What’s your Core..?

Having finished Drew Brees book, I was taken by his humility and openness, he wrote about being released by San Diego, and his journey to New Orleans, He embraced his situation, Believed in himself, and never gave up. Several key points I took were;

The movie ‘300’ and how he saw the movie and applied it to the Saints and they had their championship season he likened the Spartans march to battle Persia.  They chanted “Ha-ooh..”This is Sparta”, ‘Ha-ooh….I also liked the movie, and understand what he saw.

 

When I was in Leadership class while at Rappahannock Community College, in one section we reviewed a few movies such as “12 Angry Men”; “Hoosiers”; and “Apollo 13” watched the movies and learned the leadership roles and how they were applied, Drew did the same thing with ‘300’ and applied it to the Saints.

How to Test Hotel Feasibility

(Steve Rushmore writes about economical feasibility of hotel development.)

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4053121.html

When designing a hotel, the architect and development team need to create a project that is ultimately economically feasible. Unless the hotel's owner is ego driven rather than economically motivated, most investors are looking for a return on their invested capital. Since feasibility means different things to different people, and as a hotel consultant having prepared thousands of feasibility studies, I have been asked to provide my perspective on this topic.

The process I like to use for determining whether a proposed hotel is economically feasible is to compare the total project cost (including land) with the hotel's estimated economic value on the date it opens. A feasible project is one where the economic value is greater than the cost. Accurately estimating the total project cost is a relatively simple process for the architect and development team. However, determining the economic value is much more complicated.

The first step in the valuation process is to perform a market study where the local hotel demand is quantified and allocated among the existing and proposed supply of lodging facilities. The allocation of room night demand is based on the relative competitiveness of all the hotels in the market. The end result is a projection of demand captured by the proposed subject hotel, which is then converted into an estimate of annual occupancy. A similar procedure is used to project the average room rate.
The second step is to project the hotel's operating revenue and expenses based on the previously estimated occupancy and room rate. This results in an estimate of annual net operating income. Most consultants use a five- to 10-year projection period, so this process needs to be repeated for each year.

The last step is to convert the projected NOI into an estimate of value using a weighted cost of capital discounted cash flow procedure. The end result is an estimate of economic value that can be compared to the total project cost.

Some consultants will substitute a net present value calculation or determine the internal rate of return (IRR) for the last step. However, I prefer using the economic value approach because you end up comparing "apples with apples" - i.e. cost with value.

As you can see, this process of determining economic value requires local market knowledge, hotel financial expertise and experience with valuation methodology. Luckily for architects and hotel developers, there are two simple rules of thumbs that will provide a rough approximation as to whether a project is economically feasible.

The first thumb rule tests the cost of the land to determine whether it exceeds a supportable economic land value. The following formula calculates economic land value:

Occupancy x ADR x Rooms x 365 x .04 / .08 = Economic Land Value.

As example, a proposed hotel is being considered on a parcel of land that can be acquired for $3,800,000. Zoning permits the development of 200 rooms. Based on local market conditions, the proposed hotel should achieve a stabilized occupancy of 70% and an average room rate of $150. Using these inputs the Economic Land Value would be calculated as follows:

.70 Occupancy x $150 ADR x 200 Rooms x 365 x .04 / .08 = $3,832,500.

The calculation shows the Economic Land Value is above the cost of the land so the developer is not overpaying for the land. If the land cost was $4,000,000 or above, the developer needs to re-evaluate the project because it's not supported by the hotel's underlying economics. Perhaps additional rooms could be added, which would increase the room count or a higher quality of hotel developed would increase the average room rate.
This Economic Land Value formula works well in most markets.
For prime center city locations the .04 factor can be moved up to .08.

The second rule of thumb is the Average Rate Multiplier formula. This is a very simple way to approximate a hotel's total economic value. The formula is as follows:

ADR x Rooms x 1,000 = Economic Value

Using the numbers from the example above produces the following Economic Value:

$150 x 200 x 1,000 = $30,000,000

If the hotel's total development cost is over $30,000,000, there could be a feasibility problem. In most cases where the development cost is significantly higher than the economic value it is because the local market's average room rate is too low to support the contemplated improvements. In these situations the proposed plans and specifications need to be scaled back in order to produce a lower total project cost, which might then create a feasible project.

One additional point of reference looks at the percentage relationship between the hotel's land cost and the economic value. In this example, the value of the land is approximately 13% of the overall economic value ($3,832,500/30,000,000 = 13%).

This relationship should be no more than 15% to 20%. In other parts of the world where labor cost is low, this percentage relationship can be higher.

Using these hotel feasibility rules of thumb combined with a professionally prepared study will insure the architect and developer are not creating a project that has no economic viability. As with any rule of thumb, there are numerous exceptions that need to be factored into the evaluation. Before abandoning a project because the rules don't produce the desired results, it is a good time to call in a professional consultant to prepare a more in depth analysis to either verify or dispute the conclusions produced by the rules of thumb.

Where are We Really?

I met with a couple of clients this week…and business is off…not the greatest but they manage. One is a in lodging, and they are running about 52% occupancy year around on a room inventory of 70 rooms.  It’s not a large property but it is huge with all that they offer.  I think that they will survive.

The other is a small restaurant that holds their own and the owners told me that they get by ok.  I know this because he was a customer of mine when I sold food.  The place has great food and is a small place that does breakfast & lunch only. He told me that he put an ad in the paper for a server that could work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, he said that the ad specified that you had to be able to work all 3 days.  He said he never got so many applications for 1 position, and that they came from all walks, banking, retail, and managers, People who were in a different career field.

The ironic part is that the lodging client was seeking an Executive position, and they were overwhelmed, for the 1 position, they received over 300 applications, 40 locally, with people who have been a hotel GM and such other experience.

In the old days, you would go to your Rolodex and call a buddy or someone you had worked with and got them the job. It’s not like that anymore. It’s all web based. A test here, a quiz there, And they wonder why there are so many Un/Under Employed.

 In the hospitality field as job searching goes. In my opinion, if I worked with you, and you have progressed, and I have a position available, you’re gold.

Through the Windshield or the Rearview Mirror

In The End It’s How you Look at It..

Product                                             Goal
Strategy                             vs.           Strategies
Goal                                                 Products

Business is always looked at in a triangle view from top to bottom, and then there are those businesses’ that get it, and invert the triangle in both senses, In the Customer model they look at the customer first and use the module on the right, Assess their needs, figure out a strategy for them to get there, and find the products that will fit their needs. They also do it on the employee side. They put the employee’s interest first.

It is companies like this that have an edge today and the ones that people don’t want to leave.  It takes structure, vision, and a desire to go outside the box, it equates to the difference of street cruising, and going off roading.  Are you looking at this going forward..or in the mirror as something you went by..?

 So buckle up, put a helmet on, and enjoy the ride.!!

Notes from Tribal Leadership

This is a book I really Enjoyed.
If you pick it up I think you will find it very informative.


Every company, indeed, every organization, is a tribe, or if it’s large enough, a network of tribes—groups of twenty to 150 people in which everyone knows everyone else, or at least knows of everyone else. Tribes are more powerful than teams, companies, or even CEOs, and yet their key leverage points have not been mapped—until now. In Tribal Leadership, Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright show leaders how to assess their organization’s tribal culture on a scale from one to five and then implement specific tools to elevate the stage to the next. The result is unprecedented success.

In a rigorous ten-year study of approximately 24,000 people in more than two dozen corporations, Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright refine and define a common theme: the success of a company depends on its tribes, the strength of its tribes is determined by the tribal culture, and a thriving corporate culture can be established by an effective tribal leader. Tribal Leadership will show leaders how to employ their companies’ tribes to maximize productivity and profit: the authors’ research, backed up with interviews ranging from Brian France (CEO of NASCAR) to “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, shows that more than three quarters of the organizations they’ve studied have tribal cultures that are merely adequate, no better than the third of five tribal stages.

The authors explain exactly what Tribal Leadership is, and offer a wealth of “technical notes” which explain how to implement the leadership system in any culture. They also offer coaching tips and a “cheat sheet” that provides the key action steps to building great tribes—including how to identify a tribe’s language and customs, how to move yourself forward while moving your people, and how to build a support network. “The goal is to give you the perspective and tools of a Tribal Leader,” the authors write. “The result is more effective workplaces, greater strategic success, less stress, and more fun. In short, the point of this book is for you to build a better organization in which the best people want to work and make an impact.”

TRIBAL LEADERSHIP details each of the five tribal stages and helps readers identify which actions affect it and which strategies will enable the tribe to upgrade to the next level. The authors discuss how each stage has a unique set of leverage points and why it is critical to understand them—more than three quarters of the organizations they studied have tribal cultures that are adequate at best. The five stages include:

• Stage One: The stage most professionals skip, these are tribes whose members are despairingly hostile—they may create scandals, steal from the company, or even threaten violence.

• Stage Two: The dominant culture for 25 percent of workplace tribes, this stage includes members who are passively antagonistic, sarcastic, and resistant to new management initiatives.

