Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 1st Quarter 2016

LUXURY HOTELIERS 1st Quarter 2016

SPOTLIGHT ON Jurgen Baumhoff,

GM/Regional Manager IHG Geneva Revenue Management; Can you predict the future?

Marketing trends to consider in 2016

ILHA

attends Karisma GIVC Awards in Mexico

DO WHAT YOU LOVE SERVICE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S LIFE

www.luxuryhotelassociation.org

PRESIDENT’S LETTER From all of us at the ILHA we hope you have had a wonderful and profitable New Year and festive season.

I want to take this time to thank our members and sponsors for their continued commitment to building the International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) into the preeminent organization promoting, unifying and advancing the luxury hospitality industry globally. Through their support we will be launching several key initiatives in 2016 as part of our development framework that will ensure the ILHA will continue to grow and provide benefits to members for years to come.

We are excited to announce our first ILHA European Luxury Hospitality Summit at the Athens Ledra Hotel, May 19-22, 2016. It will be a must-attend event, with two days of energizing talks and inspiring keynotes that will ensure hoteliers stay competitive in the European luxury hospitality market. Learn more about the event and early bird specials at this link www.ilhasummit.com.

In the first quarter 2016 we will make available a luxury service training certification course that was developed with the expertise of top luxury hoteliers and spearheaded by Dr. Lily Lin. Dr. Lin was senior lecturer for more than 20 years at Hotel School The Hague and is the author of well-known books on luxury hospitality including “Interviewing Successful Hotel Managers”. She is also the editor of wearehoteliers.com The course will be the first in a series that will

provide hoteliers regardless of their location with an accessible program to train new staff on the nuances of luxury hospitality service.

In March, thanks to the generous support of a major sponsor and mobile technology gurus Benbria and in partnership with Cornell University we kick off an 18 city tour of the US and Canada where we will host VIP invitation only round tables on mobile technology trends. This will be part of the research for a definitive report we will be launching on mobile in hospitality at our ILHA Pinnacle Summit in DC Sept 25 – 27 2016, luxuryhotelconference.com This past year we introduced our Hotelier Concierge service to members. This valuable tool can be accessed via the association website luxuryhotelassociation.org and can be used to source any information or referrals a hotelier may need to help their business grow.

I was excited to see it has been very popular and since inception our team has helped with a diverse set of requests which include recommending a new software vendor, assisting with an off-market hotel sale, advice on selecting a hotel brand and insight into preferences of VIP guests from Korea. It’s great to see the service being used by members at all levels of the industry from property through to ownership.

I look forward to connecting with our members in 2016. I also invite non-members to join our growing global community and benefit from the resources that will help guide and grow their career and business in luxury hospitality. Visit http://www. luxuryhotelassociation.org Best Wishes

Barak Hirschowitz,

President, International Luxury Hotel Association ILHA 3

CONTENTS 06

Luxury Hoteliers magazine is a collaborative venture with the International Luxury Hotel Association’s dynamic community of hospitality professionals interested in sharing their incredible knowledge of trends, industry intelligence and inspiration.

SPOTLIGHT ON

Jurgen Baumhoff, General Manager, Intercontinental Geneva, Regional Manager Switzerland True Swiss hospitality with the spirit of adventure and respect for traditional values

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SPOTLIGHT ON Kai Speth, General Manager

SPOTLIGHT ON Karen Earp, General Manager, Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore Santa Barbara

Trends Kai is keeping an eye on: Virtual Reality applications, Airbnb, mobile platforms and sustainability in F&B

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SPOTLIGHT ON Bhanu Chopra, Founder and CEO, Rategain Where hotels go wrong when optimizing their pricing strategy and technology that needs minimal human intervention

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Culinary secrets from this ILHA 2015 Guest Experience F&B award winner - Tip: Camomile flowers are hip

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About

The Borgo Santo Pietro

Hospitality news from around the world

A couple’s Tuscan journey recreating a treasured hamlet into a traveler’s delight, with truffle hunting, wine tasting and cooking classes

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We Keep Moving Forward Rainmaker President & Co-Founder, Tammy Farley, looks at the year ahead for revenue management

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The Music of Love at the Metropole Hanoi

Keeping employees engaged, informed and recognized

What it’s like to sing at this Sofitel Legend, from the artist herself

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Suitably Styled

The Italian Coffee Standard

Design details to impress - uniforms that personify a hotel’s brand image

Serving the first espresso to Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Official Coffee of the US Open - what’s next for Lavazza?

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Employee Retention: Your unique key to long-term success

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6 Considerations of Luxury Hospitality Marketing in 2016 Michael Strong, VP of Marketing at SGEi International, expands on the key Marketing concepts you need to know

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Les Bains Shines at the European Hotel Design Awards

ILHA attends Karisma Hotel’s GIVC Awards in Mexico

5 Things that really annoy Hotel Guests and How to Prevent them

Paris-based overall winner, Les Bains, merges rock and roll memorabilia with celebrity designers and even more famous guests

Rapidly expanding luxury hotel group recognizes top performing Travel Agents in a glittering awards ceremony

What are your pet peeves? Perhaps you will identify with a few of these

Write for us Luxury Hoteliers is published quarterly, reaching our extensive network of hospitality professionals across communities on the ILHA website, LinkedIn and multiple social media platforms. We are LinkedIn’s largest hospitality group, with over 250,000 members members, putting you in front of hoteliers, owners, executives, suppliers, hiring managers and more. Gain exposure, increase your connections and become an expert, write for us today! Contact sharon@luxuryhotelassociation.org Want to advertise in Luxury Hoteliers? Contact patricia@luxuryhotelassociation.org ILHA 5

SPOTLIGHT ON Jurgen Baumhoff

General Manager, InterContinental Geneva, Regional Manager Switzerland

By Sharon Hirschowitz

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Successful teams and effective leadership are built on a certain Adventure Attitude narrative, Jurgen Baumhoff explains, while touching on the InterContinental’s recent renovation, and the Swiss approach to high profile guests.

Your career has taken you all over the world, from London, to Qatar, to Egypt, Australia and now Switzerland.

Do you have a strategy for the first few months? How do you integrate into a new culture?

The first thing you need to do is gain the trust of the local people, and observe how they react to business. You need to foster their future, and engage them in the company. People respect me for my personality, how I see people. When I am looking at strategies to put in place I look to people for direction.

What is your personal leadership style?

I have seen you refer to “adventure leadership”, perhaps you would like to share more detail on this In my early days as General Manger in Asia-Pacific, I worked with someone

on a number of projects re-engineering the business in various hotels. He had led teams up Mount Everest, and was a speaker on adventure, and together we developed the Adventure Attitude acronym. The premise is that with the right attitude of the leader and the team, anything is possible, the metaphor being that we can climb our goals like Everest, working together as a team.

We introduce all new employees to the acronym on welcome day, I talk about the Adventure Attitude, and how with the right people in your business, anything is possible. Not only has it been a very successful resource over the years, it has been a source of inspiration to me in my own career.

A – Adaptability – we have to adapt together, as different team members would have different fitness levels, so does your hotel team need to be adaptable to different markets D – Desire – we need to have passion to develop our business and grow V- Vision – you need to cultivate vision

that resonates with your brand values and ideals. All leaders have great vision!

E – Experience – a team will bring strong individual experience that enhances the collective experience N – Natural curiosity – to see what your competitor is doing, explore innovations, trends T – Teamwork and trust – we need to be able to trust our team members in business U – Unlimited optimism – believe in your goals, say to yourself “yes, I am going to make it!”

R – Risk – one needs the ability to take calculated risks E – Exceptional performance – every day our performance needs to be exceptional.

What are the greatest challenges you are facing today in improving guest experience?

Our biggest challenge is engagement of the employees, we need as many ILHA 7

touch points as possible with the guests.

Operating a business in Switzerland is very expensive, labor costs are very high, so we need to work with less staff, which is why it is so important to empower the employees to seek guest engagement. We have to constantly train and invest in the staff, dedicating time to finding the right people. They need to have a legal permit, so we have to draw from Europe or Switzerland, and since Geneva is primarily French speaking, we are French labor dominated.

How has technology changed guest expectations - how are you reacting to it?’

We don’t need to be the first, we are still a very service orientated industry, and Swiss hospitality is more traditional, it can never be virtualized. We do have in-room technology but the overall philosophy of the hotel is to retain the neutral position of the Swiss, we have famous guests, and they need to be respected and know that they will not be bothered.

As far as social media, we do have an e-commerce department that will analyze our reputation on a daily basis, and we do have a presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc., but if we have an important conference with famous personalities, you probably won’t hear about it. We don’t highlight sensitive business.

The InterContinental Geneva recently celebrated its 50th year and has hosted celebrities and icons from Reagan, to Gorbachev, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. Please tell us about it its recent renovation. What big changes did you make?

The InterContinental Geneva is an iconic hotel, located next to the United Nations, and has hosted many United Nationals and International Conferences, with over 700 Heads of States, hence our slogan, “Making History one Guest at a Time.” This is reflected in the design of the hotel, which was renovated over a 5 year period, at a total cost of 100 million Swiss Francs. It was a top down 8 ILHA

renovation, designed by Tony Chi, a well-known NYC architect, with a completely new interior, while the exterior was preserved. The overall ambiance is warm, yet contemporary, with a fireplace in the lobby and wood and marble flowing throughout the entire hotel.

