We’re living through unusual and trying times. The COVID-19 pandemic has people feeling stressed and frightened. That’s why it’s more important than ever to focus on gratitude — the practice of noticing and being thankful for what is valuable and meaningful to you. It’s good for your mental and physical health, it can help you relax and its effects can help you stay well through the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

The health benefits of practicing gratitude are wide-ranging — and maybe even a bit surprising.  Here are a few of those scientifically-backed benefits:

• Improving your immune system. The practice of gratitude can improve immune function, according to the American Heart Association. This is especially important during the COVID-19 crisis, since people with compromised immune systems face a high risk of becoming severely ill from coronavirus.
• Lowering your risk for mental health issues. Studies have shown that people who practiced gratitude showed a significantly lower risk for major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and substance dependence and abuse, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. 
• Getting a handle on stress. Focusing on positive emotions can help improve your ability to cope with stress, according to the National Institutes of Health. 
• Setting yourself up for success. In clinical trials, grateful people have been shown to exercise more and eat healthier diets. 

During the month of December, we focus on ways to practice gratitude. You can start small by taking a few moments to simply notice things that are going well in your life. 

Set aside a short time each day to intentionally practice gratitude by writing down the things you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be a long list, it can even be just one thing you are grateful for each day, but if you regularly challenge yourself to identify and name your gratitude, you may begin to notice improvement in your emotional well-being. 

As leaders, we have an important role to play to ensure the wellbeing of our teams. In these unprecedented times, this has never been more important and at the same time has never been as challenging. 

Our pre-COVID idea of teamwork just isn’t gonna fly these days.  Our teams simply don’t look the way they did before.  Staff may have been reduced, some employees may be working from home at least part of the time while others are have been onsite every day.  Depending on the situation, we may be leading each team member differently in order for the whole team to be successful.

Studies have demonstrated the importance of collaboration during a crisis. Teams that pull together an assortment of people with unique perspectives are better poised to solve rapidly changing, complex situations. They are able to come up with new solutions and adapt to changing situations better than those with the "go it alone" mentality. We celebrate the different skills and personalities within our teams that help us thrive during this time of crisis. 

Like any competitive team, we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. At our hotels, managers and associates are jumping in to do whatever is necessary to ensure their success. In this video we highlight some of these special people, fighting through fatigue and stress to demonstrate teamwork. We are grateful for our Chesapeake Hospitality team, a team that will help us not only survive, but thrive during this crisis.

The past six months of the coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge for everyone. Leading throughout Covid-19 has had its own set of challenges. Hospitality leaders today are tasked with keeping our teams safe and informed with trustworthy information, dealing with economic disruptions and challenges, and managing the secondary effects of social distancing and/or quarantine. Ultimately, leaders are called to the larger questions of how this is a time of change, redirection and letting go as well as an opportunity to rediscover purpose, both for individual associates and for the team as a whole.

Clear and trustworthy communication is one of the most essential elements in crisis leadership. Communication needs to be transparent, honest and delivered with empathy.  This includes listening to our associates, asking and understanding others’ questions, delivering “bad” news if needed, being transparent with information, providing sufficient data, being vulnerable and humble, and being able to reassure with empathetic communication.

REACHH* is an acronym which describes the steps for leading with compassion:

Resonance: the goal is to create supportive, trusting positive relationships – focusing on the other, not yourself; reach out, connect with others’ thoughts, feelings and experience – don’t assume you know; make room for their story

Empathy: shift from wanting to be understood to wanting to understand; put yourself in their shoes –hear what they are asking; members and co-workers have something to teach us. Perspective getting - asking/inquiring not perspective taking – imagining or thinking you know what it is like.

Awareness: self-awareness: be in touch with your mindset, your emotions and the impact on others – remembering that your feelings are contagious; know how to soothe and relax so you are able to respond and not react; lead with a calming presence

Compassion: to be compassionate is to feel by focusing on others' needs and respond in meaningful ways; the emphasis here is on caring, warmth and tenderness

Hope: is reality based, envisioning a better desired future; hope can only happen with connection to others (not isolation), a realization that I have choices, knowing how to care for self and reduce stress and anxiety

Humor: decreases stress and increases satisfaction; it helps us to have a productive exchange and helps everyone realize that it is not the end of the world and together we can do this.

Crisis is often a call to let go and shift the focus from what you have lost to what is new and then to make a commitment to move on. We are presented with an opportunity to explore what the changes mean, what matters most, what we value and where new opportunities lie. Times of transition open us to transformation and invite us to find purpose and connection once again. It’s an opportunity to focus on doing what matters most – living our core values while demonstrating care and compassion for ourselves and for others.

*Adapted in part from Oosten, Smith & Boyatzis, Helping People Change, Harvard Business Review Press, 2019.

"Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed." Bob Riley

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 700,000 people across the globe. With cases on the rise here in the United States, individuals as well as companies are stepping up to help protect and support people in need of assistance and flatten the curve.  From a business and government perspective, what we have seen in the last few weeks and days, is how fast we can move and make decisions when we want to affect change as a society.  From a personal perspective, we have witnessed true heroes emerge, those with the firm resolve to serve and protect one another.

Amid shortages of protective equipment and governments struggling to provide supplies to hospitals, many Chesapeake Hospitality associates and their families are doing what they can to help.  Kathy Trupiano, wife of Anthony Trupiano, HR Director at the DoubleTree by Hilton Syracuse made masks for associates at the Double Tree as well as hotels across the country.  Anthony points out that even though it can't be seen in the photo of team members practicing social distancing, "We are all smiling behind the fabric."

Tiffany Looney, Regional Director of Revenue Management, has made over 150 masks for our associates who continue to work with the public each day. She says, "I’ve been sewing almost my whole life (since I was 8!!) so I have amassed quite a collection of fabric and saved scraps from other projects.  I started seeing online about a need for fabric masks to supplement the dwindling supply of N95s and I started proactively looking for people and organizations that were in need.  Then it turned out that our own company had a need, so it was a perfect fit!"  

When she heard one of our families was sick, Executive Assistant to the President/CEO, Celeste Calvert rushed two of her own child-sized masks and two masks she made from bandannas to the family to make sure they were all protected during the illness.  Ansley Green, daughter of Chris Green, President & CEO, also responded to the need for masks immediately. She got to work right away sewing masks for those in need within her local community.  Laura Golub, sister of Melissa Golub, Director of Hotel Openings & Transitions, has made a variety of patterned masks (shown below) for the team at the DoubleTree Pittsburgh.

As many companies have been forced to do, we have had to lay-off many valuable associates. We look forward to their return to Chesapeake. In the meantime, our remaining team members in the field have taken on additional roles to keep the hotels and restaurants operating.  They report to work each day, risking their own health and safety to serve our guests.  Throughout this difficult time, these dedicated associates have each revealed the hero within.   We couldn't be more proud of each and every one of them.  Day in and day out they remind us that we are #ChesapeakeStrong.

For the third year in a row Chesapeake Hospitality has participated in the Over The Edge fundraiser for Give Kids The World.  It is by no means an easy event – participants are asked to rappel 32 stories from the top of the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL.  But it is incredibly rewarding; stepping out of one’s comfort zone to do something frightening for the sole purpose of serving those in need.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi states, “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”  Chris Green, Chesapeake’s CEO and this year’s participant in the Over the Edge event would no doubt agree that this event was not relaxing – for the body or the mind.  In fact, looking out over the edge of the building, over 400 feet above ground, he recalls thinking, “Why am I doing this?  I certainly don’t have to do this.  I have raised the money for the families, that’s the important part.”  

He’s not wrong.  He could have decided against going over the edge and the families of Give Kids The World would have remained grateful for his fundraising efforts.  But Chris inherently knew that he would follow through - despite the physical and mental challenges.  He realized that the critically-ill children who visit the Village endure physical and mental challenges of their own on a regular basis.  Prior to the event, when asked why he was participating, Chris’s answer was simple, “I’d do anything for the kids.”  This was the anything.  Considering the numerous challenges these children face, Chris knew he could push through his own challenges in their honor.

Over the Edge certainly does require one to stretch the body and mind to its limits “to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”  Although he may not yet realize it just yet, going Over the Edge for Give Kids The World may be remembered as one of Chris Green’s best moments.

To go the extra mile means to go above and beyond what is expected, to make a bigger effort than is required, to exert special energy in order to accomplish something.  Going the extra mile isn't always easy but it's always worth it. During this month of Service, we want to highlight two of our associates who demonstrate what it means to go the extra mile when serving others.

Kelli Wright had only been a room attendant at the Hampton Inn Southridge in Charleston WV for a few weeks when she went out of her way to make a family feel special.This family was in town visiting their daughter and taking care of their grandson Luke while his mother was giving birth to Luke's baby brother.  Luke's father was serving in Iraq so Luke was spending most of his time with his grandparents while his mother was in the hospital.  Kelli got to know the family and discovered it was Luke's birthday (the same day his new baby brother was born.)  When Luke and his grandparents returned to the hotel that evening, they found a card, a birthday cake, balloons, and gift that Kelli had gone out and purchased herself. 

Kelli said she felt she needed to do something special for him because he was spending his birthday in a hotel, not able to celebrate like a typical kid would.  This family did not expect such special treatment and they were blown away by Kelli's thoughtfulness. They reached out to the hotel following their stay to express their gratitude once again.  Kelli went the extra mile and it is something this family will never forget.

Mike Kirsh, Chief Engineer at the Holiday Inn Columbia East-Jessup, MD has been consistently delivering exceptional service to guests and co-workers for over 46 years.  Mike was recently awarded Manager of The Year by the Maryland Hospitality Lodging Association which comes as no surprise given the fact that he believes going the extra mile is all in a day's work for him.  On a recent cold, blistery morning when one of the hotel's servers received a flat tire on the way into work, Mike dropped what he was doing and drove a few extra miles out to assist her, happily changing the tire while making light of the situation so she wouldn't feel stressed. He was able to get her tire changed and get her to work on time.  Mike's co-workers share why they want to "Be like Mike" in this video.  

Whether we're exceeding the expectations of our guests or going the extra mile for our coworkers, we are honored to be able to work in an environment where we can serve others every day.

At Chesapeake Hospitality we strive to ensure that a culture of service to others is evident at each one of our hotels - that our employees live it and that guests who walk through our doors feel it: the joy of giving to others.  One of our favorite ways of serving others is giving to families of children with life-threatening illness; providing them with a stress-free, cost-free, dream vacation to Give Kids The World Village in Florida.

Since we began fundraising for Give Kids The World Village in 2011, our teams' responses have been was amazing.  The properties not only discovered creative ways to raise money but also realized the happiness that comes with it.  Our associates who were fortunate enough to volunteer at Give Kids The World during our annual trip in September, came back from their trip recalling the happiness and gratitude they felt serving the families at the Village.  One of our volunteers said it best, "I've never felt this kind of happiness."

Each year that we fund raise for Give Kids The World, we surpass our last year's donation.  We're excited that our fundraising efforts have been so successful. Due to the efforts of 2019 we are responsible for sending 29 families to the Village for a much needed vacation. But the rewards of giving are priceless; you can't put a value on the joy we feel knowing the happiness we are bringing to these children and their families. 

We look forward to continuing our service to others in the new year, knowing that this service will not only bring us happiness but will also allow us to spread that joy to others.

"I believe giving to others helps make a person whole. It doesn't matter what type of help you're capable of giving, what matters is being able and willing to give." -Henry Landwirth, Founder, Give Kids The World

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." ~ Aesop

Our monthly theme for December helps us to remember that while we could always have more, we could also have less.  Focusing on the positive in our lives and being thankful for all that we have brings an added sense of joy during this holiday season.  Gratitude brings joy which makes us want to share this joy with others.

One of our favorite ways to express our gratitude and share joy this season is by giving to others.  This year we chose to sponsor two families from the Adelphi/Langley Park Family Support Center.  Our corporate staff members each selected a family member and chose an item or two from the family's wish list.  The gifts were all brought into our corporate office, transforming our board room into Santa's workshop where we spent the better part of a day wrapping and sorting presents as we listened to Christmas music. The joy in the air was palpable.  The happiness continued as we delivered the gifts to the Family Support Center. 

In addition to sponsoring families for Christmas, we support the charities that mean a lot to us.  Each corporate staff member selects a charity and Chesapeake Hospitality sends a monetary donation to that charity in the staff member's name.  Some of the charities we support include Give Kids The World, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, BARCS, My Sister's Place among others.  Emily Hahn, Regional Director of Revenue Management, shares a sentiment that rings true for all of us, "I cannot express how much this means to me that the company I work for cares so much about giving!!!"

We're so grateful to be able to share joy this holiday season. Thank you for sharing this joy with us.

The Challenge for Hope is the chance to walk, run, roll or stroll through Give Kids The World Village and experience the magic and fun families enjoy at the Village every day. The fun run celebrates the happiness that has inspired hope for thousands of children and families. The spirited Challenge for Hope– previously known as the Gingerbread Run – celebrates the joys of childhood and inspires hope for kids and families who need it most. 

For the second year in a row, Chesapeake Hospitality has participated in this event as an opportunity to support the families of Give Kids The World.  Our team at the Hotel Alba Tampa organized group to participate in this fun event. Before the race began, we had raised $600 for Give Kids The World but it was the opportunity to be with the families at the Village that we were most excited about.

The morning of the run began with heavy rain.  You'd think this might be a deterrent for the participants.  However, the Village was packed with runners, walkers, spectators and volunteers, all there for the same reason - to support the families of Give Kids The World.  By the time the run began, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through, as is rewarding the many participants for their commitment. Teams and individuals of all ages and skill levels were able to experience the storybook resort in the most exciting and personal way.  Along the route, participants were treated to musicians, dancers, superheroes, and best of all -  wish families cheering us on.

Upon crossing the finish line, Challengers were presented with a medal designed by a former Give Kids The World wish kid, a beautiful memento from an inspiring day.  We were honored to be able to serve the families of Give Kids The World through the Challenge for Hope and look forward to next year's run!

It used to be that a hotel's return of investment was solely based on hotel occupancy. Over the last decade, hotels have become more than just a place to rest your head while on the road, but a lifestyle destination offering award-winning restaurants, bars, retail outlets, spas, and even waterparks. With the evolution of guests' preferences stemming from older generations to the experiential millennials, it is imperative that hotels alter their amenities periodically to keep up with their guests' wants and needs.

To fully understand what guests want, a research study was done across thousands of US hotels from 2007-2018 to see how their revenue patterns have shifted through the recession in 2009. Studies showed that Food and Beverage revenue overall increased at an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent each year from 2007 to 2018. This nominal increase includes revenue from in-house restaurants, lounges, mini-bars, and in-room dining. Surveys indicate that the declines stem from the desire of guests wanting to enjoy a more communal, less formal way of dining to meet the needs of their busy lifestyle. In response, hotels have increased their grab-and-go items and offer more streamlined menus to reduce operational costs. 

Although food revenue may be in a slow incline, the studies also indicate that revenue from alcoholic beverages at hotel restaurants and lounges is accelerating at a rapid pace, proving to be a valuable source of income. Thus, hotel bars and restaurants have increased their selection of local craft beers, enhanced their wine programs, and offer more specialty cocktails to entice the guest.

Another revenue loss for hotels has been the use of in-room movies and On-Demand services. Smartphone technology and laptops have taken the place for streaming videos, thus losing sales. Hotels are now starting to incorporate this trend by offering Smart TV's, so the guest can log-in to their personal Netflix account on the TV.

Revenue from parking has been on the rise since the study began. The increased revenue is most likely from the accelerated increase in the cost of parking, whether valet or self. Even with the use of Uber and other car-share services, the nightly charge for valet or parking has skyrocketed to an average of $30/night to generate additional revenue.

Over the next decade, guest preferences will continue to change, whether it's due to technology advancements or just social habits. Hotel operators must continue to monitor their guest preferences and trends to properly adjust their amenities, services, and experiences they offer to get the highest ROI.

At Chesapeake Hospitality, we are committed to supporting Give Kids The World Village through our fundraising efforts.  We always have a great time at our fundraisers but when we have two, back-to-back, the fun is multiplied!  A weekend of fun, food, festivities and support for Give Kids The World was the ultimate result of our 3rd Annual Happiness Inspires Hope bike race and our Inaugural Crab Feast held the weekend of October 12-13, 2019.

The weekend began in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 12th as a team made up of corporate employees, managers of our properties, friends and family met at the Hotel Indigo in Baltimore and biked throughout the city and county to raise money for children with life threatening illnesses. It wasn't an easy ride; the course was hilly and we endured two flat tires but we laughed, encouraged one another and had a great time knowing we were helping the families of Give Kids The World. 

"It's the combination of the camaraderie of peers sharing a similar desire to do good as well as the time of year and reasonable weather that make the challenges of this particular course worthwhile," says Steve Smith, executive VP Chesapeake Hospitality. He adds, "You have to have the mindset that this is going to be difficult. But it's not nearly as difficult as what the children at Give Kids The World Village have gone through."  

Elise Houston, Chesapeake's Director of Operations at the DeSoto in Savannah, GA traveled north for the ride. "From the moment I heard of the Happiness Inspires Hope Bike ride from Jane during our Culture Training I knew this was something I wanted to participate in. One of our Sales Managers, Michelle, who has worked at The DeSoto and with Chesapeake Hospitality for 20+ years has a grandson who had Leukemia as a child. He has overcome it and is thriving now as a strong 6 year old. This played a major role in my drive to participate. I was “riding for TJ!" It was a great opportunity to spend time with our Chesapeake Family while exploring beautiful Baltimore by bike. I can’t wait for next year!!

After a day of exercising, it was time to relax and have fun. On Sunday, October 13th we held our first outdoor Crab Feast fundraiser on the grounds of the Holiday Inn Columbia East-Jessup.  Close to 100 people gathered under a tent to celebrate our commitment to Give Kids The World.  Our event was catered by Good Times Catering and featured raffle items donated by local businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues.  All of our guests had a great time. Caitlin Sims, Chesapeake's Manager of eCommerce and Social Media, enjoyed the day adding, "Crabs, beer, football, all while raising money for Give Kids the World: Best. Sunday. Ever.”

We are grateful for the support of all the participants who shared the weekend with us.  One such participant, Chris Sapienza (who has also been our highest fundraiser for the bike ride each year!) summed it up best, "The Give Kids The World weekend was an amazing reminder of the inherent goodness in people when called into action to help others.  It was a very special and heartwarming weekend with friends, family, biking, crabs and fun.  The staff at Chesapeake Hospitality, as always, go the extra mile to put these tremendous events together and ensure children with critical illnesses the vacation of a lifetime.  It’s awesome to be a small part of this."  

Almost every business that has a website to create leads and sales uses or has used Google Ads for pay-per-click campaigns to drive traffic to their site. Today, creating a simple ad is not enough to keep driving traffic to websites. With new algorithms and innovations accelerating daily, so are Google Ad trends, including more automated and smart options, like Smart Bidding and Smart Campaigns.

Upcoming in late 2019, Google is rolling-out seasonality adjustment capabilities for Google Ads campaigns. This smart bidding enhancement for search and display will help advertisers improve the performance of their campaigns by increasing ad spend during times of the year when sales are expected to spike. This could include holiday shopping, product launches, sales, etc. This would be an ideal time to manually apply a seasonality adjustment in order to maximize the performance of the ad campaign. It is suggested to only use seasonality adjustments when significant changes to conversion rates are expected. It is also recommended to use it for short-term events up to a week. Smart Bidding already manages seasonal events such as holidays, so it may not work as well for extended periods of time.

Another Google Ad trend on the rise is optimizing content for voice search. With the explosion of speech-enabled devices like Alexa, Google Home, or Siri, it is essential to make your content more conversational. According to Google, 20% of search queries now take place through voice search. Therefore, content must be natural and not conform to old keyword patterns. There should now be a focus on longer-tailed keywords that allow for natural phrasing. Clarity takes precedent over conciseness when it comes to voice search, so the user can quickly get the info they need.

Finally, in order to fully optimize your Google Ad, add a bit of personalization based on your visitors' insights to refine ads toward specific audiences. Match ads back to specific URLs to help the user understand the relevancy of the page relating to the ad they just clicked. Geo-customize your ad or upload your email list into Google's Customer Match tool to direct ads to specific audiences. If you follow one or all of these tips, you will be on your way to running successful Google Ad campaigns.

Each year, we at Chesapeake Hospitality take a group of volunteers to spend a day at Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, FL. The volunteer group is made up of one ambassador from each of our properties, chosen by their managers as someone who wants to make a difference in this world. The ambassadors are given that opportunity to make a difference by spreading joy and happiness to the families in need at the Village. Donte Thomas, this year's ambassador from the Holiday Inn Columbia East-Jessup, MD shares his experience:

Arriving to the village, we were given a tour.  We were told that during the day Give Kids The World families go to any amusement park or destination they choose such as Disney World, Lego Land or even Universal Studios. The week is simply all about the kids and whatever they want to do. As we toured around the Village, the kids were enjoying their time outside of the village being regular kids. The Village was really magical in so many ways - from the moment the kids set foot onto the 83 acre town. They had their own amusement park that was handicap accessible, their own ‘Rocking Spa’, their own ice cream parlor, their own train going around the Village, their own golf course, their own 2 story playground, their own water park, their own movie theater and they even had their bedroom personalized to whatever ever theme they wanted it to be for that week.

The Village itself has more than enough fun and excitement for the kids to do but them being able to go to any park, all-inclusive, each day is pretty awesome. Following the tour, we were then ready to get the party started upon the kids returning from being out all day. Luckily for us, the day we were volunteering was their Christmas party! Could not have asked for a better theme to be a part of, who doesn’t enjoy Christmas in the summer? Half of our group was selected to be in the Christmas parade while the other half was selected to host the Christmas games. I was selected to run the ‘Elf chimney games’ which was the best game in the building! I got to put an elf costume on and really get into character.

