What are you looking for in a Hotel?

What motivates you when choosing a property to stay at? Is it mainly the price, the loyalty program attached, the amenities?
It is exceptionally rare these days to book a Hotel and not look on Social Network to look into the property. Your looking for the best bang for your buck.

What does that mean for you? Is it the location?  Do you want to explore the city your traveling to? Does this Hotel bring you in to the centre of the city? Is parking included? Does the property have a Concierge that is going to assist you in planning your visit? 

Here is what seems to be the biggest things searched for when choosing a property:

1. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION- this is extremely important for folks. What is it that your traveling to? Concert? Are you close to the venue? 
2. Parking- seems to me that folks need to ensure they have parking included. Larger city properties charge outrageous prices for the luxury of parking on site.
3. Rating of the Hotel- does the property have a CAA/AAA rating?  Those diamonds are extremely important for the property and they take great pride in that.
4. Complimentary breakfast- this seems to be a growing trend. A breakfast in the morning for most is extremely alluring and an added bonus. I have often found myself looking at this when searching for a room.
5. Family friendly / Pet friendly- what else can I say? Families are doing more and more travelling together and ensuring that they are well taken care of is of great importance. Is there room for Rover? Some higher priced properties actually include animals in their Marketing to ensure more guest retention.

One missing from the list and which should be of great importance is SERVICE STANDARDS. I know that most of you won't even look at this until you have arrived. Are you even thinking about that when you are searching?  Does word of mouth make a difference?
For business travellers, I am sure that this is of high importance on the list. When your living out of a suitcase 100+ nights of the year it means that these folks are becoming part of your extended family. They are relations that you value, people who will go above and beyond for you.


Do you have something that you favour over all of these?  Drop me a line, I would love to hear them

Is it passion or pay check that gets you into the workplace??

Are you serving with passion? 

Are you merely waiting for that pay check at the end of the day?

You can be certain that passion cannot be taught, it grows inside you. It can be nurtured yes, often times at a young age but certainly not taught. 

Remember that kid in grade school who always said she wanted to be a teacher? She was always the one leading in plays, showing the rest of us how to use her toys, wanted us to pat attention. She knew.

In my case, my family owned a small restaurant, I was around people from a very young age, I was shown the correct way to assist folks by my grandparents. They were exceptionally hard working & had high standards of service, even for a small town restaurant like ours. When they moved North, sure the location changed, but the service certainly did not!

Either inside the kitchen creating the scrumptious meals or out in the dinning room entertaining the patiently waiting guests, my passion for taking care of people was nurtured very early on.

Transitioning into the Hotel industry was a natural step for me. It was the same process, make sure those guests entering the Hotel are well taken care of, ensure their needs are met. 

Did the door person welcome them warmly? Assist with their bags to check-in? Did the front lines staff offer a genuine greeting, meet their preferences, offered assistance with property details? Did the bellman bring them swiftly to their room, luggage in hand, friendly & helpful? 

Or are your colleagues merely waiting for the lady second of their shift to finish so they can bolt out those doors? Do they initiate conversation with the guests? Are they helpful? Do they even look like they WANT to be there? Uniform complete? Clean? Crisp? Do they show up early, eager to hit the floor? Are the present? Do they participate?

Often times we hire the wrong colleagues, but there is also another factor not considered....service time. I've been with the company for 20 yrs. profound statement, however is it fueled with joy? Is there happiness attached with it? Is it bills, benefits & bull that keeps them? 

Your bussiness is your home. Your going to be spending a very long time there, these people will be your day family. As a member of Management, we would hope you would pay close attention to your colleagues, distinguish if it's passion or a pay check they are working for here. 

Getting your Management Team on the same page

It's been a very long time since my last post, primarily because I really had writers block. It's been talked of for centuries, mainly moments of nothingness. When your struggling to post a Blog it becomes even harder.
 Been considering returning so I have a topic & my usual opinion so here goes nothing:

