Stories Of The Women and Men Lost On September 11/ Recommended Reading and Viewing from John J Hogan

By John J. Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO
September 11, 2019

2001-2019 = 18 years of memories, lessons learned and values appreciated

I have re-posted this blog message several times because it should remain in our minds and hearts that we all need to pay attention to our role, values and place in history.

9-11 marked the first time the USA had been successfully attacked on its own soil in an undeclared war by terrorists and it changed the country forever in many ways. Innocent civilians of all religions, professions, ages and activities were affected in ways not imagined before.

I was with a  major hotel company on that day and my team and I were delivering a workshop out of state. The 100% closing of all airports nationwide, of some roads, and of many government and business centers was an eerie sensation for the week that followed.

In the years since that day, on those times when I am interacting with groups and others on September 11th, I make sure we take that moment of silence to remember and reflect.

I encourage you to watch the following You Tube and then read the short recap of real people’s lives that follow.

When the World Stopped Turning: A 9/11 tribute

Remember and Reflect

While this blog first was published several years ago,  the lessons we learned from each other and about inner strengths are worth another look.

American Lives: The Stories Of The Men And Women Lost On September 11

I have had this book for several years now – I found it at a used book sale. I almost passed it by, but was genuinely moved by the collection of personal stories complied by the staff of Newsday and the Tribune Company.   If you choose to pass on the book, I understand – it is not easy to keep returning to such a memory, but I strongly recommend you read the brief collection of thoughts below.

This is a mini-biography of some of the women and men who lost their lives on that day.  Some of what really moved me were the titles in the stories.  You will understand without even reading the full story:

• Robert, there’s another plane coming
• Dad, I gotta go. There’s smoke in here now
• Take care of my kids
• She still lives in his dreams
• She opened up his world
• A recovered ring completes a circle of life
• He made every day a party
• That day, she learned she was pregnant
• After 20 years, they still held hands
• A hero by any definition
• He ignored his own order to flee
• Firefighting was all he talked about
• He dreamed of a school for autistic kids
• She beat Hodgkin’s and eased others pains
• Her family’s first college graduate
• Death in a place of prayer
• They knew what was important
• She kept going back in
• A rescuer who wouldn’t be stopped
• A coach who brought out kid’s potential
• Her husband watched her disappear
• She tried to block the cockpit
• The man who said “let’s roll”
• He stayed to check on an elderly colleague
• A cool army vet who helped others evacuate
• He saved his wife, but not himself
• A son is born as a father is mourned
• and probably 200 more headings and stories

The book is only 200 pages in a slightly oversize format.  The five sections are to the point:

Little Brother, You’re MVP in our hearts, and as sub-sections includes
1. last phone calls
2. love stories
3. FDNY and
4. lost promises

The first into heaven
5. they died together
6. rescuers
7. mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers
8. on the planes

A Husband is Missing No More
9. High Finance
10. New Americans
11. In the Pentagon

A Man of Unusual Disposition
12. free spirits
13. tower people
14. legacies

The List of the Lost
World Trade Center Occupants
Pentagon
Emergency/Rescue Personnel
American Airline Flight #11 -WTC North Tower
United Airliners Flight #175 -WTC South Tower
American Airlines Flight # 77 – Pentagon
United Airlines Flight #93 – Pennsylvania

Comments and suggestions for future articles are always welcome john@hoganhospitality.com 

 

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

• Principal,  HoganHospitality.com   Expert Witness Services, Workshops, Consulting
•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability
• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

  Success does not come by accident or chance.

Contact us for assistance – John.Hogan@HospitalityEducators.com or 602-799-5375

Guest Blog message from Stanley Turkel- The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality, Fanciful Travel Predictions & Definition of “Turnpike”,

I am pleased to share a message from noted hotel historian, Stanley Turkel, CMHS that he posted earlier this year.  In this post, he notes the history of how the pineapple came to be known as the universal symbol of Hospitality.

John J. Hogan

This background is why we at HospitalityEducators.com chose the pineapple as part of our logos over the years.