The party started around 5pm, where the kids would have a meet and greet with Santa then got to select a toy before coming off the stage to play all the games they wanted that we had set up. Kids started coming in slowly but surely and before we knew it the whole room was full of families and care-free children. At my station, we had Christmas carols, tree decorating, present throwing and candy cane hide ‘n seek. The kids loved it! Although we could not hug or touch the children the smiles that we got from giving them High 5’s or ‘good jobs’ was unforgettable. There was one child that stuck out to me the most. Her name was Bella and she just beat stage 4 cancer. Her parents were so appreciative for us volunteering and making their child’s life better even if it was just for those moments. Bella was the most lit up person in the room, you couldn’t even tell she was sick as she was signing every Christmas carol and finding almost ever candy cane. I gave her a high 5 probably 100 times.  I could not help myself because her smile would light up a dark room.

All the kids enjoyed the games before enjoying the Christmas parade where they got to dance until they couldn’t dance anymore. The GKTW workers said that they haven’t had a Christmas party like the one we had in forever. We wrapped up the party and said our goodbyes; the kids needed rest for their big day ahead of them the next day so we could not party too late.

In all, the trip was a humbling and heartwarming experience. When the kids are at the Village they do not have a care in the world and you could not even tell that they have been battling cancer or fighting a reoccurring tumor. That’s why this magical Village is so special to families - because they get to see their child be a child and not suffer from their illness even if it is for 7 days. It takes 1,800 volunteers a week to keep the village up and going, so if you ever have the chance to volunteer, please do so and you will not regret it. Give Kids The World is more than a charity, it is a family with welcoming arms that views everybody as an equal.

It seems with every passing day, there's something new happening in the forever evolving world of marketing. Whether its new algorithms, new updates, new players, or simply phasing out the old, new and disruptive technological innovations are forcing marketers to evolve their best practices. As new advances continue to accelerate, it's important to always keep up and not get overwhelmed. Here are a few of upcoming major marketing trends expected for 2020 and beyond so you can be prepared and seek out new opportunities.

Marketers need to stop worrying about clicks and focus more on optimizing for on-SERP SEO. With the rise of zero-click results, Google auto populates content the user is looking for, cutting out the clicks to your content and making keywords less profitable. Therefore, the ones that are optimizing correctly, will be the one Google chooses.

Another trend that is on the rise is advertising on smart home technology and speakers. Whether its Alexa, Siri, Cortana or Google Home, our new friends have the power to promote your brand with little or no effort. As more users pay higher rates to opt out of ads, marketers are beginning to create "Branded Skills" for smart speakers. This enables the user to get the information they seek by using your brand to provide it.

If branding a skill is a bit far-fetched for your brand, then marketers should at least consider optimizing their content for voice search. According to Google, 20% of search queries now take place through voice search, with 71% occurring on their smartphones. Therefore, it is essential to make your content more conversational so the user can simply ask away and get the info they need.

Finally, it is predicted that in 2020 and beyond, AI-powered chatbots will grow in popularity and sophistication, making it easy for companies to cut costs and increase sales. Chatbots answer the most frequently asked questions (based on your content) and helps convert visitors into warm leads, something that any business with web traffic can benefit from.

Chesapeake Hospitality Chief Commercial Officer Chris Green spoke with HNN on video to discuss his company’s 2019 highlights, hiring employees in a tight labor market and preparing for a downturn.

Chief Commercial Officer Chris Green spoke with Hotel News Now at the 2019 Hotel Data Conference about staff hiring and retention strategies, operating business as usual in a recession and managing the company’s portfolio of brands and independents. In fact, Green said 2019 has been a great year for Chesapeake.

“We’ve been building over the years into some great growth in our portfolio,” Green said. “We’ve added a couple full-service hotels, and we have four more deals pending to close for the remainder of the year. We’ve always seen that as times get tight, Chesapeake’s long history of solid, firm management has been sought-after in times when things start to slow down a bit.”

One of the management company’s newest properties is the Hyde Hollywood Resort & Residences, a 363-room condohotel in Hollywood Beach, Florida, that features one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. Green said Chesapeake operates in specific markets and focuses on full-service, upper-upscale hotels with a heavy focus on food and beverage and sales and marketing, “because that’s what we’re built to do.”

“We’ve always been (in) secondary or tertiary markets; we haven’t done a ton in primary markets,” he said. “We’re in Houston, Philadelphia and Atlanta, but really we’re talking about cities like Wilmington, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; Pittsburgh; those markets where our expertise that’s been honed over all these years and doing that type of hotel is really valuable. We know our niche and how to play in it.”

While Chesapeake’s portfolio includes both brand-affiliated and independent properties, Green said with the exception of marketing efforts, the company’s management approach doesn’t really differ.

“Really the big difference between the branded and independent is the level you have to go to either on the e-commerce side or digital marketing or direct sales side,” he said, “because you’re not going to get brand contribution on the independent side, so you have got to be more aggressive in the e-commerce space making sure that you’re present where the brands have all that horsepower behind them with the loyalty stays—we’ve got to generate those stays on our own.”

We invited a guest blogger, Melissa Stricker, to share her experience from a recent yard sale fundraiser for Give Kids The World.  Melissa is the General Manager of the Fairfield by Marriott in Charleston, West Virginia,

Having a yard sale seems like a strange thought for a fundraiser, but it just came about organically one day.  In early June, my housekeeping supervisor April and I were discussing lost and found procedures at the Fairfield by Marriott Charleston when she said, “I wish we could just take all of this stuff and have a yard sale for Give Kids the World."  We sort-of laughed it off but the thought of a yard sale stayed with us. 

We have two large yard sales in the Charleston area, both in the spring and both on the other side of the city so we thought this might just work and if it was successful this year, we might be able to grow it into something for years to come. The plan started to evolve and we picked a date, August 10^th, which happened to be National Yard Sale Day. Once we had the date, we placed signs throughout all three Chesapeake hotels in our area and talked to friends and family about donating items.  

The Holiday Inn & Suites decided to do a car wash in the adjacent parking lot and we asked the Hampton if they wanted to do a hot dog sale.  This was great because all three Chesapeake Hospitality hotels were present and it really felt good to have an “all hands on deck” experience.  Team members brought items in from the 3^rd through the 9^th to our meeting room.  It seemed like every time we thought donations were slowing down, they started back up again.  We had team members from every department in the hotels donate items. 

We went through items that were from before our conversion that couldn’t be used at the other properties as well as worn items that were going to be donated from each hotel.  One of our ownership company’s accounting team members owns a collectibles shop and he donated some autographed prints and the Concention & Visitors Bureau donated chandeliers (which we will be auctioning at a later date.) It was truly impressive and quite a task to price everything - but a lot of fun too!

On the day of the yard sale, we showed up at 4:30 am to put out the items.  We were so excited, it didn’t even seem early.  We quietly carried or rolled everything out into our blocked off parking spaces and grassy areas and set it all up for the day.   The sale started at 7am but we had folks showing up as early as 6:30, excited to see what we had to offer.  We don’t know an exact amount of folks who showed up, but there was never a point from 7am to 3pm where we didn’t have shoppers.  It was great! 

The customers that we had the most fun with were the kids that came with their parents that would sit and go through children’s books and toys.  We also had a gentleman come and purchase the puzzles from the games and puzzles bin to take to a local nursing home for the residents there.

The yard sale made $1,350 for Give Kids the World.  That’s quite a task when you think that there wasn’t an item priced over $25, and many items were just a quarter.  We didn’t have much left but what was left is going to a great organizations as donations.  Recovery Point, an organization offering recovery services at no cost to West Virginians struggling with substance use disorders, will be receiving clothes, jewelry, shoes, scarves and purses for their return to work program, Habitat for Humanity (Fairfield’s partner organization) will be receiving a few furniture pieces for their Re-Store and Heart and Hand (a local outreach organization working with the homeless and needy) will be receiving the remainder for their thrift store to help fund local outreach.

The beauty of the whole event was that every hotel and every department contributed items to the sale and I can’t be more proud of our company and our people.

Although US travel trends have increased throughout the United States, there seems to be a forecasted decrease in the overseas travel market share through 2022. As reported by The US Travel Association, International travel to the US has been on a four-year decline since 2015 and expected to be a downward spiral for the next three years. The steep decline in the US share of the overseas travel market stems from the ongoing trade war with China and the rise of the dollar, which has made it expensive for international travelers.

This downward spiral brings much concern to the US in many ways. Not only does the US economy lose about 14 million international visitors, $59 billion in traveler spending, and 120,000 US jobs, but the decline could increase causing a loss of another 41 million fewer foreign tourists amounting to a loss of $180 billion dollars in revenue.

The decline of the international travel market has a direct effect on the travel industry, including hotels, resorts, recreation, and dining. Hotels could continue to lose a large share of international guests, resulting in lower occupancy rates. Although there are some hopes of the government stepping in to rebrand the USA's troubled reputation, we must look upon alternative ways to entice the international market to come to the states. Large conglomerates like Amazon and Airbnb have already entered the game of luring foreigners to the US with lowered costs for flights and lodging. Hopefully, they will be able to add a bit of a travel surge.

Although the term, cutbacks, typically has a negative connotation, Hoteliers have found ways to increase revenue by cutting costs in the Food and Beverage sector, which have had a positive influence on how hotels do business. By reaching out to their revenue management teams, hoteliers have come up with smart and efficient ways to implement cutbacks in F & B, from room service to staff, while still providing high-quality dining experiences for their guests.

Staffing and labor-related costs typically represent the highest share of operating expenses; therefore, it is no surprise that when looking to reduce costs, this is the first stop. Many hotels and restaurants plan to reduce employee hours in 2019 by turning to automated technology like self-ordering kiosks and apps to eliminate staffing needs, salaries, and benefits cost.

Another cost-reducer in F & B is to optimize your menus for profitability. This means knowing what the guests like, what items sell the most, and what is being wasted. Menu changes should be made accordingly to consolidate ingredients.

Hoteliers should also be on the lookout for quality ingredients at lower costs. It is essential to try on new vendors to find the perfect fit for your hotel, not just convenient ones. Cost-cutting techniques like offering cuts of meat like skirt steak and flank steak versus filet mignon or a NY strip are quick fixes, as well as providing seasonal menus which offer lower prices for "in season" ingredients.

Lastly, revamping your room service menu is an easy way to enhance efficiency while still cutting costs. Scale back menu options and only include items served within the regular dining restaurant.

Chesapeake Hospitality will implement these tactics to increase ROI, while maintaining guest satisfaction.

It is no surprise that the world's largest online retailer and cloud-service provider is dabbling in the travel industry. Amazon has recently partnered with online travel aggregator, Cleartrip, for domestic flight bookings in India. Amazon Prime and non-Prime customers can easily book and pay all in one place, using cashback incentives to get more value from their membership. Customers can use their existing contact details and payment information linked to their Amazon account, and they will be able to see the payable amount, including all applicable charges and convenience fees. While this isn't Amazon's first stint in the travel and hospitality market, this is the first partnership with OTA's, leaving much more to look forward to.

While it is uncertain as to how much travel opportunities Amazon will offer in the future, one could expect more partnerships and/or acquisitions with already prominent competitors. These include companies like Expedia, MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Booking.com, Via.com, Priceline, and even Google. It is suspected that if this launch in India goes well, they will soon expand flight options into other markets and countries. How long before Amazon flights come to the US? It is unknown, but it is positive for the travel industry as Amazon brings credibility and trustworthy services to everything they touch.

Chesapeake Hospitality will keep-up-to-date to see what this really means for the industry but are optimistic in the expansion of Amazon Travel.

The team at the DeSoto has had a busy few months, not only serving their guests within the hotel but also serving the local community.  Associates from the hotel have volunteered their time to participate in several activities benefiting The Sotherly Foundation, Lady Bamford Center, Ronald McDonald House drive, and America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia.

In the spring,The DeSoto hosted an Oyster Roast at Edgar’s Proof and Provision located in their hotel. This event raised $1,000 for the Sotherly Foundation, benefiting veterans and their families. 

On Saturday, June 15th several team members ran and volunteered at the JCB MudFest benefitting the Lady Bamford Center. This center is located in Savannah and provides educational instruction and guidance, in social skill development, to children aged six weeks to five years of age.

Less then a week later, more than a dozen staff members attended an Orange Theory class together to participate in the Ronald McDonald House drive. They donated plastic ware and raised awareness for the Ronald McDonald House of the Coastal Empire. This well-known organization provides a restful, comfortable place for kids and their families as they receive treatment at nearby hospitals.

Then the following weekend several employees assisted the food bank staff in packing thousands of grocery bags for those in need at America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. Their goal is to help end hunger across their 21-county service area.

Juan Fernandez, The DeSoto’s General Manager, sums up his staff's committment to serving others, “We strive to form a service-minded culture at The DeSoto, and investing in our community is at the forefront of what we do. I’m so proud to work with so many young, servant leaders who want to make an impact!”

Meetings and events groups looking outside of the traditional convention markets are being drawn to cities such as Detroit; Savannah, Georgia; Charlotte North Carolina; and Seattle.

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—There’s more to group business than the typical big-convention markets of Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; and New Orleans. As other markets become burgeoning corporate hubs, they are attracting groups by offering a variety of hotel inventory to choose from, some with lower price points and many with ease of access through their airports.

These markets range from Detroit and Minneapolis in the Midwest to Savannah, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, in the South to Seattle and San Francisco on the West Coast.

“You are seeing a lot of very nice, new hotel product in some markets, and meeting attendees are looking for different places to try and experience,” said Steve Goodman, founder and managing partner at MeetingAdvice in Atlanta.

One of the “big stories” on the meetings front that is bringing a lot more group business to perennial favorite San Francisco is the four-year expansion of the Moscone Center, a $551-million project that was completed in January, said Jan Freitag, SVP of lodging insights at STR, parent company of Hotel News Now.

Following the reopening of Moscone, hotels in San Francisco marked a 36% increase in group revenue per available room for the first quarter of this year, according to STR data. Room rates were up 17% for group business during the same period, Freitag added.

Other markets on the West Coast that are attracting groups are Denver, Phoenix, San Diego and Seattle, said Julie Purnell, San Francisco-based managing director at CBRE Hotels Advisory. Some smaller markets that offer more price-sensitive alternatives include Bellevue and Spokane, Washington.

“These cities and others are getting creative in how they accommodate groups,” Purnell said. “They may even shut down streets to host groups who want to have big parties, have whole groups or conventioneers take over museums, or use piers for special events.”

Midwest markets
In the Midwest, Detroit has become more of a high-tech center, most notably with Google opening office space last November inside Little Caesars Arena downtown. Group average daily rates are around $170, compared with $225 in other markets, Freitag said.

“There are new boutique hotels in Detroit, it is easy to get to, and not as expensive as some other markets,” he said.

Chesapeake Hospitality’s Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport Hotel and Detroit Metro Airport Marriott both have seen their group business go up from last year and continue to grow, said Chris Green, principal and chief commercial officer.

Another Midwest locale experiencing its fair share of group business is Minneapolis.

Sharon Chicks, director of sales and marketing for The Emery Hotel in Minneapolis, said the city competes for groups against markets such as Raleigh, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Charleston, South Carolina; and Boise, Idaho, for groups.

The 229-room Emery Hotel has 4,000 square feet of meeting space and can accommodate groups of up to 150 for meetings, although more of the meetings tend to be geared toward 30 to 50 people, Chicks said.

“Minneapolis has matured,” she said. “We have the pro sports teams and college sports, culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, and we are easy to get to—all of which is important for holding meetings.”

Southern markets
In the South, the 249-room DeSoto Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, has seen a 9.5% jump in group business from last year, Green said. Another of Chesapeake’s hotels, The Ballast Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina, recorded a 10% increase this year in group bookings for meetings, he said.

“The top meetings markets have become extremely pricey, especially with the high cost of labor,” he said. “Markets like Savannah and Wilmington can be more competitive on price, and have a lot of history and interesting sites and nightlife to offer to groups, no matter where they are from.”

Groups are coming to these markets for corporate meetings, association meetings and training, he said. In part, that’s because the markets are easily accessible in a variety of ways; for example, many groups are driving in, he said.

“Our corporate group business will continue to keep growing because of all of the demand in these busy markets,” Green said.

Another southern destination that “checks all the boxes for a growth in group business” is Charlotte, North Carolina, said Robert Hannigan, GM of the 217-room luxury Kimpton Tryon Park, located in the city.

“A lot of groups have been to Atlanta or Orlando, and are looking for an alternative,” he said. “The city has a beautiful new downtown core with a lot of demand generators for those who want to hold meetings here.”

The hotel is located just a few blocks from the Spectrum Center, an indoor arena that is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. The property is also close to the Charlotte Convention Center.

“You have corporate meetings and events going on in this city that are related to so many industries, such as banking, pharma, technology and automotive,” Hannigan said.

Meeting attendees also are flocking more and more to southern Florida destinations such as Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

“You are seeing a lot of new properties in the beach and downtown areas, and you have a choice of airports to fly in to,” Goodman said.

In the South, markets like Nashville, Tennessee, are “on fire,” and Austin, Texas, continues to be a great alternative to Dallas and Houston—both offering a variety of hotel, restaurant and entertainment choices, Goodman said.

Austin and Savannah also are in-demand markets for meetings events, Kimpton VP of Sales Telesa Via said.

“These areas are more off-the-beaten path cities and are investing and evolving rapidly to appeal to planners with new local group activities to showcase their cities,” she said. “Planners have hit the major markets with their groups and are now looking for something different, while also saving on costs.”

Planners want unique design with hyper-local elements, along with substantial meeting space to accommodate full groups and more intimate spaces for breakout needs, Via said. Also, hotels that stand out often have local partnerships with artists, musicians, artisans and breweries that they can easily tap into for breaks or receptions.

“A lot of the most popular group markets seem to have it all, and that is what meeting planners and meeting attendees are looking for when they plan events,” Goodman said.

In an industry built on personal engagement and attention, the human touch is always foremost. The ability to make someone feel personally welcome—often with a gesture as simple as a friendly smile or a handshake—has long been a part of the hotel business. From the front desk to the sales team, taking steps to forge that fundamentally human touch pays dividends.

In recent years, however, the proliferation of new tools and technologies has prompted an unwelcome shift. As lines of communication become more impersonal, and as it becomes easier and more efficient to get things done without seeing or speaking to someone in person, connection is all too often sacrificed on the altar of convenience. It feels like we have more ways to connect—but, in some of the ways that matter most, we are actually further apart than ever. They understand that as personal interaction becomes less frequent, it has, ironically enough, become more important than ever.

Savvy hotel owners and operators recognize this dynamic and are taking steps to address it. They have their work cut out for them, however. Because the concerning diminishment of personal engagement has accelerated as a younger generation of hospitality professionals—many of whom have become accustomed to a depersonalized digital standard for communication—enter the industry.

It’s ironic that one of the most popular communication apps of the modern age shares its name with a practice that some might mistakenly view as antiquated or unnecessary: FaceTime. Human connections matter. Personal relationships matter. And understanding how to re-emphasize personal engagement and recapture the irreplaceable benefits of face time is becoming an increasingly important skill for hotel professionals.

Technically speaking
Powerful and sophisticated new digital technologies have been an unquestioned plus for the hotel industry. New tech tools allow us to operate with new levels of efficiency and gain new insights into our markets and our properties. But it’s also changed the way we communicate. Our workforce is getting younger, and they communicate more often through their preferred methods of digital media and social platforms.

For all the game-changing benefits of smartphones and social media, there is a degree of anonymization and disconnection that begins to creep in when our primary means of communication becomes an impersonal digital thread. When fewer actual conversations take place face to face—or even over the phone—we lose something important.

One study has concluded that more than 90% of all communication takes place nonverbally—through body language. Is it reasonable to expect a sales team to optimize its results when it is working with only one-tenth of its communication potential?

Some hotel owners and operators are recognizing that, when it comes to communication, frequency is no substitute for quality. If they want to reverse this trend and consistently realize their full profit potential, they need to re-emphasize warmth, sincerity and genuine personal connections over the efficient-but-impersonal channels that new technology affords them.

The young and the restless
The lack of face time and reference for impersonal digital communications is most evident among younger employees—particularly those members of the all-important millennial demographic. The time to reverse this trend is now, before these younger employees ascend into positions of leadership and greater influence.

As remarkable as it sounds, many of these otherwise bright and promising young professionals have grown up without the face-to-face tools they need to engage with guests and fellow professionals on a personal level. Consequently, a significant number of hotel management companies are losing touch with the tried-and-true techniques that hotel professionals have used to connect with guests and sell hotels for generations.

A handful of forward-thinking hotel owners and operators are actively working to provide younger team members with a more effective and engaging personal communications toolbox. That kind of effective personal relationship development training is still all too rare, however.

What’s old is new again
How do we reverse this trend? As with so many things, it’s important to get back to basics. Remind your team about the importance of warmth and personal engagement. Recognize and reward employees who put those ideas into action. And don’t let opportunities for personal calls or face-to-face engagement go by the wayside.

Ultimately, it’s not about ideas, but about actions. Don’t just explain why a face-to-face conversation is important; provide specific training and techniques that ensure your employees integrate those concepts and practices into their everyday work.

Hotel management companies with personal training initiatives have already noted a significant and even dramatic uptick in 2019 and 2020 bookings. Hotel owners and operators also need to make sure they do their part by giving their teams the leeway they need to put those ideas into practice, including traveling to meet with important clients, agents and brokers, and taking the time to cultivate personal relationships that have a longer-term payoff.