Is your Management Team on the same page?
Many times, teams have been bound together for many years, continuing in the daily ebb & flow of routine. Often times, feathers become ruffled & personalities need sorting out when someone new is thrown into the mix.
The leader remains steadfast in their convictions of hiring the "newbie" although the team they will be working with undoubtedly have their obvious concerns.
However, was the Team already all on the same page to begin with? It seems a great tats to enter a new location; so much to consider, to think about. Training, routines, standards, personalities to connect with. Sometimes Teams pre-established don't remember what it was like to be the new comer & are often times guilty of not showcasing the very things the company wants conveyed on a daily basis.
Trying to accomplish so much in short periods of time is often a gift for those in this world. Hospitality means adapting quickly to your surroundings. A Hotel is a Hotel is a Hotel.
They all equal exactly the same premise: lodging for guests. A guest enters looking for a comfortable place to lay their head for the evening. Expectations differ between guest to guest obviously, however to concept never changes from brand to brand.
Personalities do. Passions do as well. Talent is ever present- some obviously more than others. Properties offer so many differences: benefits, perks, locations, standards.
One thing that shouldn't change but often times is extremely noticeable are the leaders- do they mesh well? Are they compatible? Are they co-existing together comfortably or are conflicts arising? Are the leaders adaptable to changes or are the number of years behind your badge number clouding you from your own personal growth?
Many times properties are requesting someone who is encouraging, supportive to their staff, passionate about what they do everyday. There are those that often get stuck inside personal obligations that they often forget the reason they stayed in the field. Or, was it merely the larger scaled pay check that often accompanies someone in the field? The benefits?
Your question should be to yourself, is the Team I'm with offering me the same things I myself are expected to give those under me? I'm i rewarded for my dedication? My ideas? My hard effort or am I merely an expectation? A body? Am I encouraged? Is MY TEAM all on the same page?

When accepting a new position that isn't EXACTLY what you were hoping for

Have you been offered the dream job? NO? Did you possibly get offered something else that could lead you INTO that dream job?

More & more of us get discouraged when we are searching and searching for the PERFECT DREAM JOB and cannot locate it. The trouble question I have for you today is this: Are you willing to take something else? Compromise in your career may actually be the very best thing you can do. You see, my favourite quote of all times is "Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a LEAP forward".

Taking that part time position, to get your foot in the door is a fabulous way of a transition. It allows the new employer to see that your willing to take a chance and show them exactly what your made out of. It will also provide you with some time to breath and perhaps take a break. You know, working 40+ hrs a week is AWESOME but sometimes, that part time position may provide you with MUCH MORE than you ever bargained for. TIME!! You can now do those projects around your home you have been complaining you haven't had the TIME to complete, you can take that drive down the coast that you have ALWAYS wanted to take. You can sign up for that class you were interested in.

Sometimes taking a lower position can certainly seem like a huge step backwards but I have learnt to ALWAYS look at it as a position leap FORWARD. You can always learn something being down there. You can LEAD OTHERS......the possibilities are endless.

Offering yourself the opportunity to look at this as a great thing. Just because you applied for that high profile, senior management AWESOME JOB doesn't mean that the part time starter position that was offered isn't going to give you something as exciting and as challenging. WHO KNOWS, that position you just accepted may just possibly be EXACTLY WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED.

So, whilst on that career path, perhaps apply and interview for that position that is just a step backward from what you once had, you never know what kind of magic it might just provide for you.

Getting positive feedback?

Today so much is changing in our hospitality community with a plethora of properties opening and closing and the usual amount of colleagues coming and going. Are the basics still being utilized to ensure the very best guest excellence? Is this true for not only your guests but your colleagues as well?

Yes, I mentioned colleagues, they are your priority as well. I have always said, those guests coming in through that door are your top priority but I am curious, are those BEHIND the counter being tended to as well? Are you providing that oh so needed positive feedback?





Sometimes in this business, the daily tasks of checking in & out guests or cleaning those rooms is strangely a ritual. Clock in, get pass on from someone, collect your assignments, collect your cart and carry on to your first room, get your float, count it and get out to the desk and wait for your first of many guests. It all seems so boring to some. Day in and day out, the very same thing, over and over again. As a leader, are you paying attention to those colleagues? Have you noticed that housekeeper doing alittle something special for that guest who has been in that room for a few nights? Extra tea or coffee perhaps since they noticed more of one product taken than others, did you see that guest service agent chat with that guest only to recognize that the guest was here for something other than pleasure and offered a kind word or recommendations for dinner?




These things may be the norm for most of us in the field, however to a leader it should be a time to praise. Ensuring that your providing adequate praise and encouragement is tops on your to do list. You should encourage your team to shine. It's why they came to work today, to be recognized by someone. I really love to hear I have done an awesome job, it puts a spring in my step. I love it even more so when I hear it from a guest, that tells me that I am doing exactly what I was called to do in my life, serve others.

For example, I was interviewing recently for another lead position and when we completed the telephone interview, the ladies that were conducting the interview mentioned that this was one of the best interviews they have done in some time. They enjoyed very much hearing my answers, stories and the laughter that we shared. It was refreshing to them. That was an excellent sign. It gives me hope that if I am actually offered a position at this particular property, my talents will not go unnoticed and that positive feedback will continue. This is certainly a place I want to work.




