HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
It cannot be easy to find a novel way to write yet another book on self-branding of the individual, but I find that Stedman Graham has found his unique approaches and messages on ways to develop the success to be found in each of us.
With a foreword by John Maxwell and an afterword by Stephen Covey, one has reason to believe that the content between the two has substance and Graham hits the mark.
Using his Nine-Step Success Process, Graham uses interesting and believable examples of his own life on he addressed stereotype cause and effect situations. He offers discussion and reason for thought on how we develop values as the base and center of our identity, as we feel it should be, not as others say it should be.
There are Questions to Consider at the end of chapters, and nuggets of inspiration in shaded boxes throughout.
I find Stedman Graham to be an excellent and precise writer – he gets to the point of his message clearly and with just enough background.
I also consider him to be a strong believer in what seems to be on the verge of extinction – the quality and competency of “thinking.” He offers the proposition that we need to challenge the premise of traditional learning, where we learn to be a worker who finds a job and completes the assigned work. His dramatic point is the observation that so many of us program ourselves (or allow up others to program us) to do the same thing over and over and over again. Is it any wonder that so many people change jobs? Do we really all want to do and accomplish the absolute minimum to get by?
Graham’s nine steps start with the premise of the book title – identity. He states it is essential to be honest with one’s self and he includes inspirational stories by a number of well-known names who hit the mark in their journeys and give us reason to think more about ours.
Graham makes the point that we really only have ourselves to blame if we miss the real hidden identity, resources and purpose that we all have hidden under the surface
Read this short book – find your true identity.
Dr. John Hogan CHE CHA CMHS
Hospitality Educators
Hogan Hospitality
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
What we want and need in 2012 in Hospitality : #9-11
It is now May, Month Number 5.
We have blogged the first 8 recommendation of what we need and want earlier in the year, and are pleased to share three additional points for your consideration.
Nine: A Genuine Commitment to Learning and Professional Development at ALL Levels of the Hospitality Organization.
This includes opportunities for all associates in the organization who are interested in improving themselves. This could be language, marketing, certain professional skills, and career development. If opportunities are only offered to a select few, that organization is likely to be limited. Look at the example of the staff at any Apple Computer/Technology store and compare that to any competitor you can think of. Which staff has had the opportunity to learn and develop? What is happening at your hotel?
Ten: Boost the value proposition
The peripheral surroundings in the marketplace continue to have a major impact on the hotel and restaurant industries. Being unique (not a cookie cutter) and offering a differentiated product is clearly a major keys for success in these competitive times.
The government issued statistics may try to hint at improvements in performance, productivity and job creation, but the millions of unemployed or underemployed people throughout many developed countries remain staggering. We must make our business offerings appropriate and relevant with the changing needs and lifestyles of our guests. We must offer consistently the proper experience at our hotels and restaurants at the prices that our guests can afford to pay and the price they choose to pay.
The online travel agencies are blamed for aggressive discounting, but it is the decision of the individual hotel and restaurant to decide their prices and at what value. I often write on the danger of our industry becoming a commodity that has no distinction and holds little interest from consumers or others. Competition will continue to increase in marketing, products and brands. Some of our clients are business travelers, while others are leisure or social travelers. Even in good times, many companies will be careful to use hospitality businesses that are fair and pricing inconsistent and experience.
Eleven: Provide Clearer Communications
We often are frustrated by news bytes of partial information and by politicians’ comments that appear so often to be self-serving. As business leaders and hoteliers, restaurateurs, and hosts, it is up to us to be clear in our communication to our associates, our suppliers, bankers, our clients and all we deal with. This means using the tactics in the first 10 items mentioned above.
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
One: Increased Cooperation between Franchisors and Franchisees.