• Stage Three: 49 percent of workplace tribes are in this stage, marked by knowledge hoarders who want to outwork and outthink their competitors on an individual basis. They are lone warriors who not only want to win, but need to be the best and brightest.

• Stage Four: The transition from “I’m great” to “we’re great” comes in this stage where the tribe members are excited to work together for the benefit of the entire company.

• Stage Five: Less than 2 percent of workplace tribal culture is in this stage when members who have made substantial innovations seek to use their potential to make a global impact.

The authors also offer an in-depth look at Tribal Leadership strategies, and discuss how leaders can identify the tribe’s core values and the noble causes to which they aspire. They then explain how to use those principles along with the tribe’s inherent assets and behaviors to foster success based on the tribe’s goals and objectives. As the authors explain, once the tribe sets its strategy based on these factors, a palpable sense of excitement begins to emerge. “Every member of the tribe knows exactly how to succeed and what each person must do to make the tribe effective,” they write. “That’s the promise of tribal strategy.”

Leaders, managers, and organizations that fail to understand, motivate, and grow their tribes will find it impossible to succeed in an increasingly fragmented world of business. The often counterintuitive findings of Tribal Leadership will help leaders at today’s major corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits learn how to take the people in their organization from adequate to outstanding, to discover the secrets that have led the highest-level tribes to remarkable heights, and to find new ways to succeed where others have failed.

A Vision and a Dream…..Truth is in the Custard.

The other night we went out to a restaurant that just opened here, two locations, and we decided to give them a try.  Can you say major disappointed.. that is putting it mildly? I looked at the restaurant website and have had friends back east rave about it. So I decided to let it rest after it opened, and figured it would be safe, first, it was 5:30pm on a Friday night, bad move, but it was close by so we went.

What I thought having never been to one was one thing, it was like having a bad dream, and waking up to realize that it is real.  I thought we be seated, it was just open seating, and it was packed, I secured seats, had my 9 & 11 year olds sit, while I went with my wife to order, the menu was hard to read, and the order taker didn’t read back the order, (hence the missed bacon on 3 cheeseburgers) I thought it would be in baskets, it was in paper boats, there was only 1 service station, and had only mustard & ketchup in pumps, and no plastic cutlery, but it came with dinners of some, (I didn’t get a spoon with my shake)..Hmm…and their French fries left a lot to be desired. A runner brings your order to the table, and no follow up like at Whataburger…My burger was uneventful, if I was in college, there wasn’t enough to write home about. They need to work with their staff, we might go back, but if I wanted just a burger, I rather go to Fudd’s or Whataburger, or Carl’s Jr. or In & Out, Five Guys was great, expensive, but lived up to the hype.

 In a market where they aren’t known they didn’t do a good enough job letting you know what to expect…The burger was good, but the bun wasn’t big enough to hold it all together, I may be picky, but to give them credit where it’s due, the shake was good, and their private label root beer was great, I should have gotten a float. Maybe we will go back after all…

Evolution and Change The Flintstones and the Jetsons.

This is where technology meets the airwaves.  Our house has an old rotary phone in the kitchen on the wall, we never use it, rarely, we answer it when we’re in the kitchen, that’s about it, the rest of the house has 4 cordless phones.  We had a power surge the other night and lo and behold the phone was dead, we troubleshot it in the house, and when we checked the wall phone, since it never goes out, it was out. So I called a 1-800 # and put in a repair ticket, the gentleman told me it would be repaired with 24 hours by 8pm the next day, so I checked through out the day, and nada…so I did a courtesy call at 5 pm, and was informed by a 2^nd gentleman that the ticket was in the hopper, slated for 7:30 pm, with 2 calls in front of it. Another follow up call in the morning, and a chat with Traci in Iowa, supposedly it is first in line this morning.  We’ll see…The funny thing is that the second gentleman I spoke with asked what type of phone, I told him an old rotary, and he told me it could be the problem, and that the wiring may need to be replaced, I know that the house was built in 1968, and like everything else, it needs to be updated to stay with technology.

We had this conversation after dinner, and somehow it led to evolution and how our bodies are in the same boat. 40 is the new 30, right, The boys had dentist appointments last week, and my 11 year old had 2 baby teeth left to fall out and it will be soon, so you get your permanent teeth by 12 and live to 90, back in the day, you lived until 50. Using just the teeth, you probably need 3 sets of teeth to last your whole life, I know that there are bridges, and dentures; It’s like keeping up with technology. Look where TV’s have gone in 60 years, where cell phones have evolved from the big brick phone. Like everything else in hospitality from service, Ipads,  Open Table, In the old days it paid to know the Maitre’d…literally…the old handtip…Maitre’d handshake…It all changes in a blink of an eye…In the end it’s still food on a plate, it just depends on how it’s ordered and presented.

On a footnote the Tech that fixed the problem, which was in a switchbox almost half a mile away, we talked about his stay and experience while staying at The Talking Stick Resort & Casino in Scottsdale, he told me how nice the spa was, how nice his room was, he got a great rate on off days, and the food was better priced and better quality than his previous stays in Vegas. Now I suppose we’re going to have to check it out..

The 86,400 Question, It’s only time, Make the Most of it…

There are 86,400 seconds in a day; we all have the same amount of time to tend to our needs, personal and professional. How are you spending them? 

Time…Like sand in an hourglass, a sundial, your watch, the clock on your phone.  There are many ways to get the time.  When you don’t have a constraint do you feel more free? 

Quantity or Quality, people look at this in a lot of perspectives. The food we buy, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the house we live in, it can also relate to the way we spend our time. Is it how much we do, and can squeeze in, or getting the most out of the time we have and enjoying it more.

Are you a lister..a planner…I agree that there are times that you need to chuck it..and go on the edge..there is nothing wrong with going off the reservation, and most definitely a vacation should be gauged by the time you decide to get up.

Tick tock…The time is yours..How are you spending your 84,600 seconds today…?

Is Your Operation Like Your Golf Game??

Do it Right or Do it Wrong There are over 250 ways to hit a golf ball…I heard a gentleman speak the other day he had retired early and decided to play golf almost every day and he said that the one thing he found out was that as he played over 250 rounds of golf, he discovered that there was over 250 ways to hit a golf ball before he decided to return to work.  He found that there were ways to hit the ball correctly or incorrectly.  In relation to a hotel or restaurant operation there are similarities in which that these apply also.  

There are basics in golf and other sports as well as in operations.  Do you have a hook, slice or fade? Is your tee shot like a first impression, 360 yards straight out or a worm burner, or not past the ladies tee box?  Do you have to hit twice, there is more than one way to hit, it goes back to you club selection, and your stance, and how do you deal with the customer? But most of all the critical part of your swing, like a baseball pitch, a football pass, It’s the follow through just like service and all training you give your staff, it’s in the delivery, and follow through…How’s yours??….

Taking Time....

I have been extremely busy, as you may or may not know, I have taken a post as Adjunct Faculty at the local Community College so I have been "cramming" through the course text and chatting with friends that already teach, to gain insight, and have a few projects working.  I look forward to sharing what we learn together.

Not Where Service Is First….but A Close Second.

So we all went to dinner the other night , relatives were in town visiting, we decided to go to a National Chain, it was Happy Hour, but we got right in with a party of 9, it took them next to nothing to get us seated. Now however we did this (same group) at another National chain and we were told it would take 20 to 30 minutes to get seated, while deuces and 4 tops were seated before us.





The server got down to business, and took the drink orders, and food orders, I was questioning in my mind why you order a bucket of Corona and get 5?. I think all the food came out pretty fast, and compleat, the kids were offered refills, yet the adults drinking Ice Tea weren’t…I asked for mine, (it was 108 outside),


I’d say service was pretty good, except for that minor flaw, and a visit from the Manager other than that…They may have skimped on the fries..but it may have been me…

Where has the Service….Gone..?

“I’m sorry Sir, You’re not my table but I’ll see what I can do.”


How many times have we heard or seen this classic Movie/TV line. The scary thing is it is becoming truer every day. I see it all around in many different types of establishments. Servers are supposed to have assigned seats in sections, and lately I see that certain outlets are getting away from it. It was also said that we take care of the paying customers first.

As I see it in this whatever we are in currently, the operators have made so many cuts that they don’t see it affecting business or they do and don’t care. There is a way to do proportionately, and not cause harm to the operation, and if done correctly it will be a seamless and there may be a speed bump along the way, as in any business adaptation but it can be transverse. I ran into a friend that works in a national company, and they are being affected by the influx of summer business, as you know in a business paradigm, there is minimal staffing that should be adhered to so you can give at least the basic customer service. To prove a point when I started doing budgets as a Department Head, I would figure how many staff I needed to operate on a daily basis, and adjust up from there. There were key positions I had to have. If businesses’ in today ‘s market took that stance there would be.

A) More jobs

B) Happier customers that lead to more business.

C) Your business would increase.