The delight of the renovation is the Unique Residence on the 18th floor of the hotel, composed of an East and West Wing, and commanding an incredible 360 degree view of the city of Geneva, Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. The suites were originally royal suites, known to host the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and include a Grand Salon, Grand dining room, master bedrooms, hamams, a private Spa room serviced by Clarins, a gym and a dedicated 24 hour butler.

This has repositioned the hotel in terms of marketing, uplifting it to the next level.

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SPOTLIGHT ON Kai Speth

General Manager Grand Hyatt Taipei

By Sharon Hirschowitz

The Grand Hyatt Taipei has seen some exciting enhancements the past year, with an overall new look that has taken guest feedback into consideration.

At the helm is Kai Speth, who has lead the transformation, incorporating local culture, art and the latest technology to create an extraordinary guest experience.

The Grand Hyatt Taipei recently celebrated its relaunch after extensive head-to-toe renovations.

What was the inspiration for the hotel’s new look?

The inspiration was really to 10 ILHA

showcase ‘dynamic Taiwan.’ The rooms are modern and bright with Taiwanese Art, and feature expanded bathrooms. Overall, we listened to our guests’ needs and desires and incorporated this into the design. The rooms had to be more open, functional and brighter, and at the same time elegant, modern and done in a way that the design will not look dated in a few years. It was a major operation to renovate all 853 rooms and so we gutted them down to the concrete shell of the building and reconfigured all of the MEP (mechanical, electrical and

plumbing). Everything is brand new.

This was not a simple soft-goods renovation.

How have you incorporated technology into various spaces in the hotel?

Of course, in addition to mobile devices for guests, we have full high-speed free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. All hotel TV channels are being upgraded to full digital HD. Our function rooms all feature HDMI connectivity and the latest in AV technology. Guest room thermostats are digital and the TV’s are Smart TV and we’re planning to add Netflix and other online media providers to the rooms as well.

Have you brought in a flavor of the local culture into the design of the hotel?

All of our artwork is from local artists and the designs of the rooms reflect the contemporary style of Taipei.

Today, travel is all about the experience. How could a guest create a truly memorable experience at The Grand Hyatt Taipei?

Indulge a weekend in Taipei. Get picked up in a luxurious limo from the airport and enjoy some champagne whilst watching the news or the latest movie in the car.

Arrive in the heart of Taipei at the Grand Hyatt and be escorted to a beautiful Corner Suite that offers almost a full 180-degree view of

the district including the impressive Taipei 101 tower. Work with our experienced butlers to hash out a weekend full of activities. From shopping, concerts, 3-star Michelin restaurants to wonderful street food night markets, everything is just a few steps away from the hotel. Visit some of the cultural sights or the famous National Palace Museum before heading to the Villa 32 at the nearby Beitou Hotsprings for a truly Taiwanese Spa experience.

Or simply spend your time at the hotel’s Fitness and Swimming Pool area. In the evening dive into the night life right behind the hotel or attend one of the many cultural events that take place every week.

The following day, grab a U-bike from a stand just across the street and head to the Taipei Bike path, which is unparalleled in Asia. Ride along the rivers, watch the locals play in the park, fly kites or join in the traditional tai chi practices. Stop at one of the many bicycle stops for coffee before heading back to the hotel. Try breakfast at our brand new Café restaurant that features the most elaborate selection of foods from all over the world.

Relax in the afternoon at the pool or the lounge on the 22nd floor before taking the MRT to Tanshui to explore its former Portuguese heritage and the interesting streets in the old quarter. Alternatively arrange a driver and head into the mountains to see the hot air lanterns in PingXi, see the Goldmines

near Jiefen before heading to the breathtaking northern Taiwan coastline.

Arrive back at the hotel and soak in a hot bath with a view admiring the playful lights of the Xinyi district.

Later on, head to Cheers or Ziga Zaga for a casual evening meal, drinks and live music before retiring and preparing for departure.

What trends are you watching for this year? Do you have any plans to incorporate them into the hotel?

We just became the first 5-star pet-friendly hotel in Taiwan.

Connectivity, online and mobile platforms need constant attention.

We’re watching various new economies (AirBNB) and paying close attention to how our industry adapts and changes. Virtual Reality applications will play a major role in the future. We would love to offer these headsets once they become commercially available. We hope to adapt a more sustainable approach in F&B with the foods we sell and as we continue to implement green energy initiatives.

How do you bring the best out of your staff?

I show a lot of empathy, and I listen. I will take action on matters that matter most to them. I try to ensure they have what they need to do their job effectively. I share information so the staff is well informed, and I offer praise when praise is due

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SPOTLIGHT ON Karen Earp

General Manager, Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore Santa Barbara Winner of the ILHA 2015 Guest Experience F&B award

By Sharon Hirschowitz

Dorado Maroma in Mexico) at the International Luxury Hotel Association’s 2015 Guest Experience awards. Their casual yet glamorous style has infused a truly authentic experience into their culinary offerings, inspiring some guests to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the spirit of creativity.

The Biltmore won best Food and Beverage (tied with the El 12 ILHA

Please tell us a little about your restaurants and key food trends that you have incorporated into your menus.

Our Executive Chef, Alessandro

Cartumini was born in Italy and brings definitive Italian traditions to our restaurant menus – items are highly seasonal and reflect the flavors and ingredients grown within 60 miles of the resort.

The Santa Barbara Harbor also makes it possible to showcase the freshest seafood caught daily in our local waters. Bella Vista is Santa Barbara’s most beautiful oceanfront restaurant setting and an ideal showcase for Chef’s California cuisine and seafood prepared with a distinctly Italian flair. Tydes

Restaurant is our specialty dining experience, sited directly above pristine Butterfly Beach with unparalleled Pacific Ocean views.

Tydes is a fine dining experience showcasing beef filet, pork chops, pasta and seafood entrées.

Please share some of the exciting programs you are running, where guests can make chocolate truffles with your pastry chef, take a tour of the gardens or watch a live cooking demonstration.

Guests enjoy taking tours of our Chefs Garden with Chef Alessandro Cartumini and with the recent trend of televised cooking competitions, our groups have booked special ‘Quickfire Challenge’ seminars where they compete in timed cooking challenges and receive support and guidance from our expert culinary team members.

What key trend are you looking at for 2016?

Chef Cartumini believes the next big trend ingredient is edible Chamomile flowers - and we grow our own in the Chef’s garden here

on property at the resort. We use them to infuse vinegar and then we pickle strawberries that go in our albacore tuna crudo. We also do a great white chocolate and chamomile pannacotta.

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What social media platforms do you use to communicate with guests, and which is the most successful?

How do you communicate with them while staying at your hotel?

The resort has a strong Facebook following (10K followers) and utilizes Twitter to communicate with worldwide media and tastemakers.

We have expansive Pinterest pages for both weddings, events and culinary activities. Instagram

remains our fastest growing social media platform, as the picturesque gardens and nightly sunsets over Butterfly Beach and the Pacific Ocean are best captured on Instagram. While on property, the FS Recommends application – displayed on iPads at our Concierge desk - is the most effective way we communicate special events and local offers with guests. We also encourage guests to download the Four Seasons App which enables

them to check-in and check-out remotely, book spa services and order In Room Dining.

How do you handle negative online reviews? Do you have a strategy?

Every social media review, be it critical or favorable, is provided a very rapid public response to demonstrate gratitude to those who have taken the time to provide us heartfelt appreciation and to express our sincere belief that all feedback is a gift. We believe social media channel response is a direct reflection of the responsiveness of our team in all facets of our operation.

If you had to celebrate an evening out at your hotel, what would be your ideal evening?

A visit to The Spa for a body treatment or mani-pedi at the new Palm Nail Suite and a touch up at the celebrated Jose Eber Hair Salon on property would ensure we are ready for an ideal evening in style.

We would begin in the Spanishinspired Ty Lounge, featuring a beautiful al fresco patio to enjoy tapas-style seafood appetizers and signature cocktails crafted by our mixologists. Italian entrees paired with Santa Barbara County wines would be ordered at Bella Vista restaurant in time to take in the California sunset over the Pacific Ocean. A stroll through the manicured gardens across the street to our specialty dining experience, Tydes Restaurant, would be ideal for a dessert course and a visit to California’s only aquarium bar – the freestanding, oval-shaped Coral Reef Bar, supporting 350 fish in a live coral environment housed in an aquarium bar top. A nightcap back on property at Ty Lounge featuring live music and dancing would be the perfect end to an ideal evening.

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SPOTLIGHT ON Bhanu Chopra Founder and CEO, Rategain

By Sharon Hirschowitz 16 ILHA

Chopra founded RateGain in 2004, with US$100,000 when he identified the need for online travel agencies like Expedia and Orbitz to compare rates across competitor websites. The company was later valued at over $40 million in 2009.

His entrepreneurial mindset has lead the way to transforming the distribution, revenue management and brand engagement landscapes, helping businesses around the world to streamline their operations and sales.

What inspired you to start RateGain?