So, ask yourself today, as your getting ready to head out the door, or if you have finished for the day, perhaps starting your weekend............did I offer positive feedback today? Am I going to pay close attention to my colleague today and recognize a job well done? You certainly don't have to be a leader to do this either because I am known for recognizing others I work with, either housekeepers, maintenance or anyone really. We are all on a TEAM and we all need to work together to create that magic our guests require and expect from us. So get out there and start spreading the positive, your gonna thank me that you did.

Living through the times, being a 40 something in an ever changing hospitality industry

I try to only write about things I know for certain from being in this business for some time. I have noticed lately however that the focus is strictly on the newer grads, the up & comers in the industry. My question lately however has been this, what about those of us that are 40 somethings? Where do we fit in?

I have recently started being forced to look at my age, not by choice of course. Many have mentioned over & over, YOUR NOT OLD. I am not saying that I am, however I AM thinking about my age in my industry. It does seem that priority is being given to the new kids in town, it certainly has me thinking about my future.

I have taken very few moves in the last 5 yrs, trading in a comfortable rooted spot for the opportunities to explore this country I currently live in and trying to find my place in this world. I often looked at the moves as a negative thing but you know what, it's actually a positive. I've decided to explore options and different venues of hospitality. It has offered the opportunities that others would have passed up. Sure, you could call it JOB JUMPING but I am now looking at it as exploring the in's & out's of my chosen field and learning what I excel at and what I would prefer not to do again. It has really been incredible. I have gone from venue  to venue, from Hotels larger than 1600 rooms to 60. I have gone from giant Casino properties to home town properties, all in all, I think I have obtained tons more experience than these up & comers.





With all the new training, courses and experiences offered for the new kids, what does a gal with years behind her do? TRAIN. I am 100% for continuous learning. I feel as though as we grow older in age, we tend to get stagnant and stale. I often have read of those that get complacent with their positions and when they have been in it for multiple years, they don't tend to want to change.
Look, this business we are in is ever changing like everything else  in this world but especially in this world of hospitality. Keeping fresh and current should be EVERYONE'S priority.
I have taken courses, I have read many books about the industry and what I can do to continue to excel. I'm no expert, I am every changing, that's the key here.

So, if your old enough to know what the 80's are all about, ask yourself this....... are you updating yourself? Are you involved with the younger generation and learning the new tips and tricks? Or, are you still sitting in your office chair playing with your Rubic Cube?

Is there such things as MENTORS now a days?

 Yesterday we touched upon leaders and appreciation. Following along in that direction, I'm curious if there is such a thing as mentor-ship now a days? Are leaders taking colleagues under their wing and focusing on bettering them? Do you see potential in someone? Are you nurturing their spirit and drive?







I'm often curious about this in today's hospitality industry. We can certainly get caught up in the hype of excelling in hospitality and all that goes along with it but did it comes from schooling or are you lucky enough to have a  mentor?

Sometimes, a mentor can come from nowhere and offer you much more than you could have ever dreamed. Life lessons are incredible, if you can identify them as such. Sometimes your merely learning what you need to for the task at hand and then throwing away the rest.






My mentor offered me challenges, support, encouragement and tons of other things I couldn't begin to rhyme off. She quietly went about her business of running two locations but to me, Megan offered me so much more. She listened. Often times, our leaders are way to busy running the show and not consistent with worrying about their colleagues. This statement may make you scratch your head in disbelief, you can't possibly be serious but OH I CAN.
Multiple layoffs and folks taking on so much more daily tasks because the budgets don't offer wiggle room like they once did. I can certainly remember a time, not so very long ago when there was plenty of colleagues  running around assisting each and every guest. Nowadays, its my responsibility to check in over 700 guests all alone. I'm also expected to check rooms that have been released, maintenance and any other request asked of me from my guests.







Sure, I could be exaggerating just a little but not really. What use to be someone else's job has now been stuffed into my own. Not only a front desk Supervisor, now I have Housekeeping, Maintenance and other titles added to it to assist with cost.  With this though, mentoring is uber important to me as well. I was blessed to have a very special few who took me under their wings and taught me so much.
 They realized I had special qualities that not only needed to be nourished but exposed. These folks, without being told, stepped up to the plate with their own being filled with so much MORE than ever before and realized that taking care of your colleagues will provide so much more to your business.
With this extra spent, you will not only grow as a colleague but as a human. Not to mention that your business skills will increase and that little spark will grow and hopefully be passed on to the next person.

So, do you mentor your colleagues and if not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?