The thing that business fail to look at is at some level regardless of revenue generated there has to be minimal staffing. The part that is disturbing is that they do look at it and don’t care and it’s the customer that suffers and then they wonder why revenues are sliding. One of the things that bewilders me, is If you ask for something the staff is instructed to stop what they are doing and take you there, and look it up if need be.
I enjoy looking for things on my own, and would rather have you direct me.


Service is the key part to success, much like a follow through on a baseball swing or a football throw. I observed a hotel lobby recently It was a nice place, the breakfast area was very busy and they managed to get by. I noticed that a guest needed directions and the Guest Service clerk looked up the places via Google maps and printed each and highlighted each, I looked at this from 2 perspectives. In one it was nice, personal, yet on the other hand it is the cost of paper and ink. I have seen preprinted area maps and served the same purpose and was just as well. In the wake of the situation we’re in, in some aspects Service is like the jobs that aren’t there..Gone…

Safety Should be a First Concern...

Given the past news that there was another attack in New York against a housekeeper in The Pierre Hotel (now a Taj Hotel,) again the maid a 44-year-old woman reported the incident and police were not notified immediately. I have spent time in both Housekeeping and Security in management positions with a luxury chain. This bothers me on two levels one as a Housekeeper; back when I was in Housekeeping I don’t believe we really had the issues we have today. Yes, there were some and we treated them as isolated incidents. From a Security perspective, even with a roving patrol it’s hard to be everywhere. Issues such as distance being traveled and use of elevators to get to the correct area could hamper the response time.



Are the panic buttons a good idea, will they work, who will monitor them, What if it gets bumped by accident, or worse yet, malfunctions. I think that Supervisors should inspect C/O rooms first, and be summoned immediately. This works if they have a pager, and roam their halls and not return to the office. The Executive Housekeeper and Rooms Division Director, Operations Manager, and General Manager need to take a more proactive approach to Housekeeping.


I recall when there was a disagreement over Weekend MOD duties, (I was a supervisor at the time) and it got so heated that the VP/GM took the weekend MOD duties himself to prove a point, and the Director of Operations released him from the meeting and kept all Managers behind. He made sure that no one had the weekend off, and on Mondays they had a meeting to review the Weekend notes, and address any shortcomings. Needless to say, I never saw so many Managers on a weekend before. He inspected rooms and was brutal, direct, and observant. Perhaps if “Executive Manager’s” took the time to walk the floors everyday, and inspect 1 or 2 rooms themselves, it will bolster the spirit of the back of the house. These are crucial times, and Managers need to be on the floor more than ever before. as a Owner of a Premier Luxury Brand once told me, “Nothing good ever happens in your office.”

The Killer Instinct…Where is It..

The U of A Softball Coach Mike Candrea summarized this past season that resulted in not reaching the Women’s Softball World Series, which is rare for them. He referred to some of the team as “deadwood”, he went on to state that he has noticed a change in their mental approach in the past 5 years; he explains what he perceives a changing culture and his own demands.




He states that his team lacked enthusiasm and desire. He also said their emotion was “hollow” He said, “It didn’t come from the heart”. Asked how he would make adjustments for next season, Coach Candrea said,” If I can get the players that are productive to buy into it, police it.” He went on to say, “That’s the other thing - we don’t have the people that are willing to embrace raising the bar.”

I think that a lot of what he said can be applied to the hotel business, how many times have you felt that your staff was going through the motions, How about the losing of a Star or a Diamond. There are changes that owners and Managers have to make decisions that are in the company’s best interest. I recall going through Roderick training for Customer service years ago, and one thing that stuck with me was the idea that Manager’s tend to keep the “deadwood” and beat the “workhorses”.

I recall at a luxury property I was at we had a Director of Restaurants who was interested only in advancement, and had control of the Restaurant and Bar, in times of crisis I as Assistant F& B Manager had to tend to their problems after the fact at the direction of the Hotel Manager, I was glad to help and yes I was resented.

We need to surround ourselves with those that are stronger than us and know that we too be a better person because of it. It’s the vision we share and portray and the enthusiasm we give. I firmly believe that they are things we are taught and shown. And sometimes things we take for granted.

The Change is in the Fax…

Michael Chaffin wrote about the trivial change he made in regards to a fax machine.

I understand his point, in regards to the current technologies, and all, but I am an old school style with a dash of new age mixed, in, I Tweet, I Face book, I Linked In, as I posted earlier, I remember when hotels Telexed, which was before faxing.  I still like faxing from time to time, I faxed documents to a company last week, and they emailed me and told me that I had to go online and follow up. I look at sites today, and all the hiring that people do, some are simple, some are so far out there, that I just shake my head in wonder. Sometimes I feel Michael’s pain. I think at times we rely on the Internet to do some of your work, like they say on TV shows, “We did it with old fashioned detective work.”

What they mean is they put their hands in the box and went through the files and did it the hard way.  I think if we stepped back and took a real approach to some methods we would be amazed at what we are capable of.  Don’t get me wrong, I find it funny that we refer to the old school way as quaint, or outdated, it’s all the same.  I’m all for getting the work done, and train the staff and get out and play a game of pool, and have a pint. We as hoteliers have to meld the traditions and the technologies that we have available to us and apply them to achieve the desired result whatever that may be.

Yes it may be painful in the initial set-up but I know that once in place, it is easier to maintain a system that works.  I truly believe in getting a system that is easy to maintain, and reference, I learned that trick from Four Seasons. Like in map reading sometimes taking the long way may be more difficult and arduous, but the direct route may be more dangerous, and you won’t know what you missed along the way.

Working From Within: Whose Job is It.

A line in the sand, how many times have we heard this, “We drew the line in the Sand”. We played that as a kid, “I dare you to cross that line?”…We have all seen or played this. There are two ways to see this and they are both correct.


· An employee is hired under a more prosperous time, and job description does not include a menial task such as cleaning a restroom. At the time there was a cleaning company that came in and handled all the janitorial duties of the store. In a lean economy as the storm hit, the company released the cleaning company and hired a crew of their own and went down this road for a while, the second wave of the storm hit and they disbanded the in-house cleaning crew and hired new crew with the stipulation that they clean the restrooms. Move to present day, and the restrooms need attendance, and they ask an original employee and they state that that’s not what they were hired for, and refused. The ironic part is that the employee hired was still there.

Back in the day when I came up in the hospitality business I learned to do everything I could to advance without a degree. I worked public area, laundry, windows, rooms, carpets, floors, offices, I learned to work Front Desk as well, and it set a pattern, I worked Stewarding, Room Service, Banquets, Kitchen, Restaurant, Bar, and learned all I could. When I played sports, I swam on the swim team, and swam all 4 strokes, in football I learned to play all offensive positions I felt that in life I was worth more if I could do more.

As a Manager I never felt I could ask an employee to do a job that which I have not done myself. I cleaned restrooms as a Manager many a time. I did it by leading by example. Hence I learned to clean rooms, and kitchens I figured how as a Hotel Manager could I tell it was done correctly or at all if I hadn’t done the job myself.

Is it a game changer…if you don’t do as instructed, and not in your job path?

I think that at the least the Manager needs to evaluate and know what staff they have on hand. It goes back to being versatile and able to adapt out of your comfort zone.

I look back and think how fun it was being able to play several positions in football, and in swimming doing the 200 yard Individual Medley, I set the stage for doing and understanding how it all came together. I had a Manager who had a saying on his desk about 4 people, Anybody, Somebody, Everybody, and Nobody…This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about this, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Life Advice from a Journalist's Perspective....

 Savannah Guthrie , UA alumna and NBC News reporter who did work locally at KVOA Channel 4, gave a speech to the 2011 Class, and I think it applies to us all.

The heart of Savannah Guthrie's address centered around four points of “unconventional advice” for life post-graduation.

First point: Be afraid. Knowing it’s possible to fail pushes you to accomplish more.
“A little bit of fear is good for you, for the simple reason that it leads to over-preparation,” she said.

Second: Believe you might succeed more wildly than you ever imagined.
“We think small to avoid bigger failures,” Guthrie said. “Don’t settle.”

Third” Seek out uncomfortable situations.
“Sometimes that big leap is going to give you air sickness,” said Guthrie, who recalled turning down a prestigious clerking position after law school for an uncertain return to television news.

Fourth: Slow down. Success doesn’t come all at once.
Guthrie talked about reporting for a small-town television station and how every journalist was looking for the perfect resume-booster — an “escape tape” — to get them to a bigger city. What she said she didn’t realize was that every day she spent in the trenches, shooting her own film and writing her own scripts, she was preparing herself for success down the road.

“I’m glad the first politician’s staffer to chew me out was a local politician and not the White House,” she said.
“So, be afraid, uncomfortable, unrealistic and slow. There, I send you out into the world,” Guthrie said, with one last pointer — call your parents once in a while.

Where Do Groceries Come From?

I remember listening to the radio as a child, and hearing Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “King of the Road”…Groceries have taken a new turn today with the apps, and the online ordering, and since we are a hurry up society, and in keeping with the ease of convenience why should groceries be any different. Out here with Safeway you can order online and have it delivered to your house, now Wal-Mart does it also with the exception that the price you see online is the same price you see in the store.