Re-emphasizing personal engagement does not mean abandoning the extraordinary tools and technologies that have transformed the industry. But we can embrace the future without forgetting the lessons of the past. Hotel professionals who prioritize face time and personal engagement as a way to stay connected to guests, clients and professional partners will find themselves poised to prosper in an evolving and competitive hospitality landscape.

The hospitality business has long been about personal attention and human interaction. For almost as long as hotels have existed, winners and losers have been defined largely by who can make guests feel welcomed and wanted. The warm smile, the firm handshake, and the friendly greeting have traditionally been critical arrows in the quiver of hotel professionals. Hotel owners and operators have long made it a point to address guests by name, and have trained their front desk and sales staff in the age-old art of face-to-face engagement with guests and professional partners.

Long before it was an app, facetime was a practice that was considered an essential part of running a successful hotel. That emphasis on facetime may be waning, however. New tools and technologies have led to new priorities and practices: many of which either ignore or place less of an emphasis on personal engagement. And with a new generation of young talent entering the hospitality workforce, that depersonalization trend is accelerating.

Hotel owners and operators are wrestling with the troubling irony that, at a time when technical marvels and new digital dimensions have opened up thrilling new frontiers, we are unwittingly closing doors that need to remain open if we want to get the most out of our personnel and our properties. In other words: even as we become more connected, we are drifting apart in fundamental ways. As a result, members of your sales team may not be making the most of their opportunities.

Even as hotel sales professionals are learning to do things at scale and to use digital/technological tools in exciting new ways, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that old fashioned facetime still goes a long way. Establishing, building and maintaining personal relationships-and using the power of facetime and personal engagement to make connections that translate to a very real and impactful bottom-line difference-is just as important as ever. Understanding why facetime is becoming a lost art (and appreciating why it can make such a significant difference for hotel professionals) is a critical first step in reestablishing and leveraging the power of personal engagement in your own property or properties.

The Tech Disconnect

Today, the hotel industry is benefitting from a transformative wave of powerful and exciting new digital technologies. Our collective ability to more efficiently and effectively market properties, strategically set rates, and book rooms has never been more sophisticated. But the innovation that flows from those new technologies-along with the proliferation of social media platforms and the ubiquity of personal mobile devices-is also having a dramatic impact on the way business conducted. It's fundamentally changing the way we communicate and connect with core audiences and professional partners (not to mention fellow employees-but that is perhaps a topic for another time).

A sizable and rapidly expanding percentage of people today "speak" to and with each other through digital media. Fewer conversations are held in person, and fewer connections are made face to face. Tools like texting, email and instant messaging have seen explosive growth in popularity and utility, and the majority of today's workforce communicates more frequently and enthusiastically through digital media and social platforms.

But for all these new technologies and digital platforms deliver in efficiency and immediacy, they leach away even more of the personal connection that has long been the lifeblood of the hotel industry. Even phone calls are becoming less popular. The unavoidably impersonal nature of these new channels presents a real challenge for hotel professionals looking to form and leverage the kind of strong and enduring connections and relationships that have proven to pay very real bottom-line dividends.

And for anyone tempted to dismiss the importance of facetime, consider this remarkable piece of information: at least one research study found that up to 93 percent of all communication is based on nonverbal body language. The implications are staggering. Do we really expect to get the most out of our sales team when they are so often working just with that remaining 7 percent?

The underlying problem facing sales professionals in the hotel business is not just that digital communication channels are on the rise, or even that opportunities for personal communication and engagement are becoming rarer. Those are both true, but this dynamic is especially tricky because the rise of impersonal communication options actually hides the true extent to which more personal communications are waning. It can feel like we are in touch with more consumers more often than at any other time in recent memory-but quantity is a poor substitute for quality.

A Demographic Gap

The trend toward minimizing facetime and personal engagement in favor of more impersonal digital communication channels is especially prominent among young people-specifically the much discussed and highly coveted Millennials, who represent a large, fast-growing and increasingly influential segment of both the workforce and the consumer base.

Familiarity with-and affinity for-technology among the younger generations is nothing new. What is fairly new is the extent to which those preferences have begun to impact entire industries. As Millennials and members of Generation Z begin to assume positions of seniority and influence in hospitality companies, that trend is only going to become more pronounced, and the current dynamic is only going to become more entrenched.

There is an opportunity to mold younger sales managers and other hotel professionals, and to give them the personal communications skillset many are lacking-but unfortunately many hospitality brands and businesses have been slow to recognize and respond to this issue. Many are not getting the training they need to conduct effective personal relationship development, and it is truly becoming a lost art.

The result is that today, on some important level, many hotel management companies have lost touch with the techniques that have been used to effectively sell hotels for generations. Finding ways to reestablish those personal skills, connect personally to establish strong and ultimately lucrative personal relationships with clients, and correct a growing industry imbalance presents a significant challenge.

 Back To The Future

The big question, of course, is what can be done about all of this? There is a troubling tendency in the industry right now to simply accept these trends. But hotel owners and operators would be doing themselves a disservice if they figuratively threw their hands in the air and failed to take proactive steps to address the issue.

Reemphasizing personal engagement begins with reminding ourselves and our employees to get back to the basics. That starts with the very essence of what hospitality embodies: a warm, welcoming and generously hospitable approach. It's all too easy to lose that warmth and personal touch when we allow the convenience of technology to supersede a personal call or visit.

But it's not just a philosophical shift-it has to be a practical one, as well. You can't just remind your team of the power of a face-to-face conversation. Dedicated sales training offering specific hand-to-hand and face-to-face personal sales techniques can be enormously beneficial-especially to younger employees who quite literally don't know how to use facetime to their advantage. Hotel management companies that have implemented these types of specific personal training initiatives already find themselves significantly ahead on group pace in 2019 and 2020-in some cases closing business that their sales managers had never even thought to go after in the past.

Above all, your sales team needs to recognize that complementing technology with engagement is absolutely essential. They need to be given abundant opportunities to make use of these personal communications strategies and face-to-face engagement and sales tactics they have learned: to not just speak with major client, agents and brokers personally, but also to get out and see them (at both sales meetings and through regular personal touch-points).

It's important to note that this does not mean you should abandon the tools and technologies that are giving hoteliers more insights and capabilities. Embrace them enthusiastically! They are an important part of any successful hotel's ability to conduct transactional business and make more informed and strategic decisions.

Moving Forward

Cultivating and maintaining invaluable personal relationships with agents and agencies, takes a great deal of hard work. It's quite literally an investment. But it's an investment with potentially handsome returns for those that commit to the process.

The convenience of digital communication and the power of e-commerce are alluring. But even the most powerful new tools and technologies can only ever be one part of a larger sales puzzle. If we write off those opportunities that can only be fully realized through facetime and personal engagement, we will be neglecting valuable and potentially very lucrative sources of business.

Communication preferences, platforms and practices might continue to evolve, but the power of personal connection will remain constant. While new generations of hotel professionals may not have the personal skillset or the appreciation for the importance of facetime, it is incumbent upon more experienced hotel professionals to recognize that and respond accordingly.

Making it a priority to stay connected to guests, clients and professional partners through face-to-face and voice-to-voice communications is about applying very old-school ideas of hospitality and engagement to an industry that is very much looking to the future. Hoteliers who can reconcile that irony, bridge the facetime gap, and effectively use personal engagement to build meaningful and profitable professional relationships will be positioned for success in a fast-changi 

Many of the industry’s top performers were brought together Monday night at Lakeside at the Wynn in Las Vegas for the official unveiling of Hotel Interactive®’s second annual Lodging Industry’s Elite awards. 

In addition to recognizing the industry’s top achievers, the evening included exceptional food, networking opportunities and more than $4,000 in charitable donations were raised for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. In total, 15 awards were given out based on the nearly 6,000 votes received by Hotel Interactive®. 

“It was a historic evening. Please join me in congratulating all of the nominees and winners for their achievement of being recognized by their peers as the best of the best,” said Rich Viola, president and CEO of Hotel Interactive®.

David Kong of Best Western International was recognized as the Innovator of the Year for 2018. Other nominees included Roger Bloss, Alternative Hospitality; Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham Hotel Group; Masudur Khan, Seaside Lodging; Bill Linehan, Red Lion Hotels Corporation; and MarcAnthony Crimi, Walker Hotel Collection. 

Meanwhile, Concord Hospitality received the Owner/Developer of the Year award. Other finalists for the award included Pacifica Hotels; Shaner Hotel Group; Hotel Equities; AD1 Global; and Jamsan Hotel Management. 

Chesapeake Hospitality was awarded Third Party Operator of the Year. The other nominees included Charlestowne Hotels; Vesta Hospitality; Prism Hotels & Resorts; broughtonHotels; and Marshall Hotels & Resorts. 

DiLeonardo International was designated as Design Company of the Year. Other finalists featured BAMO, Inc.; Tipler Design Group; Pickard Design Studio; Baskervill; and Leo A. Daly. 

The winner of the Purchasing Company of the Year was Purchasing Management International. The other finalists for the award included Jaguar Hospitality; Carver & Associates; The Stroud Group; Hospitality Merchandising; and Partners Management Group. 

Elisa Whaler of Bray Whaler was given the award for Purchasing Company Executive of the Year. Other nominees included Gus Sarff, GS Associates; Vince Coppola, Hersha Purchasing & Design; Sean Hatch, Hatch Purchasing Corp.; PJ Jones, Project Dynamics; and Albert Solis, Hospitality Plus, Inc.

In the category of Design Executive of the Year, the nod went to Michele Espeland, Cuningham Group Architects. The finalists included Deborah Lloyd Forrest, Forrest Perkins; Lauren Chipman, Chipman Design & Architecture; Lauren Rottet, Rottet Studio; Rebecca Jones, RD Jones; and Andrew Alford, AJ Capitals/Graduate Hotels.

Rick Summa took the award for Brand Purchasing Executive of the Year. Other nominees included Paul McCardal, Hilton; Sebastien Brunel, Accor; Isabelle Larocque, Four Seasons; Ellen Villars, MGM Resorts Design & Development; and Anne Hanch, Hyatt. 

The winner in the Owner/Operator Purchasing Executive of the Year category was Laura Herzog, Wynn Design & Development. Also vying for the award were Erin Weiner, Noble House Hotels & Resorts; Marla Davis, Remington; Diana Caballero, Harrahs; Lisa Litke, Commonwealth Hotels; and Sharron Koch, Auro Hotels. 

Earning the top spot for Young Executive of the Year was Vicki Poulos, Moxy Hotels by Marriott. Fellow nominees included Michael Fuerstman, Pendry Hotels; Adam Marquis, Pacifica Hotels; Dev Patel, Kamla Hotels; Biran Patel, AAHOA; and Justin Jabara, Meyer Jabara. 

Janis Cannon of Choice Hotels received the most votes for Female Executive of the Year. Other nominees include Vera Manoukian, Hilton; Leslie Hale, RLJ Lodging Trust; Stephanie Atkisson, HP Hotels; Allison Handy, Prism Hotels; and Sheena Collins, Interstate Hotels & Resorts. 

The new Hotel Opening of the Year award was credited to the Hotel Indigo Tulsa Downtown. Other properties nominated were Even Hotel Miami – Airport; Jupiter Next (Portland); An Artful Hotel, Midtown New York; Springhill suites by Tampa North Land ‘O Lakes (FL); and Fairlane Hotel (Nashville).

The Eliza Jane in New Orleans, managed by HRI Properties, won the award The Most Unique Hotel Conversion. Other projects up for the award included the Embassy Suites by Hilton Toronto Airport; Hotel Indigo Madison (WI); NYLO Hotels; The Greentree Inn & Suites, Pinetree, AZ; and Beaver Creek Lodge in Colorado. 

The winner of the Brand Intro of the Year award was Motto by Hilton. Other nominees include Aiden by Best Western; Clarion Pointe by Choice Hotels; Jupiter Hotels; Compass Hotels by Margaritaville Resorts; and Caesars Entertainment. 

Finally, Caesars Entertainment Corp. won the award for Excellence in Sustainability. Other finalists were Dream Hotel Group; Benchmark Hospitality; Naples Hotel Group; Hersha Hotels & Resorts; and Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Inc. 

What Google’s Ad Updates Mean for the Hospitality Industry

In the ever-changing world of Google Updates, it is essential always to stay ahead of the curve as it pertains to the hospitality industry. As Google continues to roll-out several updates and initiatives to help improve search as we know it, Chesapeake Hospitality is ready for action.

In 2018, Google introduced a naming shift from AdWords to just Google Ads and the Google Ad Manager platform, which streamlined the PPC process. They also announced their advancement of machine learning and how it pertains to Google Ads. This evolution is pertinent in the hospitality industry as it greatly effects how ads will look and appear to the user. The new updates offer responsive search ads resulting in 15% more clicks. The advancement of machine learning also impacts YouTube ad performance, optimizing the screen space to get more clicks.

Another key update for the hospitality industry is the addition of Google's Hotel Ads feature, allowing properties to showcase their business on Google.com and Google Maps, across all devices. This integration with booking engines like TravelClick and Sabre Hospitality ensures they have easy access to room inventory for easy booking right on Google. A new metric called click share has also been added to Google's campaigns. It measures the rate at which you're turning potential clicks into actual clicks based on how your ad would perform.

Chesapeake Hospitality welcomes these advancements and will continually evolve each year. Booking online has never been easier, and with Google's help, the digital market component in the hospitality industry will be bigger than ever.

It is always our goal is to deliver flawless service 100% of the time but let's face it, mistakes happen.  However, the way a mistake is handled can often turn a difficult situation into a positive one. A mistake can be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty and commitment to our guests. This commitment and care is at the heart of everything we do. Our guests know this and it's what keeps them coming back; our loyalty to our guests fosters their loyalty to us.

No one understands this opportunity to demonstrate loyalty better than Darian Whalen, night auditor of the Crowne Plaza in Memphis. Darian was working the front desk when a flight attendant checked in very late one night. She was tired and just wanted to sleep. However, when she arrived at her room she realized that it was already occupied.  She came back down to the front desk and informed Darian of the situation.  There were no other rooms available so Darian called a hotel across the street, secured her a room there, then personally walked her over.

In the morning, Darian explained the situation to the General Manager who then called the airline to apologize. He was told that the airline was very pleased with the way the mistake was handled.  In fact, because of this situation, the airline decided to renew their contract with Crowne Plaza.

When asked about the situation Darian says, "Our airline is like family to us, I wanted to make sure our flight attendant felt that. As we walked over to the other hotel we talked about her day. This made her feel great, she had a long day. When we arrived to the other hotel, I talked with the night auditor there and made sure she was checked in properly and in a comfortable room. I arranged a shuttle for her the next day to bring her back to the hotel. This is what true hospitality is all about: caring for your guest." 

The pride Darian feels toward his hotel does not go unnoticed by the guests.  He says, "I am a representative of Crowne Plaza Hotel. Each guest should be treated well, this is why most guests come and stay with us again. I take pride in that, to see them again and have them remember me from the last time they stayed with us, making a lasting impression on the guest."

Darian believes all associates are vital to the Crowne Plaza's success, "Each one of us are important to the hotel, we all have a role to play. The guests are our priority. Nobody is bigger than the hotel. Love and respect for our guests will go a long way."

Customers and employees today, are motivated to support organizations who respond generously to the needs of a community and to those who are socially conscious. This shift in consumer needs beckons businesses to be mindful of their morals and focus on their community in addition to profits. Incorporating those values aren’t hard and here’s what we think of social responsibility.

How Becoming Socially Responsible Can Change Your Hospitality Business

Amongst the majority of consumers today, the general assumption is that the corporate sector considers making profits as their highest priority. Business, indeed, plays an ever-increasing role in society but a corporation’s social responsibility goes beyond just financial values. Hospitality companies are shifting gears to accommodate a larger society that not only consists of their investors and employees, but also their external community and even the environment. This concept of corporate social responsibility thus protects and supports the “3 P’s” - People, Planet & Profits.

Corporate Social Responsibility is an ethical theory that advises that businesses, in addition to maximizing shareholder value, have an obligation to act in a manner that benefits society. This encourages more hospitality services & companies to adopt socially responsible policies that can boost profitability and hence, shareholder value. The crux of the theory relies on companies valuing environmental growth while keeping the community’s best interests at heart and achieving that takes a few important steps.

Formulating A Social Responsibility Mission

CSR should be the DNA of your business that shapes your values. Consumers respect authenticity and this is essential in developing a brand that follows ethical ways of managing a service. Think about how your hotels or other services can minimize the negative consequences of your current methods like reducing your carbon footprint, paying employees justly & appropriately, and offering safe, high-quality products.

Establish Attainable Goals

Establishing a goal like ending world hunger is admirable, but that would be a massive undertaking that a small business could not realistically achieve. Think locally. Your business could plan on donating their time by helping a local non-profit launch a social media marketing campaign. Focus on efforts that promote passion and teamwork among you immediate environment. Scout out local shelters and initiate terms on how your profits can assist in alleviate communal discrepancies.

Be Transparent

While CSR initiatives are voluntary and discretionary, the benefits of ‘doing good’ outweigh the costs even if a firm is not looking for specific financial return on its activities.  If initial attempts don’t work, continue to be transparent about any setbacks that your business has experienced while becoming more socially conscious and sharing the progress that you’ve made.

Hospitality services are intangible, and evaluated based on perception of quality, rather than tangible product attributes, the goodwill created by social initiatives taken by your company, transfers to the brand image, creating differentiation, which can in turn create an advantage in a highly competitive industry that provides substitutable services like hotel rooms & concierge services.

What Social Responsibility Means To Us

At Chesapeake Hospitality, our expertise comes with more than just maximizing top-line revenues for our skillfully managed independent hotels. Other than planning effective financial methods, ensuring societal growth has since become a mainstay in our mission for success. Travelers today care about their impact on the world and are more conscious about the places the opt to stay in. They are attracted to ethical accommodations and support businesses that are doing what they can to improve their local communities. So, consider implementing social responsibility initiatives at your company. It’ll be good for the world and take your brand to great heights!

1. When it comes to traveling, consumers are always looking for affordable prices and the best experiences. With the level of modern technology, we are definitely no strangers to typing our vacation queries into Google to find what we’re looking for. However voice search technology could positively change the way you book hotel and seeking travel information could be insanely easy.

What Voice Search Means For The Future Of Hotels

This era of voice operated technology is influencing the way people book flights and accommodations. It’s hard to imagine the lack of screens, as consumers rely on imagery before settling on their destination holiday. However, with the development of digital assistant technologies such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google’s Assistant, more people are starting to ask verbally for what they seek via voice search.

According to recent statistics from Microsoft’s Bing Ads, the number of people using their digital assistant, Cortana, finding flights by voice search saw a 277% year-on-year increase. Google also reported that 20% of its mobile queries are now activated through voice, and the overall use of digital assistants and voice search has risen over 40% in the past year. Should hoteliers choose to ignore this new trend and do nothing in terms of web optimization, OTAs and metasearch, it could pose a problem in the very near future.

How To Prepare Your Website For Voice Search

Build Your Website’s FAQ: Developing FAQ pages and building website content that answers common queries about your hotel, the local area directions to/from main transport hubs, as well as questions around hotel services and amenities, significantly changes your footprint on web search. Allow your team to optimize your content to appear in user-friendly voice search formats.

• Conversational Language: Since screens are alleviated in the voice search process, consumers are likely to utilize conversational methods of searching instead of short phrases. Before crafting any piece of digital content, hotel marketers should compile a list of common queries asked via web chat, hotel reception or social media. While “what” and “who” questions signal that the consumer is in the research phase, “where” questions indicate the consumer is almost ready to buy.
• Ensure All Amenities Are Up-to-date : While last minute bookings are evidently the biggest part of the business, this will increase phenomenally with the inclusion of voice search technology. This relates to how quickly consumers are expecting to make decisions. Voice searches offer the “in the moment” experience and bookings have become more instant. Expect to see travel shoppers searching for an available room while they are literally standing outside your property. For this reason, you’ll need to make sure your room inventory is kept up-to-date as well as all services that are offered along with current deals, across all third-party booking channels.
• Localize Your Content : Mobile users are always on the go and it’s vital to have your local information documented and optimized for voice search. Your first port of call should be to claim your Google My Business listing. You can also increase your bookings by optimizing your website content for important location-based keywords such as landmarks around your property and phrases people use to describe your neighborhood/area.

These are just a few things to start thinking about to prepare your hotel for the inevitable uptick in voice searches. By being well prepared, you’ll be able to better service travel shoppers using their smartphones and voice assistants to search for hotels, while your competitors scramble to catch up.

Showing your team spirit while supporting a favorite charity - that's a winning combination!  The Detroit Metro Airport Marriott did just that right off the bat on the Detroit Tigers Opening Day earlier this month. Associates were encouraged to make a small donation and wear Detroit Tigers gear with all proceeds benefiting Give Kids The World.  

"We have a large base of team members who are into Detroit sports, especially baseball and not everyone has the opportunity to go downtown to the opening game to celebrate," said Brandi Simmons, GM of the Marriott.  "So we thought it would be fun to bring a little bit of opening day excitement to the hotel." 

When asked why she feels it is important to step up to the plate and raise funds for Give Kids The World Brandi adds, "We feel it brings togetherness to the hotel and it helps promote teamwork among the team members."

The Marriott participates in many fundraisers for Give Kids The World. Along with volunteer employee payroll deductions, many associates also participate in weekly Jeans Days and Detroit Lions Jersey day for Detroit Lions games.  Their commitment to Give Kids The World is seen throughout the hotel with colorful donation boxes at the front desk and in the Concierge Lounge.  It's an opportunity to touch base with associates and guests about the importance of helping families of critically ill children.

"We believe it gives the associates the opportunity to understand what Give Kids The World is.  There are some employees who do not have the $5.00 to donate on Fridays so this gives them the opportunity to donate," says Brandi.

