More than a Stoplight, It was a game as a kid

There is a job search site that takes a while to get through, after the basics the applicant has to take a test. After you take the test the applicant is placed in a category.  I worked recently for a medium size hotel company.  When I began as a TaskForce Manager when we looked for staff HR would review applicants, send them through inter-office mail and through a painful process eventually set up interviews with prospective employees. The game changer was when one property used a online job board as a filter process, since it worked well for them, it was decided that it would work well for the rest of the company, kind of like one size fits all.

The process was a bit painful at the beginning, we were all issued passwords and had to review applicants and the site placed them preemptively in assigned categories by a test they took during the process. The site had three colors they placed applicants in, similar to a inverted stoplight. Green for go, yellow as caution, and red for stop, being said you had to take time out of your already time crunched day, and review resumes ad test scores. I can tell you that at 3am after a full night and paperwork trying to put someone in  a category will make you even more bleary eyed, I found in my searches was that in my determination that either the tests were wrong, or people didn’t pay attention, just to get through the process, and I understand that as well.

The funny thing I came to realize in talking with them and subsequently hiring them was that a couple of the greens failed miserably, and a couple of the reds and yellows turned out to be a couple of the best hires.  In retrospect the tests did not tell me the whole picture, I had to get them in front of me to make the correct determination. Yes, previously we did have HR screen them, which makes you wonder how many did we let go or get by based on someone else’s gut feeling. Hiring the right staff is more than a game when it affects your operation. Perhaps some people are right about Outsourcing HR.

Ask us about F&B in a Box...a new concept for 2013....(www.sutterpine.com)

Put us on a retainer. Use us as TaskForce 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

A Funny thing happened on the Way to Alaska…

Last year I accepted a post consulting in Alaska at a premier resort.  I came back into a Hospitality field that has changed dramatically. In the coming Blog posts I will look into the changes and some of the things I have encountered.

I am deep into writing a book “Man at the Door” it chronicles my stints in renowned restaurants and resorts, More about that later…

I spent time in Wisconsin @ The Grand Geneva managing the Geneva ChopHouse…One of the Top 10 Restaurants in Wisconsin……and ended up in the Caribbean at Cap Juluca..the #2 Resort in the Caribben…Re-Opening the Resort and reviving their F& B Operations….

Ask us about F&B in a Box...a new concept for 2013....(www.sutterpine.com)

Put us on a retainer. Use us as TaskForce 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

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?