They use the same principles that we used when I sold Broadline Groceries with US Foodservice, you could set up an order guide and a shopping list and place your orders and never really see your Sales Rep. I recently was allowed to observe Schwan’s the grocer that drives up to your house in a truck also offers a online ordering component. They still come to your house every 2 weeks but give you the ease of being able to order at your leisure.

I was pleasantly surprised about the eagerness of the young man I observed. People were very giving in relation to allowing him into their homes and their lives. Their products are very nice and give you a sense menu planning with a no fuss, no muss prep and serve.

In today’s society this is where we have come to. As a young child I also recall a Coffee man and Milkman coming to the house to see Mrs. Juell. And the use of a trucker’s wallet (which I thought was very cool) I also recall a Dry Cleaner delivering to the house across the street. Fast forward 40 plus years, and similar to when I sold food where I placed your order via a wireless laptop and it would show up the next day. Today the Schwan’s guy drives to your house via a Garmin, and takes your order, knowing if he is out of a product on his truck, and if you pre-ordered an item from last time, and he goes to the truck and places your order in a bag and delivered to your door, and you pay with cash, check, or a credit card, which he swipes on a reader on his hip and it prints a receipt.or if you have a pre-paid order and are not home he puts it in a freezer bag with dry ice and leaves it at your door…and he goes on the next stop.

The funny things I noticed are that they do a majority of their business between 4 and 8 pm. And they can make more than 1 stop on a street but not in sequence, and will be on a street 3 –4 times in a 2-hour window depending when a person is home. After 8 pm however I noticed that with 5 calls only 2 stops resulted in sales, in a business sense I think that the 8 to 9 window was not beneficial in a quadrant time analysis.

Back to when I was growing up, like many, my mother would spend the day cleaning and prepping for dinner. It’s not like that today, it’s about how quick we can get it done and move on to what is next. What is the price we pay for Convenience? Where do your groceries come from?

Which Tools Work Best…Building a System that Works…

I was reading an article the other day that said you should have basic tools for home repairs and you need a good measuring tape, a good hammer, a screwdriver, and adjustable wrench. This applies to Hotels and Restaurants also. I do some things around the house and I have learned that you need to do a lot of things before you start.




There is planning involved, the right tools, do you need help? , Doing planning is the diagram for success; it’s like a blueprint. It’s the misen place, like using a recipe card to make a dish. If you pass up an ingredient the recipe will not turn out as anticipated. If you don’t snap a chalk line when building a block wall your lines won’t be straight. By planning you establish objectives, a goal, where you it will go, how you want it to end.

To “DO” something is to bring it together, whether it’s drawing a play in the dirt, it’s mixing the ingredients together so it has a base. In a hotel or restaurant you implement a system to drive a service level, raise the bar, to operate at a higher standard.

After you start a system, like a car engine, after driving for so long, you need to “Check” it, by testing your staff, you can check to see if you are on course. You also do this while you monitor your staff; you can see where you may need to make adjustments, by assessing this you can like building the wall, move it until it’s plumb, (or straight). In a recipe you taste it to see if it needs a pinch of salt or pepper to balance it out.

By being proactive and making changes after you plan it, do it, check it, you go back and modify it. When I was with a Luxury group and we wrote a training manual and implemented it, we met after 6 months and made changes, tweaked it. Sometimes a plan comes out and you have guidelines and some freedom to move around and make it fit. Then again there are those places that have a cookie cutter plan.

Make sure you have the right tools to get your operation running smooth, menus, design, cost factors, forecasts and labor, budgets, training plans. Having the right tools make the job easier, make you money, save you money, and make you a success.


Put us on a retainer. Use us as Executive Management. Cost Controls, Inventories, Service analysis. Have us to create a system for you to get to the next level. Need an Objective viewpoint of your Hotel & Restaurant Operation development. Save $$ on OSE and FFE for Construction and Renovations

It’s All in the Planning…Plan the Work, Work the Plan..

When I look at operations, I find it interesting that there are those that need to re- focus there energy in the sense that they don’t have a system in place that if they did it would save time and money. A lot of systems don’t interface, and thus the link does not happen the way it is supposed to and if it did the work world would be a much easier place. As a Division head, and before that a department head, I strove to create systems that made an operation run much smoother, and gain labor in the process.


There are those that will if implemented correctly, and maintained will make your work life easier, and able to move into and take on other responsibility, and IF done correctly will make a corporate hotel environment flow easier as well, and give a snapshot as to where there are leaks in the boat so to speak.

I recall that during studying Leadership in the Private Sector at Rappahannock Community College in Warsaw, VA in 200, through The Tides Inn, we reviewed and critiqued 3 movies and figured out the Leadership aspects, the movies were 12 Angry Men, Hoosiers, and Apollo 13. I loved the scene in Apollo 13 where Ed Harris spills the contents of a box and says, “We need to get them home using only the things in this box”.

We are still currently reviewing putting out a program in which you can after a discussion with us, deciding what your needs are, can install systems and teach the applications, and leave the disc. It’s not a patch for a leaky boat, but like a bilge pump, that will get you back on your way to delivering great service at a cost that will reflect at your bottom line.



Put us on a retainer. Use us as Executive Management. Cost Control, Inventories, Service analysis. Have us to create a system for you to get to the next level. Need an Objective review? Hotel & Restaurant Operation development. Save $$ on OSE and FFE for Construction and Renovations.

Wait There's More...

In today’s market lodging and restaurants faces the “perfect storm” of economic factors, which they have been unable to overcome and learn to navigate through. It seems some are finding remarkable success with the intersection of the three circles, great product, outstanding service, and exceptional experience all part of the elusive Holy Grail.



Sutter & Pine Hospitality has an inclusive array of talents in the lifeboat to survive such a storm that will cover all your F & B cost containment and Divisional Manuals, Job Descriptions and Training. We also provide Operational expertise with all components on the Rooms Division side as well. Outside of the sphere of operations we look at properties from all angles with this in mind.

 
 
We are currently reviewing putting out a program in which you can after a discussion with us, deciding what your needs are, can install systems and teach the applications, and leave the disc.

Patching a Roof is Like Restaurant Operations..

Where I live it is a usual occurrence to paint your roof to ensure that that it reflects the sun’s heat and the monsoon and helps with keeping your home cool and your utilities.


Hotels usually try to things that reflect the property and make sure it works properly and efficiently. There is a home that is near my home

I did interview there a couple of years ago after leaving the Hilton,

I interviewed with the GM who was very pompous, , and at the time his AGM was the Chief Engineer. I found that odd but I’ll get back to that later. They were having problems with their new concept.

When you re-do your roof there is prep work which is like prep work you do in a restaurant. You have to trim and bushes that are along the roofline then you wet the roof and apply a compound called TSP, a chemical that helps clean the roof and helps the new paint cling better. You scrub the roof and rinse. After it dries you can patch the areas that need it by applying roof adhesive, laying a mesh patch and applying more adhesive.

The GM gave me 5 things he felt were problems, and asked me my opinion. I answered them. They asked me to bring my wife over for drinks and observe the operation and write a report. I did this without
reimbursement, regardless the hotel went through a very public expose on a poor health department inspection. It appears that the hotel is still trying to finds it’s way.


Sometimes when people do their roofs they don’t repair the roof with a patch they take shortcuts and just paint over the problems and this leads to other problems with the roof down the road. If done correctly a roof painting can last over 3 years.

You have to wonder if the AGM was a Food & Beverage Director since the hotel is now searching again for a combination position of Executive Chef/Beverage Manager charged with the Restaurant operation.

I recall the GM telling me that the hotel had issues with keeping the 3 rings of the circus going, like a juggling act they had to comply with the flag, they had to do as the owners asked, and stay inline with the management company.

If hotels don’t take care of the main issues and training then there could be problems that persist like a leaky roof. It is better to fix it right the first time rather than have to do it twice.

Do you need help Saving $$, Making $$...Do you need a Food & Beverage Professional. Contact Me.

It’s Not the Service It’s the Customer…

Or is it ?………There are some points to be made. I believe that it’s the perception, but it goes past how we dress.(see USA Today) I have said before that we live and work in a judgmental society. In my hotel career we are made to resemble bankers. I understand that because we don’t want to scare the guest.


It’s how the guest is perceived. It also goes with how they interact.

From the stogy ones who can’t understand how the hotel can accept rock bands. But can we differentiate a young millionaire from an old one?

I think that guests or customers need/should, as Mom would say, “Mind your manners”. If you recall being told if you were in a friends house if you answered the phone “Smith residence, May I ask who’s calling?”

I have heard recently from a CSR, where due to the economic conditions which still grip businesses and use strategic moves to try and keep the bases covered. Sometimes within an assigned area a person will work two areas.

When a phone rings they might not get to it immediately.

· One customer answers a phone next to a do it yourself help computer for goods located within the store. The customer answers; “Hello, No I don’t work here, I can’t help you. Goodbye”.


· Another time different area, a customer answers the phone in a similar set up, “Hello, No I am a customer, I was walking by and answered the phone because it was ringing” Goodbye.”