  Original 2010 logo   

    Updated 2017

______________________________________________________________________

Fanciful Prediction, Definition of “Turnpike”, The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality, Hokusai, the Great Japanese Printmaker

 (original publication date July 18, 2018 )

by Stanley Turkel, CMHS

Hotel History: Fanciful Prediction – In the September 1912 issue of American Homes & Gardens, futurist Harold D. Eberlein presented his predictions of the impact of air travel on American cities.  Eberlein foresaw a proliferation of roof gardens on top of large hotels to provide pleasing views for guests.  He also predicted that travelers could expect to find “clerks and bellboys posted on the top floor ready to attend to the immediate wants of tourists who have just arrived by airplane. Aerial taxicabs will circle like vultures over the hotel waiting for a doorman to signal one of them to alight and pick up a departing guest.” The creation of drones and self-driven vehicles shows just how close we are to fulfilling Eberlein’s fanciful prediction of the future. Google’s efforts to build delivery drones and internet-beaming balloons are no longer just science projects.

Definition of “Turnpike” – It came from the practice of placing a pike or staff across a toll road. One side of the pike was imbedded with spikes. When the toll was paid, the pike was turned spikes down so the traveler could pass. The first turnpike was built between Philadelphia and Lancaster in 1792.

The Pineapple as a Symbol of Hospitality – In order to understand how the pineapple became the symbol for hospitality, we must return to Newport, Rhode Island in the 17^th century. It was founded in 1639 by settlers seeking religious freedom. Newport’s majestic schooners participated in the infamous Triangle trade:  ships would sail to western Africa to pick up slaves, continue to the Caribbean to trade the slaves for sugar, molasses and sugar and then back to New England. Along with these commodities, captains would bring home pineapples whose exotic shape and sweetness made them a rare delicacy in the colonies.  Before emails or cellphones, sea captains would place the pineapples on their gate posts or over their doorways to inform neighbors that they had returned.  Colonial hostesses would set a fresh pineapple as a centerpiece of their dining table when visitors joined their families in their homes.  Later, carved wooden pineapples were placed over the doorways of inns and hotels to represent hospitality.  The practice has continued to the present and frequently one sees the pineapple icon in hotels, restaurants and homes to signal an atmosphere of hospitality and welcome.

Hokusai, the great Japanese master printmaster, once wrote:

“From the age of six, I had a passion for copying the form of things and since the age of fifty I have published many drawings. Yet of all I drew by my seventieth year there is nothing worth taking into account. At seventy-three years I partly understood the structure of animals, birds, insects and fishes, and the life of grasses and plants. And so, at eighty-six I shall progress further; at ninety I shall even further penetrate their secret meaning, and by one hundred I shall perhaps truly have reached the level of the marvelous and divine. When I am one hundred and ten, each dot, each line will possess a life of its own.”

My Published Books

• Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2009)
• Built To Last:  100+ Year-Old Hotels in New York (2011)
• Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi (2013)
• Hotel Mavens: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt and Oscar of the Waldorf (2014)
• Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry (2016)
• Built To Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels West of the Mississippi (2017)

All of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book’s title.

About Stanley Turkel 

Stanley Turkel was designated as the 2014 and the 2015` Historian of the Year by Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This award is presented to an individual for making a unique contribution in the research and presentation of hotel history and whose work has encouraged a wide discussion and a greater understanding and enthusiasm for American History.

Turkel is a well-known consultant in the hotel industry. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases, provides asset management and hotel franchising consultation. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

All of his books can be ordered from the publisher (AuthorHouse) by visiting www.stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the book title.

Contact: Stanley stanturkel@aol.com / 917-628-8549

Please Take Note   Effective June 5, 2018, my new address is:

Stanley Turkel, CMHS,   5000 Fairbanks Avenue #321,      Alexandria, Virginia 22311

______________________________________________________________

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO

John@Hoganhospitality.com    Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness

• Principal,  HoganHospitality.com    Expert Witness Services,  Workshops, Consulting
•  Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com, Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability
• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

GUEST BLOG Lodging Leader Podcast #005 | What Makes a Leader with John Hogan

Please join Lodging Leaders Podcast founder Jonathan Albano with this link:

http://lodgingleaders.com/005-what-makes-a-leader-with-john-hogan/

John J. Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO is a career business professional and educator who has held senior leadership with responsibility in several organizations involving operational, academic and entrepreneurial enterprise. He has demonstrated competencies as a strong leader, relationship builder, problem solver and mentor and is frequently invited to speak at franchise meetings, management company and hospitality association industry events. He also acts as an expert witness in both research and testimony in hospitality industry related cases.

Background:

John has been a part of the hospitality industry his entire adult life. He started out as a teenager at a seasonal summer resort in Vermont and shares that his emotion towards the spirit of hospitality was very profound from the beginning. John studied hospitality at University of Massachusetts and over the last 40 years has worked with companies of all sizes ranging from smaller family owned large to large independents, to niched, to corporate and franchises. He feels it is an exciting, never boring, always changing industry.