Opening Day was certainly a success and not only for the Tigers' win. When it comes to team spirit and a commitment to Give Kids The World, the Detroit Metro Airport Marriott hit it out of the park!

For most sports fans but in particular those of basketball, this time of year is extra special. It's that time of year when everywhere you turn, people are talking about upsets, brackets, and buzzer beaters. Welcome to March Madness!

During this time, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's college basketball tournaments are held, people all over the country are tuning in to see which teams will make it in and which of those teams will survive long enough to make it through each of the single elimination rounds. The Madness is a reference to the excitement that surrounds the sports world leading up to and during the tournament. 

We were able to create our own bit of excitement by holding a raffle last week to raise money for Give Kids The World in which the grand prize was a trip to the "Final Four" and the National Championship games in Minneapolis.  We are so pleased that the winner was Eric Grimm, General Manager of our Holiday Inn Milwaukee.  Eric was excited to support an organization he cared about, "I first learned of Give Kids the World during my General Manager Orientation with Chesapeake Hospitality.  Listening to our home office team sharing about the cause and how it started was really inspiring to find any way possible to support this. 

Our hotel does monthly fundraisers with our team and guest to support Give Kids the World.  This year we started Friday jeans day to support the cause and we allow our team to have to automatically debit from their pay checks which makes it much easier on everyone.  The team loves sharing with the guest why they are wearing jeans and more about what Give Kids the World is doing for these families.

It was a no brainier to participate in this fundraiser as it supporting an organization that I believe is so important and my love for college basketball.  I was on vacation out of the country when I received an email telling me I had won, I was very excited but at the same time had to figure out how to tell my wife I was going to be leaving her for four days with our three kids as I went and had some more fun!"

Eric adds, "As a father of three young kids I couldn’t imagine what these families are going through.  I know how much I enjoy making memories things with my kids and I can only imagine how much more it means to these brave young kids and their families to make these lasting memories during their stay at the village."

Instead of looking at it as just a buzzword, hoteliers need to treat company culture as a primary focus among their team.

Culture is a term that is used so often these days that it’s in danger of becoming a corporate buzzword, joining a long list of words and ideas that have become almost meaningless through repetition.

If that were to happen, it would not only be a shame, it would be a mistake.

Despite the fact that seemingly everyone in the hotel industry boasts about their culture, the reality is that a strong culture remains a difference-maker. True, meaningful commitment to building, nurturing and maintaining that kind of culture is rare. It’s even rarer when a hotel management company can continue to live and breathe its core values as it grows larger—maintaining the same foundational principles and practices that defined its work and its people from the outset.

Appreciating the urgency of that mission—and understanding the specific steps that decision- makers need to take to make it happen—is arguably more important now than at any time in the last decade. With softening numbers on the horizon, and the inevitability of what seems likely to be at least a slowdown or a modest downturn in the not-too-distant future, hotel professionals are asking themselves how they can keep making money when and if things start to sputter. With record unemployment and wage growth, an owner’s biggest defense against profit erosion is maintaining your personnel: keeping them engaged, well-trained, happy and motivated. A well-trained employee is significantly more productive than a new hire. And turnover is a killer.

The bottom line is that if culture hasn’t been your primary focus, it needs to be. If you treat it more like a buzzword than a priority, that needs to change—right now. Building a strong culture is inherently a process, not an event. It can’t be rushed, and it’s not a switch that can be flipped.

Of course, the question of how to strengthen, maintain and reinforce your company culture is where things get tricky.

People
Start by highlighting and rewarding positive examples of employees who embrace and exhibit those ideals and core values. For us, that meant creating a new role of a full-time cultural ambassador who visits every property in our portfolio to present a powerful workshop and training session. That work isn’t directly about Chesapeake, it’s about our people: helping them identify what matters to them at home and at work and how they can integrate those priorities every day.

Practice
Your people aren’t magically going to instill and embody your core values on their own. You have to devote the resources to do that—actually implementing and integrating cultural principles as part of your core functions on a regular basis. Every staff meeting shouldn’t include just metrics, but also discussion about one or more of your core values. Work with the human resources department on training, retention and employee satisfaction best practices. Culture literally has to be part of everything you do.

Precision
It’s a common mistake to treat culture like a vague or abstract ideal. Be specific. These are the shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that define you—make them clear to your team. We regularly find ways to work our core principles: honesty, the quality of being truthful and fair; integrity, the quality of having strong moral principles, and doing what is right even when it is difficult; and humility, the quality or state of not thinking you are better than others and of being humble. These are applied in our day-to-day operations.

Perspective
Invariably, whenever we see something going wrong, we immediately recognize that it’s the result of actions that were not in line with our core values. From the smallest moments to the largest decisions (hiring, firing, training, cleaning, maintenance, etc.), you need to filter every decision and every strategic move through the filter of your core values. It takes a conscious effort to do that.

Proof
If you do the cultural work on the front end, your day-to-day management demands tend to get easier. Everything works and everything goes smoother when everyone is pulling in the same direction. On the flip side, if you find yourself constantly banging your head against the wall and are having trouble figuring out where or why things are going wrong, it’s highly likely that a cultural deficit might be the “X factor.” Being a third-party manager and emphasizing culture can be a real challenge. But that only makes it more important because where our culture is thriving, the bottom line reflects that. Extraordinary results can seem almost effortless.

Palpable
There needs to be interconnectedness with our people, guests and clients on a human level more so than on a business level. The key is recognizing that positive outcomes have to be natural returns derived from genuine human connection. You can’t do this with dollar signs in your eyes. You have to have a genuine desire to build connections and relationships and trust that the results will come. You need your people connected to a bigger cause—to believe in what you are doing—and trust that good things will come from that.

And you can’t fake it. If your efforts aren’t genuine, they won’t work. There’s a difference between talking the talk and walking the walk. Your employees can tell. Your partners can tell. Your guests can tell. Everyone talks about their culture. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to live your culture.

Chris Green is the COO of Chesapeake Hospitality. He brings more than a quarter century of successful hospitality operations experience to Chesapeake’s corporate team, including nearly a decade in the field at various Chesapeake-managed properties. For more information, visit https://www.chesapeakehospitality.com/.

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Columnists published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.

Last month the Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre enjoyed a week of celebrating our commitment to Give Kids The World Village.  Here, Ed Michinski, GM of the Holiday Inn shares the reasoning behind the event and the result of their efforts.

The Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre has been thrilled to raise funds for GKTW over the past two years, almost achieving our goal of $5,000 for each year.  We have planned and pulled off events such as a Bowling Event, Skating Party, Car Show, Baked Goods sales, Shoe Drive and more.  Yet, we struggled to make our goal of sending one family to the Village.  

 At the end of 2018, our GKTW team, which includes managers as well as line level associates, met to discuss our strategy for the upcoming year.  As part of this activity, we also look at what worked and what we may have missed on in the previous year.  “Let’s keep the Car Show but let’s give the boot to the Shoe Drive,” we said. 

And as we planned, we looked to the best practices of others as well.  We really liked the idea of doing things that incorporated more involvement with our team. I had recalled an idea from Bill Winn, GM at the Doubletree in Raleigh, where he put out employee payroll contribution cards for his team members in order to give all associate the opportunity to give to something greater than ourselves.

The question before us: How do we get the message out to team members who might be new, or to part timers, or even to the core group of long term associates?  The team came up with having a GKTW Service Week for associates, in order to bolster awareness and to inform, with our stated goal for the week to raise at least $1,000 annualized through employee payroll deductions. 

We began the week on Monday, with a Lunch and Learn, where we showcased GKTW by talking about it and showing the video while the team had pizza and salad. 

On Tuesday, we had an ice cream social, where again, the contribution cards were placed for our associates.  On a cold wintry Wednesday, we had S’mores by the fire.  We skipped Thursday, and on Friday, we did a jeans day, allowing any associate who filled out an employee deduction card to wear jeans. 

One thing that we realized in doing these cards is that everyone’s pockets have different depths.  Understanding that generosity comes from the heart, we tailored the cards to allow donations as low as 25 cents per check.  In fact, we even allowed a line where associates could donate any amount. 

Our result?  Annualized for the year, we received contributions that total $1,257.20.  I am so fortunate to work with such a diverse team that cared so much to give from their hearts to such a good cause.

For the second year in a row, Chesapeake Hospitality has supported Give Kids The World in its annual Over The Edge fundraiser.  This year, Steve Smith, Principal - Executive Vice President of Chesapeake participated in the thrilling event.  We've asked Steve to share his experience.

Describe the GKTW Over The Edge fundraiser.

This GKTW Fundraiser was different as it was not contributing to the Chesapeake Hospitality GKTW annual fundraising efforts, which last year raised $120,000, our best year ever. But rather, Over the Edge was my own fundraiser with just myself participating. Over the Edge was about Courage. Could I generate the courage to do something far outside my comfort zone, which might also be exhilarating. Certainly, my courage going over the edge pales in comparison to the courage that must be required by kids with life threatening illnesses. This perspective certainly helps raise a person’s courage. Turns out that my hopes were true and I did raise a substantial amount for the kids. Over the Edge became a promise that had to be fulfilled for my generous supporters. Following the rappel, I sent a photo which showed me 8 stories down from the 428 foot, 32 story Hyatt to most all my fundraising supporters with a simple note….. I am the guy on the right and THANKS!

What made you decide to participate in this fundraiser?

I’ve been blessed with many friends, family and co-workers who are “givers” and thought I might be able to raise a good amount for the village. Having an adventurous spirit, even with some fear of heights, I simply liked the challenge as well. With a lodging conference in Orlando that same week, I think it was obvious that this was something that I was predestined to do.

What was the most difficult part of this experience?

After I was harnessed in with the ropes and equipment, I was told to sit on the ledge and then put one leg around. When asked to put my second leg around, it really did not want to cooperate.

You’ve taken part in other GKTW athletic fundraisers, how did this compare?

The GKTW Golf event includes a round of golf and an awards event afterwards that takes 6 hours and the cycling for GKTW was about 5 hours. Over the Edge was 10 minutes preparing and harnessing and then 90 seconds down the building. This is one of those examples whereby the best does come in the smallest package.

Any take-aways from this experience?

Choosing to get outside your comfort zone is not the same as life choosing to put you there, which is what the kids at the Village have to face. I am proud that I was one of about 36 fundraisers/rappelers that helped the event raise almost $100,000.  I hope that our combined efforts provide the children with courage to persevere. 

This past decade brought game-changing trends and technologies like AI, the rise of mobile and veritable explosion of online travel agencies – to name a few. In closing out the decade, 2019 demonstrates how these technologies are maturing, and the hospitality industry is leveraging advancements more efficiently while navigating new regulatory hurdles.

A move towards owning the customer relationship.

 Over the past decade, online travel agencies and search algorithms have driven a transition towards lowest price, highest ranking, highest reviews. The increasing prevalence of mobile voice search sharpened this trend, leaving properties to compete for top-three rankings when someone searches “what’s a good hotel in Nashville.” (or any city)

While search optimization and OTAs will be core to success for the foreseeable future, successful properties are getting better at bypassing these emergent gatekeepers and strengthening relationships directly with the consumer. Properties are finding increasing success leveraging value from consumer loyalty programs, as savvy marketing teams find new ways to capture awareness through paid marketing and micro influencer initiatives. 

Key to this shift – consumer data. As properties learn more about their current consumers, they’re able to better maintain those relationships and drive repeat business, while microtargeting similar demographics via advertising and influencer campaigns.

Rise of AI

Wherever companies are searching through masses of data to find actionable trends, Artificial intelligence is and will continue to be a key enabler of success. In better owning the customer relationship, AI allows properties to identify patterns in their guest profiles, and leverage those patterns to target customers nationally and internationally.

In 2019 and beyond, the value of AI will only increase, enabling companies to target more specific and niche customer bases with directed, relevant messaging. Properties can target price-conscious groups with timely discounts, and experience-minded millennials with key experiential differentiators offered by the property.

Personalization balanced with regulation.

As better utilized consumer data drives efficiencies and sales opportunities, stringent new laws like the European General Data Protection significantly increase the regulatory burden on those gathering data. Properties need to not only be thoughtful in how they gather and leverage data to drive sales, but conscious they are using information in line with set regulatory guidelines.

The GDPR applies to any company marketing anywhere in the EU, with fines for non-compliance up to 4% of a company’s global revenue. And the EU regulation is likely just the start – the California Consumer Privacy Act, signed into law on June 28, 2018, follows similar themes. While the specifics differ, both follow core ideas of security, accuracy and transparency that are likely to be carried forward as similar regulations become more prevalent across state and national boundaries.

Experience is (and continues to be) Everything

As millennials become an even greater share of travelers and – more importantly –comprise the majority of the hospitality industry’s revenue base, the focus on experience continues to be front and center. Survey after survey has shown millennials value spending on experiences over material goods and will often extend business trips by several days to experience the city in which they’re staying.

While the hospitality industry has always been geared towards experiences, 2019 will see a continued move to more targeted, curated offerings, reaching deeper into a city or geography to provide an authentic, impactful taste of the local culture.

Technology is king (only now, you can afford it)

Millennials also demand integrated, user-friendly technology – hotel apps that not only show discounts and allow you to book a massage for your upcoming stay but unlock your room when you get there. While these technologies have been on the rise for some time, expect an increasingly competitive supplier landscape to drive down the costs of these tools. In 2019 and 2020, expect to see a wider range of properties implementing more sophisticated and integrated technology.

As more properties are able to engage with developers to create customized tech solutions, we are also likely to see exciting, creative new applications blending customer experience – potentially leveraging new tools like augmented reality – with AI -driven microtargeting. Think: a veritable Pokémon Go of how to enjoy the city your visiting, with offerings, experiences and discounts tailored to your specific interest, all on an app that allows you to pay for services directly, and – of course- unlock your room when you get back.

A New Year has arrived and you’re no doubt ready to move into 2019 full-speed ahead!  However, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on the past year, to consider what went well and where there might be areas for improvement.  Reflection gives us the insight we need to move forward into the new year with a fresh start.

Here are 4 questions to help you reflect on the past year:

1. If you had to name one thing for which you were most grateful in 2018, what would it be?

Think about your year - consider one event, one revelation or one success that you feel fortunate to have experienced.

2. When did you feel the happiest, most inspired, or excited last year?

Think back through each month carefully and consider everything from big achievements to smaller, special moments. Those happy experiences that stick out the most to you are big hints at what you need to keep doing, do again, or build upon in the New Year.

3. What lessons have you learned?

It’s easy to reflect upon happy times over the past year, but it’s a bit more difficult to consider the experiences that left you feeling sad, angered, hurt or defeated. Those experiences, however, hold the key to some of the biggest lessons you’ll learn about yourself and about life. Acknowledge them, process them if you haven’t done so yet, forgive whoever needs to be forgiven (including yourself), make peace with these experiences and extract the important lesson you learned from them.

4. What are your biggest accomplishments?

Think about your growth over the past year. What you are the proudest of?  If you couldn’t accomplish your big goal for the year, don’t dwell on it.  Rather, consider what experiences you can learn from or changes you’ll need to make to ensure that your goal becomes a reality this year.

Moving forward, it can be very helpful to take a few moments each morning in the new year to think about everything that lies ahead. What goals or tasks are you focusing on?  What do you need to do to accomplish these daily tasks?

Then again in the evening, reflect on your day. Did you accomplish what you wanted? If so, be happy about it. If not, remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day.  Be sure to include gratitude in your daily reflection; this helps us realize our priorities and helps us put everything into perspective.

Best wishes in making 2019 another year to celebrate!

At the beginning of 2018 we chose a word for each month of the new year.  These words became themes that would guide us through each month and remind us of our purpose: service to others. Our theme for the month of December is COMMITMENT. Throughout the month we have demonstrated our commitment to serve one another, our guests and those in need. 

A special culmination of this commitment took place last week when we presented a check to Pamela Landwirth, CEO of Give Kids The World. This check represented a year's worth of fundraising efforts by our properties and will allow 24 families of children with life-threatening illness to visit Give Kids The World for a cost-free, much-needed, joyful vacation.  

Fundraising for Give Kids The World is important at each of our properties and when we combine efforts with one another and support each other's fundraisers, the experience is even more rewarding.  Highlights of some of these fundraisers include the 5th annual GKTW golf tournament hosted by the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront, the 2nd annual "Happiness Inspires Hope" bike ride hosted by six of our local Maryland properties, and Chesapeake's participation in the Give Kids The World's annual "Challenge for Hope" 5K, organized by the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore.

Our commitment to Give Kids The World is unwavering.  It originates in the heart and is demonstrated by consistent action.  We are dedicated to serving these families throughout the year and look forward to continuing our efforts in 2019.

Giving back to the community, especially those in need; looking after your colleagues, and providing guests an extra level of attention. As we decorate our properties, roll out special menu items and, of course, heat up batches of mulled wine (star anise is a must), this time of year serves as a unique opportunity to reflect.  For Chesapeake Hospitality,  the values that define the holidays also form the foundation of our company culture year round.

Month in and month out, we are men and women for others. We go to work to live our core mission, helping our guests, colleagues and communities experience what’s possible. Whether it's our philanthropy through Give Kids the World, Stuff the Bus, Wounded Warriors or any number of other programs that help support our communities and causes we believe in – or if it’s simply taking the extra effort to check in on a colleague that looks like they’ve had a rough week, the work we put in looking after others underpins who we are as a company.

And we lead with our values: honesty, integrity and humility. Honesty that sets the foundation of our culture, our ability to rely on each other and build meaningful relationships with our guests and vendors. Integrity in how we hold ourselves accountable to our commitments – doing what we say we are going to do, and having the internal honesty to always look for areas of improvement.  And Humility, shelving our egos at the door and realizing we are all here to do the best work, supporting our colleagues, guests and communities.

So as we all enjoy the spirit of the holidays, take a moment to reflect on the core values that set the foundation for our work day in and day out.  How being there for others, helping our guests and team members experience what’s possible, isn’t just something we do while the trees, candles and spices are out. This is who we are.

By Kim Sims-

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, an opportunity to get close to family and friends, remember what matters, without the expectations that come later in the holidays. As I reflect on the past year, and look ahead to a successful 2019, there are five reasons I’m truly grateful this Thanksgiving:

Family & good friends – First and foremost, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to get closer to family and good friends that make our life truly something to be thankful for. Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, I hope we can all appreciate the opportunity to enjoy good food and conversation as we stay close with those that mean the most to us. (And – of course – watch a little football.)

Good health – For those of us lucky enough to enjoy good health, remember this is the greatest form of wealth. I am thankful for the ability to enjoy the simple benefits we often take for granted that come from this foundation of health and be compassionate for those experiencing health challenges.

A caring, compassionate team – Every day I go to work, I’m reminded how lucky we are to have to have a team that is caring and compassionate. From our charitable work across our entire organization spanning Give Kids the World, Pack the Bus, the Wounded Warriors Project – and many more activities that have touched thousands of lives. This time of year, I’m especially thankful to work with a team that has 'charity for others' at its heart each and every day.

The values that set the foundation – Honesty, Integrity, Humility. Honesty to be truthful to everyone we come into contact with, that sets the foundation for an accountable environment. Integrity to be truthful to yourself, so that each one of us can look inside and continue to improve, and the Humility to put others first and recognize that we are only successful when we work as a team. I’m thankful to lead an organization where our values are not just spoken, but truly lived. Each day, these values help underpin our mission – to help our guests and the Chesapeake Hospitality community Experience What’s Possible.

Success – The result of living our values, the consistent work of each team member across the full Chesapeake Hospitality network, is success. Success not given but earned every year for over 60 years. This year, as always, I’m thankful for that continued success and to each member of our team for making it possible.

By Caitlin Sims-

Across the Chesapeake Hospitality network, it’s a privilege to be part of our culture training initiative. Over the past weeks we’ve begun touring properties, hosting team-wide workshops emphasizing our values and philosophy with our wider company family.

Culture is a huge part of this company, laying the foundation for each employee to live our philosophy of Experience What’s Possible. While we discuss our values - Honesty, Integrity and Humility - a lot at a corporate level, placing increased focus on these values at a property level serves to reinforce themes critical to long-term success.

The engagement of each team is truly inspiring. The overall experience reinforces the dedication of our community, and further opens my eyes to how hard every member of our wider company family works to make us successful. Overall, it makes me proud to be a part of the company my grandparents started, to see that the same philosophy and core values that helped us grow from a small hotel two generations ago, carry forward across the dozens of properties managed by Chesapeake Hospitality.

Jane McCaul, who is leading the initiative, is clearly doing more than just telling the story and conveying our values. This program is creating buy in – from the first moment when Jane makes team members feel comfortable and engaged by what she has to say, to the team-building sessions that challenge every member of our community to consider and discuss our culture more deeply.

There were also activities that made us all feel closer together, like asking each person to share a favorite 30 seconds from their life. Something about this was truly impactful, and gave a brief but insightful glimpse into each participants interests, values and experiences.

In the coming months, these culture workshops will continue across our properties. I’m excited to see the continued engagement of our teams as we reflect on the values at the heart of Chesapeake Hospitality’s success.

An interview with Chris Sims, Principal - Executive Vice President

Define the value of honesty in your words?

Being an honest person – it defines everything you are as a person in my mind. It provides a baseline of behavior that promotes a whole set of values: trustworthy; authentic; fair; sincere; genuine. It’s very hard to achieve those things without a foundation of honesty.  

When my parents started the company, they absolutely started it with the baseline of honesty. It wasn’t something they wrote down or had posted on the wall – it was the way they lived their life, and present in absolutely all aspects of the business.

What is the significance of this core value in your role?