The idea at a very early stage was to build a meta-search travel site like Kayak and Trivago. Now when I look back, I remember that Kayak was formed around the same time as RateGain. This was a validation for my initial concept. Conversely, I knew that it would be difficult for me to compete with giants in the B2C space since I was building a product without investment capital.

I knew that since I was bootstrapping this company, a B2C business model would likely be a cash drain that I could not afford. Additionally, it could take several years before it turns out to be fruitful I sensed that switching RateGain to a B2B company would be the ideal choice for us. As a B2B company, I could license our technology to other travel players, so they could gain an understanding of what the competitive landscape is like. Today, RateGain has multiple locations with over 12,000 clients spread across the globe, and is continuing to expand worldwide.

How can hotels increase their revenue optimization intelligently?

We at RateGain firmly believe that

optimizing revenue should not be as laborious as it currently is. It is all about pricing right and being present on the right channels. There are multiple solutions available today that enables data to optimize revenue intelligently. In fact, we have a very successful product called RevGain that acts as a business intelligence tool and helps hoteliers keep a tab on the competitive landscape, pricing, occupancy, reviews, and other indicators.

Adopting these rate intelligence tools will save revenue managers the time and effort working on huge volumes of data on spreadsheets.

Rather than focusing on areas that require manual intervention, a revenue manger’s role should be of a strategist.

What are the biggest mistakes hotels make when trying to optimize their pricing strategy?

Today’s marketplace is very dynamic.

Apart from the traditional demand and supply factor, there are multiple other factors like Mobiles, Millennials, Vacation Rentals etc that affect the hotels and their bookings.

Due to the large number of factors that are affecting the market, it has become essential to price your hotel right and also there is a need to change prices frequently and dynamically as per the marketplace.

Most revenue managers today use extremely complex spreadsheets to arrive at the right price. They define their own approach and plug in data into those excel sheets.

Nevertheless, there are quite a few challenges with this methodology.

Accuracy is one of the most critical issues. The majority of revenue managers are just using a single factor such as historical

pricing or competitor pricing for price optimization. They’re not even taking into account reviews and ratings, occupancy, market compression and upcoming events.

This approach is simply not sufficient to arrive at an accurate profitable price. Another example, most hotels do not include reviews and ratings as a factor in their pricing.

Furthermore, the need of the hour is the ability to respond faster in a highly dynamic environment. One simply can’t respond fast enough if the process is carried out manually.

What kind of growth can the average hotel experience once the right software and approach is in place?

I believe there are lots of opportunities in the hospitality industry right now. The speed of execution would be a critical determining factor between success and failure. Automation could be a hotel’s best approach. With the help of an automated solution, the hotel will now have a proactive approach in comparison to a reactive one.

Moreover, the hospitality industry is facing a shortage of qualified revenue management professionals and the attrition rates are skyrocketing. A system that needs minimal human intervention is the need of the hour.

The hotel would be able to offer the right combination of rooms, amenities, and services at a price that is appealing as well as honorable for its customers. Revenue managers will be able to know of every single good or bad review about their property, and thus would be able to work on their shortcomings on the basis of their customer’s genuine feedback. Summing up concisely, technology will allow hotels to follow ILHA 17

channel specific price optimization which would maximize occupancy as well as ADR. All of this takes any hotel in one direction, which is forward, with better net revenue, happier customers, and time utilization.

What impact do reviews and online reputation management have on revenue management?

With reviews and ratings having the power to change the mind of a potential customer, the hospitality industry needs to be very sensitive on this issue and also take these reviews into account when pricing their rooms. Along with parameters such as market compression, occupancy, and competitive benchmarking, hotels need to price 18 ILHA

their rooms on the basis of their perceived value.

This perceived value is the online reputation of the hotel on social media and other review sites.

This impact of online reputation has gradually grown within the last decade and will grow at an exponential pace. Social media is here to stay, and online reputation management is now a vital part for businesses to sustain in this competitive market.

Who are your competitors and how is RateGain positioned against them?

Revenue management has multiple facets. We have a number of competitors who offer various products for individual stages of

the revenue management and distribution function. However, none of our competitors have offerings across every single stage of the revenue management ecosystem.

In fact not only are we the only company which has a solution for every facet, we also have a single integrated platform which gathers data for price intelligence, recommends an optimum price and distributes those prices to various channels. None of our competitors today are able to offer this seamlessness integrated platform with enormous advantage to hotels. I would say RateGain is uniquely positioned and with our vision to build world class innovative solutions, we will continue to grow and help our clients make more money, everyday‌ forever!

ABOUT Hotel Artistry Apricot Hotel in Hanoi celebrated its grand opening December 14, 2015 with an Art Extravaganza showcasing works of some of the nation’s most renowned artists. The new 123-room five-star hotel, will have a permanent collection of valuable paintings, sculptures, watercolors and sketches, and also boasts “L’Artiste” restaurant with an open-style kitchen, “A’Telier” lobby lounge and a ninth-floor “Library” lounge with artworks and a curated collection of books.

The inspiration for its creative theme? The hotel site was originally part of a hamlet dating back to the Ly Dynasty (1009 – 1225) as an ancient painting village.

A’telier Lounge from 2nd Floor

Anyone for Croquet?

Galle Face Hotel

Galle Face Hotel The famous 150-year-old Galle Face Hotel in Sri Lanka has recently taken up the most noble pastime, croquet, traveling through time to create a green space overlooking the Indian Ocean with a permanent croquet set up and a plaque explaining the sport. Partnering your game with a Pimms cocktail seems only fitting, since the first crate of Pimms to ever enter the country was for the historic hotel.

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Talk to us Hoteliers - tell us your story! What interests you? How did you get to where you are today?

Share with us, email and send pics to sharon@ luxuryhotelassociation.org

The Sanchaya

The Sanchaya The Sanchaya on Indonesia’s Bintan island features an immaculately manicured croquet lawn overlooking powder white sands, swaying palm trees, aquamarine waters and picturesque islands, making the most of Bintan’s glorious year-round tropical climate. Guests while away serene afternoons by languidly playing croquet or petanque with tea, Pimm’s or pastis.

Travel & Hospitality Forum passes 250,000 members

Gourmet slime and pampering

LinkedIn’s most popular travel and hospitality group, managed by the International Luxury Hotel Association, has just reached over a quarter of a million members. Don’t miss their ILHA Pinnacle Summit, Sept. 25-27, 2016 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Topic highlights include Technology, HR, Wellness Design, and Marketing along with an integrated Luxury Hospitality and Wellness Travel expo http://www.luxuryhotelconference.com/

Expect slimings, visits from your favorite Nickelodeon characters and world class dining at the new Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana, opening May 1 on Uvero Alto beach. This is an international first for the family friendly Nick brand, who are offering entertainment for all ages together with Karisma’s renowned Gourmet Inclusive® Experience and seven styles of oversized suites, from intimate Jacuzzi Pads and Flats to Swim-Up Suites.

Fun features include an Aqua Nick™ Playground with water slides, splash pads, spray grounds and a lazy river, Character Central, where kids of all ages can meet their favorite Nickelodeon characters, and a Just Kiddin’ clubhouse come artist studio with free play and structured activities. Cuisine enthusiasts will have 10 restaurants to explore and Vassu spa offers a “perfectly pink” program for junior guests.

Armando Chomat, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Karisma Hotels & Resorts, commented, “A property that pairs this level of luxury – with awesome surprise elements at every turn – is the first of its kind; we invite guests of all ages to let their imaginations run wild and embark on new adventures starting this spring at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana.”

Be the change, you’re invited ILHA, Cornell Institutes for Healthy Futures & Benbria Corporation are inviting hoteliers of luxury brand properties to join them for an exclusive leadership event they are hosting in 18 cities across the US and Canada to research Customer Engagement and Technology in the Hotel Industry. Hotel GM’s, Director of Operations or Owners of 4 and 5 star properties are invited to attend the dinner series event in their city and will have priority access to the findings prior to its release at the ILHA Pinnacle Summit. Find out more and add your name to a potential list of RSVP’s here https://lnkd.in/eunAYwt

Guests Kick Start their year Bulgari Hotel in London is offering guests a customized fitness program which will include the best elements of their Framework Assessment to help kick their New Year into action. Their Workshop Performance Specialists will create a detailed monthly exercise and nutrition plan that includes a month’s unlimited access to the Bulgari Spa, a Functional Movement Screen, VO2 Assessment, Body Composition Assessment, Food Intolerance Test and 120 minutes personal training. Monthly members would also have access to the swimming pool, vitality pool, fitness room, steam rooms, saunas and ice showers, as well 10% discount on Spa Retail products, F&B, Hotel Rooms and more.

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We’ll show you the way UniGroup Logistics works with many of the hospitality industry’s leading hotel, restaurant and resort brands to coordinate renovations, installations and liquidations.

Whether your hospitality logistics services needs are in a single market, across a region or nation, or across the globe, UniGroup Logistics has the experience and resources to manage your project, so you can focus on your core business. Our team can assist you in arranging: • Air, ground and ocean freight

• Installation services

• Transportation management

• Assembly

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• Turn-key solution

• Blanket wrap transportation

• Liquidations

• Unpack and debris removal

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• Warehousing

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• Inside pickup or final placement

• Time or date sensitive assistance

Whether constructing or renovating a hotel, restaurant, assisted living facility, model home, resort or furnished condominiums, consider UniGroup Logistics for your next project. Our vast network of transportation and warehouse specialists throughout the country and around the world can provide storage and consolidation services close to your locations, potentially saving you time and money.