Resources & Links:

• John Hogan on LinkedIn
• www.hospitalityeducators.com – Resource Site for Hotel Owners & Managers
• www.hoganhospitality.com – Expert Professional Services for Hotel Owners
• AAHOA Certified Hotel Owners Program (CHO)

For book recommendations, go to:

https://hoganhospitality.wordpress.com

Leadership:

John decided to take on his first leadership role because it felt right to him. In his experience, he learned that one can’t be afraid to make mistakes – because you’re going to. It’s about making mistakes but not the same mistakes. It’s about knowing a good amount about everything but not needing to know everything while learning how to delegate because you CAN’T do it all alone. It is important to TRUST others and give them the tools they need for the overall success of the company.

So, what makes an effective leader? According to John, “Management is doing things right whereas leadership is doing the right things.” Leaders know how to take you through to the next level.

Are leaders born or made?

What are the common pitfalls hoteliers face today and how can they be avoided?

In working with local businesses and CVB’s. How does one drive reservations there?

Improving ADR:

How can Hoteliers increase their spend for guests?

What was a defining moment in your career?

What are some personal habits contributing to your success?

 

Hospitality Educators was created by John and his partner Kathleen in 2010 as a membership site.  It is a resource site. Parting advice: Keep your enthusiasm. Keep your focus. Enjoy what it is you do and regularly figure out how you can get 10% better this month. Within the year you will 100% be there!

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. If you have some feedback you’d like to share, leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons at the bottom of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The Lodging Leaders Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They really do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes. It’s FREE. All it means is that you’ll automatically be notified when the next episode is released. There are options for subscribing on Apple and Android devices!

Until the next …

John J Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO    John@Hoganhospitality.com

Office 480-436-0283   Cell 602-799-5375

Hotelier, Speaker, Educator, Author, Expert Witness 

•   Principal, HoganHospitality.com    Workshops, Consulting, Expert Witness Services    
• Co-Founder & CLO, HospitalityEducators.com,  Resources in Customer Services, Training, Marketing and Sales, Profitability 
• Visit  johnjhogan.com for Coaching and Development

Recommended Reading/Viewing from John J Hogan|Stories Of The Women and Men Lost On September 11

By John J. Hogan, CHA CMHS CHE CHO
September 11, 2018

2001-2017 = 17 years of memories, lessons learned and values appreciated

This is the 5th repost of this blog message,  because it should remain in our minds and hearts that we all need to pay attention to our role, values and place in history.

9-11 marked the first time the USA had been successfully attacked on its own soil in an undeclared war by terrorists and it changed the country forever in many ways. Innocent civilians of all religions, professions, ages and activities were affected in ways not imagined before.

I was with a  major hotel company on that day and my team and I were delivering a workshop out of state. The 100% closing of all airports nationwide, of some roads, and of many government and business centers was an eerie sensation for the week that followed.

In the years since that day, on those times when I am interacting with groups and others on September 11th, I make sure we take that moment of silence to remember and reflect.

I encourage you to watch the following You Tube and then read the short recap of real people’s lives that follow.

When the World Stopped Turning: A 9/11 tribute

Remember and Reflect

While this blog first was published last year,  the lessons we learned from each other and about inner strengths are worth another look.

American Lives: The Stories Of The Men And Women Lost On September 11

I have had this book for several years now – I found it at a used book sale. I almost passed it by, but was genuinely moved by the collection of personal stories complied by the staff of Newsday and the Tribune Company.   If you choose to pass on the book, I understand – it is not easy to keep returning to such a memory, but I strongly recommend you read the brief collection of thoughts below.

This is a mini-biography of some of the women and men who lost their lives on that day.  Some of what really moved me were the titles in the stories.  You will understand without even reading the full story:

• Robert, there’s another plane coming
• Dad, I gotta go. There’s smoke in here now
• Take care of my kids
• She still lives in his dreams
• She opened up his world
• A recovered ring completes a circle of life
• He made every day a party
• That day, she learned she was pregnant
• After 20 years, they still held hands
• A hero by any definition
• He ignored his own order to flee
• Firefighting was all he talked about
• He dreamed of a school for autistic kids
• She beat Hodgkin’s and eased others pains
• Her family’s first college graduate
• Death in a place of prayer
• They knew what was important
• She kept going back in
• A rescuer who wouldn’t be stopped
• A coach who brought out kid’s potential
• Her husband watched her disappear
• She tried to block the cockpit
• The man who said “let’s roll”
• He stayed to check on an elderly colleague
• A cool army vet who helped others evacuate
• He saved his wife, but not himself
• A son is born as a father is mourned
• and probably 200 more headings and stories