As a kid, I grew up in the hotel my parents were operating – we observed their work ethic day in and day out as a fundamental part of our upbringing. We saw and felt the core significance of this value each day, in our engagement with team members across the board, with every vendor and every guest. Values set the foundation for how we do business – and honesty was and is that core.

In the 37 years I’ve worked at Chesapeake Hospitality, values continue to be at the center of every aspect of our business. Now, as then, even when it’s not plastered on, the wall - the decisions we make naturally day to day are forged from the values that make this company what it is.

How can a clear understanding and consistent adoption of this value benefit a company like Chesapeake Hospitality?

Internally, it’s the foundation of our culture. It gets into fairness, how you treat others in the company. Ultimately, this leads to a company where people want to come work, and that’s an absolute difference maker. Externally, you can’t create long-term business partnerships with vendors or customers without honesty. Period.  

Can you describe a clear example where honesty made a difference in a project or company initiative?

This value can be critical in dealing with employee and management issues. We’re a company of 3,000 employees. We have a lot of GMs at 35 different hotels that are operating somewhat independently. We want entrepreneurship, we want each property to take a degree of ownership, and we do give properties leeway to deal with certain issues. Occasionally, we can have a challenge where we missed the ball, and an employee was told something and it was not correct. You’ve got to have enough fortitude to say this isn’t how we do business.

It is imperative that each employee issue is looked at objectively as, as the employer, if we’ve made a mistake we say, “lets correct it, and move forward.”

For our clients, when we’re interviewing clients – we need to give the honest truth about where a project will go. Honest conversation about challenges and setting expectations is critical to long-term success.

How has this value made a difference in your development?

Across the board, relationships are core to business – and honesty is core to any lasting, sincere and meaningful relationship. If you’re not honest, you’re not going to have long-term relationships. You’ve got to be reliable, fair; all those things work together. Honesty is the foundation to values – to long term relationships and, therefore, to business.

 How does honesty integrate with Chesapeake Hospitality’s other values?

 Honesty is telling truth to others, whereas integrity is being truthful to yourself.

There’s a great quote that reads, “integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking.”

Then, from integrity comes humility. If you’re truthful with yourself in assessing strengths and weaknesses, in evaluating your own self-worth and importance, that’s humility. You look at yourself truthfully – faults and strengths.

My father used to tell us, don’t think you’re any better than anyone else, ever. You have your own challenges, they have their own challenges, we’re more the same than different. That’s how I see our core values working together: honesty, integrity and humility.

When the Chesapeake Hospitality team came together for our most recent conference, one theme came through clearly: that we are men and women for others. Beginning with our core company mission, helping guests and colleagues experience what’s possible, every member of the Chesapeake Hospitality family goes to work each day to elevate the experience of those around them.

 Our company’s broader Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is founded on these fundamental principles, extending naturally into sustainability, community engagement, philanthropy and beyond.  For decades, the foundation of this program has formed organically through the charitable work and community engagement of those across the Chesapeake network.

 At the Corporate level, giving back to the community has always woven in to the fabric of our culture.

I came onboard to look after Hackerman-Patz houses, facilities on the campuses of hospitals where families of those receiving treatment can stay. We began with a hospital that wanted the facility to be run like a hotel – a high quality experience for each guest. We took this on knowing it wasn’t going to be a money maker because we deeply believed in the project. In time, additional hospitals noticed the quality and hospitality of that house and the role it played for families during the treatment process, and our portfolio has continued to expand.

 In 2013, we began partnering with Give Kids the World, an organization that covers the travel and accommodation costs for children on a Make a Wish experience. We began our partnership at $60,000 in 2013. This year, we gave $100,000, as a significant portion of our team spent time volunteering with the organization.

At the property level, we’ve seen our company principals support growing charitable and community-based engagement across a wide range of partnerships. An increasing number of properties are gathering belongings for children and those in need at homeless shelters, especially during times of need like the upcoming holidays. Many of our properties are active participants Wounded Warriors Project, collectively gathering donations for the program. Through programs like Stuff the Bus and Backpack buddies, a number of properties are engaged in helping children in local communities go back to school. And near our Corporate HQ, teams are engaged in supporting the House of Ruth, a shelter and support system for women who have endured domestic violence.

Beyond the corporate and property level, every single employee is encouraged to engaged in charities of their choice. Chesapeake provides $50 a year for employees to donate to any programs they select.  

Year on year, we’ve seen the power that comes from clearly conveying the role of charity and community engagement in our core values and actively supporting our teams in those endeavors. As we’ve seen remarkable levels of engagement and incredible stories continue to emerge across the organization, another thing has happened: our business has continued to grow. In addition to being good for the community, community engagement and wider philanthropy is downright good for business, underpinning a positive reputation amongst guests and local partners deeply supportive of long-term success.

Across a range of studies, it’s become increasingly clear that mission-driven companies are a significant factor in consumer decision-making. In our hotels that display literature or donation boxes for give kids the world, people will actually come up and say “I love that you do this.” And that’s a guest that absolutely will be coming back.

On Saturday, October 13th we held our 2nd Annual "Happiness Inspires Hope" metric century bike ride in Baltimore.  Our goal, while biking to and from six of our local Chesapeake Hospitality properties, was to raise enough money to send a family to Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, FL.  Through this ride, we were not only able to reach and exceed that goal but we also realized that any goal is attainable when you have the right people beside you.

At the start of the ride it was 49 degrees and rainy, not the perfect start for a bike ride.  But we headed out from the Hotel Indigo motivated and ready for the challenge. It soon became apparent that a few members of our group were having difficulty with the rental bikes they were using.  Rather than becoming discouraged, they decided to periodically switch bikes to allow one another the opportunity for a better ride.  I enjoyed listening to their friendly banter as they assisted one another along the first leg of the route. 

After one of these riders finished this first leg, I asked him if he had fun despite the bike issues. His response, "Oh, yeah! That was remarkable.  Next year I want to do the whole thing."  He didn't mention the bike issues, instead he recounted the fun he had with the team.

The bikes weren't the only obstacle along the way; the rain and wind made parts of the journey a bit difficult. At mile 22, after having biked the past few miles in steady rain, personally - I was cold, uncomfortable and ready to be finished with the ride.  I even suggested to the group (partially in jest, partially in earnest) that we might want to consider calling it a day given the weather.  I was told that the forecast looked promising and that we should continue on.  I trusted their judgment and figured I could probably go a just little bit further. Then the sun came out and as we rode along together, laughing and having a great time I decided I would probably reach my goal and make it to the end of the ride.

Then came Bonnie Branch Road.  It is a 2.3 mile uphill climb.  I started off fine, enjoying the beautiful scenery but about three quarters of the way up the hill I began to feel it - that nagging pain on the side of my knee.  I knew exactly what it was because it happened last year on the same bike ride: Iliotibial Band syndrome. This happens when when the ligament extending from the pelvic bone to the shinbone becomes so tight that it rubs against the thighbone; it's typically caused by a repeated activity and will become increasingly more painful with activity. But last year it started at the 50 mile mark and this time I was not even 40 miles in.  Even more frustrating was that I had been stretching my IT band every day for over two weeks in preparation for this ride.  Thankfully there were only a few miles left until our break for lunch.

As we hopped back on the bikes after a restful lunch lunch, I was fairly certain that I would be fine - until we hit the first hill.  Over the next 15 miles of rolling hills, as the pain increased, I wanted to end it. I kept thinking about calling the driver of our support vehicle and telling him to meet me somewhere for a rescue.  But I never got a chance to voice these thoughts because one by one, my team members would ride next to me offering encouragement and motivation.  By the time we reached the final rest stop before the last 7 miles, I knew I would finish the entire ride but only because of my team.  The doubts I may have had of myself were no match for their confidence in me. 

Jason Curtis, General Manager of Hotel Indigo, was also moved by the encouragement and support of the team.  He said, "So, bike riding isn’t really my thing.  I was encouraged, not only because of GKTW, but because my co-workers were so excited about it, and continually spoke about last year's experience.  While I knew it was going to be an “uphill” struggle, mostly because I’m out of shape and didn’t train for the ride, I wanted to participate and help be a leg of the tripod, to support my team, who also supported me!"

I believe we all ended the day with an overwhelming sense of gratitude - not only for completing the ride and raising money for Give Kids The World, but for the opportunity to work with people who continue to motivate, encourage, and inspire one another on a daily basis.

At Chesapeake Hospitality our culture is at the heart of everything we do.  In an effort to celebrate our culture, this week we rolled out a culture training program for all of our properties. The goal of this training program is to ensure that all our associates are able to Experience What’s Possible in two ways: possibilities with others and possibilities for ourselves and our future.

Our culture is rooted in service to others. This culture of serving others helps us experience possibility using the foundation of our core values. It’s what creates our purpose – the WHY -  WHY we do what we do every day.  And that’s simple: We are here to make good things happen for others.  When we remember that what we do we do with honesty, integrity & humility, this allows us to create possibilities with our coworkers as well as our guests, possibilities in everyday connections, human connections - connections with one another and with our guests. 

We also want our associates to see what possibility looks like for themselves, opportunities for personal and professional growth.  This training allows time for contemplation and reflection to help us discover where our passions lie and the steps necessary to ensure this growth.  During the training associates work independently as well as in groups, connecting with co-workers, sharing ideas and working towards a common goal. 

Our culture training was rolled out at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Laurel, MD.  Associates enjoyed working together and inspiring one another. We look forward to sharing this training with all of our properties, celebrating our culture and creating possibility with one another and for one another.

Anyone connected with the industry knows how important it is for hospitality brands and businesses to recruit and retain quality personnel.

These days, that necessarily means connecting with and appealing to millennials. Understanding the preferences and priorities of that much-discussed and increasingly influential demographic is viewed by many as a prerequisite for anyone who wants to thrive in an increasingly competitive market for talented professionals.

Despite years of talking about it, however, the reality is that many in the hotel business are still trying to figure out how best to work with millennials. This is a group of people who grew up in a time of relative prosperity, and they have high expectations about workplace environment and work-life balance. Satisfying those expectations sometimes can be challenging. This is, after all, a business where there are some logistical challenges that cannot be avoided. Hotel operations have lots of technically complex tasks and important jobs that can place a significant demand on your schedule and workplace hours. While this is the nature of a 24/7/365 business, that can be a tough sell for millennials.

Complicating the issue is the reality that we, as an industry, haven’t done a really great job of appealing to millennials. There are some extraordinarily rewarding, inspiring and downright fun aspects to hotel management, and it’s incumbent upon existing hotel professionals to do a better job of conveying that excitement and dynamism to potential millennial job candidates.

Here’s the good news, however: The post-millennial generation, Generation Z (“Gen Z”) is on the way. And there’s a lot to like about them. This is a group that has largely flown under the radar, overshadowed by their headline-grabbing millennial predecessors. It might surprise many to find out that Gen Z—defined as those born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s—is actually substantially larger than the millennial generation. Despite the fact that not all Gen Zers are old enough to enter the workforce, the group is already making a dramatic economic impact.

A new study recently released by The Center for Generational Kinetics, “The State of Gen Z: Meet the Throwback Generation,” reveals some fascinating and important insights about a demographic that is surprisingly different from millennials. The study describes Gen Z as a “large, diverse, and digitally entrenched generation” poised to “take the trend-driving mantle from millennials” and replace them as the “focal point of future workforce change.” With that in mind, the hospitality industry needs to be paying very close attention to ensure that they understand this generation and what makes them tick.

Throwback perspective
One of the findings from the study is that Gen Z is, in many ways, looking like it might be a “throwback” generation, displaying the “attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that combine their tech-saturated world with elements of generations past.” This is a generation that has been through some tough economic times. They’ve seen people—sometimes members of their own families—downsized, they have a healthy fear of unemployment and financial stresses, and, consequently, a correspondingly strong work ethic.

Early earners
Amazingly, about half of the members of Gen Z are already working in one form or another, and that 77% “earns their own spending money through freelance work, a part-time job, or earned allowance.” As the study points out, this is a similar percentage to surveyed millennials who are fully 10 years older. This work experience cannot help but give members of Gen Z a leg up when they move into more full-time positions in the workforce in a few years.

Mature priorities
Gen Z survey respondents listed their top two skills for workplace success as communication and problem-solving. This might not come as a complete surprise, given the extent to which employers have suggested that these are areas where millennials could be stronger. Interestingly, however, members of Gen Z reported similar priorities when it comes to what they most want out of a job—specifically a fun work environment and a flexible work schedule. Given the many other differences in perspectives and priorities between millennials and Gen Z, the similarity in workplace perk preferences is noteworthy.

Financially savvy
Shockingly, many members of Gen Z are apparently not only already thinking about retirement, but preparing for it. According to the study, 12% of Gen Z members are already saving for retirement. This might be because “unlike previous generations of parents who did not talk about money or financial topics with their kids, Gen Z’s parents have taken a very different approach.” The study found that “56% of Gen Z have discussed saving money with their parents in the past six months, and 53% have discussed earning money with their parents.”

Gen Z might just now be showing up on our radar, but as our industry’s experiences with millennials show, hospitality professionals need to be proactive if we want to create the “commitment to the mission” that characterizes the best teams and individual employees. To appeal to this demographic, companies must affirm a strong corporate culture, remain visible and active on social media and, of course, stay flexible—which means embracing generational differences. They are our employees of the not-too-distant future, and the time to engage them is now.

We invited a guest blogger, one of our Give Kids The World ambassadors from Chesapeake Hospitality, to share his experience from this year's volunteer trip.  He entitled his blog: Being Given the World.

My name is Quinton Detzer and I was given the opportunity of not only being the Give Kids The World ambassador for the Hackerman Patz House at University of MD Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute, but I also had the privilege of visiting Give Kids the World Village in Florida. Even though it's been roughly a week since my return, I am still processing what I experienced.

For starters, I had never traveled by airplane (although it had always been on my bucket list.) Outside of a few YouTube videos I'd never ventured to Florida. Ultimately the Village was something magical that I only heard about through work. Even though I make "small" donations through paycheck deductions I had no idea of the impact that I was making. I was made aware by our village guide that over 90% of every dollar donated was used to to operate the Village. That blew my mind! Talk about sensory overload!

I'm trying to keep things as concise as our itinerary was, but scatter-braining my experience is the only way to convey to you the emotions I had during my trip. Everyone was great, from Chesapeake Hospitality administration, God protecting me in my travel, the staff at the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore (Donovan, Mark, the catering crew) the other representatives of Chesapeake Hospitality and all who aid in the functionality of the Give Kids the World Village. I'm humbled by it all.

Even though everyone had converged from all corners of the nation there was a genuine synergy and sense of fellowship. No one individual was greater than the cause. Without the awareness that the village serviced ailing children and offered respite to their families, you would likely think there was no hardship at all. The kids were so spry and full of life while bouncing about!

I can share my experience, but seeing the magic at the Village firsthand transcends words. In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Henry Landwirth for laying the groundwork, and leaving the template which makes it possible for us to continue to build onto his legacy. I honestly feel that for a short time I was able to operate outside of the confines of a volunteer, and channel Mr. Henry's spirit. I only hope that he agrees.

Parker Sims: Experience What’s Possible

• What are the key areas a property can go above and beyond to enhance possibility for guests? 

My position is overseeing all the guest service for the portfolio. In reading hundreds and hundreds of reviews, one trend is crystal clear: the little things are what matter.

 Guests expect the room to be clean, the property to look great and to have friendly service, these are the fundamentals that absolutely need to be right. But if the front desk has balloons for kids – if the AC repairman leaves a short, personal note for a guest saying he or she fixed the appliance for the guest’s stay – these seemingly small gestures leave a big impression.

Listening is also critical. If you want to increase your guest service scores –online review sites are telling you want they want to see, what you need to get right. All the information is there, you just need to truly listen and put valid constructive feedback into action.

• How can employees work every day to enhance possibility for each other?

Just getting to know the people that you work with, that goes a long way. This company was founded as a family company, and each hotel should be run like a family. If you know someone is having a hard day, pick each other up. Know each other – work as a team and work as a family. That really boosts the morale of employees in the property, and there’s a lot of possibility we can realize for each other just by being tuned in.

• How have you realized possibility in your own career and what advice would you give others?

One of the things that’s special about Chesapeake Hospitality: there’s room for movement. Maybe what you’re doing isn’t your overall passion, but I truly believe there’s space for almost any skillset to find their passion and excel in this industry. Sarah Turner is a great case – she was working as a bartender at a restaurant and got moved to corporate. At another property, we  had someone in accounting who did a work personality test, and found she loves greeting guests in the lobby. After moving her to the lobby, the overall property saw an increase in guests satisfaction scores.

4.)   Are there any particular moments that have stuck out as truly living the Experience What’s Possible mentality? 

The opening of The Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. We came to a hotel casino that had been closed for two years and ,with only a team of eight from Chesapeake, had to get the property open in nine weeks.

 The 1,300-room hotel was shutdown literally in one day two years ago. People still had pictures of their families up, room service carts were still in the halls, and a mountain of linens was piled up in one of the ballrooms.

 In nine weeks, we lived on the property and worked our tails off – brought in great teams of contractors, and delivered a ton of passion and creativity into opening our doors on schedule, knowing we only had one opportunity to make a great first impression.

 On July 8^th, we delivered. That was definitely a defining moment for me, and a great example of creating an experience and realizing what’s possible.

For the past few weeks, the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront has been working diligently for the students and teachers in their community.  Today was the culmination of weeks of hard work. Beth Horn, HR Director explains the DoubleTree's commitment to the Stuff The Bus project:

"We are so excited to have participated in 'Stuff the Bus,' a fundraiser for back to school local school supplies – partnering with United Way and First Coast News.

Jim Wagner, our F&B Director - one of our active CARE Team Members, brought this charity event to our attention.  And Jim so graciously went to pick up marketing materials for our hotel.  With the approval of our GM, Shawn Frisbee, we immediately began to plan an all-employee event around this. 

The CARE Committee got together and we decided to not only donate, but to also make it a hotel-wide competition. We created 2 teams  – Team 1 (Housekeeping, Front Desk and Bell Staff and Accounting) and Team 2 (F&B, Sales and Engineering and Security.)  From the moment this was announced and rolled-out – our teams began to stuff their individual Team 1 and Team 2 boxes.  

The excitement began to grow around not only who brought in the most supplies, but that team members were “giving back” and donating.

Every day we had team members from all departments bringing in supplies. Along the way, I sent out emails, posted pictures of our team members and announced who was in the lead – they loved it!  These two teams were truly competing - in a fun way!

Team 1 took the lead and ended up winning the competition by two boxes. But in the end – everyone is a winner!

Today was drop off day and I accompanied four other CARE team members to deliver supplies and 'Stuff the Bus.' It was really cool to drive up to the donation site with the large buses there and be filmed by the news camera crew. They taped us saying:The DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Downtown Riverfront supports 'Stuff the Bus.' We did that in a big, energetic chant.  Pretty cool.

Probably the best part of all of this has been watching our team come together in support of this cause.  The employee engagement has been great."

Beth's sentiment is accurate; when an entire team works together to serve others and ensure the academic success of those in their community - everyone is a winner.

What happens when your hotel’s performance levels off? As any prudent owner or asset manager knows, “this is as good as it gets” rarely, if ever, is an acceptable response from your management team.

While the current economic cycle has presented real opportunity for the hotel industry, it has also masked the reality that there are a number of underperforming properties out there. If the trend line is going up, there is an (understandable) tendency to think everything is going great.

But the reality is, in hotel management, there is always room for improvement. Ironically, owners who are satisfied with their hotel’s results are at greatest risk: they might not know what they are missing.

As a company, we fundamentally believe that problems begin when you accept the status quo with regards to performance potential.

As good as it gets?
All hotel investors are programmed to look for opportunity. But a strong market can complicate that search. While a rising tide might lift all boats, it can also make it harder to spot that slow leak below the waterline.

Almost every hotel has its share of challenges—they often include dated exteriors, an uninspired staff, unfocused sales efforts or perhaps a mediocre online reputation. Sometimes it takes new leadership to overcome those challenges, to see things with a fresh eye and to aggressively seek out new opportunities to manage operational costs and improve hotel revenues. Once previous operating and sales assumptions are cast aside, a new strategy can be built from the ground up, reorganizing and optimizing departments when necessary. The results can be immediate and unequivocal, with potentially eye-popping increases in revenue, GOP and revenue per available room index.

Leadership and culture
Never underestimate the value of leadership and company culture from your hotel management team. Having the right property leadership is critical to executing an efficient takeover strategy. Nothing matters quite so much as culture, though—it goes deeper than camaraderie.

Culture isn’t abstract, it’s about efficiency, accountability, performance, setting expectations and achieving results—and that all starts with recognizing you can do better. In my experience, building a great culture is impossible if that culture isn’t focused on success, intensity and achieving results.

Plan of attack
Our takeover procedures begin with a comprehensive “health and wellness” checkup: a complete review of existing structures and operations that form the basis of a new action plan. Essentially, the goal is to rebuild the property from the ground up. Everything from culture and costs to operational and financial attention to detail should be up for review and revising.

Once you ask how you would build this property and product type in this market, big changes—and big results—become possible. We’ve discovered sales teams that weren’t sufficiently engaged with or pursuing markets they should have been; instead they were defaulting to a standard segmentation approach versus a market-specific focus for their hotel. We’ve shifted revenue management strategies. We’ve reorganized sales offices, changed marketing strategies and restructured operations entirely, focusing on efficiency, tracking and sharing metrics. Above all, we work to instill a culture of performance.

The big ones
Cultural shifts. Leadership changes. Staffing, sales and revenue management. E-commerce and digital marketing. Operational effectiveness and emphasis on service metrics. It’s all important, but there are certain key areas that are deserving of extra attention.