· A major retailer has a location in a large mall with a separate entrance and the back entrance into the mall that doesn’t open until 10 and with the stated conditions the mall registers are posted with a sign that states they don’t open until 10am. A customer used the overhead paging system “Customer service to the front for a customer check out” not only once but also twice. The staff was already in the front. A supervisor went back there and dealt with the customer.


How many times have we been in a restaurant and the hostess is away from the stand and the phone rings, and rings and rings. Do we get up and answer it..I hope not, as much as we are trained to do so.


As for the dress codes, do what you feel but dress appropriately. Use common sense. And give each other the respect they deserve. As it was said, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

RockResorts Taps into Next Environmental Program with "Water on the Rocks"

I used to be with RockResorts, This is a great idea.

As part of “Water on the Rocks,” two pre-filled glass bottles are placed in each guest room daily and refreshed as needed during daily housekeeping or by request. These bottles are sanitized and replaced each night with filtered water as needed. Guests on the go will also have the option to purchase stylish, reusable RockResorts logoed water bottles (BPA-free plastic or stainless steel) for $4 at hotel front desks or spas that can be refilled at water refilling locations around each property. In many resort locations, guests will be treated to filtered flavored water (such as cucumber or lemon).


The program was designed by the RockResorts “Tap Force” to eliminate 99 percent of plastic water bottles in both guest rooms and food and beverage operations. “Water on the Rocks” is part of RockResorts Echo, which is the company’s corporate stewardship program and also includes employee volunteerism, charitable giving and other environmental initiatives, such as:

• A companywide sustainable cuisine program called Appetite for Life

• A green guest rooms program

• A voluntary guest donation program that benefits local conservation efforts

• The introduction of green weddings and meetings.

• Plus, other initiatives like energy conservation and one of the country’s largest forest health restoration project with the Forest Service and volunteer groups.

(Click on the link for more information.)

Is Fine Dining Embracing the Changes Or Extinct

Dale Dyck wrote about Restaurant failure, and I wanted to agree with him and give s similar viewpoint. Today’s restaurants faces the “perfect storm” of economic factors, which they have been unable to overcome. I use some of his points and inflect some of my own.



Recognizing that the profit margins in restaurants are low, and in particular if your restaurant’s food to liquor ratio is quite high. At least if you are serving higher percentages of liquor, beer and wine, you have the benefit of higher yield from beverage sales to at least somewhat offset the low profit margins from food sales. I believe that this goes to Menu Engineering and P & L management.


The other friend of the successful restaurant is volume. If you can turn the restaurant over two or three times an evening, the majority of the days that you are open, and assuming a decent average check as well, you are doing well. Or a higher check average and take the tables longer on a 2hour turn.


No place should be doomed to fail, what are the parameters? Is a failure a failure to adapt from what is considered “fine dining” or what a truly memorable dining experience has become? The intersection of the three circles, great product, great service, and exceptional experience is the elusive Holy Grail.


Are people no longer looking for white table clothes and fine linen napkins as the be all end all fine dining experience? In fact, Is the sight of an overly formal “dining room” can be enough for people to turn around and promptly exit stage left in search of an alternative location? Highly Doubtful, Is finding themselves in an overly formal room, where you need to be in a suit and tie and that whispering is the only form of acceptable conversation over dinner. Who cares that the serving staff that looks like they have just come from the opera and everything about the restaurant screams pretentious. It is what true service with taste is. There are ways to meld the two and do both.


I agree that what people lately are looking for are any one of a number of variations of a simple common theme; good, fresh local ingredients, prepared and presented in a unique and captivating manner by knowledgeable and friendly staff, highlighting and celebrating the region where the restaurant is located. Sure, the setting plays a role, but not one of pretentiousness, but rather a clean, warm and inviting room where people feel truly welcome and comfortable to settle in for a while, to enjoy the company of their friends and family in an environment where the food is the star, not the room. It’s about the experience.


Dale writes, That’s the formula for sustainable success in the restaurant business today. The time for table clothes and stuffy rooms where you feel like you need to pass a social status test in order to enter is over. I think he is right and wrong. Special occasion restaurants, as many of these tend to be, are sustainable. It shouldn’t take an anniversary or other special occasion, to feel the need to dress up to go out for dinner, true it won’t be enough to keep people coming through the doors in large numbers, and your days and nights will need some marketing and I agree that if you fail to adapt and change it will be a long road.


Having been a Maitre’d in two 5 star restaurants within luxury properties the game is the same and rules may have changed but in the end it turns back into the Menu and the Service in which it was delivered. Times are still tough and those that have learned to flex and modify without giving up quality and  to not compromise their standards in the essence of maintaining consistency will endure.

Lessons From The Field

(As I hae previously stated, I studied under John years ago, and He is a great Instructor, and He brings valid points to the front.)

Lessons From the Field®: Common Sense Approaches in Hotel Sales It should take two to say NO


How do you decide if a piece of group business is a good or poor financial decision for the hotel? Is it better or worse to have the “bird in hand”, a discounted piece of business or to wait, in revenue management terms, for what could (but is not guaranteed to) be better?


In the mid-1980s, downtown Nashville was a very tough marketplace. While the city numbers were reasonably strong, but most of the group and higher rated markets were near the airport or the beautiful Opryland Hotel, Grand Old Opry and Opryland USA. The 300 rooms Sheraton Nashville would best be described as a “pleasant, business class, middle-aged hotel.” It had two restaurants, a quiet lounge and meeting space that could handle several hundred attendees.


This hotel had a change of owners and sales team. The new team, comprised of an assortment of sophisticated to “down-home” sales styles, decided to embrace a balance of revenue management with survivor tactics. They had a goal of X rooms for groups for each day of the year that was based on history, foreseeable changes in the marketplace and advanced bookings. They did not have the authority on their own to exceed the group targets, but they had both team and individual bonus potentials IF the rules were followed.

It wasn’t easy and it took several months for them to figure out a system that worked. The team of David Livingston, Charlotte Martin, Alton Kelly, Charlotte Scheffer and J.R. Davis discovered that requiring a second opinion on all potential bookings was not the administrative chore they feared. They found this second opinion usually lent an insight that was more profitable for the hotel and met the needs of the clients, while usually qualifying for their bonus potential.


The second opinion was invaluable because it regularly reminded the team of options, which could be considering other dates, creative meeting room set-ups or packaging with other companies. Each of these sales professionals continued their careers in sales, with each rising to the director (or higher) level with different chains and management groups.

The lessons learned included:

■team trust

■learning revenue management is multi-faceted

■better prospecting that led to better group sales

■creativity is very enriching and a growing experience

Sheraton Hotels with Worldwide Awards of Excellence in both Marketing and Public Relations acknowledged the team efforts for their innovative approaches in very challenging economic times several years in a row.

An Outstanding Dining Experience…. All the Way Around

Recently I had a fantastic Dinner at a Restaurant in Northern California. It is away from the Big City lights, but definitely was a cut above. I have spent the better part of my career Managing and being associated with some of the finest restaurants in the world.


This stop of mine, which was a look at their operation for a couple of days, surely was one for the books. They play it so casually it catches you off guard.

From the greeting to the seating, the Water service, the bread was done very well. I had the Filet Mignon and there was no room for dessert. I actually opened with a crab cake appetizer from the bar menu which was so good…I will say that over and over…The server I had was impeccable, I have operated 5 Star restaurants and with Four Seasons, I was hard pressed to find flaw with the service both the night as a customer mystery shopping, and the next observing the floor operations. I had a Pinot Noir to accompany my dinner and it was very good. The things that make this operation set apart from anything else, they use local wines, and locally grown organic vegetables and have agreements with local farmers and adjust their menus on what is available in regards to the vegetables and the COP. They have a great local following within their region.


The Filet came out to me just as I ordered it. Perfect, medium with whipped parsnips and yams. It reminded me of nouvelle cuisine we did back in the 80’s but on a larger scale. I didn’t have dessert, but what I observed the next night I wish I had. They did a Crème Burlee trio that was great. Coming from a BOH foundation, they say you go back to what you know, I observed the kitchen operations and they had it all together as well as the FOH. They seemed to have an issue during a rush with an order that sat in the window for less that a minute. It is refreshing to see a culinary team that has as much fun and puts a great emphasis on the product they put through to the guest.


From the greeting and seating to the preludes to the meal itself I saw teamwork not using the front and back waiter system but with a runner system working together, the hostess, the server assistant to the management. They seem to have a great rhythm and read each other like a book; it is a compliment to the owners and staff that they all have such a pride in what they do.


They always say if you know it works don’t mess with it. If you are traveling in Northern California, or have a hankering for an exquisite experience where they combine the three rings of product, service, and exceptional experience and seem to have found the sweet spot where all three intersect. Send me an email and I will send you a link to their website. “Flawless service is the cornerstone of an unforgettable meal,”

Principles for Success: No Nonsense Benchmarking for Hotels and Hospitality Businesses

(John Hogan writes of Benchmarking, I studied under John the is a great instructor)



Benchmarking1 is the process of comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost. Improvements from learning mean doing things better, faster, and cheaper.