The book is only 200 pages in a slightly oversize format.  The five sections are to the point:

Little Brother, You’re MVP in our hearts, and as sub-sections includes
1. last phone calls
2. love stories
3. FDNY and
4. lost promises

The first into heaven
5. they died together
6. rescuers
7. mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers
8. on the planes

A Husband is Missing No More
9. High Finance
10. New Americans
11. In the Pentagon

A Man of Unusual Disposition
12. free spirits
13. tower people
14. legacies

The List of the Lost
World Trade Center Occupants
Pentagon
Emergency/Rescue Personnel
American Airline Flight #11 -WTC North Tower
United Airliners Flight #175 -WTC South Tower
American Airlines Flight # 77 – Pentagon
United Airlines Flight #93 – Pennsylvania

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.   This site can help you solve your problems now!      Read More 

  Success does not come by accident or chance.

Contact us for assistance – John.Hogan@HospitalityEducators.com or 602-799-5375

A Shared holiday smile from SIEGEL SAYS and HOTEL-ONLINE – Some Thanksgiving fun facts

A Shared holiday smile from SIEGEL SAYS and HOTEL-ONLINE

From Rich Siegel

And now for you-know-what… Some Thanksgiving fun facts:  The Pilgrims’ first-ever Thanksgiving took place over three days in Plymouth, Mass. Gov. William Bradford planned the first Thanksgiving dinner. The Pilgrims ate items like lobster, hickory nuts, cabbage, goat cheese and squash at the first Thanksgiving. Pilgrims probably didn’t wear all black with big buckles. That stereotype was created by illustrators in the 19th century. A writer named Sarah Josepha Hale is responsible for Thanksgiving’s national holiday status. She asked President Abraham Lincoln to declare it an American holiday in October 1863. Congress designated Thanksgiving as an official holiday in 1941. For the past 67 years, the president has pardoned a live turkey every Thanksgiving. The pardoned turkeys get to live on a farm until they die of old age. Benjamin Franklin campaigned for the turkey, not the bald eagle, to be the national bird. Nearly 90 percent of Americans eat turkey every Thanksgiving. About 46 million turkeys are eaten every Thanksgiving. Turkey doesn’t make you tired. It contains no more tryptophan than cheese or chicken. Most of the turkeys come from Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia and Indiana. Turkeys can’t see well at night, and if they’re raised commercially, they can’t fly. Most Thanksgiving turkeys weigh about 15 pounds. They’re usually 70 percent to 30 percent white meat/dark meat. Every year, the average person in the United States eats about 17 pounds of turkey. The oldest Thanksgiving day parade was organized by Gimbels department store in 1920. The Macy’s parade didn’t start until four years later. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving has the most liquor sales of the whole year.

Happy US Thanksgiving from Hospitality Educators!

Kathleen Hogan and John Hogan  

480-436-0283           Service@HospitalityEducators.com

Hotel Common Sense – 7 Practical Steps on MBWA

Hotel Common Sense – 7 Practical Steps on MBWA

HOSPITALITY PRINCIPLES OF  SUCCESS

A previous article used one of Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s fundamentals from their groundbreaking book on changing the ways we do business.   IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE introduced a formal name for what the more successful hospitality managers already knew about motivating their staff. The phrase “Management by Walking Around” was based on Hewlett-Packard’s commitment to their staff with interaction – not micromanagement, but ongoing listening and responding to staff ideas.

Hotel Common Sense – Philosophy #2 , Or, why the Open Door policy no longer works… article outlined how today’s workforce wants and needs to be considered as individuals who can contribute to the success of their organization.

Reader feedback showed the growing awareness to that need for additional management and leadership “active listening” and this follow-up message on MBWA offers some concrete ways to notch up that effort of positive involvement.

