blogs written by magazines, lawyers, individual hotels, angry travelers and many more. Some of the ones I've run across in just the past month or so include:


If reading blogs is still new to you, there are a few different ways to find blogs of interest. Certainly, you can ask your friends and co-workers what blogs they read. I've found some great ones this way; and it also gives you a little insight into the person you're asking. You can also do a topic or keyword search at sites like Blog Catalog or Blogger.

Do you have a blog of your own? Which ones do you follow? Let us know, so we can follow what you're up to, and see what you have to say in the blogosphere.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Grab demand by the horns

Although demand is slipping in the U.S. (down 2.5 percent since Q2 2007, according to Smith Travel Research), there are still plenty of people booking hotel rooms. The trick is learning how to make sure those travelers stay at your place and not with someone else, according to Scott Farrell, VP of revenue strategy for TravelClick.

Farrell, along with other members of the TravelClick team including John Hach, VP of eMarketing solutions, presented a webinar yesterday titled "First Half of 2008 Global Hotel Performance: Finding the Way Forward."

Farrell and Hach said there isn't going to be a spectacular turnaround between now and the end of the year. Expect more of the same, they said. But, Hach pointed out, this downturn is extremely different than the last industry downturn, after Sept. 11, 2001. This time, he said, hotels understand rate parody and realize that if they drop rates now, it will be very hard to recover. Instead, ADR continues to grow and, in turn, as does RevPAR, albeit incrementally.

Both Farrell and Hach stressed the importance of a hotel's online presence. They advised hoteliers to market their property on several different channels instead of relying on one.

"It's not spending more money, it's reallocating money and spending it smarter," Hach said.

Ferrell said today's consumers aren't looking at just one site and booking a room from there. Instead, they are shopping around at many different sites trying to find a better deal. For this reason, the opaque sites (sites that don't display the price right away, such as Priceline and Hotwire) are increasing in popularity because they can offer rooms at a reduced rate, even if its just by $1 or $2. The TravelClick team also said GDS bookings rose from $55 million in 2007 to $56 million in 2008, noting "the value of the travel agent continues to have a significant impact."

Here are four takeaways from yesterday's TravelClick webinar:
  • Expand your distribution presence: Consumers are learning where to shop online, so make rooms available through many different channels.
  • Pool the local market: With airline capacity shrinking, a good place to make up for those missing travelers is locally. Offer marketing promotions to nearby travelers, such as gas cards and restaurant gift cards.
  • Expand your virtual presence: Make continual improvements to your website and let it be known what you have to offer. Invest in a content management system so employees can add things to the website without toying with HTML code.
  • Measure and benchmark conversions: Drive clicks to your website, monitor where consumers came from and how they booked.
An archived version of the "First Half of 2008 Global Hotel Performance: Finding the Way Forward" webinar will be available here after August 15.

Puerto Rican Ritz



Last week I visited The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Spa & Casino in Puerto Rico to see the property and meet with GM Steven Redkoles. Open since 1997, the hotel renovated guestrooms in 2005 and is in the process of adding 24 ocean-facing balconies to be completed by October.

The last two years have brought exciting changes to the property, especially the addition of two New York-concept restaurants, BLT Steak from restauranteur Laurent Tourondel, and Il Mulino New York. Every night, bustling crowds packed these two hallmark restaurants--Redkoles said 20- to 30-percent of the Ritz's restaurant business comes from visitors staying at nearby hotels.

Everything on property is accessible here, starting with its proximity to the airport and extending to its GM. Redkoles is a veteran of the Caribbean region and of Marriott International. He started his career with the company in 1985, and in 1999 was promoted to area director of operations for Marriott's Caribbean and Latin American regional office. After positions in Brazil and Costa Rica, Redkoles joined the San Juan property in January.

"It's a very exciting time here," Redkoles said, pointing to the property's balcony construction project, the continued success of its newest restaurants and its successful marriage of business and leisure travelers.

"We change lanes here," he said. "You'll feel the business traveler vibe during the week, and then they stay a few extra days for vacation, and more families come in over the weekend. We have the luxury of having both customers. It's a good group base."

Since it has been several years since my last stay in a Ritz-Carlton (that's me at left with GM Steven Redkoles), I noticed immediately the subtle changes the brand is espousing as it ratchets its historic formality back just a slight notch into casual elegance. Yes, I was greeted pleasantly by name, but the "my pleasures" were replaced by friendly smiles and "good morning" greetings. Extended families gathered around the pool, mother-and-daughter duos relaxed in the spa, couples played tennis and a wedding took place poolside on Saturday evening. The feeling was relaxed, yet upscale. Casual elegance.

Personally, I like this approach for Ritz-Carlton, and it supports the brand's newest foray into luxury with its Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand. (In February, our Luxury Hotelier magazine published an interview with Ritz president and CEO Simon Cooper. Read it here.) Reserve properties will be smaller and more intimate, with the goal of reaching a different type of luxury traveler, what the company refers to as "barefoot luxury."

The property, with Redkoles steering the ship, is a hub and a model for Ritz-Carlton's Caribbean expansion, the highlight of which will be the opening of the first Reserve location, Molasses Reef, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in Turks & Caicos, slated for later this year.

We'll be watching!

Oh, one more thing: Last week in Puerto Rico I heard more about one of The Ritz-Carlton's latest marketing projects, a partnership with American Express. This series of three short films about the Ritz-Carlton guest experience are here. You'll get drawn in.