UniGroupLogistics.com U.S. & Canada: 800-241-1323 International: 636-305-4040

Did you know that a major source of hotel reservations come from online channels as travelers are researching more and more online before making reservations? Name recognition used to be the most important factor for travelers when choosing hotels but studies show that strong online visuals and third party reviews are becoming much more important.

Antonio Cuellar has been photographing luxury hotels and resorts for over 12 years.

His images spark a lot of excitement among online travel researchers. He is a master of color and light. He makes a simple room look elegant and sophisticated, and intimate rooms such as spas and bedrooms look warm and romantic. He also brings character and personality to every area of a hotel hotel and his images are well known for improving bookings.

CONTACT info@antoniocuellarphotography.com www.antoniocuellarphotography.com facebook.com/hospitalityphotographer twier.com/antoniocphoto

The Borgo

Santo Pietro

By Annette Mendoza

24 ILHA

Strolling through the enchanting grounds of the Borgo Santo Pietro feels like walking through a scene from your favorite fairytale with its ancient trees, hidden grottos, lovely rose gardens and misty rolling Tuscan hills. The 13th century Tuscan hamlet, originally a place of healing and respite for travelers on the Silk Road carrying spices and silk across Europe and Asia, was rediscovered by Claus and Jeanette Thottrup in 2001 who proceeded to transform it into an award winning five star luxury boutique hotel.

Breathing new life into this old forgotten hamlet took many years of love, devotion and effort. The couple planted over 300,000 trees on the 13-acre estate to create its elaborately sculpted landscape, and sourced Italian and French antiques and furnishings, spending another year and a half with their artist friends creating murals and hand-painting the floors. Borgo Santo Pietro finally opened its doors in 2008.

The hamlet was once again a retreat of healing and rest for travelers with its serene private spa located amidst the hotel’s flower and healing herb gardens.

Hamlet in The Hills Jeanette Thottrup tells us that she is surprised when guests discover all the delightful details of the property and she finds this to be a huge satisfaction.

Herself and Claus pride themselves on creating an unforgettable experience and shared that the staff learn the little details of each guest’s preferences to ensure a magical stay.

“Tuscans have very deep root in their land and you feel that when you are here,” Thottrup said, “the landscape is breathtaking and we are positioned on an ancient ley line which adds to the magic of the Borgo.”

Holistic Healing The property was designed with a retreat in mind, with the holistic and organic spa nestled in the center of a

garden that exudes tranquility, rest and wellness. The spa itself features natural stonewalls, antique Italian chandeliers, cascading fountains, flickering candlelight and fresh flowers and herbs from the garden, inspiring guests to take a moment to enjoy life outside surrounded by nature.

the animals on our farm and learn how we use all our home grown ingredients at our cooking school.” The Thottrups encourage the guests to visit with the property’s beekeepers and schedule a honey tasting where the beekeepers will share insights into the local honey. It is truly a sweet experience!

Their freshwater infinity pool overlooks the Valle Serena and sits within the rose gardens. The Borgo property has such a focus on wellness and nature, that they have even created their own laboratory where they are producing and developing a wide range of luxury skincare products, developed using homegrown herbs, flowers, oils and natural scents.

The on-property Borgo Cooking School, overseen by Michelin Starred chef Andrea Mattei, provides guests with Tuscan cooking lessons that the guests can take home with them and the Thottrup’s herb and culinary gardens supply fresh produce for the kitchens. Jeanette shared that the cooking school is very popular among the guests. “We have received many emails after guests have left us and tried their new culinary talents at home.

We also have many clients coming back as they want to learn new recipes to master.”

Accommodations and Private Gardens Jeanette and Claus were able to preserve some of the original architectural features, including the frescoed landscapes, trompe l’oeils and marquetry as well as many traditional Tuscan features like the flagstone floors, grand open fireplaces and vaulted oak beams making the atmosphere all the more timeless and magical. Each room has an elegant and crafted environment, personally shaped by Jeanette, who has a fashion design background, as well as an eye for interior design.

Farm to Table Philosophy Jeannette is not only proud of the Borgo’s beautiful gardens, but admits that they have become her passion and were her biggest triumph during the restoration. Just as she cares for her gardens, she cares for her farm and simply walking the grounds becomes an easy distraction, strolling through the classic Italian knot gardens, orchards, nut groves and rose gardens.

“We really believe in farm to table and this all happens at Borgo Santo Pietro, what you are eating at our restaurant, Meo Modo, is made from freshly picked vegetables and herbs from our garden,” said Jeannette.” Guests can also visit

Jeannette and Claus have designed a very unique and warm dining opportunity for their guests. Diners can opt to sit at a table right within the chef’s kitchen. The head chef visits the table to recommend menu favorites and then personally guides the guests through an Italian gastronomic journey. The guests then watch as their meal is created. The intimate personal attention is unparalleled.

Exceptional Activities Two events offered by the property that are truly guest favorites are the wine tasting and the truffle hunt. The wine tasting takes place in the Borgo Wine Cellar with a personal sommelier where guests can taste and experience an extensive selection. The truffle hunt allows for guests to venture out into the Tuscan forest to hunt for truffles with a personal guide. When asked what her favorite on-property activity is, Jeannette revealed, “cooking classes, truffle hunt and wine tasting… all involving food! Which is very Italian, don’t you think?”

ILHA 25

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We Keep Moving Forward

By Tammy Farley

28 ILHA

One look at his legacy empire, and it is clear Walt Disney understood the power of creativity to drive business and innovation. He said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.�

In a world that in many ways is tumultuous and plagued with uncertainties, is curiosity still relevant? Will 2016 be a year

for forging new beginnings, or will our industry batten down the hatches, anticipating a rough ride? Time will tell; in the meantime, here are six observations from my vantage point of revenue management.

How do they compare with yours?

No. 1: Travel restrictions and traveler angst will lead to a pullback in business and leisure bookings in some parts of the world. We saw the immediate

impact on Paris last November.

While that was a swift reaction to a catastrophic event, the ripple effect is going to require a creative response to stimulate demand and spark reservations in other geographic areas that are perceived to be vulnerable to violence of any kind.

Savvy revenue and marketing managers can forge a profitable path, working closely with management that is of sharp mind and, in some instances, steely grit, to keep business ILHA 29

momentum at a profitable pace.

No. 2: Speaking of sharp minds, the revenue management career path will experience an overhaul…and an upgrade. The demands and skills of the constantly evolving revenue management function no longer allows it to be pushed to a front office manager with little training. Instead, I think this position will become a step on the path to a C-level post, and will draw more talent from outside the hospitality industry along with more formalized training. Top business schools – not just hospitality schools – will become wise to the talent gap, and college students and graduates will see the revenue management role as a viable avenue for applying their skills and strategic know-how. This upward shift will result in an upgrading of the position as hoteliers find the need to adequately compensate for the business impact that informed revenue managers bring to the hotel’s bottom line.

No. 3: Megaresorts, challenged to compete with popular boutique hotel concepts, will focus on renovations and amenity enhancements in the coming year. And as our industry’s giants grow (many eyes are on the Marriott/ Starwood merger), the pressure is on to better compete with smaller, more nimble hotel 30 ILHA

models. These larger entities have historically had a “build over buy” proprietary mindset, but I expect we’ll see the pendulum shift as they see the value of utilizing third-party technology platforms, like revenue management software tools. The transition will free their hoteliers to focus on what they do best: hospitality.

No. 4: Motivated by two influential segments, millennials and international travelers, the hospitality industry will continue the race to expand services and amenities to meet their expectations. As new programming develops – from gaming to dining, wellness and beyond – revenue managers will be wise to take a holistic approach to their pricing strategies. No longer will hotels be able to afford to manage pricing and yield inventory with a primary focus on driving and increasing RevPAR. To compete – nay, survive in the year(s) ahead – hoteliers must break out of the room run and look beyond the four walls of the guest room. Total guest value is the new name of the rate game, and ancillary profit centers will carry more weight, along with the room’s portion, by the year’s most successful revenue managers.

No. 5: Finally, and tied to the point above, rate decisions and pricing patterns will become

increasingly complex this year, and revenue managers will look to create more sophisticated, personalized pricing structures, not just by room type, but by group profile and beyond.

These demands are certainly challenging Rainmaker to be ever more flexible in the solutions we provide. It’s an opportunity for us to open new doors for our clients, and we’re energized by the challenge to be increasingly creative in our solutions.

Not long from now, we’ll look back on 2016 with the benefit of hindsight. Predictions will become truths – or not. Until then, we keep moving forward during this fresh spin around the sun, hopefully inspired by a healthy dose of curiosity to better our business and ourselves. Onward

About the author Tammy Farley, President & CoFounder, The Rainmaker Group is a highly respected resource for innovative revenue management practices and project consulting. She is a member of the HSMAI Americas Region Board of Directors and a member of the Make-A-Wish® Georgia board. Rainmaker is a proven revenue management systems provider to the hospitality, gaming/hospitality and multifamily housing industries.