1. Allow your staff to share complete stories and messages.  Many hospitality companies are trying to improve their customer care programs, yet how often do leaders and managers actually ask an hourly staff member to share a story about either an unhappy or very satisfied guest?  Listening to the entire story could provide best practices that might be substantially more effective and less expensive than hiring a consultant.
2. Avoid the tendency to interrupt.   General Managers are results oriented people who are looking for the bottom line.   I know from personal experience the tendency to “hurry” people along is there, but allowing people to share the entire experience will encourage them to be more open.
3. Remember eye contact in conversations.  One of my first mentors taught me a great deal about hospitality, but his habit of looking over my shoulder when we were talking always made me feel I was missing something. Give confidence to people with your eyes.
4. Collect and communicate these stories of success (and failures). Sharing these stories (appropriately) at meetings of all staff, at training sessions, in newsletters and more provides an incentive to people to want to contribute because they have learned that you really do care.  I have seen some outstanding examples of “you tube” like testimonials from a number of hospitality companies of all sizes.
5. Remember this is not a game of “one-up.” As General Managers, we have likely been in the business longer or heard more stories and it is important to recognize that we should not try to offer one “better” story than the one we are hearing. Remember, MBWA is about “active listening.”
6. Credit the source.   When we add a new resource, form or best practice to our hospitality membership site, we obtain permission first and then always make certain we credit them fully.  Each of us has unique approaches, messages and talents and sharing the credit with our associates and guests is essential to moving forward.
7. Build trust by honestly listening.  Some (correction, many) of the best suggestions I have ever heard as a manager or executive came from the people who are performing the job.  I learned more about laundry sorting, washing pots and up-selling from people who were proud to be successful at what they were doing.  Some of those suggestions needed clarification and some were not told as quickly as I might have preferred, but building teams means using all the team members’ strengths.

I normally update the Hospitality Tip of the Week, but as this is an immediate follow-up message, I am going to maintain it, as I believe the point needs to repeated until it becomes a habit.

Keys to Success Hospitality Tip of the Week:   Focus on MBWA

A challenge to every manager who is responsible for 5 or more people:  measure your in and out of the office time and at the end of the week, see how much time you spent ACTIVELY INTERACTING with your team.

The goal is 70% of your time out of the office – how did you do?   

              What will you do next week?

KEYS TO SUCCESS is the umbrella title for my speaking programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings will focus on a wide variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles and HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS. My segments Lessons from the Field, Hotel Common Sense and Principles for Success will be featured at appropriate times in the year as well.

Success does not come by accident or chance.

Contact us for assistance.

John J. Hogan CHA CHE CHO and Kathleen Hogan  MBA CHO are the  co-founders of  HospitalityEducators.com, which was created in 2010 to be a resource for hotel owners and professionals as they sought to improve market share, occupancy, operational efficiency and profitability.

The husband and wife team are transitioning the original membership site concept and evolving the business model today to a focused resource offering consulting, training, and individualized support to both hospitality and other service businesses.   Services include keynote addresses workshops, online support, metrics measurement, marketing and customer service from a group of more than a dozen experienced professionals.   While continuing to serve hospitality, the demand for these types of services is growing and can be personalized.

John Hogan is also the principal of HoganHospitality.com, which provides a range of expert professional services for hotel owners, including professional development for organizations, training, consulting and expert witness services.

Contact information:  Kathleen Hogan  480-436-0283,

John Hogan

602-799-5375 or service@hospitalityeducators.com

Workshops Available include: 

From the Chalkboard to the Front Line

What They Don’t Teach You at Hotel School

Focus:

• Hotel Profitability
• Hotel Sales
• Marketing Ideas
• Hotel Operations

There will always be an ongoing debate on the comparative merits of experience versus the knowledge acquired in formal educational settings.   The best lessons anyone can learn from hotel schools include an awareness of what really occurs on the front line in the actual hospitality setting.  This keynote transitions the academic message to the real world of running a profitable hospitality business.

Click    here   for Keynotes and Workshops Available 

Hotel Common Sense – Philosophy #2

HOSPITALITY PRINCIPLES of SUCCESS

Hotel Common Sense –  Philosophy #2

Or, why the Open Door policy no longer works…

Anyone who is familiar with my full-length columns or shorter blogs knows that I  am a fan of Tom Peters.  There was a period when he may have believed his own PR press a bit too much in the mid 1990s, but I have found his messages to be thought provoking with sound counsel that we need to evolve and change or we will not be around much longer.

Peters, in his first major book with co-author Bob Waterman, took the theme of one of the world’s leading computer companies, Hewlett-Packard, and expanded the notion of truly reaching out to the people in our organizations who are responsible for the bulk of customer contact and building customer loyalty.  They challenged us to look at the symbol of the open door, which has ceased to be a meaningful statement.

The Open Door used to mean an associate (better word for employee) could come to us and ask for help in resolving problems with overtime, schedules, a day off or other personal matters.  I maintain that the Open Door policy, once the symbol of the manager or leader who really cared about their staff, is just not effective any more. The reason I state this is I feel we must realize that the hospitality industry has embraced social media and immediate communication exists among our staff as well as our guests.