The franchise model has been proven to be a successful vehicle for hundreds of thousands of businesses in many industries globally. There are obvious areas of potential differences of interpretation in the franchise agreement, yet the concept of cooperation makes so much more sense than has been the mis- directed sense taken by some organizations. The consolidation of Brands by a relatively small number of international companies has led to intensified friction in certain markets and types of hotels. There should be enough market difference for franchisors to provide the distinction which would reduce many of the frustrations for all parties. Consumers also are confused because there are so many products offered by the same franchisors that appear to have little distinction. We include this in our consulting and training, as well as having written on this in the past (Getting the Most out of your hotel franchise investment)
Two: Amplified Support of Hospitality Associations
A generation ago, many hospitality associations served as primarily professional centers of information and socializing. Today they have become centers of education, political lobbying, networking, consumer marketing and provide other needed services for Hotels, Restaurants, clubs, spas and other hospitality businesses.
Three: Better Attentiveness to the Need for Political savvy.
This does not mean just following the crowd or lobbying only for special interests, but rather a sincere collaborative effort with government. Regardless of political affiliation or party, government needs to work with the business community leaders to effectively make progress. Business is used to be working towards specific measurable results, while too many politicians seem to work on getting re-elected. Genuine collaboration may mean serving on community councils or commissions, which also means the opportunity to have open and ongoing input in the process. For those of us who have served on some of those commissions, we have been able to influence through logic and sincere dialogue.
Four: Appropriate renovations aimed at consumer satisfaction and a targeted ROI.
Brands need to grow, and consistency and product differentiation is important for the identity of those brands. At the same time, if brands insist on certain renovations that are clearly designed to strengthen the brand identity as contrasted with long-term owner profitability and success, the conflicts identified in #1 are created. Consumers are the ones who eventually paying for these renovations and improvements; if they are misdirected, those hotels and brands can go the way of many airline companies and hospitality brands that have been involved in on unsuccessful bankruptcies the last 25 years.
Five: Practical Strategic Planning
Peter Drucker introduced the term management by objectives more than 50 years ago. With his approach to strategic planning, options were identified, considered, discussed and executed. Using the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), hoteliers can actively deal with OTAs, revenue management, asset protection, staff development, competitive marketplaces, and proper market positioning. Dealing with these and other issues cannot happen by themselves and will require senior management commitment and support. In my 35+ year career as a hotelier, educator and consultant, I have seen repeated successes of those who take the time to follow this process. We write on it often, share approaches on our site and know it works.
Six: Augmented Training
One cannot “train hospitality”, just as one cannot specifically “teach attitude.” One can influence personalized service. This personalized training is not globally the same cannot only offered in the generic programs promoted by some brands and management groups. It must be one that is felt, developed and shared by key owners and managers. We all know that favorite restaurant or inn where we are always made to feel welcome. How do you suppose that happens?
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
Guest Columnist Conor Kenny shares insights on business and financial challenges in this You Tube video on one of the world’s most established segments of hospitality – the local pub. While you may not have a “pub” in the traditional sense of the word, there are many similarities to other services in hospitality. We felt our global readers would appreciate this unique perspective.
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
Nordstrom’s Old Employee Handbook Had Only 75 Words
For many years, Nordstrom’s employee handbook consisted of a single 5″×8″ card that had only 75 words on it:
“Welcome to Nordstrom
We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.
Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1:
Use best judgment in all situations.
There will be no additional rules.
Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.”
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
There was so much positive feedback on last week’s smiles from HospitalityEducators.com that we decided to add two more today.
Compliment Day
When : Always January 24th
How nice of you to visit our site today. I can see by your choice of websites, that you are an intelligent person. You are a kind and inquisitive person. I love the way you……
Yes, its Compliment Day. Today is a great opportunity to say something positive about the people you come into contact with. Everyone has good attributes. …that’s right……. everyone.
Its a cinch to find compliments for family and loved ones, even for your Mother-in-Law. (Tip: She’s probably a good cook.)
Friends are friends because you see something good about them. Here’s an easy compliment to a friend: “Wow, you’re very intelligent…you choose your friends wisely”.
It’s more challenging to compliment your boss, or people you don’t like. Take up the challenge, and find a compliment for them today, too.
Remember:Mama said ”If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything”. After a long search for something good, if you just can’t find a compliment for them, then silence is golden.
Compliment Day is celebrated by offering sincere compliments to people you know. It is important that you are sincere. People will see right through insincerity, and you will do more harm than good.
How many compliments should you give out today? The common suggestion is five compliments. Yes, they should be to five different people.