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Employee Retention:

your unique key to long-term success

By Samantha Noll 32 ILHA

Take a moment, and think to yourself: what truly makes my hotel successful? New properties and new hotel brands are popping up everywhere like mushrooms; in such an ever-growing industry, the rise of competition is inevitable and the best way to succeed and stand out on top is to start by looking from within. Think about the one and only asset you have that you can truly rely on to be your source of differentiation and to be unique in your market: your team of employees.

Surprisingly, the hospitality sector experiences the highest turnover rates compared to other industries – often double as high as that of other industries, with the average rate around 30%. This poses multiple challenges for all hoteliers out there, leaving them with the one ultimate question: how do I create and grow a team of motivated employees that live our company’s values and strive to consistently deliver on our guests’ desired experience? – Your number one priority.

Of course, with high turnover, this becomes more difficult to achieve, as the constant shift in a team of employees has repercussions on productivity which can then negatively impact the guest experience. Also, keep in mind, that turnover bears high costs for your business, usually amounting to 1.5 – 2 times that of an employee’s annual salary for each lost employee – definitely not an easy blow for your bottom line! It is clear, ensuring that you have a high employee retention rate is of utmost importance: for your financials and much more importantly for your guests.

In a people-industry such as hospitality, where it is the passion ILHA 33

of each and every one of us in a hotel to make our guests feel welcome and grow their loyalty, it makes me wonder why it is challenging to have the employees themselves stay on and be loyal to the hotel. Taking a step back to understand, here are a few common reasons: • Simply a lack of fit between an employee’s values and a company’s organizational culture • Perceived long working hours with low pay rates, affecting employee work-life balance • Strong seasonality, where large amounts of temporary staff are hired during high season • Filling of entry-level operational jobs positions with an untrained, unskilled labour pool • Old fashioned training opportunities, with a lack of career prospects provided • Growing demands of Generation Y, who are always on the lookout for something new, in highly flexible, creative environments Having talked to several hospitality industry professionals from around the globe who know the business inside-out, they bring to light additional reasons from their experience.

As René Wildeman (CEO & Founder of Wildeman Hospitality Consultancy) shared: “The most common reason for staff turnover is the pressure put on performance without giving enough appreciation to the individual employee or the employees as a group. Shareholders’ value has 34 ILHA

become increasingly important in many hotel (groups) so cost of staff, which is an important part of total cost, is reduced by limiting the number of employees. As a result, others have to perform better and more. Many employees will understand this and are willing to accept it but they want appreciation in return which does not automatically mean a financial compensation. If they do not feel appreciated they will try their luck somewhere else.”

In line with this, Thomas Noll (Regional Director Kazakhstan for Rixos Hotels) also mentions that “not recognizing superior performance, not providing growth opportunities early in enough, and not providing a career plan for those who seek careers” are among the top reasons for staff turnover today.

Employees are forced to seek better career moves with the presence of “slow progressive growth, non-aligned company culture and lack of authentic communication from your boss”, Asim Ibrahim (CEO & Founder of Lakeshore Hospitality Group) points out, also highlighting that “loyalty is a two-way street for employer and the employee”.

Employee turnover is prevalent in all industries and it is crucial to be aware of the triggers which can affect yours. As Gallup’s latest study shows, only 13% of employees worldwide are actively engaged, while the majority lacks the motivation to contribute to business success – this has its toll on the hospitality industry too!

What can you do about it?

I’d like to outline four main areas of focus in an employee’s job cycle that can help you lead a

long-standing team to make your hotel as successful as it can be.

Of course, these things will sound familiar to you, and I encourage you to look into them with a refreshed perspective: 1. Search wisely, hire for personality, and set the right expectations It all starts in your hands.

Know upfront exactly which character traits you are looking for in a future employee for your hotel and your recruitment process will be more targeted and effective.

Don’t forget that a skill-set is secondary to someone’s personality, the latter being much more difficult to change.

Most importantly – do you feel that this prospective employee really has the true passion for hospitality? If yes, you’ve found yourself a gold mine – treasure it! Ensure there is a fit in what the employee is looking for, the position you are offering, and your company’s organizational values; this way you can also set the right expectations on both sides.

2. On-board your employees effectively Imagine yourself as a guest, walking into a new hotel – you want to feel welcome, you want to be guided to your room, you want to know enough about the hotel’s facilities to make the best out of your stay, and who you refer to when you have any questions. It is exactly the same for your employees when they start working in your company. Take the time to show them around, introduce them to the team, guide them

through their area of work and be open for a multitude of questions. Have them train with a buddy for the first phase to allow for much easier integration into the organization. Training your new employee to adopt the right skills and company culture are equally important in this phase, forming the foundation for your employee to grow within.

3. Review performance and recognize it It is essential to keep an eye out for how each of your employees are doing.

High performers should be appreciated, recognized and rewarded – there is no secret recipe to how you do this, the only thing you need to find out is: what intrinsically motivates your employees? This could vary amongst different personality types – the more you are able to motivate them with rewards they care about in formal or informal ways, the more engaged they will be to continue contributing to your hotel’s success. A smile, a simple thank you, a little bonus, a preferred shift… it could be anything you deem appropriate! If you notice that some employees are falling short of delivering on expectations, address the situation and coach them in the right direction.

4. Provide lucrative development opportunities Every employee has a learning curve, and for your employees to advance, they need to know what they can do to reach the next step forward.

This is especially the case

for generation Y entering the workforce. Are your employees committed to the organization’s goals? Are they performing above and beyond what they need to? Are they ready for a promotion? These are the ones to invest in; give them meaningful opportunities to progress in their career and you will not only show how much you value them, but create a loyal employee for your company.

Overall, to support these four areas of an employee’s job cycle, you need to build a strong organizational foundation that allows for two-way communication and employee empowerment.

Respect your employees, let them voice their opinions, allow for their creative solutions to be actionable, embrace any of their mistakes as part of their learning curve, and form a confident, united team that is proud to work at your company.

René, Asim & Thomas also shared some powerful statements on employee retention, which I believe can bring great value to you and your team: “No one leaves home to do a bad job, employers must connect and grow their employees. Honesty must be kept at all levels of the organization...it is the employer’s duty to live up to the employees’ expectations, and exceed them for better retention.”

– Asim Ibrahim (CEO & Founder of Lakeshore Hospitality Group) “Give respect to all employees; understand their life situations and their needs, learn to listen, learn to identify talents and then develop them or you lose them.

Who wants to grow and has the

potential to grow, will grow, if not with you, then with someone else.”

– Thomas Noll (Regional Director Kazakhstan for Rixos Hotels) “The best approach to retain employees is to let them feel like they are an important part of the organization as an individual. Reward them for their performance and create such an atmosphere that will make them come to work with pleasure and not because they have to earn money. Make fun and do unexpected things. Fun and serious business go very well together.”

– René Wildeman (CEO & Founder of Wildeman Hospitality Consultancy) The ultimate positive outcome when you’re a valued employer with a high employee retention rate? Less costs associated to employee turnover, an engaged and high-performing loyal workforce, improved employer and brand image, increased customer satisfaction and a more successful business! Are you well on your way to making this happen?

About the author Samantha Noll (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Graduate) forms part of the Business Development team at Novility, a startup developing a number of leading-edge solutions for the hospitality industry. Based in the Netherlands, the team comprises hospitality, design and tech experts. Our first upcoming product, Novility HELP, focuses on modernizing housekeeping training.

Find out more at www.novility.com

ILHA 35

The Music of Love at the Metropole Hanoi

By Kristen Evelyn Rossi

38 ILHA

It was a quiet night in early March, and I was halfway through my set in the Club Bar when a middle-aged man parted company from a woman at one of the cocktail tables. He came up close as I finished a number by Edith Piaf and he waved for me to listen to a secret. “I can’t help falling in love with you,” he said.

My eyes jumped to the woman at his table, who had obviously been his companion.

“Can you sing that song?” he asked. For a moment, I wondered if anyone had caught the surprise in my eyes. I guessed not, and I knew the song. I sang it for this man, and this woman, who were married 31 years ago this night, and who’d danced to this song at their wedding all those years ago.

For the last chorus, he came to the stage and sang with me, for his wife. Tears were coming down their cheeks, and mine, too.

This is what it’s been like to sing at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for the past three months, six nights a week from 8:45 till past midnight. There was the night a party of Russians requested My Way, and then moved all the tables so they could dance. There was Christmas when I shared the joy of the holiday season with dozens of families.

On New Year’s Eve hundreds of people gathered around the courtyard pool, and we counted down the final seconds. And then there was one day recently when I noticed all kinds of security in the hotel.

“Is it for me?” I asked the food and beverage manager. “Yes,” he told me. But when I stood at the elevator, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair rushed by with his detail, I understood that what Madonna needs when she sings is not necessarily what I need when I sing. Not yet, anyway!

I’ve lived in the hotel, in the Opera Wing, in a fantastic room with a window on one of the most storied courtyards in all Asia. I watch the guests come and go, becoming gradually familiar to me for three nights, four nights, five, and then poof, they vanish.