While the above situations of personal matters still exist, the reality of today’s hectic pace is frequently more complicated. Drugs/alcohol abuse, sexual harassment, extended families and other more complicated issues are realities of today. While some of us might naively prefer to think there are not serious problems in the workplace today, we need only to look online at the latest “headlines” to see the truth.

The hospitality industry is certainly not immune to the pressures of today’s realities. This industry has ample temptations (bedrooms, alcohol, cash, and “power”) and the added stress of long hours and the pressure to be profitable in periods of diminishing returns can be a manager’s nightmare.

Is there a solution?

Consider the OPEN FLOOR contrasted with the OPEN DOOR.  I am not trying to use a simple play on words, but rather I am focusing on the fact that we cannot rely on our “good intentions” of the open door to be really in touch with our staff.  There will always be some people who seek us out as managers, but the truth is we must take to the OPEN FLOOR every day, beginning today as we read this.  By this, I mean setting our priorities on what most of us say and consider to be our most important asset: our staff. The OPEN FLOOR means something as basic as managers and department heads warmly greeting each member of the staff each shift. It means being in the  kitchen, the laundry, the receiving dock, the security patrol, with the sales team on calls and in the parking lot each day with the people whose livelihood takes place in those areas.

Paperwork, reports and online promotions have their place and need to be addressed and submitted on time. Some of it can be (and should be) delegated like many Embassy Suites try to do with their assistant general managers.  All reports should be periodically reviewed to see if they are still useful (to anyone) or if they have become just busywork.

Howard Feiertag, my friend and co-author of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD, once shared his observations of a downtown New York City hotel.  He commented how EVERYONE (general manager, front desk, bell staff, concierge, F&B, etc.) shook hands with their fellow workers and colleagues when they first saw each other daily.

Like they were “friends.”

Imagine that, and in New York City.

I need  to call Howard and ask him if he knows if they still do this.

MBWA – Management by Walking Around – try it!

Hotel Common Sense Philosophy #2 = Learn to listen more, talk less. Management by Walking Around is Priority #1.

Keys to Success Hospitality Tip of the Week:   Focus on MBWA

A challenge to every manager who is responsible for 5 or more people:  measure your in and out of the office time and at the end of the week, see how much time you spent ACTIVELY INTERACTING with your team.

The goal is 70% of your time out of the office – how did you do?

What will you do next week?

Ten ways to reach 5,000+ potential customers for under $500| HospitalityEducators.com Tip of the Week

Over the last several years, I have shared ideas in columns that have  addressed the guest experience and delivering service.  These columns have generated a high level of reader interest and a future article will recap of some of their comments on impressions of service levels, customer expectations and service codes.

An underlying theme in these columns is the ongoing need for all of us to retain the “high touch” personality that is the heart in hospitality.  Technology is an important ingredient in the guest experience, but it is not the reason guests list when sharing why they make the decision to return to a hotel or to demonstrate loyalty.

Time for reflection

If you think back on your career, a major step was when you were entitled to your first business card.  That “entitlement” was sort of a rite of passage – a sign of having “made it.”  Chances are that you gave that card to as many people as you could – at least for a while.  As time wore on, you did not have to re-print as many as the first year.  Other things took priority. Technology took more of our time and communication focus.

Many successful people continue to re-order their cards regularly, as they find that business cards are one of the most under-utilized sales tools in the hospitality industry by many people.

Today, successful hoteliers, sales managers, general managers and owners value this low-cost, easy-to-carry, easy-to distribute sales piece as one of their most valuable tools. Prior to the late 1990s, most business cards were fairly basic – name, title, company name and address, phone number and perhaps the company slogan or motto.  Today’s cards contain much more information

• the above basics
• proper brand identity if you belong to a referral group or franchise
• email and web-site address
• social media information
• cell or home number if you have the kind of position or personality that is service sensitive enough to warrant the kind of commitments that tell existing and POTENTIAL customers that you care MORE than your competition.  (Yes, I have a bias here regarding service.)

Today’s cards may be a dual or a tri-fold in design, listing

• your property’s facilities in some detail, such as number and types of accommodations
• banquet or meeting capacity
• special services, such as saunas or spas, casinos or recreational facilities
• amenities such as managers’ receptions or continental breakfast

Some include detailed maps from nearby interstate highways and others feature four-color photographs of the hotel or perhaps the view from the hotel’s front door.  The decision is yours on content, but your local printer, hotel association or franchise director can give you a wealth of options that have been successful for others.