Metrics and motivation
Reorient your sales and operations teams to metrics that matter. Monitor those metrics and be transparent. In the push for more productivity and efficiency, incentivize and reward your team. If you are going to ask housekeeping personnel to clean more rooms per day, consider implementing new incentives to make it a positive change versus a new obligation.

Costs and consequences
New strategies and efficiencies are not necessarily about cutting costs, but investing resources that provide a better return on investment. If you make smart investments in your people, your sales efforts, and other aspects of your operation, returns will follow. Chesapeake isn’t afraid to spend more money than previous management teams in sales and marketing, but we can afford to do so because we reliably create a significant sales spike, making a modest uptick in spending inconsequential.

Granularity matters
The best hotel management professionals are extraordinarily granular in how they approach their craft. Our revenue management team analyzes general data on incoming reservations, but we also go through and verify every single SRP to make sure they are properly mapped to the right booking system. Is your hotel sufficiently visible online? Are you missing out on potentially lucrative government business? We have come into properties where one insight alone generated an exponential monthly boost in revenue from multiple sources.

In case you think our hotels might be immune (they are not), we implemented a bi-annual review takeover audit to keep each property focused on improvement. Fall victim to complacency—no way!

Remember, the moment when you think you can’t do any better is when it’s more important than ever to challenge your ingrained assumptions. If you have the courage to challenge yourself and set your expectations higher, costly mistakes can be avoided and valuable opportunities can be realized.

Chris Green is the COO of Chesapeake Hospitality. He brings more than a quarter century of successful hospitality operations experience to Chesapeake’s corporate team, including nearly a decade in the field at various Chesapeake-managed properties. For more information, visit https://www.chesapeakehospitality.com/.

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Columnists published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.

Melissa is a great example of what it means to 'Experience What's Possible.  Melissa started her career with Chesapeake as the Front Office Supervisor at the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore in 2009 and with her hardwork and determination, quickly climbed the ranks to become General Manager for the Homewood Suites in Kingwood Texas by 2014. She is currently the General Manager at the Doubletree by Hilton Laurel and resides in Annapolis, Maryland! Melissa is passionate about the industry, Chesapeake Hospitality and building a team to ensure they too "Experience What's Possible".

• What are the key areas a property can go above and beyond to enhance possibility for guests?

 Listening and responding, being present, being a lobby lizard – that’s the foundation. Ensuring all levels of management are taking the time to communicate with guests and truly listen. When it comes to formal feedback, making sure we are processing written surveys and making meaningful adjustments, even to the small things.

 Many adjustments we’ve made recently go a long way towards helping guests maximize their stay. Guests said they wanted a more protein-heavy breakfast to provide more energy in the day, so we made the change. Guests asked for more outlets in the room to make it easier to work with and charge the range of technologies on hand, so we made the change. Little things, but they ultimate add up to a guest that’s better energized and enabled to succeed in the work they came here to do.

 Also, we make sure to look after the individual traveller. While a company may accumulate rewards points when their employees stay with us, we want to make sure that individual guests is looked after. Something as simple as a free cocktail at the end of the day can make all the difference. And not a well cocktail, the good stuff.

• How can employees work every day to enhance possibility for each other?

 This is a key focus for us – something we take the time to speak about each month at our employee luncheon. Put simply, it’s going out of our way to help each other in our roles. The more we help each other, the more we strengthen a positive and constructive team environment. At the same time, we’re gaining experience across practices, providing the foundation for our own career advancement.

 As management, we focus on supporting each other, setting the example – because the example carries throughout the team and helps set the tone.

• How have you realized possibility in your own career and what advice would you give others?

 I’ve had the opportunity to grow from my college days in Indiana, from an hourly associate – to  nine and a half years later, five hotels later, having the opportunity to manage a property. It all comes down to the same mentality we work to cultivate amongst our team – always jump in to help, and never say no to something. If there’s a void in an operation, another position that’s empty – if someone asks you to help on something that’s not in your normal scope of work - take it on!

 These challenges will push you to another level. Don’t be afraid to try something new – we have a great support staff and we want to help you succeed.

• Are there any particular moments that have stuck out as truly living the Experience What’s Possible mentality?

 There are hundreds, it’s something we live every day – but I think my own experience speaks volumes. I’m where I am today because they took a chance on an Indiana kid who said, “oh I’ll move to Florida, that’s fine.”

 It’s very rare for a company to employ someone multiple states away in an hourly role. Looking forward, I don’t ever want to discount an applicant, no matter where they’re coming from. Don’t deny the opportunity just because of where the applicant lives, give that applicant the opportunity to succeed if they’re qualified.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

It began with a bold idea.  Our forefathers believed that we should all have the freedom to pursue a life of happiness, independent of the constraints placed upon us by outside forces.  This independence did not come easily; it was with great risk that our forefathers persevered to bring us this freedom.

Henri Landwirth also had a bold idea; that children with life-threatening illness should be able to pursue a life of happiness independent of the constraints placed upon them by their illness.  His hard work resulted in a Give Kids The World Village, a place where these children and their families could enjoy pure happiness.

On this Fourth of July, the Hotel Ballast celebrated our independence while also raising money for Give Kids The World. The hotel sold hot dogs, snacks and beverages to employees raising over $400 for the charity.  One employee, Norman, donated more than half of the money raised.  His reason for the generosity was simple: to bring happiness to others.  "I don't have a lot. But I enjoy sharing it with others.

Working for the happiness of others is what we are called to do. In trying times it is even more important that we try to bring joy to others.  Perhaps our forefathers realized that it is in pursuing the happiness of others that we are able to realize our own happiness.

This past Saturday, Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre-East Mountain hosted their second annual Car Show to benefit children with life-threatening illness.  Car owners and spectators alike came out to take in the cars and give back to children in need.  

When asked why this event is special, Bri Kern, Sales Coordinator Holiday Inn states, "It brings people to together.  Car owners get to talk to one another, share their common interests, meet new people, be one with the community and most importantly - help children." When people hear that all the proceeds go to Give Kids The World, they're even more interested in participating.

Give Kids The World provides a cost-free vacation to families of children with life-threatening illness. The Holiday Inn supports Give Kids The World throughout the year hosting other fundraisers as well. This was their second annual Car Show and were delighted to learn that attendance more than doubled since their inaugural event last year.

Adults weren't the only ones participating in this year's event.  There was also a Matchbox Car competition. Eight year old Nicholas Scarantino took home the "Best in Show" trophy for this competition.

General Manager, Ed Michiniski adds, "It takes the whole team to pull off an event like this, and all the fundraising events!  We are so busy with everything else we do but we're somehow able to fit this in because it's important." Participants shared the same sentiment adding that they enjoy this particular car show because it benefits such a special cause.

The General Data Protection Regulation. You’ve seen Zuckerberg sweat about it in interviews, read stories about large fines and serious changes – but as a US-based hospitality business, what does the GDPR mean to you?

If you target market anywhere in the EU, then the GDPR could have significant consequences for your business. And pay attention, because the fines can go up to 4% of a company’s global revenue.

 That said – the regulations are surprisingly common-sense.  Data must be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
• Collected for specified and legitimate purposes
• Limited to what is necessary
• Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
• Kept for no longer than is necessary
• Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security

Long-form legalese consents are a thing of the past – people need to know what their data is being used for in language a lawyer does not need to decode, and then companies need to actually use it for that specific purpose. Throughout that period, companies need to maintain security, and then can’t hang on to troves of data that could be breached at a later date.

If you operate a property in Europe, or in any way capture or solicit personal data in the EU through targeted advertising, then you need to adopt the GDPR protocols as soon as possible. But even if you don’t, the GDPR does a good job at outlining what responsible data usage on the web ought to be.

So do you best to live up to the GDPR – ask your IT providers about their levels of compliance - if for no reason other than practicing ethical, responsible data management online is the right thing to do, and the GDPR is a great place to start.

We have fantastic employees at Chesapeake Hospitality and we believe it's important to thank them on a regular basis.  Last week, the DoubleTree Laurel held an Employee Appreciation Day to do just that. 

The day began with a delicious breakfast. Staff were encouraged to stop in, enjoy breakfast and participate in a variety of games in the hopes of winning an assortment of prizes.  This was a great way to end a shift for the overnight staff or begin the day for the day time staff.

At lunch, employees were treated to a spectacular feast including a delicious crab dip, Caesar salad, Cheese steaks, their homemade Old Bay potato chips and an assortment of desserts and more.  During the luncheon,

 employee awards were distributed and this year's Give Kids The World Ambassador was announced. Dwayne Baker will accompany the ambassadors chosen from each of our properties to participate in a  day of volunteer service at Give Kids   The World Village.  Dwayne expressed his gratitude at being chosen, “From the time I heard about Give Kids The World I have wanted to go help these kids and families and now I am. It’s like a dream come true!"

But the fun did not end there.  Later in the afternoon a fun party was held in their honor; employees enjoyed a delicious spread of Auntie Anne's pretzels and were able to pop the balloons to see what prizes they won.

When asked the motivation for dedicating an entire day to the employees of the DoubleTree, General Manager, Melissa Golub responded, "I've been with this team for 8 months and have seen a tremendous effort from our associates. We passed our QA inspection, service scores have been strong and we're completing a very busy tour and travel season. This employee appreciation day was a thank you from the management team and myself for all of their hard work so far this year."

A great deal of work went into planning an executing such an exciting event. How was it received?  Based on the words from staff, it seemed to have been an overwhelming success: "Today was so much fun! Let's do this again next week!" 

How do you build a career in hospitality revenue management? What do you learn from job to job, and what will keep you interested and engaged along the way? Let’s ask two people who know: HSMAI 2018 Corporate Revenue Management Professional of the Year Cassandra Bond, CRME, CHRM, regional vice president of revenue management for Chesapeake Hospitality, and HSMAI 2018 Single/Multi-Unit Revenue Management Professional of the Year Derek Brewster, director of revenue management at Lotte New York Palace — both of whom will be recognized during HSMAI’s Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC) in Houston on June 19–20.

What was your first job in the hospitality industry?

Cassandra Bond: My first job in hospitality was actually in food and beverage as a hostess at Mama Della’s Ristorante in the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando. My first job on the hotel side was a front-desk agent at the Wyndham Westshore — now The Westshore Grand — in Tampa.

Derek Brewster: I lied about my experience and pushed my way into a fantastic bartender job at a nightclub in Perth, while I was backpacking through Australia.

What do you most like about working in revenue management?

CB: Revenue management is an area where you have both structure and discipline but also complete creativity. You have direct guidelines and goals, but your path to achieve them is completely up to you. At Chesapeake, we call this “freedom within a framework.” This freedom allows us to stay motivated while consistently looking for improvement. It’s a results-driven field that remains challenging.

DB: I think the most exciting part of RM is that it is always changing and innovating — the systems, technology, digital marketing, data science, etc. — but the best part of the job is that I get to work directly with so many departments within the hotel, and the impact the RM team has on the overall hotel performance is so far-reaching.

How can revenue-management professionals best collaborate with their colleagues in sales and marketing?

CB: It is crucial that revenue management and sales and marketing work in tandem in order for a hotel to be successful. This comes with trust, respect, and open communication between departments. Creating an environment where healthy discussion over revenue strategies is encouraged can help foster collaboration between these departments.

DB: It’s up to RM to navigate the market, oversee all pricing strategies, and ensure the best possible mix of business. In my opinion, the only way to be successful at all of that is to truly partner with sales and marketing, because they are the teams executing the strategies RM has established. We have weekly strategy meetings with each team — leisure, corporate, group, and marketing — to ensure we are all on track to achieve our goals, and if any segment is behind, we’re able to pivot quickly enough to mitigate any shortfalls, and everyone is engaged with the strategies that way.

What is a trend in hospitality that you have your eye on?

CB: Digital marketing and the ongoing impact on revenue management — revenue managers need to be savvy here and to understand how to create real ROI. Also, the evolving landscape of distribution channels — staying on top of new channels, costs, fees and loyalty programs.

DB: Everything involving ways that advances in technology and digital marketing can help hotels know their guests better and be able to deliver highly personalized service as well as tailored/bespoke offers to keep bringing them back.

Where would you like your career to take you?

CB: I am extremely fortunate to work for a company that understands the value and importance of revenue management. The sky is really the limit here, and I can guarantee the road ahead will be exciting and challenging.

DB: I went to hotel school because I love to travel, and I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to live in some fantastic cities in the U.S. The ultimate goal is to experience many more amazing cities while continuing to develop RM talent and helping direct teams to successful results.

We were going into our third day at this year’s Accounting/HR Conference, held at the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport.  It would have been understandable for participants to become tired or begin to lose focus.  Not this group.  At Chesapeake Hospitality, teamwork is what invigorates us, drives us forward to reach our goals. 

Our goal of this particular session was to create exciting, unique fundraising ideas for Give Kids The World. 

Alone, any one of us could have developed a pretty good fundraiser, but working collaboratively, we were able to not only conceptualize good ideas, but develop these ideas into concrete plans that will be used to raise money for critically ill children and their families.

Last year we were able to send twenty families to Give Kids The World through the fundraising efforts at each of our properties.  At this conference, we decided to tap into the creativity of some of the brightest minds in the business.  The assignment was to create fundraising ideas that had not previously been used before in our company.  Participants were given time to brainstorm on their own, then come together in groups to separate their ideas into categories.  From there, the groups were asked to choose one idea to develop into a plan.  Throughout the activity, groups worked together feeding off one another's creativity.  

The end result was impressive.  Each group presented their developed plan, one that will help us take our fundraising to a new level.  We're excited to see these fundraising plans come to fruition.  We look forward to offering even more families the opportunity for the vacation of a lifetime.  Working together to achieve an end result is exhilarating and when the end result is helping families in need, the outcome is even more rewarding.

A strong corporate culture has long been a point of emphasis at Chesapeake Hospitality, but the third-party management company is looking to take it to the next level with the creation of a new position dedicated specifically to just that.

Strong Points: Making it Right

 Sometimes - thing go wrong. With millions of moving parts and thousands of employees - a reservation can be missed, a room not ready, a meal not up to par. Making things right with guests is obviously critical, but what is the appropriate level of response - and how do we balance rectification with the nature of the issue encountered? Fixing what's wrong, making things right - and doing so in a balanced and measured way - can have a significant impact on a property's reputation. 

Q&A with Kim Chambless, Director of Sales and Marketing

The DeSoto Savannah

Q: What are some of the most common challenges that can reflect on the reputation of a hotel?

Kim: Inevitably, properties will encounter challenges – how quickly and efficiency the full team responds to those challenges can make a significant difference in the broader reputation of the hotel.

Issues can crop up in virtually any area of hotel operations. Whether it’s a housekeeping,  dining or facilities issue, it’s critical to not only confirm the issue is resolved quickly, but to follow up throughout a guest’s stay to ensure everything is up to their satisfaction.  Our Southerly host will reach out to guests through a personal note or phone call – how can we make things right?

Ultimately, any concern that’s brought to you by a guest is an opportunity. While every situation may not be resolvable, it’s understanding how you may be able to overcome it in a way that makes it a better experience for that guest.

Q: What protocols are in place to make things right with guests?

A: Be timely, validate their concern, work to resolve, and give them choices so they feel empowered.

Firstly, when an individual receives a concern,  they must respond in a respectful and considerate manner, then communicate the issue with their team such that it becomes a team goal to resolve. If the issue is significant enough, personal follow up from the Manager, GM, Southerly Host, or Division Host can be a powerful tool in resolution. 

Information can be received in a variety of forms – you can overhear a comment, then jump in to be proactive. We also have a program where guests can leave their cell number and text us. People communicate differently, and it’s about giving people the opportunity to communicate the way they want to.

In some instances, we’ll detect an issue before the guest does. In those cases, it’s best to be as direct as possible. Maybe dinner is running late – let the guest know: ‘here’s what we’re working through, here’s how we may be able to overcome this.’ Give them the options and let them choose.

Q: From a marketing perspective – how do you manage negative reviews,

A: The worst thing that can happen is a guest leaves and does not tell you about the issue they encountered, then you read about it in an evaluation. That’s the Achilles, because then it’s too late. That why it’s so critical for teams to follow up with guests throughout their stay and offer multiple forms of engagement.

Beyond that, we respond to any review that has any feedback as if it were any other form of guest engagement. Respectful, personal follow up to see how we can make things right.

Q: How can you amplify positive voices?

A: We are always looking at the stars and placement on google or trip advisor, as our property has moved into the independent world, your placement online form a social media standpoint is critical.

When a guest is shopping for properties, there’s no need to go past that first page. As a property, your lifeline is being on that first page, and positive reviews are a significant part of that.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” – Henri Landwirth, 1927-2018

Henri Landwirth devoted his life to serving others.  As founder of Give Kids The World and several other charities, Henri made it his mission to care for the underprivileged, the underserved and the less fortunate.

After surviving five horrendous years in Nazi death and labor camps and with little knowledge of the English language, Henri traveled from Belgium to the United States with $20 in his pocket.  Not long after arriving he was drafted by the US Army, served in the Korean War and learned English. He later used the G.I. Bill to study hotel management while working the night desk at a New York hotel, thus beginning his career in hospitality.

Henri became known for going out of his way to serve guests.  On one occasion, a guest inquired about a clothing store where he could purchase a tie to wear into the hotel dining room. Without giving it a second thought, Henri took off his own tie and gave it to the guest.  The guest was B.G. McNabb, who happened to oversee building of the nation’s early space program. He remembered Henri when he needed a manger to run a hotel that would accommodate the astronauts and their families when in town.

On another occasion, Henri found out that a manager at one of his hotels was refusing to rent rooms to black players on the Detroit Tigers baseball team.  Henri promptly fired the manager and sent a clear message that there would be no bigotry at his hotel.

His compassion for others also led him to become involved with the Make-A-Wish organization, providing wishes for critically-ill children.  Henri would provide free hotel accommodations for the Wish families during their stay in Orlando. “I promised myself that one day, God willing, I would be able to help other people not to suffer as much as I did,” Landwirth once said.

Henri decided a few hotel rooms were not enough so he created Give Kids The World Village in 1986.  At the Village, Wish families could take a break from treatments, have fun, spend time with one another and with other families going through similar experiences.  Since then, 160,000 children and families have had free vacations at the Village.

“Words cannot express the sense of loss we feel today,” said Pamela Landwirth, president and CEO of Give Kids The World. “When people endure what he did — experiencing the worst of humanity — I think it can either make you bitter or lead you to think that you were spared for a reason. Henri recognized that he could move forward with compassion and love. He made a huge difference.” 

The impact he had on others was evident.  On April 28, 2018, hundreds of friends, family and those touched by Henri’s compassion assembled to celebrate a life well lived.  Through laughter and tears, memories of the countless examples of his compassion were shared.

During his incredible life, Henri provided 160,000 children with life-threatening illnesses the vacation of their dreams.  He brought back laughter to those who had forgotten it’s sound, he offered the gift of hope to the hopeless, and he gave unforgettable memories to families that they will forever treasure.

We are committed to continuing Henry’s legacy of making wishes and dreams come true by bringing happiness and hope to children and their families around the world.  What better way to honor a man who has selflessly given so much to so many.

We like to get creative when it comes to fundraising. When we have the opportunity to help others, both locally and globally, we run with it.

Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre raises money for Give Kids The World by hosting a shoe drive.  They collect gently worn, used and new shoes – a lot of them!  The shoes are then collected by an organization called Funds2Orgs which pays the hotel based on the total weight of the shoes.  The money collected is donated by the hotel to Give Kids The World, providing a cost-free vacation to critically ill children and their families.  

The fundraiser runs for roughly a three-month period. Bri Kern, Sales Coordinator at the Holiday Inn says they provide incentives to the staff to participate, “When employees bring in five or more pairs of shoes, their names are entered into a raffle for a gift card.”  As a result, they've had a decent turnout from employees.

The benefits of this fundraiser are two-fold. This shoe drive not only helps us raise money for Give Kids The World; it also provides opportunities for micro-enterprises across the nation. 

Micro-enterprises are small businesses with few employees and minimal capital. In developing countries like Haiti, Uganda, and India they are crucial; they are often the only means to providing people with an income and a way to support their families. The shoes collected are brought to developing nations were they can be cleaned and resold. Micro-enterprises add value to the economy and lives by creating small business opportunities, improving income, and promoting commerce. 

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another or to walk a mile in ones' shoes. Our team at the Holiday Inn Wilkes-Barre clearly demonstrates their capacity for empathy, service and care through their participation in this shoe fundraiser.  Our goal is to pair up with other properties to be able to serve an even larger amount of people in need.  We are known for being steadfast in our commitment to serve others; we say, "If the shoe fits ..."

It happens all too often; you notice something, think to yourself, “Oh that’s interesting” and move on. Perhaps you see someone wearing a broach that reminds you of your grandmother and you smile to yourself. You notice someone’s tattoo and wonder about it’s significance. Or you hear an accent and think of your family living far away.  Often we don’t say anything, perhaps out of respect for an individual’s privacy. But sometimes, when we do stop and comment, it’s that one small connection that leads to an amazing experience.

Jodi Minkoff, Director of Sales at the DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Airport, was walking through the hotel’s restaurant and noticed an older couple sitting together, the woman wearing a Philadelphia Flyers jersey.  Jodi, being a Flyers fan herself, stopped to speak with them.  During the conversation Jodi learned that the woman, Roseanne and her brother George, were visiting Philadelphia as part of the Wish of a Lifetime, a non-profit organization with the goal of helping to change the lives of seniors in a meaningful way by helping them fulfill their dreams.  Roseanne had worked, volunteered and was a season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Flyers for 45 years before she developed Alzheimer’s disease which required a move to South Carolina to be closer to her brother.  As is common with the disease, Roseanne suffered from memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. When it came to hockey, however, she was very lucid.  Roseanne’s wish was to attend a Philadelphia Flyers game for her 84^th birthday.