There’s certain sadness that attends work in a hotel, because you always have to say goodbye.

All my life, I’ve been drawn to other eras, to the Jazz Age, to the decades dominated by Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker, to burlesque, to the cabaret, to Broadway. Living in Thailand so many years, I worked very hard to create the ambiance of that era in the places I sang, but here at the Metropole, every time I step on stage, it’s like stepping into a time capsule. Maybe it’s the immaculate white paint of the hotel’s exterior, and the complementary green shutters, the Metropole Wing’s grand wooden stairway, the lamplit corridors and the lobby with display cases full of memorabilia that dates back to 1901. Being inside the hotel is like wandering around inside an old poem that rhymes.

and I’ll turn 30 years old in the middle of my last set. And there’s a song, I’ll probably sing that night. You know the one. Elvis Presley sang it all those years ago.

About the author Kristen Evelyn Rossi is a singer, actress and entrepreneur reviving the lost art of lounge singing and spreading the golden age of jazz through Asia.

Born in New York she is the product of a theatrical mother and a childhood filled with music. Her first solo performance was at the age of seven, singing “Castle on Cloud” from Les Miserables. At the age of 22 Kristen graduated with a BA in theatre from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She returned home and told her mother she was moving to Asia.

In 2007 she packed up her bags and landed in Bangkok.

A determined spirit, Kristen has made a niche for herself in Asia. She is the cofounder of Broadway Babe and Musical Theatre for KIDS, both with the mission to share her love of Broadway and the golden age of jazz.

She has spent the past year touring and performing as the resident jazz diva at the Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi, Vietnam; Ritz-Carlton hotel in Macau for Galaxy Entertainment and InterContinental Grand Stanford in Hong Kong.

In December 2015 she released her new jazz EP: Kristen Evelyn Rossi: LIVE in Hong Kong.

For music, articles and more visit www. kristenevelynrossi.com Kristen Evelyn Rossi: “as classic as Judy, sassy as Marilyn and as lively as Liza”

I’ll sing my last night here soon ILHA 39

Experience Matters.

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42 ILHA

Suitably Styled

By Sharon Hirschowitz

I have always been fascinated with how a hotel’s brand image is integrated into their personality, showing up in subtle design elements in your guest room, bolder messages in the lobby or restaurants, and striking calls to action in their online marketing. Fashionable uniform apparel plays an important role in projecting the brand’s image throughout the property.

I was recently fortunate enough to spend a little time with the design team at J.W.E., a custom design apparel company, who shared their creative process giving me a “behind the scenes” understanding of how they integrate fashion to reflect the true image of a property. Based in the heart of New York City’s fashion center, J.W.E., Inc. designs custom uniform apparel that is both fashionable and functional.

Fashion Background In their early years, J.W.E worked

with major retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and held designer licenses, manufacturing private label sportswear and loungewear. They discovered that their strength lay in knowing their customer and being able to tailor their products and services to showcase the brands image. They had the infrastructure in place for daily pick/pack, global distribution, inventory management and design capabilities, so their evolution into the uniform apparel business seemed like a natural progression. Today, J.W.E., Inc. has partnered with several luxury hotels, gaming venues and top ranked Corporate chains to develop stylish uniform apparel that successfully projects the brands image.

The Design Process With the design team’s New York fashion influence, J.W.E., Inc. has access to the latest trends, colors, fabric and trims, and can

combine their creative and technical knowledge to transform the latest trends into functional and stylish everyday wear. They take advantage of their exceptional global network of fabric and trim partners who support the development of products that provide performance, easy care and affordability.

The first step is to spend time with J.W.E.’s talented design team so that they can gain a strong understanding of your property’s brand history, what it personifies, and identify the elements that enhance brand recognition taking into account location, guest profile and employee needs. Decision makers wanting a different look using specialty fabric’s and current styles need to look no further. Whether the property is a refresh or a new build, management and ownership will work with J.W.E.’s design team to develop a cohesive apparel program that is in harmony with the hotel décor.

Luxury properties have a strong focus on guest experience, and expect to exceed guest expectations, not excluding their brand image.

This is where the design team excel, spending the time to understand their unique needs and creating exciting, impressive and functional concepts. J.W.E., Inc. is known for its ability to keep a property’s apparel program updated and fresh by routinely offering options that not only enhance the brand’s image but delivers current fashion concepts.

Product Development J.W. E.’s success is in their ability to customize each uniform with design details and tailoring that personify 44 ILHA

the brand story and develop an apparel program that adapts to the individual property whether an ultra-luxury hotel, spa or a larger chain. Their management services are world class, with industry leading programs that reduce cost, lead time, error and deliver consistent quality products at all times.

Program Management Automation is encouraged, with the idea being to make it easy for the hotel group to manage the process, ordering off a website dedicated to their brand, and allowing them to track orders and manipulate or adjust production flows to meet emergency and changing needs.

They can even adapt the website

so that it only allows a department to see their uniforms, preventing confusion and wrong orders.

Customers will have easy access for processing orders, payment options and order tracking with credit card, P card or traditional invoice payment options and a dedicated customer service rep.

Manufacturing Practices With a state-of-the-art apparel manufacturing facility located in Shanghai, China, J.W.E., Inc. has over 700 experienced apparel professionals. Employees reside in comfortable and spacious employee living quarters and the company adheres to all international and local compliance standards. They ship

globally from their Shanghai facility to all continents with real time shipping, tracking and inventory information. Dedicated planners and analysts will manage inventory levels to ensure uninterrupted service.

This is an integral part of the success of each program, which translates into faster inventory turn, minimum liability and ultimately lower cost.

Wendy Shum, Sr. VP of Sales & Marketing says, “Image is very important to our customer.

In designing uniforms for the Hospitality Lodging industry, our business model captures the vision of each property by creating fashionable apparel that not only builds brand equity but enhances associate morale.�

ILHA 45

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The Italian Coffee Standard 2015 has been an exhilarating year for Lavazza, the coffee company founded by Luigi Lavazza in Turin, Italy in 1895. Not only did Lavazza celebrate 120 years and four generations as a family-owned company, it also launched its first ever US broadcast media campaign, became the official coffee of the US Open, entered the second of a three year partnership with the Guggenheim museum in New York, and served the first authentic Italian espresso in outer space.

48 ILHA

The top-selling coffee in Italy with a fast-growing presence in North America, Lavazza kick-starts the day for coffee lovers around the globe about 17 billion times in the course of a single year. The distinctive blue and white Lavazza logo adorns cups, umbrellas, and barista aprons from the tennis courts of the US Open to the aristocratic boulevards of Turin and the Eataly emporium on New York’s Fifth Avenue. As Lavazza continues its quest to introduce the authentic Italian coffee experience to new countries and customers

around the world, innovation and a commitment to excellence and tradition continue to be its main drivers of motivation.

We spoke with Ennio Ranaboldo, CEO of Lavazza Premium Coffee North America about its long history in innovating the world of coffee, learned what goes into making the perfect cup, and how hoteliers can provide the best coffee experience to their guests.

Espresso in space! Why, and how, did Lavazza become involved with this project?

The first capsule-based espresso system able to work in the extreme conditions of space, called ISSpresso, was the brainchild of a collaboration between Lavazza, Argotec (an aerospace engineering company), and the Italian Space Agency. This was a longtime dream of Lavazza’s, and we worked extremely hard with Argotec to develop technology that could not only be operated in space, but can deliver the same quality as an authentic Italian coffee in terms of cream, body, aroma and temperature. The first espresso was served to Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on May 3rd, 2015, and we hope many more astronauts will be able to enjoy Lavazza on future missions.

long-term development projects in coffee-producing countries and aims to improve agricultural productivity and disseminate best practices throughout the coffee sector. This currently involves projects regarding everything from climate change and minimizing the environmental impact of coffee to promoting entrepreneurship.

Lavazza invented the art of coffee blending – what do you look for when creating a new signature coffee product?

Today we possess the same energy that encouraged our founder Luigi

Several others involve research and innovation related to sustainability, which is vital to the future health of the coffee industry and something Lavazza is incredibly devoted to.

This year we announced the launch of the first compostable capsule, which will be introduced in Italy next year and then around the world.

We also have our not-for-profit arm, The Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza Foundation, which sponsors

We recently introduced a line of Single Origin drip coffee, for which Giuseppe and the company’s team of experts traveled to Santa Marta, Colombia, and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to procure some of the highest quality crops in the world. These two roasts each have their own distinct qualities and a true sense of place thanks to the unique ecosystems that exist at their source.

Lavazza has an extensive Barista training program – what is the philosophy that you aim to teach through your Training Center?

What are some of the innovations that Lavazza is working on at the moment that are most exciting?

A crucial component of the longevity of any company is its continued ability to innovate.

Lavazza has always invested in and worked closely with excellent partners, universities and scientific organizations at the local and international level, and in the past few years we have been fully entrenched with highly innovative strategic projects. The ISSpresso initiative was of course one of these.

blends. At the roasting facility, with each blend Lavazza aims to achieve balance between flavor and aroma while showcasing the beans’ natural nuances, from chocolaty to caramel notes, dried fruits and nuts.