Benchmarking involves management identifying the best firms in their industry, or any other industry where similar processes exist, and comparing the results and processes of those studied (the "targets") to one's own results and processes to learn how well the targets perform and, more importantly, how they do it.

In my career, I have had to prepare and provide reports over the years that have at times been meaningful. I also recall at other times reports that have been a total waste of time, as they had outlived their usefulness or were no longer relevant. As a consultant, one of the tasks I often recommend with a new client to allow me to work with select members of the team to establish the value of what is being measured and reported.

Some potential items for consideration, whether you are the "chief" officer in management, marketing, finances or human resources, might include:



1.When launching a new marketing program, how much research has been completed? By whom? Reviewed by whom? How will the success be evaluated?

2.How many hours (or days) does it take for you to orient effectively a new management person? How does that differ from hourly positions? Are your new staff members prepared to serve your guests at the end of the on-boarding? How does your process compare with your competitive set?

3.What is the review and evaluation process for considering renovations and their impact on guests loyalty, ongoing costs and ROI? By whom? Reviewed by whom? How will the success be evaluated?

4.How much time is given to evaluating the energy consumption at your facility? Does anyone consider all elements of sustainability, such as waster, recycling, energy practices by areas not in the guest areas, etc.? Gasoline is now over $4 US again - is anyone looking at how this affects staff, the local shuttle costs, guest accessibility to our location, etc.?

5.How much time is measurably traceable relating to staff learning? To organizational leadership development?

6.How would your staff respond to a fire? To a bomb-threat? To the new computer system? Does anyone consider skill sets or competencies in training?

7.How much time is given to focused guest service training and improvements?

8.When was the last time management proactively and specifically interacted with guests, other than dealing with a problem?

9.How much does your staff understand about the overall financial viability of your hotel or hospitality businesses? I am not speaking of specific numbers, but of the trends and ongoing likelihood of continuing success.

10.Who makes sales calls for your businesses? Is all of your marketing tied to the brand, to online web sites, or does anyone benchmark results by area?

I could probably identify several dozen areas worth considering for smaller, rooms-only hotels and more than one hundred potential issues in larger, full-service hotels with meeting and F&B service. This would not be a "make-work" project, but points of discussion that could very well address the long term viability of almost every hospitality business today.

Seriously….Really….This is Service…???

Last night we came back from picking up the boys at school, and we came back to a power outage so the dinner my wife planned was out, and we headed to a national chain breakfast all day restaurant. We should have figured that there would be a waiting period, and they would not be ready for the extra business. What was I thinking?


The young hostess who couldn’t have been more than a senior I she did a decent job, she took names and quoted times, and she hustled drinks and kept up. The downside was she had 2 names with J and called one and the other family was seated first, in all 6 were seated before us, and as a former Maitre’d, I know how hard it is to balance on a night that you didn’t see coming. The Manager was seen twice, and was virtually unseen the rest of the time it was always a floor presence that I was taught.


The orders were skimpy, normally it is good food, and I am sure that the influx of business was due to the power being off. The hostess in question also had the poor skill of misplacing her only pen. Always be prepared we were told in Scouts. I truly believe that the whole experience would have been entirely different if the Manager spent more time on the floor and perhaps the Hostess was given some better instruction. We’ll go back, I just hope they are better prepared.

The Difference Between One and the Other..

Do you know the difference between an order taker & a sales person?



Generally about 25% in added sales….



Ten Tips for Increasing Sales & Customer Satisfaction

1) The Greeting & Spill Drinks – "Hi, my name is Rick and I'll be your server tonight." Is not what I want to here as your guest — Talk to me — engage me — Ask me how I'm doing — Ask if I've been here before — Thank me for coming - anything to engage me & make me glad that I chose your restaurant!

2) The Beverage Order & Tips – DON'T ask — what would you like to drink — Offer me a beverage — Would you like a cocktail or a glass of wine while you check out the menu — If I ask for water — don't say sure — DO Ask "will that be flat or sparkling"! (This is one of my personal favourites — more opportunities missed here than anywhere else...)

3) The Appetizer – After bringing my beverage — DON'T ask if we are ready to order — offer me a specific appetizer or starter — if I hesitate, offer something that we can share…

4) What's Good Here? – never say EVERYTHING — give me a couple of real suggestions — what is your favourite? What is the Chef featuring tonight? What did your last table rave about?

5) "How's Everything?" – DON'T ever ask this when checking back on food - Be specific — Is your steak cooked to your liking? Does anyone need more sauce? Have you tasted the chicken yet? Don't forget to mention to save room for dessert — "the chocolate cake here is to die for…"

6) Drink Refills – This is the easiest sale of all — and quite often overlooked — Be alert — don't miss the opportunity to refill our drinks — Don't make me chase you for it.

7) After Dessert & – thank me for coming — invite me back — and DON'T ask me if I need change — if you have done your job well — you will get a tip — a good one if you have earned it!

8) In General – Know your restaurant — It goes without saying that all wait staff should have an intimate knowledge of the food & beverage menu — In addition Always ensure that everyone knows - what time do you open & close, how long have you been established, how do I make a reservation, do you offer group menus or packages, when was it remodelled last — All the little things that create a positive impact on curious customers.

9) Pre Shift Meetings – Never, Never begin any shift without a pre-shift floor staff meeting — everyone needs to know what is happening — what are the specials, what do they look like — what are they served with — what beverage or wine should be suggested with them — Coaching is critical — Always & Continuously!

10) Training, Training, Training – It never "just happens" It must be a conscious effort on the part of management & ownership — It must be intentional — focused - & repetitive, as necessary -

When guest \ server interaction improves - everyone wins — customers feel appreciated, they return more often, sales increase, tips increase, staff turnover decreases…

We have all heard the old adage about the cost of training;

What happens if I spend all that money training someone and then they leave?

What happens if you don't train them and they stay?

You decide...

Before you write up an employee..........

It would be nice if all employees came to work on time, performed efficiently and pleasantly, and were thankful for their paycheck. But employers know that employees sometimes fall far short of your hopes. Here are the steps to work through as you decide how to proceed:

Most employee lawsuits stem from employees’ perceptions that they got a raw deal. So before you discipline an employee in writing, ask yourself these questions:

• Does the punishment fit the crime? Sending someone home without pay for being 10 minutes late is excessive, unless the tardiness is a repeated violation and the employee has been told that repeated incidents could end in dismissal. Document all violations.
• Did you discuss it first? Talk over the problem before you commit it to writing; it may help you draw a more accurate conclusion.
• Are the facts clear? If everyone agrees on the events in question and you have proof that what happened violated company rules, your case is ironclad. But don’t make a final decision to put it in writing until all ambiguities are gone.
• Are you acting consistently? Review the discipline handed out over the past year. How does what happened then compare with the current situation? 

Service and Manners @ Home or Away…Shouldn’t They be the same?

Over the past week I have been in and out of several establishments, Recently we took the boys to the local mall food court for dinner since my wife had to work later than normal, even the college junior tagged along. A family came into the food court from the movie theatre located on the other side and brought food from the theater, and bought more in the food court itself. They sat after we did and they ate rather quickly, my back was to them. As we prepared to depart we cleaned up and being an hotelier I try to make sure we leave it as clean as when we arrived. I was truly amazed at the mess these people behind us left on the tables unfortunately for the crew that had to clean it up, and I understand having to wipe the tables, and pick up trays, but this was 20 times worse. It seems to me that people some, not all, have this sense that they are above picking up and cleaning up after themselves.


I often wonder and think in my head, do people behave like this at home? Then I ask why act like that in public? I see it in public restrooms also when I was a houseman a long time ago I cleaned a lot of public restrooms like 18 sets. I saw a lot, but not to the degree I see today, Seriously are people that much of a slob? Where are their manners, the same can be said for kids I can’t recall acting like that, I admit we weren’t perfect, we had our faults, but not like this and discussing what you hear young teens talking about today topics that we didn’t dare talk about in public especially around others. I find it hard to believe that they act like that but then again I’m not surprised anymore either.

You see it and it’s sad but true. Do people act like that at home? I think we need to get back to the basics and it seems to me in a lot more ways than one.

The WOW Factor – The Power Selling Partnership of GMs and Sales

Carol Verret writes about the WOW Factor, and my having sold food as a Sales Manager and my background in hotel operations, the applications are the same, and can and do achieve the desired results..


Carol wrote as follows..



Many hotel General Managers underestimate the power of their positions. In the day to day running of a hotel it is easy to lose perspective of how the hotel team and more importantly the customer perceives the General Manager.


Their perception is that the GM is the ultimate authority in a hotel. To the guest, the GM can fix anything and make anything happen in his or her hotel. Now while many GM's probably have a wry smile on their faces as they read this, GMs often don't use the power of the position to leverage sales.