After the cards are printed, what is next? The next is the fun AND critical part of using them effectively: distribution.

Following are some ideas we have seen used at hotels throughout the world:

1. As an introduction to almost everyone you meet for the first time  – one never knows when they might need lodging/meeting/food services in your area
2. In all correspondence – even with technology, everyone has some kind of card case or the option to paste the info into their computer from your card
3. In all billing – a thank you on the back of your card can have great goodwill!
4. In all payments – your suppliers also need edging/meeting/food services in your area at some point. We must all learn to regularly ASK FOR THE SALE!
5. At all industry and business meetings – we all need to network
6. In your restaurant – if you meet and greet guests (as either the GM, sales manager or restaurant manager). Let them know you care about them
7. At check-in/out – A rack at the desk works for some hotels, but a sales manager or GM personally thanking EXISTING guests at checkout and asking them to return impresses many travelers.  Giving business cards is a reminder of the experience that they might relate to others back home. This is great referral potential and a way to build guest loyalty.
8. For complimentary or discounting purposes when appropriate
9. With all sales and marketing promotional pieces – put a name with the hotel and finally
10. As a thank-you; a personal note is just that – a time taking, individualized sign of appreciation.

Business cards today can cost as little as five cents each.  Giving 20 out per business day equals roughly 100 per week, 450 per month and 5,400 per year. Can you think of any other personally delivered message that exists for under $500 a year?

              “In sales, you must make the customer remember you”                                            Victor Kiam, former owner, New England Patriots,  Former CEO, Remington Shavers

Keys to Success Hospitality Tip of the Week:

Focus on Operations & Profitability Recognize that supporting and offering English as a 2^nd Language is an investment, not an expense for many areas in the hotel. It helps everyone to improve communication, to feel more involved and that the person learning English is cared about as an individual by the employer.

Feel free to share an idea for a column at  John@hoganhospitality.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements …………. And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense.  602-799-5375 

As Co-Founder of a consortium (www.HospitalityEducators.com) of successful corporate and academic mentors delivering focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing the hospitality industry, I invite readers to visit our site that offers a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas that are designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.

Consulting Expertise and Research Interest

1. Sales Management and training
2. Turn-around and revenue management
3. Professional Development for the Organization and the Individual
4. Customer Service
5. Making Cultural Diversity Real
6. Developing Academic Hospitality programs
7. Medical Lodging Consulting

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.HoganHospitality.com Your Hospitality Resource for Hotel Owners, Innkeepers, Managers and Associations

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM™ with hospitality training today? A question from HospitalityEducators.com

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM™ with hospitality training today? A question from HospitalityEducators.com

A survey from the American Society of Training and Development several years ago found four top attributes or qualifications employers stated they wanted their associates to have:

1. the ability to learn
2. the ability to listen and effectively communicate information
3. innovative problem-solving skills
4. the knowledge on how to get things done

While this was a survey subject to changes in values and perspectives, these four qualities certainly have substance in today’ s hospitality world remain intact.

How do you as a manager match up to the list? What about the associates who report to you?

1. Does your hotel, restaurant, club, spa or store provide the incentive for learning?
2. Does your hospitality business develop active listening skills? How do you measure effective communication to guests? Among staff?
3. How do approach problems? While it is tactful to call problems “challenges”, resolving situations to the delight of guests is a real issue.
4. As in innovative problem-solving, knowing “how” to address situations is essential. Does you staff know how to handle overbooked nights? Or unacceptable entrees? Or noise complaints? Or issues about pricing? The list can be long.

We can help.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM™? @ www.HospitalityEducators.com  addresses specific hospitality problems.  It  features specific problems submitted by members and readers or identified from HospitalityEducators.com associates’ consulting.  The problem will be stated in industry terms and there will be at least one potential solution discussed. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM™?  Is open to visitors and members.

The key to success here is training, associate engagement and management that cares enough to take the additional step to listen and learn on their own.

John J Hogan CHA CMHS CHE CHE working with clients @ Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston MA 

Feel free to share an idea for a column at john@hoganhospitality.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 Co-Founder of a consortium (www.HospitalityEducators.com) of successful corporate and academic professionals delivering focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com offers 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. Individuals wishing to contribute materials may send them Kathleen@HospitalityEducators.com. 

Dr. John Hogan, CHE CHA CMHS CHO         United States – Phoenix,

Phone: 602-799-5375
www.hoganhospitality.com/

The Practical Side of SWOT : HospitalityEducators.com changes Business Model #1 | A statement of teaching philosophy

HospitalityEducators.com changes Business Model #1

  A statement of teaching philosophy

HospitalityEducators.com was created in 2010 to be a resource for hotel owners and professionals as they sought to improve market share, occupancy, operational efficiency and profitability.