Our Training Center, the beating heart of Lavazza’s Innovation Center, serves as a barista school for all coffee lovers and provides education on Italian coffee culture. Its main aim is to model the art of preparing Italian coffee and preserving product excellence during preparation.

Lavazza to travel the globe to discover all the different countries where coffee is grown and to develop the concept of blending, which revolutionized the coffee sector by offering it a new world of aromas and flavor.

Giuseppe Lavazza, the company’s Vice Chairman and 4th generation family member, often leads trips to the coffee-producing nations that Lavazza partners with, where part of his mission is to assess the quality of the raw beans that Lavazza sources for its premium coffee

Today the Center has two units - Coffee Design and Espresso School, which combine the Italian passion for coffee with tradition and innovation. With 8 branches in Italy, 50 all over the world, the Lavazza Training Center is the largest coffee educational center in the world.

We train many large hospitality teams and provide ongoing training and support for our network of customers. We have both organized courses and also offer on-site training to teach employees about coffee from plant to cup.

ILHA 49

6

Considerations of Luxury Hospitality Marketing in 2016

By Michael Strong

50 ILHA

As 2016 marketing strategies are finalized, it’s important to reflect on emerging trends. Instead of allocating the budget strictly to tried-and-true methodologies, consider these six trends for your strategy.

agree that online and offline marketing efforts have merged, defining digital as a mainstream priority for hotel brands. It’s no surprise then that digital budgets increased by 10% in 2015, and will continue to increase in 2016.

Connectivity is King

Increasing Digital Dexterity & Social Savvy

Millennials are driven not by brand loyalty but by novelty. They seek connectivity and innovation. By embracing the Internet of Things (IoT), you can appeal to their drive for new experiences and novelty, as well as their need for constant contact.

The popularity of live video services like Periscope and Meerkat is another symptom of the connectivity craze. Millions of active users are consuming 65+ minutes of live video daily, because streaming offers an opportunity for interaction. These services require the best WiFi available, which must be seamless from lobby to pool, outlet restaurant to hallway.

Jennifer Rooney wrote, “Connectivity will become the new currency for competitiveness,” because the brand engagement battlefield is taking place on the connectivity front, today.

The growing popularity of VR (virtual reality), which is being tested by Google already, is a way to innovate with connectivity. You could integrate a VR strategy into your guest experience ahead of the curve to highlight your connectivity or to mitigate unsavory aspects of the customer experience, such as check-in lines. While this seems a little futuristic, we must recall that the room service delivery robot that was featured at The International Luxury Hotel Association’s Fast Forward 2020 conference seemed unrealistic just a few years ago, too.

Convergence of Online & Offline Marketing According to Gartner’s 2015-2016 CMO Survey, 98% of marketers

Social networks are tuning-out brand pages in response to the inundation of uncustomized marketing content.

Guests not being able to see filtered updates will result in lower CTRs, less driven traffic, and fewer conversions.

The best way to react is to engage fans with highly customized content so that likes, shares, and comments signal to social networks that guests do want your content. For teams overwhelmed with excessive guest data, external companies like Clairvoyix can filterout the noise and create reliable guest profiles that will prevent your content from being part of the clutter that gets caught in the filter.

Organic search referrals to a hotel site are attributed with 30-35% of a hotel’s total website revenue on average, so SEO is paramount in ranking on SERPs to reach potential guests. A lot of brands make the mistake of presuming their social teams have optimization cornered, but it takes an SME to keep up with Google’s 500+ annual algorithm changes (and that’s to say nothing of Bing and other search engines’ algorithm updates).

A sagacious hotelier might bowout of the SEO game and enlist an external expert whose soul vocation is to maintain a working knowledge of search engine algorithms.

Internal Social Marketing is Growing As people seek greater connectivity, many companies are responding with internal social networks like Slack that allow for faster communication.

Companies like Zappos have created anonymous, private feeds for employees to vent frustrations to

their leaders. As sites like Glassdoor put attention on companies’ internal cultures, these private, internal communication methods can release some of the pressure without the external attention public venting causes. If you haven’t already found a good communication method for internal marketing, then it should be a priority.

Mobile Sites & Apps Matter More The importance of mobile-friendly sites is still garnering attention due to Google’s April 2015 Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Update and other subtle tweaks. According to BrightEdge, a strategic 21% decrease in non-friendly URLs on the first three SERPs has penalized brands that overlook their mobile users. Hotel brands with unfriendly mobile sites will continue to feel the impact on the 30-35% of website revenue that comes from organic search referrals.

Another concern is that mobile popularity can lead social traffic to an app rather than the traditional access point. Because apps can strip the five UTM parameters, marketers might not realize traffic is referralbased or linked to social channels: this attribution error can quickly lead to mis-distributed budgets and confusion.

According to comScore, 60% of guests are visiting via mobile: by paying attention to that large audience, you can avoid penalties and react appropriately to your social traffic.

Shared-Economy Companies Own the W & O in SWOT If you have service gaps or lack a great customer experience, a clever sharedeconomy tool will eventually fill the gap for you. From Postmates to Uber, innovators are clamoring to offer solutions to hotel guests.

Luxury hoteliers should be cognizant of AirBNB, and for the affluent segment, Inspirato with American Express. A ILHA 51

greater threat than AirBNB alone is the organization of small, professional management companies that oversee groups of AirBNB properties, offering the sophistication and consistency of hotel chains. This disruption in 2016 could push AirBNB from leisure travelers into the luxury segment as luxury travelers’ needs are finally met in the shared-economy space.

As your guests look outside of hotel properties for solutions, you should reflect on which internal options are being overlooked or abandoned.

Whether you consider partnering with an outside shared-economy tool or improving your own services, you shouldn’t ignore the service gaps guests are highlighting by seeking outside options.

Innovators Reach New Segments Whether it’s to shelf your old friend Newslauncher to try Google’s nativeadvertising platform when it premieres in 2016, or to experiment with a

The hotel industry’s premier talent recruiters

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+1 941 866 1944 52 ILHA

partnership (think IHG & Uber), 2016 is the time to innovate. Differentiating your brand is vital in an industry with an increasing number of boutique and sub-brands.

As you initiate a 2016 strategy, watch emerging trends and innovations that could set your brand apart as a novelty that will attract new segments and enliven brand advocates. While some trends turn into yesterday’s fads, others like IoT are sure to stay and gain momentum.

Sources 1. Jennifer Rooney. Forbes. “The Five Marketing Trends CMOs Can No Longer Afford to Ignore in 2016.”

2. Gartner. 2015. “Gartner CMO Spend Survey 2015-2016.”

3. Andrew Lipsman. comScore.

25 June 2014. “Major Mobile Milestones.”

About the author Michael Strong leverages emerging technologies to lead SGEi’s marketing strategies and to drive engagement. She is responsible for analyzing and consulting on clients’ marketing strategies and needs, and providing critical information and insights to SGEi’s front-line trainers and coaches on each client’s brand positioning, online reputation, and opportunities for improvement.

Prior to joining SGEi, Michael established Social Chaperone, a social media management and content company.

She had an impressive client list that includes Toyota, Mint, eBay, Betway USA, Overstock.com, the NFL, Cricket, T-Mobile, Walt Disney World, and Edmunds. She was also a member of the PR team for Senator Bennett in Washington DC, a social content manager for BlueGlass Interactive, a regional teacher trainer and speaker for Peace Corps Ukraine, and a federal appropriations liaison for her university.

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All of this real-world experience is grounded in rigorous research and is taught by successful hoteliers who face your same challenges.

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Les Bains shines at the European Hotel Design Awards

By Sharon Hirschowitz

54 ILHA

European Hotel Design Awards overall winner, Les Bains in Paris, are described as “a perfect mĂŠlange of historical significance and design vision, encapsulating the new wave of hospitality based on old world rootsâ€? http://www. europeanhoteldesignawards.com/ Their spirit incorporates a deep respect for the past with an avant-garde eccentricity for the creative process, and an intense curiosity for the future. Philippe Starck helped decorate the original Les Bains Douches in 1978, and it became an institution, a concert hall, disco, restaurant, fashion temple and hub for artists like Depeche Mode, Brian Ferry, Simple Minds, Keith Haring, Johnny Depp, Karl Lagerfeld, Catherine Deneuve, Sean Penn and the list goes on.

The new Les Bains is the collaboration of architects and designers Vincent Bastle, Tristan Auer and Denis Montel, whose vision has transformed it into a vibrant, connected, international clubhouse with a restaurant, bars, private lounge, legendary club and stage, as well as guest rooms and suites on the property. Similar to a residence, each of the ILHA 55

39 spacious rooms and suites have their own crafted uniqueness and personality, with Gainsbourienne carpets and Replica sofa’s from Andy Warhol’s Factory. Rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia grace the rooms in Joy Division Album covers, playfully sexy ‘do not disturb’ signs and beauty boxes of little luxuries, the rockstar-infused style a tribute to Tristan Auer who won the category Interior Design: Bedroom & Bathrooms.

Members of the judging panel included industry players from Design Hotels, Marriott International, Universal Design Studio, Project 1898, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Generator Hostels, MKV Design, Sleeper Magazine and Hilton Worldwide.