When I ask this question of GMs at seminars "How many of you can name your top ten accounts?' I get a lot of hands raised. When is ask "How many of your can name the sales contact at these accounts?" about half of the hands go down. When I ask the question "How many of you have spoken to the sales contact of your top accounts in the last three months?" I usually see only one or two at best and some of those may be exaggerating!.


The Feedback I'm getting from many corporate offices is that they would like to see their GMs more involved in sales, out on sales calls. Many GMs get so caught up in the day to today issues in their hotel that by the time they have everything settled it is past five and too late!


There are some very simple things GMs can do to support the sales process in just a few hours a week:

•One Call a Day. Focus calls to your top accounts take very little time. When the GM calls, introduces him or herself and then asks "How well are we serving you and your guests?" it is likely to be met with a moment of silence because the contact is so startled and impressed. Now this is the big - The GM says "I want to give you my direct line and my cell phone number so if you can't get a situation resolved, you can call me directly." Because no one else in the market is probably doing this, the GM has just ‘bullet proofed' the account from the competition. Every client is impressed to have a direct line to the boss!

•Stop in on Site Inspections. Yes, the GM is a busy person but just stopping by the table at a lunch or catching up with the sales person on a property tour to introduce themselves and indicate the he or she would very much hope that they choose this hotel can make a huge impact. The following is probably an apocryphal story. A large account in a market was conducting site inspections prior to choosing a hotel. They walked in to the Marriott and the GM walked up to the leader of the group with a cell phone and said "It's for you." At the other end of the phone was Mr. Marriott who indicated how much this hotel would appreciate their business. Who do you think got the account?

•Going on Sales Calls to Target Accounts. It can make all the difference in ‘tipping' the account when the GM accompanies the sales person on a sales call to a target account that has not committed. They are so impressed to have the ultimate decision maker in on terms of negotiation that they may be less hard on the ‘boss' than they would on the sales person.

•The GM Close. When a contact is wavering and hasn't made a decision the personal guarantee of the GM can make all of the difference. If the GM can't be there in person, a short video of the GM surrounded by the rest of the team indicating that if the prospect chooses their hotel, he/she will personally guarantee that their function runs perfectly or they will make it right. All this requires is a Flip Cam and three minutes of time for the department heads and the Gm to make this video - but how impressive would that be!

•Cultivate Contacts One Level up from the Sales Contacts in all Key Accounts. This ensures that should the sales contact at the account leaves or the hotel sales person departs, there is another contact with a strong connection to the hotel. For local accounts, this can be done through business functions such as the Chamber. For distant accounts, find out who the sales contact reports to then call them with the pitch indicating that you want them to know how much the hotel appreciates their business.


Any one of these could ‘tip' an account in your favor. All of the above in combination creates a WOW factor that would be very hard for any competitor to overcome. The competition won't know what hit them!

Right Back Where I Started From…

Recently I took a trip to Northern California It was a trip like no other…upon arrival at the airport here it was revolutionary…actually it was pure techno wizardry. Slide in your ID and touch screen your selection and you are on your way. The cattle call boarding process was very smooth on the flight to LAX I sat with a gentleman originally from So Cal, lived formerly in the Bay Area told me of going to elementary school on the campus of UCLA and spoke of the Wrigley’s owning the Cubs and how they trained on Catalina Island which they did from 1921 to 1951.



The service that was given on the flights was as different as the crews. – On the 1st leg the peanuts were passed out and no pretzels and the water was in an airline logo 12 oz can. On the 2nd leg the peanuts were coupled with pretzels but the ratio was 2:1 and the water was in a cup with ice. The return flight was the same. Except that there were no pretzels offered…


At the Airport….

The bus trip to the car rental area was interesting to say the least. I grabbed my luggage from the carousel after getting a burger at the food court area, I proceeded to try to locate Enterprise Rental, and a girl passed by with an I.D. badge, I had never been to the airport before, I asked how to get there, and she pointed out the window, and said ”There”. Which was a bus stop across four lanes of traffic. After getting in line and finally getting the car I asked the young man as he handed the key, ‘How do I get to my destination”?


He wasn’t sure but gave me the first 2 steps, then as I figured out the radio, he showed me how the satellite radio worked and I asked about Sports, and ESPN?, again he stated he wasn’t sure but he thought they were in 100’s..(yes above channel 110).


It didn’t cease to amaze me that as a clerk I would have thought you would have a cheat sheet on these things in a plastic sheet taped to the back of a clipboard. Sometimes simpler is easier…

“Fresh Air and New Ideas – “Change is a process, not an event”

(John Hogan is a former Instructor of mine and a great friend.)

“Change is a process, not an event.” James Prochaska, PhD



Change is also something personal that requires focused and individual attention.


We have all heard the question on change: If we continue to do as we have always done, how can we ever expect to achieve different results?

It is a New Year and we are in

The First 100 Days of 2011

The expression of the First 100 Days sets a tone, introduces a sense of urgency or an anticipation that something positive or significant will occur. Many elected officials use that time period to initiate as many new programs and ideas as they can, while business leaders and sports coaches similarly use this short time period to launch as many new strategies and as much discipline as possible into their organizations and teams.



For hotels and the hospitality industry, the potential for dramatic change in the first 100 days of 2011 is there, as there is finally a sense of optimism in the direction of the economy[2]. Optimism alone is not action or change, and what do The First 100 Days of 2011 mean for you personally?



What do I personally need to change to make my hotel or hospitality business more successful?

Dr. Prochaska (who was quoted above) is a psychologist at the University of Rhode Island and is known for his model of the “stages of change.” While his research deals primarily with health issues and he was not addressing the hospitality business specifically, one can easily see the parallels in almost every situation.


Which Stage of Change Are You In?

1. Pre-contemplation (“Never”) Stage

Standard Statement

“From my point of view, there is nothing I need to do but stay the course. That has always worked before and should work again.”

Or

“ I may have some shortcomings, but so does everyone else.”


Vulnerability

The world has changed in the last three years globally. It is easy to blame the government, the banks or the competitors, but little is likely to change for the positive until something changes. Each of us must take specific assessments of our own position


2. Contemplation (“Someday”) Stage

Standard Statement

“If I only had more time, I could address the challenges I am facing.” (Challenges can be service, revenues, or other unique areas to your business)

Or

“Eventually, I’ll come up with a plan to address for (my specific problem areas)

Vulnerability

Good intentions do not bring results, only a sense of potential. Think back to the last time you made New Year’s Resolutions – how did that work out? How will you get beyond the thinking stage to the action level?


3. Preparation (“Soon”) Stage

Standard Statement

“I will begin the new sales and marketing campaign as soon as we update the marketing plan and finalize the new ad copy…………sometime in the next four weeks.”

Or

“We are committed to completing our staff reviews and making the necessary changes by the middle of next month.”

Vulnerability

“Soon” may or may not happen. Research shows a substantial percentage of people who need to modify their behavior for health reasons either never get to the “soon” stage or progress beyond it. I would say from my professional experience that many business decisions likely share this high percentage


4. Action (“Now”) Stage

Standard Statement

” Talk is cheap and while others talk about changing,. I’m actually taking action .”

Or

“We are working on making improvements, but are having challenges in measuring the results more.”


Vulnerability

Change is not easy – we all understand that. It is essential to be able to change quickly enough to both feel some short-term benefits. It is also essential to be able to measure progress so that we can continue the improvements that accompany the change.


5. Maintenance (“Forever”) Stage

Standard Statement

“I need to find sources of encouragement to assist me in continuing and maintaining the changes I’ve already begun and are continuing .” (Changes in procedure, marketing, operations, hiring, etc. can all bring stress)

Or

“It was not easy, but understanding and accepting the positives of these changes are now becoming the new normal and I actually look forward to the new challenges because I can see the new results happening“


Vulnerability

Change by definition is doing something different and dramatic change can be hard to maintain. The new protocols or practices are becoming accepted in your spirit, but the “old” ways of doing things are likely still prevalent in your mind. Look for the centers of strength and assurance for the hard days.

Is Money Spent on Indoor Environmental Quality Worthwhile for Hoteliers?

We're learning to Go Green Gradually®. By reducing our energy consumption, reducing our water usage, and perhaps creating some of our own energy through geothermal or solar thermal products, we've seen the immediate improvements in our profits. Then, suddenly, we're hit with "Indoor Environmental Quality" – also known as "IEQ". I am pleased to see that this often overlooked environmental concern is now garnering the attention it deserves. How did we forget this? Have we been taking a CATNAP* (defined at the end of the article)?



Basically, we've been primarily focused (and for good reason) on improving our energy consumption. It is now time to take a close look at this previously orphaned topic, relatively ignored under the plethora of energy specification attainment.

How can IEQ help our bottom line, we ask (we are, after all, successful business people, not only involved in the green movement for the sake of philanthropy). Can our air quality and acoustics make a difference in our business? Is it worth the trouble, for example, to use "green" cleaners, knowing that staff training and breaking old habits will be a must?