Origin of Compliment Day:
This day was created in 1998 by Kathy Chamberlin, of Hopkinton, NH. and Debby Hoffman, of Concord, NH.
Opposite Day
When : Always January 24th
Opposite Day is a topsy, turvy day when everything you say, do, see, and hear are the opposite. If you say go left, you mean go right. If you say look up, it means look down. If you see your left foot…is it really your right?
Yesiree, Bob. Opposite Day can be a whole lot of fun. It can also be very, very confusing. This special day is celebrated primarily among school children. Sponge Bob Square Pants even got into the act, with an episode containing the whimsical nature of this day.
Thought for the Day:Opposites attract.
Origin of Opposite Day:
We have yet to discover who created this day, or the original date of creation. In true “Opposite Day” spirit, you have to look for someone who says “I didn’t create this day”, and go from there.
References to Opposite Day date back to around 2000. However, we found some casual reference to President Calvin Coolidge in the 1920′s. Is it possible that a president said one thing and meant another?
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
This is a continuing series from a non-traditional commissioned year-end column that was not a prediction of trends nor a list of New Year’s resolutions. I felt honored to have been asked by the editor of one of the world’s best known online publications to consider and share my thoughts on what we want to see more in the new year.
The list includes what we want and need in 2012, which is reflected in the title that asks
“if hospitality is still an industry that motivates entrepreneurs.”
#2: Amplified Support of Hospitality Associations
A generation ago, many hospitality associations served as primarily professional centers of information and socializing.
Today they have become centers of activity and provide other needed services for Hotels, Restaurants, clubs, spas and other hospitality businesses.
Some of those services include
education – the need for ongoing continuing education has never been more evident. Associations at the local, provincial/state and national levels augment that offered by brands and fill a major role for those that take advantage of it
political lobbying – hospitality and tourism is a major employer and tax collection center in many areas of the world, yet it has often not been at the center of attention in sharing views on how the industry is addressed. In the past 15 years or so, national associations have begun to assertively state the goals and opinions of the components of the hospitality industry, but there is much more that should be done NOW.
networking - social media is growing in its reach to people globally, but the hospitality industry remains a high touch industry. Personal contacts, face to face meetings and collaboration on important issues cannot be replaced by technology alone and associations fill that role
consumer marketing - Technology does play a major role in certain marketing efforts and local and regional associations provide exceptional support in promoting consumer awareness and the uniqueness of what is offered.
Individuals, companies, brands and other regional organizations should consider more active support of Hospitality Associations – because we are all in this together!
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 950 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources, HospitalityEducators.com has become the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS™ is the umbrella title for my 2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense.
John Hogan, Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE),
Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA),Certified Master Hotel Supplier (CMHS)
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today.
Consulting Expertise and Research Interest
1. Turn-around and revenue management
2. Professional Development for the Organization and the Individual
3. Customer Service
4. Making Cultural Diversity Real
5. Developing Academic Hospitality programs
6. Medical Lodging Consulting
7. Sales Management and training
If you need assistance in any of these areas or simply an independent review or opinion on a hospitality challenge, contact me directly for a prompt response and very personalized attention.
www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
Over the last month, I have received a number of similar emails on a topic we all understand- supporting local businesses. Some of these emails have come from people I know well and others from casual acquaintances. Some have politically oriented messages in them, while others express a sense of real frustration with politics as usual.
The portion of these messages I have appreciated revolves creating a mind-set for this year’s gift giving to be different. This year, people can give the gift of genuine concern for other people in their town and state. The mind-set change is to realize there is no longer an excuse that nothing can be found that is produced locally. Oh…. Yes there is!
Alan Jackson wrote about this a few years ago – he sings the message very clearly
These messages sent to me have urged readers to think creatively, a bit outside the proverbial box. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box?
Remember, this isn’t about big national chains. This is about supporting your local, home town operated and owned businesses that have their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open. Now many local businesses are franchises of national brands, but locally owned and operated. Profits remain in your community, as do most of the jobs and tax revenue.
Some thoughts shared so far from others include:
1. Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local Hometown hair salon or barber?
2. Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.
3. Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, locally owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.
4. Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down a large amount on the latest gizmo made who-knows-where which benefits someone from far-away? Why not consider having their driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local bowling alley or public golf course within your community?
5. There are hundreds and thousands of locally operated and owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates.
6. As an option to dinner, what about a half dozen pre-paid breakfasts at the local breakfast shop?
7. How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle done at a shop run by the local small business?
8. Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.
9. My computer often could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young entrepreneur who is struggling to get his/her repair business up and running.
10. OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves and hats. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
11. Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip.
12. How about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre? Community colleges and local community theatre offer excellent shows at a bargain price.
13. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
14. Do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand imported lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. I wonder where the rest goes…..
15. Leave the mailman, trash truck driver, babysitter or anyone else who provides you a service throughout the year a nice tip.
16. Facials and massages at a local spa are gender neutral and appreciated by all.
17. Many in the local hotel business offer gift certificates – consider using them locally. Many provide excellent packages and there are advantages in trying something closer to home sometimes.
18. Hotel owners and managers at times find themselves cash strapped, but creativity can balance that. Consider reciprocal arrangements with comparable properties as gifts for deserving staff and their families. The cash cost is negligible and the appreciation can be enormous.
19. How many more ways can you think if to support your locally owned and operated hometown businesses?
The term Small Business Saturday sounded great to me at first glance, but seemed to evolve into just another promotion from the credit card companies or advertising agencies. I have no problem with the term, but we need to make it real.
Christmas and the end of the year holidays should not be about draining hometown pockets so that some other country can build another glittering city. It should be about caring about US (We the People Everywhere ) and encouraging hometown small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. When we care about others in our hometown, we care about our communities and the benefits come back to us in ways we could not imagine. Let THIS be the new tradition!!
Alan Jackson wrote about this a few years ago – he sings the message very clearly
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 950 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources, HospitalityEducators.com has become the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS™ is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™,Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense.
John Hogan, Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA),
Certified Master Hotel Supplier (CMHS)
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today.
Consulting Expertise and Research Interest
1. Turn-around and revenue management
2. Professional Development for the Organization and the Individual
3. Customer Service
4. Making Cultural Diversity Real
5. Developing Academic Hospitality programs
6. Medical Lodging Consulting
7. Sales Management and training
If you need assistance in any of these areas or simply an independent review or opinion on a hospitality challenge, contact me directly for a prompt response and very personalized attention.
www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
This was made in memory of all those lost in war both past and present. It is hoped this video touches everyone who has lost someone in their lives.
It’s not only a tribute to those who put their lives on the line each and every day for we as a people, it’s also for all the sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandfathers and grandmothers and our friends that were taken from us too soon. May their memory live on in our hearts for all time. If you’ve lost a loved one feel free to leave a tribute to them in the comments. Here’s to all the heroes in heaven. May your memory never be forgotten.
Song is sung by Jo Dee Messina… lyrics below…
I came by today to see you
I just had to let you know
If I knew the last time that I held you was the last time
I’d have held you, and never let go
Oh, it’s kept me awake nights, wondering
I lie in the dark, just asking why
I’ve always been told
You won’t be called home
Until it’s your time
I guess heaven was needing a hero
Somebody just like you
Brave enough to stand up
For what you believe
And follow it through
When I try to make it make sense in my mind
The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a hero
Like you
I remember the last time I saw you
Oh, you held your head up proud
I laughed inside
When I saw how you were standing out in the crowd
Your such a part of who I am
Now that part will just be void
No matter how much I need you now
Heaven needed you more
Cause heaven was needing a hero
Somebody just like you
Brave enough to stand up
For what you believe
And follow it through
When I try to make it make sense in my mind
The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a hero
Like you
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources,HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More
KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my 2011-2012 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.
Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,
John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com , which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.
www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.
HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability. With more than 1,000 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources, HospitalityEducators.com is the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. This site can help you solve your problems now! Read More 
Guest Columnist Conor Kenny shares insights on business and financial challenges in this You Tube video on one of the world’s most established segments of hospitality – the local pub. While you may not have a “pub” in the traditional sense of the word, there are many similarities to other services in hospitality. We felt our global readers would appreciate this unique perspective.