The European Hotel Design Awards are in their 18th year and honor the work of architects, designers and hotel operators across categories ranging from Architecture Adaptive Re-use, Newbuild or Renovation & Restoration, to Interior Design of Public Areas, Bathrooms & Bedrooms and Event Spaces, Spa and Radical Innovation.

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ILHA attends Karisma Hotel’s GIVC Awards in Mexico

By Sharon Hirshcowitz

The 8th annual Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Consultant Awards and Sales & Marketing Forum was an impressive three-day extravaganza showcasing Karisma Hotels & Resort’s latest offerings and also their genuine appreciation to the top performing Travel Agents, for their success and support of this vibrant hotel group.

The event opened with a Wild, Wild West themed dinner in the Grand Ball Room of the El Dorado Royale Resort in Cancún, Mexico, where most of the room were returning travel agents, eager to catch up and share their excitement for the awards the following evening.

Josè Martinez and Dolores Lopez-Lira, owners of Karisma Hotels, were warm hosts, speaking passionately at the marketing forum the next morning about their plans for the upcoming year, as well as their deep involvement in sustainability and community projects. They also recognized dedicated staff members for their “above and beyond” service and 58 ILHA

dedication to the Karisma family.

Dr. Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica talked about Karisma’s expansion across Jamaica, and their plans to build nine hotels, with over 4,000 rooms, over the next decade. Azul Seven, in Negril, will open adjacent to Azul Sensatori, which opened in 2014, while the new properties will be located on Jamaica’s north coast, in Llandovery, St. Ann, on a 228-acre piece of land with over a mile of unspoiled beachfront.

Karisma will spend $900 million on the project, involving their Azul, El Dorado, Allure, Adriatic Beach and Generation Villas brands and the development is anticipated to provide around 8,000 direct jobs.

The Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday evening was quite spectacular, held at the El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort, with some of

the most successful travel agents in attendance. The theme was a white-on-white wonderland, with handcrafted organic and crystal arrangements illuminated by decorative lighting effects. Sabrina Filatow, National Sales Director

and Daniel Scheiman, Senior Business Development Manager presented the awards in categories across Top 10 Producers, Top Producer Hidden Beach Resort,

by Karisma, Top Selling Agent Villas, Top Wedding Producers,

El Dorado Maroma’s over water bungalows ILHA 59

PISCIS Awards, Diamond Awards and a Hall of Fame Award to the individual who has make a significant difference to the El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels,

Azul Hotels and Generations Resorts that has resulted in an overall growth in business.

Trip highlights included every

single meal, if I have to be completely honest, their signature gourmet inclusive experience really is gourmet, oh so indulgent, creative and tasty at the same time, whether it is fine dining or round the pool.

Friday evening we were fortunate enough to be a part of the ribbon cutting experience at the El Dorado Seaside Suites, an adults only five-star resort near Tulum, Mexico, with all-pool oceanfront suites, each with their own private terrace or balcony and one of the largest spas in the Riviera Maya. La Cantina Tequila Bar, located in the lobby, boasts a stunning collection of tequila and mescal and our dinner at the Mia Casa Italian Restaurant was a culinary delight. We were in a larger group but I can imagine it would be the perfect setting for a romantic evening out, which is the Karisma speciality, I believe.

It will definitely be worth a trip back to see the completed El Dorado Maroma’s over water bungalows – a first for Mexico, and a first for me. Quite an experience walking through the construction site and seeing the work in progress.

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5 THINGS THAT REALLY ANNOY HOTEL GUESTS AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM!

By Marta Otrebska 62 ILHA

I assume all of us have our own criteria for assessing the hotels we stay in. It can take the smallest thing to make us feel like turning around the moment we enter the lobby. Working in luxury hotels has taught me that guests usually do not get as upset about major issues as they do with what we – hoteliers - may consider meaningless, minor, trivial “thingies”. As well as an item/service it could also be a

wrongly chosen phrase used by your colleague that will determine their whole stay. Never neglect any uncertainty, communication gap, lack of information and don’t count on somebody else.

Observe the guest discreetly, and if needs be, share your remarks with team members. Even those less engaged in front of house operations may have a significant contribution.

Here are 5 points to consider:

1. Wrong greeting Addressing the guest in the wrong way ruins the whole first impression. Can you imagine using an improper title to e.g. a high court judge, professor, royalty? Wrong surname pronunciation? For luxury hotels it is unacceptable. It is also quite common for the colleagues to combine Ms. & Mr. with the first name which is not as well tolerated ILHA 63

in some cultures. Is your staff doing this? Have you checked how they pronounce the family names of arriving guests? Additionally, you may not have taught your colleagues how to politely ask the guests for their names.

“Could you please remind me of your last name?” would be a good choice to find out the forgotten name yet still give the recognition.

Solution: Go through all your arrivals during morning meeting and pick out the hardto-pronounce names, simply practice them – it only takes a few minutes! Moreover, I always had an extra 10 minutes for my butlers and we together “googled” our guests to make sure the title, name and all necessary information is correct as far as it was possible. In this way we felt more confident providing excellent service.

2. “Oh sorry, we don`t have...”

This phrase drives me totally crazy, a pure fire-starter. It just proves what kind of a leader you are. Let me tell you how it may irritate both the manager and the guest.

When I was a Club Lounge Manager I always taught my team that there is no phrase like “Oh sorry, we don`t have...” as we always DO “have,” and if not, we will arrange it in 10 minutes.

I remember the situation when soon after the Hotel Opening, the Club became quite crowded. Teas and coffees were ordered one after another. Suddenly I noticed my colleagues serving 64 ILHA

the guests without tea or coffee spoons. The standards just vanished. So I stopped a random colleague and I asked where the teaspoon was! She replied “finished” as if nothing had happened (an example of typical “no have.”) I directed her promptly back to the pantry and I said that it takes seconds to clean a teaspoon and not to kill the standards.

Then I asked her to clean ALL the teaspoons for the rest of her colleagues doing the service – support and attitude are the basics. Lack of training and the manager`s reaction means acceptance. Once you start lowering your standards, you will never get your team back on the “excellence upperhand”.

The second story happened just recently. I ordered a cappuccino with extra cinnamon. My cappuccino arrived but when I asked for my extra cinnamon I heard “oh, sorry, we don`t have, just the sticks”. Well, if I were the waiter, my common sense would tell me to get a rasper and simply rasp a little cinnamon for the coffee! Any hidden philosophy here? It’s not Hawking level science! As a guest I felt disappointed and a kind of nuisance Solution: Pick a few items that you are most likely to run out of when busy and train your team how to handle it when it happens. Do a short role play to train colleagues in coming up with substitutes. For instance, you have run out of lemon – offer lime instead or be back with lemon in a few minutes, you have run out of

sugar – offer honey/sugar syrup or run to the kitchen or wherever you need to go to get some sugar as fast as possible. My team and I built a list of “must have items” in the agent department, butler department and F&B – to each a person was assigned who checked the stock one a week. Simple.

3. “No problem” & “Let me check” – you know from your own experience that whenever you request something and you hear the phrase “no problem” there actually is one. The word “problem” has pejorative meaning and instantly gets your back up.

Instead of “no problem” the answer should be “certainly.”

Does it not sound more polite? If the guest is thanking you the answer “no problem” is too casual so you should definitely use “you are most welcome.”

When a guest asks the staff “Can I change my room..?” or “Can I have Filet Mignon without the mashed potatoes?” etc. – the typical answer is “let me check” and the staff disappears. It is a proper answer in a shop, office, or fast food bar where guest handling standards are not a must. Have you thought of using “allow me to verify” which sounds more professional and makes the guests think they are dealing with a qualified and concerned person.

Solution: Training and repetition.

4. Staff having an in depth conversation amongst themselves and me

approaching the desk, or raising a hand to order is just a huge, rude interruption.

Trust me, I know that a positive work environment is key, and stress is as mood killer, but when the team takes advantage of it – changes need to happen asap! This kind of situation is not even a wake-up call – it’s a habit you have to root out!

Solution: Get out of the back office! Stay with the team in order to support them and lead by example. Observe – React.

5. Chewing gum, missing bulbs and misspelling. For a perfectionist (if you are working in LUXURIOUS hotels) standards must be elevated up to infinity. There

is no space for such annoying things like chewing gum, missing bulbs in chandeliers (or some burnt or flashing irregularly) and incorrect spelling/different fonts on menus, welcome cards etc. It is a NO GO.

excellence is painful, unpleasant yet consumed with positive energy. Set your expectations high enough and simply motivate, lead and recognize the team in order to pamper and delight your guests.

Solution: Check, ask the team if anybody reported that (if not – why) and get it fixed immediately!

I guess you can add plenty more to that list – and there are no rights and no wrongs here. Once you realize your weak point – it is half of the success!

We tend to have an excuse for every situation. Unfortunately, it only spoils the team and lowers the standards. The way back to

About the author Marta Otrebska is a freelance hotel writer based in Poland. She worked for 4 years in hospitality in China including opening & managing a successful Club Lounge department in the Mandarin Oriental Shanghai, a Forbes awarded hotel. She is currently working in a Key Support Role with Magnums Butlers International and as Yacht Stewardess. Check her posts at: www.linkedin.com/today/ author/92661305-Marta-O.

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