The original business model we used was that of a membership organization, and our success included readers and members from all six continents and more than 50 countries.   When we evaluated our progress in our business plan mid -year, we realized that our business model was becoming more like a magazine which had never been our intent.

The annual SWOT analysis showed us that we were not focusing on what had been our passion and goals, so we elected to move our business model from the membership site to a resource for both hospitality and other service businesses.

This is the 1st of 3 explanations of how our business model is evolving over the next several months.

Our strengths include a network of professionals who have interacted with and assisted a number of service businesses through teaching and training.  To that end, we are pleased to share

A statement of teaching philosophy for HospitalityEducators.com

 

Our philosophy of teaching includes fostering self-instruction, formulating questions rather than just giving answers and establishing high expectations. Professors have limited capacity to teach students anything – they primarily motivate students to teach themselves. Our principal pedagogical role is to help students learn how to search for a complete answer as we work through the question-and-answer process of real world scenarios. Our goal is to stimulate active learning and acceptance with the idea that being “wrong” is part of learning. 

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Peter Drucker (1909-2005),  Author  

Our role as the instructor is not only a source of knowledge, but also a source of support and an avenue for other resources. Students can expect that we are approachable, available to answer questions, and genuinely invested in their academic success.

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

Roy Disney, American Film Writer

We are firm believers in active learning, and we try to maintain a very interactive classroom. Teaching is not about lecturing to students; it is about presenting theories, concepts, and questions to students in ways they can incorporate into their own life experience or goals.

It should be the goal of every student and professor to increase knowledge and understanding in both the classroom and the real world. Group interaction is an important part of learning, so that all parties share ideas, argue or validate them with others and practice teamwork as an important link in social and mental development.

 

“A company culture cannot be imposed or mandated. It must grow from within over a long period.”

Isadore Sharp, Founder Four Seasons Hotels

 

Teaching is an opportunity to inspire and empower.  Our teaching philosophy is based around concepts that bridge and link academic programs to real world situations.

 

1. Strategic planning

2. Continuous Learning

 

3. Individualization      Achievement  in       “Real World” applications These real world scenarios offer solid and practical links to the academic work in      the class.

 Corporate Teaching Philosophy 

 “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”      

Malcolm S. Forbes, Publisher, Entrepreneur (1919-1990)

The global community is changing at a record pace and recognizing and responding to emerging opportunities is critical.  Keeping focused on achieving agreed upon results requires open, honest, consistent and transparent communication.

The Founders of HospitalityEducators.com careers have always had strong ties to academic integrity, including service as an adjunct professor at different institutions.  Additional commitment to learning was delivered to other Institutes and Universities through research and recommendations on curriculum and program specifications for hospitality programs. 

Our role as corporate and academic educators in the business world has provided us with individuals who continuously challenge us to seek better and more effective ways to reach the desired goals.  We want to challenge others to likewise achieve more from themselves and from others.

As a teacher and as a business professional, one lesson learned from mentors was critical thinking.  In a world changing at incredible speeds, this competency is invaluable.   Interdisciplinary study lends itself to more creative thought development. 

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”                   

 Colin Powell, American Secretary of State

Defining Success

1. Successful graduates of balanced programs learn certain academics but also have embraced the need to learn certain life lessons, such as the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.
2. Successful innovators and professionals need to develop strong competencies as a leader, a relationship builder, a problem solver and eventually a mentor.

As faculty members , the range of experience and exposure to the industry can be huge, especially if dealing with introductory courses. We set different learning objectives for the level of the course and the student likely to be taking it.

1. to fully explore the range of career options available in the field of business
2. to provide the appropriate level of information and tools needed to help in the student’s understanding of this class to the options available in business and/or hospitality
3. to share real world experiences and examples by a professional who is passionate about what he does

‘It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

Bill Gates ,  Founder of Microsoft)

Blended Learning

Learning occurs as a progression but that process is not uniform with each student.  In our careers, we have come to the realization that students learn from us and from each other, but that we also learn from them in this fast-paced world. By sharing with them my teaching objectives and experience, students know that we are genuinely interested in them.

 

Expert professional training and consulting services for hotel owners.

Success does not come by accident or chance.

Contact us for assistance.

John.Hogan@HospitalityEducators.com or 602-799-5375

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 2,000 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 ongoing 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,

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 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.