As an eye doctor and LEED AP, B,D + C, I am in the unique position of digging through both the medical jargon and "LEED-speak". As such, I performed a basic review of the studies to date, and am eager to share what I have learned with you. We all want to know if improved environmental quality and indoor air quality ("IAQ") is truly healthier – does it increase productivity, decrease sick days, and reduce turn-over in our hotels? Of course, we want to know if this extra effort is profitable, especially for a retrofit. Shall we take a look?

First, it is important to know that IEQ involves many facets of indoor comfort. The WBDG (a program of the National Institute of Building Sciences) includes "indoor air quality (IAQ), and focuses on airborne contamination, as well as other health, safety, and comfort issues such as aesthetics, potable water surveillance, ergonomics, acoustics, lighting, and electromagnetic frequency levels." This may seem complicated at first, but let's break it down into the elements that may have the greatest immediate impact.

Increased Air Quality:

Can we increase our guests' and staffs' health and productivity by increasing the air quality in our hotels?

Most of us have heard of "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) – when building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. We've also heard of "Building Related Illness" (BRI) – used when symptoms of a diagnosable illness are identified and can be attributed directly to airborne building contaminants (as described in Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America). But do these conditions pertain to our hotels?

Cited Causes of SBS include:

•Inadequate ventilation: ASHRAE recently revised its ventilation standard to provide a minimum of 15 cfm of outdoor air per person in non-smoking areas. ASHRAE is attempting to balance energy consumption with an adequate IAQ. If you have an existing hotel, an engineered study of ventilation will give you all of the information you need to make adjustments as needed.

•Chemical contaminants: Research clearly shows that V.O.C.'s (volatile organic compounds) can cause chronic and acute health effects at even low concentrations, and many V.O.C.'s are known carcinogens. This is why LEED standards address V.O.C.'s as found in adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, manufactured wood products, copy machines, pesticides and cleaning agents. Your "green" advisor can assist with low or no V.O.C. options for your hotel. GreenSeal.org can provide all of the details you need.

•Chemical contaminants from outdoor sources: This includes motor vehicle exhaust, plumbing vents and building exhausts (from kitchens or bathrooms, for example) and combustion products from a parking garage. Air intake vents must be carefully located to avoid these sources of contamination.

•Biological contamination: These include bacteria, molds, pollen and viruses. Unfortunately, hoteliers are all too familiar with the history of hotel-borne Legionnaire's Disease, and as such, must be vigilant in testing our cooling towers and indoor decorative fountains.

Examining the effects of poor IAQ and allergies and asthma, William J. Fiske, P.E. and Member of ASHRAE states,

"The scientific literature reports statistically significant links between prevalence of allergy and asthma symptoms and a variety of changeable building characteristics or practices, including indoor allergen concentrations, moisture and mold problems, pets and tobacco smoking. The reported links between these risk factors and symptoms were quite strong."


How strong are these links? In many studies, mold or moisture problems in residences were associated with 100% increases in lower respiratory symptoms indicative of asthma. This is just one reason why you will want to be vigilant at your hotel for moisture problems. One picture of mold at your hotel on TripAdvisor can be a blow to your hotel's reputation – one that is difficult from which to recover.

Daylighting, Biophelia and Lighting Controls:

When we "daylight" our hotels, we are bringing a bit of the outdoors, indoors. This relates to "biophilia" – literally, a love of nature. The term "biophilia" was coined by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson, Ph.D, when he argued that humans have an innate affinity for nature, loosely tied in with evolution.

As explained by Judith Heerwagen, Ph.D,

"People will fight to keep biophilic features" as she describes the competition in commercial buildings for offices with views to the outdoors. In workstations without views, you'll often find biophilia in the form of potted plants, images of nature, and nature-focused screen savers."


One strong belief is that people are happiest and most productive with good "daylighting." Provide them with windows and the ability to control the level of their task lighting and our intuition tells us this may contribute to the satisfaction of their work environment. After all, when an executive receives that coveted promotion, what often comes with it? The corner office – with views of the outdoors. When you walk into your hotel room, throw down your bags, what is the first thing you usually do? Do you head to the window to check out the view, and if there is a terrace, squeal in delight (well, perhaps only I squeal)? Humans tend to gravitate toward this touch with nature. But what does science tell us?


In a landmark study published in 1984 by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., patients recovered from gall bladder surgery more quickly (2.5 days sooner, on average) and required less pain medication if they had a view of trees outside their window, verses the view of a brick wall. Views of nature appear to reduce our pain levels, likely through stress reduction, distraction, and the elevation of serotonin. Sunlight exposure increases the body's stores of serotonin – a neurotransmitter that inhibits pain pathways in the central nervous system (think "feel good, happy juice".)

We also see increased school performance in LEED-certified schools. The average school today is 42 years old, built during the time when some believed that windows would be distracting to students. Proper daylighting (without glare), however, has shown to actually increase students' attention and performance. The Heschong Mahone Group, Inc. in its most recent study of daylighting in schools, found statistically significant evidence that access to views through windows in classrooms improves student performance by 5 – 10%. Add an improvement in acoustics, and tests scores improve an average of 18%.

According to the Green School Initiative,

"The study by the Heschong Mahone Group, covering more than 2,000 classrooms in three school districts, indicated that students with the most classroom daylight progressed 20% faster in one year on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests than those students who learned in environments that received the least amount of natural light."


Can we extrapolate these shocking findings to our hotel staff? Obviously, many more studies are being conducted, but initial estimates indicate that the increase in productivity resulting from improvements in ventilation will likely be offset by the increase in energy costs needed to achieve these changes. Daylighting and lighting control, however, identifies a 13.2% increase in productivity, a 25% reduction in absenteeism and 69% lighting energy savings following a lighting retrofit (PP&L / Romm and Browning 1994). There is a potential for maintenance savings of $0.47/sq. ft. per year as well (Knissel 1999). These are significant sources of decreased operating costs for hoteliers.

And potential profits? The CBPD (Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics) team has identified nine studies linking effectively designed daylighting and daylight control with 8.6 – 60% reductions in annual lighting energy consumption. Emerging studies on the effectiveness of missed-mode HVAC, which balances natural ventilation and mechanical air conditioning, are demonstrating 39.6 – 75% reductions in annual HVAC energy consumptions

Thermal Comfort:

We are sensitive to the needs of our hotel guests for individual thermal comfort in their rooms. The same awareness needs to carry over to the thermal comfort of our staff. This involves both general thermal comfort (temperature, humidity levels and air velocity) and local comfort (which varies with clothing and activity level). Fisk (2002) reported that temperature differences may impact the speed or accuracy of workers in tasks such as keyboarding and reading speed by 2% to 20%.


For thermal comfort standards, including humidity control, please refer to ASHRAE Standard 55 – 1992, Addenda 1995 (at ASHRAE.org). By following such guidelines, you'll see fewer staff members either so cold that they can not use a keyboard, or so warm that they can't think clearly. Interestingly, we usually find both types of people in the same room. Take a look at these general guidelines and see if you can't minimize the back-of-the-house fighting over the thermostat.

The Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics (CBPD), after identifying eight case studies and including the cost of individual temperature and comfort controls, found that the individual productivity gains for 3.5 – 36.6% yield life cycle benefits with ROI's of 23 – 205%.

Acoustic Privacy and Comfort:

Developing a hotel to include good acoustics is no stranger to hotel developers, and must be considered in all areas of the hotel – from the front desk (can your staff hear while on the telephone?) to the restaurant and bar (and surrounding areas), the guest rooms, laundry, pool, conference rooms, and areas adjacent to the elevators.

The same care and attention should be given to the back-of-the-house. Areas near the laundry room, the engineering room, kitchen, etc. should be properly insulated for sound abatement. Your acoustical engineer is invaluable for these evaluations.

Poor acoustics can lead to unhappy staff members.

Life Cycle Cost Analysis:

An excellent study conducted by The Construction Management School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University (May 2009) provides us with a Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Occupant Well-Being and Productivity in LEED Offices. In this study, they analyzed three things:


•The first costs related to attaining LEED IEQ credits

•Changes in the occupants' well-being and productivity

•The life cycle benefits as compared to full costs


Their study determined that life cycle benefits far exceed the incremental costs, indicating economically viable investments. However, many developers and hotel owners do not plan to hold their hotels for life. Instead, hoteliers must be able to find the "low hanging fruit" and begin with the changes that have the greatest impact with the fastest ROI.

Fortunately, there are many options for hoteliers to improve upon the IEQ of their hotels, with a rapid return on investment. As many hotels and hotel flags are "going green", I believe it is essential to pencil out these changes and begin to go "green" for our health, the health of our staff and guests, and for our profits. This may mean developing a hotel above and beyond code requirements. With our knowledge of green options growing, the cost of green products dropping, and the inclusion of tax deductions, utility rebates and local incentives, building and retrofitting above code may not be more expensive than a more traditional build.

It is my belief that the days of developing buildings to code are over. Or, as beautifully put by Barry Katz,
"Building to code basically means not breaking the law by the narrowest margin possible. My favorite description of this is known as the

CATNAP* principle – "Commonly Accepted Techniques Narrowly Avoiding Prosecution."

Let's rise above, shall we?