After spending time chatting with the siblings, Jodi reached out to Wish of a Lifetime.  She learned that arrangements had been made for a presentation during the game in which Roseanne would be presented with flowers.  Jodi then took it upon herself to schedule a hair appointment for Roseanne, “She was going to be on the Jumbotron, I knew she would want to look nice.”  Unfortunately, a snow storm derailed the beauty appointment plans but Roseanne and George were still picked up and transported to the game.  Jodi was at the game as well and cheered for her new friends as she watched the presentation.  Roseanne also received flowers at the game which were later given to Jodi in gratitude.

George shared his experience with Wish of Lifetime, praising Jodi and the DoubleTree team for the exceptional service he and his sister received.  Jodi feels equally grateful for the experience, “It was just so amazing how we connected over a similar love, the Flyers!  It is interactions like those that really touch my heart and they are experiences that I will carry with me.” 

Eliminating trends and big ideas that you know are likely to not impact decision-making is a good way to bring a clearer focus to forecasting for 2018.

For hotel management professionals, the ability to see what’s next—both for the broader marketplace and for the industry—is a big part of the job. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to do just that: to look ahead, to identify emerging trends and new developments and adjust your strategic planning accordingly.

But forecasting is a tricky business, and sometimes it can be a little too easy to let optimism and entrepreneurial vigor influence your predictions. As a result, it might be helpful to reframe the question. Instead of asking what’s next, try thinking about what’s not next.

Because sometimes knowing what’s not likely to happen is just as valuable and informative as knowing what is likely to happen.

With that in mind, here are a few things that we likely won’t see in 2018:

Plenty of qualified, affordable labor
Considering how much this industry relies on motivated, experienced talent, it’s frustrating to consider the fact that staffing will continue to be a sore point. Building a strong team isn’t likely to get any easier in the foreseeable future, and recruiting and retention challenges will continue to be an issue in 2018.

With low unemployment, rising salary demands and the evolving preferences of an influential millennial generation, the hiring landscape looks very different today than it did a few short years ago.

Hotel owners and operators have had some success bringing in recruiting and retention specialists—professionals with demonstrated recruiting expertise and the ability to deploy the kind of priorities, programs and practices that connect with both prospective and existing employees.

But consistently attracting and retaining top talent in this environment also requires strong messaging and leadership, a robust presence on social media platforms and other places where you can boost visibility to prospective candidates, and proven interviewing, onboarding and employee retention programs and processes in place. This is something we’ve paid great attention to, and it works.

Soaring RevPARs
While 2017 was yet another strong year for the hotel industry—and revenue per available room has increased every year since 2009—the pace of growth has slowed in the last two years. Year-over-year change in 2017 was the lowest it’s been in a long time, and—in conjunction with staffing challenges—the slower pace of growth is beginning to put some pressure on the bottom line.

Official 2018 RevPAR forecasts are between 2% and 3%, and the predicted occupancy growth in 2018 would make it nine consecutive years of rising occupancy, which hasn’t happened since the 1990s. Still, we are not likely to see the kind of RevPAR spikes that characterized the post-recessionary boom in the wake of the late 2000s economic slowdown. If anything, predictions for 2018 may even be somewhat optimistic, and hotel owners and operators would be wise to plan accordingly.

Surging profits
Given the marketplace dynamics described above, it seems likely that there will be some inherent limitations to profit growth in 2018. While we may see an uptick, it almost certainly will not be at the same rate as we have seen in recent years.

There is more uncertainty here than usual, with the yet-to-be-answered questions about how the recent tax changes will play out, and the troubling news about the decrease in international travelers (and tourist dollars) in 2017. But it’s safe to say that profit growth will not be setting any records over the next six to 12 months.

Fewer brands 
A crowded hotel marketplace isn’t getting less crowded anytime soon. The success of new brands—particularly specialized, boutique and niche concepts—means that we will continue to see more brands (which means more choices and also more market saturation).

Select-service is a particularly active segment, with hoteliers getting more creative about finding ways to give consumers affordable options while still providing them with some of the extra features and amenities they are looking for.

The proliferation of new brands is a healthy part of an evolving industry in the midst of an extended period of prosperity, but it will be interesting to see which concepts thrive and survive when the next recessionary cycle emerges. Speaking of which …

The beginning of the next downturn
Industry analysts and observers have been warning about the end of the current growth cycle and a subsequent downturn for several years now. That obviously has not yet happened, but the slowdown in growth in 2017, some early warning signs of oversupply and some potentially concerning hints/macroeconomic indicators have renewed talk that the expected downturn may be happening sooner rather than later.

I don’t buy it.

The hotel market—like any other industry—will always be susceptible to a global economic crisis or an international event/marketplace disruption. But there is no real reason to believe that 2018 will be the year that things start to go downhill. While there are legitimate questions about how much more industry expansion is realistic, the next 12 months seem likely to continue a positive, if slowing, arc of growth.

As hotel owners and operators plan for the next six to 12 months (and beyond), having a sense of what isn’t on tap and what they can’t expect to see going forward will remain an important part of the predictive toolkit.

Relevant and evocative in the context of a city’s dining culture, that’s the hallmark of a great signature restaurant. Out of genuine quality and appeal, an environment that speaks as much to locals as to a hotel’s own guests.

To begin with, be true to your property and the opportunity for differentiation. In creating a signature restaurant for Hotel Indigo Baltimore, we strove to build an experience that would contribute to the rich culture and history of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighbourhood.

 Starting with our menu – top-quality, locally-sourced food comes across in the breadth of our selections. There’s a lot of old bay, a lot of seafood and, of course, Smith Island cake on the desert menu. We have six beers on tap, five of them are from local breweries. And beyond local, bourbon whisky’s and scotches are also big now. We have one of the top five - if not the top two – whisky collections in Baltimore.  That helps us be a haven for established or casual aficionados across the city.

 Of course, a restaurant is an experience based as much on human interaction as on food. Who you hire ultimately shapes the culture and feel of your establishment. From the true craftsmen - chefs, sous chefs and bartenders – who set the foundation for the culture, to the wider team, each one of whom will have a significant impact on overall guest experience.

 For the wider team, my philosophy is: I can teach the job to anyone; I can’t teach personality; I can’t teach attitude. When we’re going through the process of interviewing candidates, we’re looking at characteristics more than firm skills. Did they smile or dress well? Did they give a firm handshake? Basic traits early on tell an enormous amount about how a candidate can eventually mould into the team you are working to build.

 When it comes to instilling values into a team, consistency is a huge word. People don’t realize how important that word is – we drive it in. Consistency is how you maintain word of mouth, it’s the difference between being a positive word coming out of people’s mouth and a negative one. If you come in every Monday for the Maryland crap soup – you’re going to enjoy the exact, top-quality experience week in and week out.

Ultimately, consistency helps underpin a strong local following. 60% of our restaurant customers at dinner are locals. 90% at lunch are locals – if you average that out to the entire property, 15% of the total revenue of the Hotel Indigo in Baltimore comes from locals eating in our facilities. That’s the power of consistency – a community growing to understand, over months and years, that they can rely on the dining experience they get at the Hotel Indigo Baltimore.

And it helps underpin dining from our guests as well. If a guest goes downstairs, sees a bustling establishment and knows they can grab a local brew and learn more about the city from the Baltimore native sitting next to them, that guest is significantly more likely to spend their travel dollars within your property.

 Relevant and evocative – built around great people, with consistency at its heart. These are the hallmarks of a strong signature restaurant. Getting it right can significantly reinforce the culture, significance and bottom line of a property – and, of course – make it easier to get a great local brew after work.

Children undergoing treatment for a life-threatening illness face daily battles of fear and anxiety.  Bone marrow transplants, spinal taps, injections, transfusions – all are scary enough on their own but even the everyday occurrences for these children can be frightening. A routine blood draw incites fear when the nurse is someone you’ve never met.  A trip to the grocery store wearing a mask produces anxiety when strangers stare.  Yet through every situation and every day of their treatment, these children continue on in bravery.

Bravery is defined as “the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty.”  In other words, to be brave we don’t have to be fearless; we just have to face the fear.  This is what I told myself as I stood at the top of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando, Florida. 

On February 9, 2018, Give Kids The World held a fundraising event called Over The Edge.  Participants who met the fundraising minimum would literally go over the edge and rappel down 32 stories of the Hyatt Regency, demonstrating bravery in the face of fear. The funds raised through this event would help children and their families step away from their lives of hospital visits and treatment to enjoy a vacation filled with happiness and hope.

It seemed like a great idea with two benefits: to raise money for children and their families and do something fun and exciting.  Then I got to the roof. Suddenly the fun and excitement were replaced by anxiety and fear.  All I kept thinking was, “Why? Why did I sign up for this?  And why does it have to be 32 stories?” 

As I stood there on the edge, trying to focus on directions while also trying to rationalize why I would put myself in this position, it hit me: these children don’t get a choice.  No one asks them if they feel like facing fear; they wake up one day and simply have to do it. Full of fear and anxiety, I would continue on because this is what these children do every day.  Realizing this was the motivation I needed to take that first step over the edge.

I remembered when my daughter was in treatment and had to take a horrible tasting medicine.  Getting through it each night was very difficult with gagging and tears.  Then one night when it was time, I handed her the medicine and once again saw the fear in her eyes.  She must have seen the concern in mine because she said, “It’s OK, Mommy. I got this.”  Then to herself she repeated, “I got this. I got this.”  After a deep breath, she took her medicine.  Where this bravery came from, I’ll never know but I witnessed it time and time again.

I thought of this scene and the many other situations children in treatment must endure as I made my way down the 32 stories.  It’s almost as if I had my daughter and other little children cheering me on, “It’s OK, you got this.  You got this.”  It was an incredible source of comfort to me and I even began enjoying myself.

The experience was unforgettable. I made it to the ground in one piece, had a great time, and was lauded for my bravery.  I’ll grant that I was able to continue on through fear and anxiety but let’s face it, it was a total of 13 minutes (8 minutes if you don’t count the almost 5 minutes it took me to actually take the first step over.) These children face 13 minutes of fear and anxiety several times a day for years during treatment.  That is extreme bravery.  They are true heroes and I am grateful to be able to support them along their courageous journey.

Click here for a video of the Over The Edge experience.

From variable data digital printing, to machine learning, to apps that make the guest experience more connected than ever before. Tech is reshaping opportunities across our industry in exciting and often unexpected ways.

Here are the five key tech trends we’re paying close attention to in 2018:

1) Integration – tech has reshaped virtually every aspect of the hotel experience, from booking and checking in, to in-room experience and on-premise activities. While apps have begun to play a role in this wider ecosystem, they have done little to bridge the disparate elements of the guest experience. With the incredible power of today’s mobile devises, and the reliance of virtually all customers on those devices, the mobile app will move beyond just another box to tick in a hotel’s tech offering, and towards a critical hub for the guest experience.

From booking, to check in, to unlocking your room and controlling the entertainment system inside - scheduling a yoga session and spa appointment, or chatting in real time with a concierge – everything that can be managed from a smartphone soon will be.

2) Voice search – The power of mobile is also shifting how customers search and engage with properties. According to Milestone Internet Marketing, voice search has driven significant simplification of search terms, coupled with an enhanced focus on location. Questions like “boutique hotel in downtown Chicago” are being increasingly replaced with questions like “hotels near me.” While that overly simplified shift may seem daunting, there are ways to compete and win in new reality of voice search.

More than anything, it means staying on top of the ever-changing algorithm nuances of search platforms like Google –the emergence of long tail key words, mobile page speed, mobile load speed, how important back linking is for any business - so when a potential customer says, “hotels in Chicago,” yours comes up.

3) Reaching further with AI – There’s been buzz around Artificial Intelligence and machine learning in the hospitality industry for some time. In 2018, we are going to see increasingly tangible applications for the technology. One of the greatest promises of AI stands in its ability to identify and effectively leverage patterns otherwise impossible for humans to trace. In hospitality, this translates to identifying and effectively targeting concentric circles out from a property’s core consumer. Who they are, why they travel, and how a hotel can effectively market to expand its business.

With spending power shifting to an emergent global middle class, AI will become a key tool in understanding and targeting consumers previously thought out of reach.

4) Leveraging digital printing to create more dynamic environments– Digital printing has been around for some time, but recent advances are seeing designers leverage the technology to create more dynamic interior environments than ever before. More broadly available variable data printing offers the ability to create incredibly vibrant interior spaces that increasingly blur the lines between art and design.

The increasing capability, affordability and availability of digital print means the technology is available across a much broader range of geographies. Instead of working with design firms a half-continent away, properties can now more readily leverage local talent to drive a modern, innovate feel that’s true to the culture and history of a specific locale.

5) Using what you have –Less a trend a more a reminder of best practice, properties must be mindful to maximize the impact of what they have, while continuing to actively invest in future tech. Whether it’s free Wi-Fi that reminds guests of the latest dinner deals when they log in, loyalty programs that pull up details of a guest’s preferences for the front desk to reference, or an in-room entertainment system that, well, works (yes, always works) – the tools we have today are powerful and effective revenue drivers.

In 2018, we need to continue to keep focus on what works as we look ahead to the incredible opportunities of the near future.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to serving others. On Monday, January 15^th we celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a Day of Service.  Each year throughout the country, we are called on this day to work together to address some of the issues facing our nation through the act of volunteer service. The MLK Day of Service is important to us as it empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a united America.

Participation in the MLK Day of Service has grown steadily over the past decade, with hundreds of thousands of Americans each year engaging in projects such as cleaning cities, tutoring and mentoring children, painting schools and senior centers, delivering meals, building homes, and reflecting on Dr. King's life and teachings.

Tonya Harris, Group Sales Coordinator at The DeSoto, Savannah, GA spent the day participating in Savannah’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade.  She drove a limousine belonging to a local, family-owned funeral parlor as part of the parade procession.  Tonya said it was a wonderful experience to share with her family, “I feel that in this pivotal time of our country, it is important to focus on the positive. I participated in the parade because of the spirit that MLK, Jr embodies. His message was not about racial stereotypes and the widening division between them, but how to bridge that gap with love and respect.”

Our Day of Service this week only inspired us to work harder throughout the rest of year.  We strive to emulate Dr. King by contributing our time, hard work, and enthusiasm to making our communities a better place for all of us.

Almost exactly one year ago today we sat in the board room of Chesapeake Hospitality discussing our fundraising goals for 2017.  While a monetary goal was mentioned, the real goals for the year centered around creating a culture of giving within our properties.  Our leader, Kim Sims, wanted to be sure that a culture of service to others was evident at each one of our hotels - that our employees lived it and that guests who walked through our doors felt it: the joy of giving to others.  In particular, giving to families of children with life-threatening illness; providing them with a stress-free, cost-free, dream vacation to Give Kids The World Village in Florida.

Our teams' response was amazing.  The properties not only discovered creative ways to raise money but also realized the joy that comes with it.  Our associates who were fortunate enough to volunteer at Give Kids The World during our annual trip in October, came back from their trip recalling the joy and gratitude they felt serving the families at the Village.  One of our team members said it best, "I've never felt this kind of happiness."

As Francis of Assisi said, "For it is in giving that we receive." When we give happiness, we receive happiness.  When we give love, we receive love. Truly giving from the heart fills us with joy.  

We committed ourselves to raising a certain amount of money for Give Kids The World and we met that monetary goal. But the rewards of giving are priceless; you can't put a value on the joy we feel knowing the happiness we are bringing to these children and their families. 

We look forward to continuing to share the gift of joy in the new year. During this holiday season and throughout 2018, we wish you all heartfelt joy and happiness.

"I believe giving to others helps make a person whole. It doesn't matter what type of help you're capable of giving, what matters is being able and willing to give." -Henry Landwirth, Founder, Give Kids The World

When guests visit a hotel – whether for business, pleasure or an event – they are doing more than just checking into a room. They are travelers. 

Beyond the comfort and warmth of high-quality hospitality, virtually any stay will benefit from an immersive tie to its locale. Something that steps beyond the fundamentals of being a good host, and actively helps guests engage with the city or town where a hotel is based.

As the broader hospitality industry continues its remarkable period of growth, strategic localization is an increasingly key tool to differentiate from the competition and expand market share. Creating a sense of local that truly competes on the national and international online marketplace begins long before a guest arrives.

Take the Whitehall in Houston, a property that immerses travelers in a vibrant culture from the moment they visit the website. Rich video content that immediately pulls viewers into the dynamism of the city. Easy to navigate maps highlighting the best art hubs, museums, restaurants and parks. Ideas for business and pleasure travelers alike to make the most of their stay, combined with enticing photos.

This information isn’t buried in a drop-down menu, it’s front and center – clear, and impossible to ignore. Once a guest books, this experience is reinforced with a pre-arrival email. Getting readers excited about the trip and engaged in a sense of place, the email includes information on special events even basics like weather.  

Upon arrival at the hotel, guests are treated to classic southern hospitality and truly distinctive design. And that’s just the beginning - when it comes to local, this property dials it all the way up to 11.

Hand-crafted bourbon under an exclusive brand owned by the hotel. Artisanal coffee masterfully roasted on site. And, of course, bars and restaurants that can give any operation in Houston a run for its money.

These additions don’t just make for more authentic and memorable experiences, they significantly underpin the performance of the overall property. The investment in a roaster, or in private labelling small-batch bourbon, is nominal compared to the long-term return of operating a vibrant café, or becoming the must-try bar in the city. By creating more engagement points onsite, hotels keep the spending power of guests within the property - not at the café across the street.

How a guest remembers their local experience can also underpin marketing of the property. Tools like flip.to transform guest experiences captured in their photos and videos into active, strategic and impactful marketing.  Encouraging guests to share, leveraging and targeting what they post – can exponentially increase the awareness of and interest in a property.

Starting with the first touch point, delivering during a stay to capture more guest spending power, and leveraging after a stay to grow awareness of a property like never before. While the concept of local has always been a core component of hospitality, today it is more strategic and relevant than ever before.

Our industry is in the midst of a remarkable period of growth, with few signs of slowing. As summarized in Deloitte’s 2017 Travel and Hospitality Industry Outlook, business travel broke records at $1.2 trillion in 2015, and leisure travel shows steady growth outpacing the US’ GDP. The fundamentals behind this growth are strong - disposable income was up 3.4 percent at the end of 2016, as the job market continues to strengthen.

 However, a growing industry does not mean growing business for each hotel operator. In this period of unprecedented opportunity, competition is more intense than ever. Here are five core strategies to stay ahead during this historic race to the top:  

 Embrace technology

Ten years ago, how absurd would it have seemed to check into your flight on your phone and scan your screen all the way to your seat? Ten years from now, a room key will feel as antiquated as the paper boarding pass. Picking up the phone to call room service as opposed to clicking through your hotel app will be one conversation too many; and what good will the hotel’s entertainment system be when everyone has Netflix or Amazon Prime? What are we offering that they can’t already get?

 While we don’t need to solve all these challenges today, we must commit to a future strategy that embraces technology. Meet the vendors at the leading edge, build relationships and understand how technologies are developing. Determine how to incrementally enhance your tech offering over the next five to ten years, and start today.

Think globally

The booming global middle class will continue to be a seismic factor impacting our industry. According to Brookings, this group hit a whopping 3.2 billion in in 2016, and is expected to grow 120 million per year for the next five years. 88% of the next billion entrants into the middle class will be from Asia.

 I don’t care if you're the quaintest hotel in the most authentic Southern town in America, the emergent global middle class affects you. Begin to think about what kind of travelers are coming to your region from areas with rapidly growing spending power, and how you can more effectively target those consumers throughout their decision-making process.

 “Coming to America? Well, you need to see the birthplace of Coke amidst the classic charm of Atlanta, and the only place to stay is...”

 What starts as trickle could explode to 50% of your business over the next ten years. To stay ahead of the curve, start today.

Become the culture, deliver experience

Beyond restaurants, bars and yoga, hotels need to think about how they play a deeper role in a guest’s travel experience. Ultimately, capturing more attention during a guest’s time in a city necessitates becoming a deeper part of that locale’s culture. 

 While not every property gets to be a Hawaiian resort hosting traditional Hula, a hotel in Seattle could have its own roaster and master barista, a property in Brooklyn could have onsite glass blowing, while a roadhouse in Tennessee could host blues in a hip downstairs where they still their own moonshine (legally, of course).

 For less than the investment needed to create a competitive restaurant, properties can create remarkable experiences that truly contribute to a locale - capturing more overall guest attention and, ultimately, revenue.

Double down on fundamentals

Above all else, hospitality is a ground game -  the individuals shaping experience at each hotel, and the team cultures they create, will continue to define success well into the future.

 A warm welcome at the valet, and a front desk team that remembers the last time you were here. That perfectly made room, and a concierge that knows the best restaurants for every occasion. Those fundamentals will always be the cornerstone of any hotel stay. With all the attention on apps and new markets, we must double down on recruiting and cultivating the best talent.

Grow

If you have money to invest, now is the time. This remarkable period of growth is no bubble. While no one can know the future, what we’re seeing is underpinned by national and global economic trends that show no signs of slowing down. Leverage this opportunity to underpin the strength of your operations and invest in growth. One thing’s for sure, the competition is. 

As we approach Thanksgiving, our thoughts inevitably turn towards gratitude. It’s easy to feel gratitude when you love what you do. You may be thankful for your job, the stability it affords you, the opportunity for growth, and for co-workers who appreciate and inspire you.  It’s one thing to reflect on this grateful feeling but the real benefits are discovered when we share this gratitude with others.

Team members at Holiday Inn Palm Beach Airport Hotel are taking their gratitude to the next level. They have incorporated “Thankful Thursdays” as a way to demonstrate their thanks to one another while simultaneously raising money for Give Kids The World.