Florida school going for the gold

It's been said that the Olympics will be China's chance to showcase itself to the world. Thus far there have been reports about occupancy problems and governmental meddling—not a good start. But on Eight-Eight-OH-Eight, when it's showcase time, joining Beijing on stage will be none other than America's own Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. (U-S-A! U-S-A!)

How so, you ask? Well, on Five-Five-OH-Eight, FIU graduated 29 students from its program in China—the first graduates from an innovative partnership FIU has set up with the Chinese government. There are 1,000 students enrolled for the fall semester, and 500 to 600 of them will be working various positions on the Beijing Olympic Committee as members of the team managing the 500,000-plus visitors expected for the games.

"We are the first and only program to have an international program of this caliber, where we designed the school, trained the professors and have a very successful enrollment," said Mohammed Qureshi, the school's assistant dean.

It all started when Dean Joseph West was invited to a conference in China. He presented a paper that started the Chinese government's interest in the hospitality education at the international level. Three hospitality schools (FIU, Cornell and another school from Switzerland) were invited to form a partnership and offer a degree in Tianjin. FIU was awarded the partnership based on its proposal.

The Chinese government funded the university's $50 million, 80-acre University Center that includes a 20 story dorm to house 1,000 students, teaching kitchens, computer centers and practice dining rooms. This a similar type of big-dollar deal that SEC college football programs have with their own universities (kidding! ... but not really).

"This program was not to get ready for the Olympics, rather long-term planning to bring in more tourism in China and to meet the growing demands of hotels and restaurants and to be able to hire professional and properly trained managers."

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

No greenwashing it

What does a green hotel brand look like, exactly? Well, for one thing, the doors open strangely.



A couple of weeks ago I visited the new Element hotel in Lexington, Mass., outside Boston. Although there are many LEED-certified hotels now, this is the first example of a hotel that is part of a brand requiring LEED certification.
(LEED certification is the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. It is a third-party evaluation of construction and operations.)

The two sets of exterior sliding doors to the lobby open in opposite directions (the first door opens to the left and the second to the right) to keep outside air out of the hotel and climate-controlled air inside the lobby. I kept forgetting to zigzag through the doorways and almost walking straight into the second door.

Some of the other obvious green features are huge windows with natural light pouring into the lobby and guestrooms (which will be especially welcome on gray winter days in many locations) and the soap and shampoo/conditioner dispensers mounted in the showers.


Something less obvious is the hotel’s foundation. The property is surrounded by rock formations. Instead of blasting that rock on the hotel site and taking it to a landfill, it was ground and put into the foundation.

“We’re slowly trying to figure out what it means to be eco-friendly in the hospitality industry,” said Brian McGuinness, VP for Element and aloft brands at Starwood.

Starwood liked the LEED criteria and wanted to make the buildings green.
“We’re not greenwashing this brand,” McGuinness said.

Operationally, it’s a challenge because green practices can’t impact the guest stay, he said. Something seemingly simple like offering recycling bins in the guestroom means putting an extra bin on housekeeping carts, finding a way to sort recyclables (they’re testing multiple bins in some guestrooms for plastic, paper and glass, and one bin in other rooms, which employees will then sort) and hiring someone to haul the recyclables away. On top of that, McGuinness wants to know where the hauler is taking the recyclable materials.


Denise Coll, president of Starwood's North America division, said this ultimately will be a requirement for new construction, so Starwood is simply ahead of the curve.
California just unveiled a new Green Building Code—voluntary until 2010—so you know other states will follow (read more)

While at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in June, I heard one hotelier (who shall remain nameless) criticize LEED as not relevant to hotels. I would love to hear from you developers, owners and operators who have worked on a LEED-certified project. What is the process like, and are you pleased with the results? Is LEED the best certification option for the hotel industry? And how many of your guests run into those funny sliding doors—or is that just me?

Friday, August 1, 2008

Ethical dilemma in hospitality

I just read this story about how a U.S. Senator says the Chinese government is ordering foreign-owned hotels to install software so that authorities can monitor the Internet activity of guests.

My first reaction as a red-blooded, apple-pie-eating, baseball-watching American was to say, "Well, too bad! American companies should put their foot down. If I had an extension of my company in China, I wouldn't bend my ethics."

But then I remember that this is the hospitality industry. Governmental spying (while becoming more popular) is frowned upon in this country, but that is how China operates. And the hospitality industry is founded on being just that—hospitable. So, if you build a hotel in another country, it is only right to abide by their social mores and laws. It's not like they made you build a hotel there.

I just think it's an interesting ethical dilemma. Could you run your business in a manner counter to your own ethics? Are there even alternatives since the government says there will be punishment for non-compliance? Am I making too big of a deal out of this?

iEverything

I find it fascinating to watch how iPods have proliferated—not just as far as how many people I see with them on the street, in the gym, on planes—but also as far as how many related products they have produced. Users can buy iPod-ready alarm clocks, stereos, car radio adapters, speakers, and a lot more. Heck, pick up any copy of the SkyMall catalog, and you'll probably come across four or five different options. Our industry, following the trends of what consumers want, has intelligently found options for hotel rooms.

The latest variation that I've seen is the Zeppelin B&W, a high-end speaker system for the iPod. B&W is known for having their products everywhere from the famed Abbey Road studios in London to the Jaguar XF automobile.

I haven't actually heard sound through the Zeppelin yet, but what I really like about it is the design ... the sleek, sculptural form is certainly an attention-getter. We've gone back and forth through periods where we wanted to hide speakers and where we wanted to make them stylish accessories. Maybe we're moving into an era of the latter type; the Zeppelin is certainly something that I'd be impressed to see on my hotel room's desk.