Leana Smith, Human Resources Manager, shares their strategy: “We sell ‘Thankful Thursday’ cookie treat bags. To start, we had two types of cookie bags available (peanut butter and chocolate chip) and we bagged them with Hershey kisses. The bags are $3.00 each.” 

All proceeds from the sale of the cookie bags go directly to Give Kids The World. “Managers bought the bags to give to staff, and team members bought bags to bring home to their families,” says Smith. “This was our first time doing this Thankful Thursday fundraiser. We hope to improve upon it and get more donations for Give Kids The World.”

Reflecting on gratitude and then sharing that feeling with others couldn't be sweeter.

Hard work, honesty, humility and the need to do the right thing are the tenets that drive brothers Kim and Chris Sims, the leaders of Chesapeake Hospitality, a management company based in Greenbelt, Md., with 60 years of operational expertise. Having grown up in the 12-room Royal Pine Motel in College Park, Md., a property purchased by their parents, Ed and Jeanette, in November 1957, Kim and Chris have an intimate attachment to the hotel business and they still see themselves as hosts, no matter where they are.

Kim Sims is fond of saying that guests were visitors to their home back in those days, and he’s speaking literally. When guests would ring a buzzer at the front desk, it would make a sound in the family’s living quarters, and the hotel’s office was an extension of the rooms where he and the rest of his family lived. In that environment, Kim and Chris were able to take on every job associated with running a hotel, from cutting grass and stripping beds to setting rates. This has informed all of their later decisions, particularly when it comes to their relationships with employees.

“Personally, I’m driven to be the best, but my definition is a little different,” Kim said. “I want to be the best manager and the best employer that our team members can work for.”

Kim would gravitate toward the operations side of the business, leading him to his current position as principal and president of Chesapeake Hospitality.

By his own admission, Chris was more interested in sales and marketing, becoming principal and EVP, while their brother Andrew Sims was most attracted to the financial and investment side of hospitality. Today, Andrew is CEO of Sotherly Hotels.

Another Take

One of the most important lessons the brothers picked up at the Royal Pine Motel was to value different experiences and points of view. Socrates once said: “I know that I know nothing.” Kim and Chris would like to think they know a thing or two about hospitality, but their lifelong experience in the field has shown them that their dedication to Chesapeake and Chesapeake alone has strengths and drawbacks, which is why they are always looking for outside talent.  

“One negative to growing up and being with the same company for 35 years is that my experiences are all tied to this one particular company,” Chris said. “Because we know this, we’ve never been afraid to hire people with more experience than we have. Then we let them loose to go perform.”

Recruiting is always on the brothers’ minds because they know that they won’t be able to lead the company forever. Chris, in particular, stressed the need to cultivate the next generation of managers, and the difficulties inherent in the process due to low unemployment and a diminished interest in hospitality from young people. This is a long-term concern, however. Kim said the industry’s biggest problem right now is flattening revenue per available room and increasing costs associated with monitoring revenue.

“When business looks good, everybody looks good,” Kim said. “We do well historically in a down cycle, when people don’t know how to manage well. During those times, we look for opportunities where we can go in and improve operations or revenue management. A lot of companies look good now, but in a downturn we really shine.”

The Next Movement

Kim said solid hospitality fundamentals are going to be more important in the future for management companies such as Chesapeake as the lines between brands continue to blur and consumer confusion increases. This, when coupled with the rate of change in operations and technology, is going to give some operators headaches in the years to come.

“Back when I was working the front desk at the Royal Pine in the 1970s and ’80s, we would set our rates once per year,” Kim said. “Now we change them three to five times a day! That is a huge change.”

In 2010, Chesapeake went through a rebranding process to increase its third-party management contracts, something Kim said presented the biggest challenge in the company’s history. Getting Chesapeake’s name out in the industry and finding other businesses aligned with their ideals proved difficult at first, but led to an eventual payoff. The company’s goals are distinguished by three numbers: 5/50/500.

“In five years, we want to have 50 hotels in our portfolio earning $500 million,” Kim said. “We don’t want to be the biggest company out there, just the best.”

For Chris, this is a difficult goal, but not an unattainable one.

“It has been 60 years since our parents started the business, and we’ve had considerable growth since then, but never overly dramatic,” he said. “Our parents put at risk everything they had to help us grow after we left college. I see it as paying it back to them through reinvestment in their ideas.”

“We consider excellent, not good or great,” says Trevor Hollis, Concierge, speaking to the mentality of The Georgian Terrace Hotel team in curating guest experience. Experience is an unbelievably broad concept, encompassing everything from how a guest is greeted, to how towels are folded, to how the hotel helps a guest best enjoy its city. With 83,000 room nights and millions of guest interactions a year at the Georgian Terrace, maintaining excellence is - needless to say – an extremely high bar.

 Getting it right goes beyond technical knowledge, and comes down to culture. A culture with a shared understanding of what excellence is, a shared passion and commitment to work to that highest bar – consistently.

 “Developing culture – that starts at management, the team quickly picks up on their mentality,” says Twanda Dawson, Director of Rooms at the Georgian Terrace. To Twanda, the management does more than just set the standards, they set a tone of shared respect. An environment where success is recognized, and feedback is geared to be positive, constructive and consistent.  “It’s an environment reinforced through regular training. Active engagement – not reactive – is critical,” she adds.

 “We always take pride. We used to be the head football stars, now we’re in one place where we’re all football stars,” says Trevor. “This is a culture where everyone is at the top of their game – from upper management all the way to the dishwasher – everyone is asking how can we be better, how can we continue to improve.”

 Of course, hotels do not exist in a vacuum. Guest experience is deeply tied to enjoyment of the surrounding city, the actual emersion in the culture an individual, family or corporate team has come to enjoy. That starts with staff – internalizing and sharing the unique culture of their environment.

 At the Georgian, that culture is clear: southern hospitality. To Twanda and Trevor, every day, front of mind is a list: friendly; always a southern host; authentic; local; our town/your town; genuine; mean what you say, say what you mean; take pride in our appearance.

 “This isn’t secondary, this does not come after the fundamentals of our day-to-day,” says Twanda.

 “Southern Hospitality is absolutely woven in to who we are every day as hospitality professionals when we walk in the front door of the Georgian.”

 As a guest’s experience extends outside of the hotel, many want to get off the beaten path, they want to see the restaurants locals eat at, stores where they shop, and bars where they have a cocktail. “Local places that we go, the local places that we shop,” says Trevor.

 What’s true for guests at the Georgian Terrace extends for virtually any property on Earth. “Know your town. Know what to recommend - it doesn’t happen accidentally,” says Twanda. “We train our team, we take them on tours so they know they area, so they can immediately recommend their favorite southern restaurant or place to go jog.”

 At the end of the day, Trevor and Twanda make one thing clear: experience is personal. Succeeding in creating the best guest experience does not happen all at once to the hundreds of thousands that will walk through your door, it comes from how you make each individual feel welcome. Remembering names, anniversaries, birthdays – dining, fitness or entertainment preferences.

 When it comes to creating an unforgettable guest experience, success comes one smile, one name remembered, and one step out of the ordinary at a time.

Our team embodies the idea that housekeeping is the heart of the hotel. On the most personal level, we are building and maintaining a sense of quality that can make or break a guest’s stay - a feeling that is uniquely capable of creating a hotel experience that’s truly welcoming. Quality and attention to detail, delivered not just once or twice, but consistently across tens of thousands of room nights each year.

Success in housekeeping does not come through the work or experience of one or two people, but in the ability to create a consistent team mentality and shared set of values. Day in and day out, we are here to make a guest’s home away from home, and that means a clean, organized room, comfortable bed, and keeping everything functional.

Most of our temp associates have been with us for two to three years or longer. If the team shares the same mindset and values, it’s easy to get into a consistent rhythm of getting things right. If you show respect, motivate each team member, hold regular meetings and initiatives - and, most importunately - remember to say thank you, the team will continue to improve with time.

Of course, some things are out of our control. Our hotel began renovations in 2015 and, right now, 215 rooms are fully renovated, 105 are still partially renovated. While every guest wants a new room, it’s our responsibility to ensure the partially renovated rooms feel just as premium and contribute to the same overall hotel experience.

A lot of that just comes down to knowing each guest. Remembering preferences, anniversaries and birthdays – and reflecting that in how we prepare each room. Knowing the community, if a guest’s family has been coming for generations, making sure we’re reflecting that history and knowledge in how we prepare their room and engage more broadly.

Each hotel will encounter changes and unexpected challenges. As we manage through the renovation, I believe: 75% of a hotel experience is service, 25% is property quality. As long as we’re provide that service level from the driveway, to check-in, to room, to restaurant - everything else can be overcome.

Twanda Dawson, Director of Rooms at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, Atlanta 

The hotel industry is moving away from roomservice and toward F&B trends like grab-and-go, and based on early results, it’s a highly profitable change.

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Hoteliers who’ve recently downsized or altogether eliminated roomservice at their properties are seeing considerable labor cost savings from the shift, as well as robust profits when implementing grab-and-go dining options. Experts said all but the most luxurious hotels will likely make the move in the near future.

Roomservice revenue is on the decline—down 3.6% over a trailing 12 month period, according to June 2017 data from Hotel News Now’s parent company STR—while other segments of hotel F&B operations are experiencing modest growth—up 1.5% overall for the same period. Sources explained that in addition to less roomservice being offered, the decline reflects a broader trend of guests simply looking elsewhere, often for quicker, cheaper and more unique options.

“People are looking for something a little faster,” said Joseph Rael, director of financial performance, consulting & analytics at STR. “If you order roomservice, you’re waiting 30 to 40 minutes for your meal, whereas with grab-and-go, you can pick up on your way out and you’re good to go.”

Sensing the writing on the wall, a number of full-service hotels in recent years have cut back or eliminated roomservice completely. This includes the 2,000-room New York Hilton Midtown, which switched from roomservice to grab-and-go in 2013. Others seeking to still cover all the bases have modified and/or streamlined roomservice, offering alternatives like pared-down menus and takeout-style delivery in paper bags, rather than serving in-room meals with fine china and cloth napkins. Even in its infancy, the grab-and-go trend is proving especially profitable, both in cost savings and increased revenues.

“We really started three or four years ago putting a lot of effort into our grab-and-go spaces. If we have a coffee offering nearby, we combine those to make sure the spaces flow together, and we’ve seen huge returns,” said Chris Green, principal and COO of Chesapeake Hospitality. “I’ve got a full-service, 275-room hotel where over the past four years revenues have gone from 50/50 (between roomservice and grab-and-go sales), to now, where roomservice is about 10% of our grab-and-go sales. Our grab-and-go sales have quadrupled over the past four years.”

Bagged and delivered grab-and-go offerings such as Hampton’s On The Run Breakfast Bags are another growing F&B option. (Photo: Hilton)

It’s not just the added sales from grab-and-go that are boosting F&B profits; the reduction in labor resulting from a partial or complete roomservice reduction can have a huge impact as well. That’s particularly welcome among hoteliers, since limiting F&B labor costs is becoming increasingly difficult as minimum wages rise, especially in union hotels, where job-sharing is often banned. Non-union hotels might have some success cutting costs by doing things like having their call center take roomservice calls and utilizing restaurant staff for deliveries, but in the end, it may still be better to just let go.

“The best thing to do is eliminate roomservice altogether,” said Gary Isenberg, president of LWHA Asset & Property Management Services. “We’ll see that more and more with the full-service brands, especially in upscale and upper upscale. I think luxury will continue to have roomservice, and that’s where it belongs. Grab-and-go is much more profitable than roomservice, depending on how you structure your grab-and-go.”

Understandably, some operators are hesitant to completely cut the roomservice cord and are hedging their bets with both in-room and grab-and-go choices. But even in hotels that are still offering some level of roomservice, putting greater emphasis on alternatives like grab-and-go is having a positive effect on staffing, provided F&B operations are tailored for maximum effectiveness.

Grab-and-go “made us much more efficient on the labor side,” Green said. “We haven’t eliminated roomservice, because we still believe it’s an important touchpoint. What we’ve done, though, is kind of combine the menus across the grab-and-go and roomservice offerings, so there’s not duplication of efforts. If we’re producing items that go in the grab-and-go, those are the items you can generally get in the roomservice offering. You eliminate the need for extra prep, extra product and extra storage.”

Sources said there still is a time and place for roomservice, particularly during breakfast hours, when many guests continue to find convenience through in-room dining, as well as among guests on their first night at the property, especially after just flying into town. So for upper-upscale and luxury hotels that still want cater to this demand, smart menu engineering and labor streamlining could provide the answer rather than cutting roomservice completely.

“Menu engineering’s important. You can have 10 items on your menu, but only use three products,” Isenberg said. “Look at Chipotle: They have three items, but because of the different ingredients, it makes thousands of different choices. In your hotel, you can offer a fresh-carved turkey sandwich. You can also do a Cobb salad with turkey, and you can also do an open-faced sandwich. You can take one product and cover many different items. You only need to have two or three of those products, and it still looks like a robust menu.”

Both Green and Isenberg said that it’s likely the grab-and-go/minimized roomservice trend will morph into a hybrid concept, where fresh menu options sold in the hotel market pantry will be available for delivery to guestrooms. Mobile and online ordering can be integrated for even greater ease and marketing potential, such as on splash pages shown when guests sign in to the hotel’s Wi-Fi. It’s the kind of easy-order/rapid-delivery offering that’s made delivery services like GrubHub and UberEats rising staples for travelers, and hotels are now working to keep that revenue from being spent on those types of outside vendors.

“As an operator, (third-party delivery services) make me think, ‘Why aren’t we capturing a portion of this revenue? What do we need to do?’ That’s why we’ve started experimenting with some of that to-go-type service at our properties,” Green said. “I can see pantry delivery being the thing of the future, where people can pop up the menu and say, ‘Hey give me one of those Asian salads, a wrap and two bottles of water,’ and you bring it to them in a bag. It’s very easy, and similar to the experience they have if they order delivery. It has to be an alternative that makes sense, or you’re going to have a constant stream of delivery drivers in the lobby.”

 “Magis” is a term used to describe one of the Jesuit principles - the challenge to strive for excellence. It is a latin word which, roughly translated, means “more.” Magis inspires us to think a little broader, work a little harder, and accomplish the kinds of things we never dreamed possible.  Magis lives in how we make choices – always striving to make each choice better than the last.  It underlies everything we do at Chesapeake Hospitality, from our work ethic to the way we treat others.

Many of our team members in Texas, Florida and Georgia have been seriously impacted by recent hurricanes.  In hearing of their misfortune, the prevailing question throughout Chesapeake Hospitality was, “How can we help?” "What more can we do?" In an effort to assist those members of our hospitality family who have suffered significantly, we established a GoFundMe account.  The generosity witnessed throughout the company has been nothing short of inspiring. Team members across 30 properties have come together to give more, to do more and to be more for one another.

When a company unites, striving for excellence through compassionate generosity – that’s Magis.

It’s the single most common point of interaction in a hotel. The front desk is a property’s strongest first impression, as well as its last impression. Should an issue arise during a guest’s stay, the people behind the front desk could have the greatest impact on an individual’s perception of their overall experience.

 To Natacha Lyn, Director of Guest Services at DoubleTree by Hilton in Laurel MD, the fundamental values of great hospitality are still at the heart of what makes a strong front desk team.

 “Going above and beyond is foundational to our job – and each shift should exude greatness,” says Lyn. “No team member should think this only entails answering the phone and processing check-ins and check-outs. We want our guests to feel that they are more than welcomed at the door - every morning they see us they are greeted with a smile, always.”

 “If something goes wrong, it’s our responsibility to fix it. Every person on our team recognizes that reconciliation will very likely be the most important pivot point in a guest’s stay,” adds Lyn.

 Today, those fundamentals of great service are more important than ever before, amplified by the array of technologies available to help optimize guest engagement through the lifecycle of a stay. Put another way, today’s front desk needs to be a hub a wider experience that’s more sophisticated and interconnected than ever before.

 Where is a guest coming from? Why are they visiting? Have they been there before and, if so, what were their preferences? If not, how did they find the property and what does that tell us about them?

 Today’s interactions need to seamlessly integrate these data points. Not simply handing out room keys with a smile, but proactively laying a knowledgeable foundation that will help guests make the most of their stay. Recommendations on places to see, efficient routes to take, stores to get supplies they’ll need for a business trip - or ski vacation - seamlessly integrated to make the guest feel you’ve welcomed them dozens of times before.

 The fundamentals of great service remain as critical as they’ve ever been. As we look to the future, technology sets a higher bar. Excellence is no longer about responding to guests’ needs, but anticipating those needs as if you’ve known a guest for decades.

 As [Lyn] puts it, “With new technology, we have the opportunity to have more personal, relevant and meaningful engagement with our guests than ever before – for those of us who got in this industry for the love of great service, it’s an opportunity we’re truly embracing.”

Give Kids The World provides children with life-threatening illness the vacation of a lifetime!

Give Kids The World provides children with life-threatening illness the vacation of a lifetime! GKTW takes care of it all for these brave kids and their families – accommodations in beautiful villas, transportation, theme park tickets, meals and more. They relax, play, laugh and simply spend time together. And for a kid with a serious illness – that kind of happiness inspires hope.

On October 14, 2017, Chesapeake Hospitality is sponsoring a “Happiness Inspires Hope” Metric Century bike ride to raise money for Give Kids The World. We will bike 62 miles, stopping at 6 of our local hotel properties, spreading the word and raising funds.  Some of our properties will also participate by biking in their respective areas and recording their rides.

The race begins at 8am at Hotel Indigo, Baltimore -
24 W Franklin St, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Participants have the option of joining in at any of the other Chesapeake properties along the route (they will need to provide their own transportation:)

From Hotel Indigo to Hackerman-Patz House, Towson = 8.5 miles.
Hackerman-Patz House, Towson to Hackerman-Patz House, Gwynn Oak = 13.3 miles.
Hackerman-Patz House, Gwynn Oak to Holiday Inn, Columbia = 16.4 miles. 
Holiday Inn Columbia to DoubleTree, Laurel = 15.5 miles.
DoubleTree, Laurel to Holiday Inn, College Park = 8.6 miles.
Race finishes at the Holiday Inn, 10000 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740.

Our goal as a company is to raise $100,000 for Give Kids The World.  This is the equivalent of sending 20 families on their once-in-a-lifetime vacation.  This event will bring us closer to our goal!

If you’d like to join us on the ride register online.

If you’d like to help us meet our goal, visit our fundraising page.

Thank you in advance for helping us bring happiness to children and hope to families who need it most.

Apple, Google, Coca-Cola and McDonalds, these brands permeate the everyday experience of most Americans. There is a good chance you interact more with one of these icons than with your own parents. (you really should call more) 

In our society, these companies have achieved omnipresence – they are everywhere their current or potential customers are, and can be genuinely hard to ignore.

Yet omnipresence is no longer reserved for global leaders and multi-billion-dollar brands. In the hospitality industry, with search, social and more sophisticated traditional advertising, every property has the opportunity to create meaningful engagement with wide swaths of current and potential customers, day in and day out.

In digital, a property can begin building meaningful engagement almost in the same instant at which a customer begins considering travel – or staycation. By thinking of a property as part of a traveler’s core experience, we can work to be everywhere a traveler will seek information about that experience.

If a traveler is researching about a city’s historic districts or cultural activities, a property should be there - communicating to the potential customer about the best place to stay when experiencing those aspects of the city.

If someone in the city is researching weekend activities, the property should be there - communicating about special discounts for locals to experience a weekend by the bay, park, stadium or trendy up and coming neighborhood.

The same level of specificity can be applied to business travelers, wedding parties and students - to name a few.

More than just the first engagement - every step of the experience, from discovery to check out, should reflect the unique interests of each guest. Dynamic content on the website motivates conversions, check in and ongoing engagement throughout the stay helps guests make the most of their experience. Custom CRM tools keep customers engaged towards their next stay.

And the process is anything but static. With big data and analytics, we can continue to intelligently refine the most effective language, audiences and engagement tactics. 

Omnipresence. Achieving near universal visibility amongst your target audience. What once took decades and tens of millions in marketing, can now be achieved by any property with a genuinely compelling message that is more focused. 

And if you’re not doing it, the competition is.

Homesharing and traditional lodging may be heading toward an uneasy détente as sites like Airbnb, VRBO, FlipKey and HomeAway adopt hotel practices like reservation guarantees, fresh linens, privacy, and hosts who welcome them and then fade into the background.

In the best of both worlds, homesharing would coexist harmoniously with the older and more regulated hotel industry. For now, however, there’s friction, and it’s not just about expectations.

According to a recent New York Times article, while Airbnb and other homesharing sites are becoming more like hotels in addressing traveler demands but there are major issues with regards to standardization and compliance that have surfaced.

Airbnb, the $31 billion short-term rental business that launched homestays in 2008, ran head-on into traditional lodging last year when the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the lobbying arm of the $1.1-billion hotel industry, decided to fight it by legislating for what it called equitable regulations in key markets. That January, the AH&LA released a study claiming Airbnb business was driven by commercial operators of “illegal hotels,” short-term rental properties dedicated to homesharing.

Airbnb isn’t taking the AH&LA move lying down. In the April Airbnb Citizen, the company’s advocacy arm, it accused the hotel industry of attacking the middle class so it can maintain its profitability, also acting out of concern that hotels are losing ground with millennials.

Several key hotel executives recently told Skift they think Airbnb and its like should have to adhere to federal regulations (like the Americans with Disabilities Act) and pay taxes like hotel companies. In addition, as Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian told the travel media portal, homesharing can negatively affect housing markets, particularly in high-demand, expensive cities like San Francisco.

One thing homesharing isn’t is cookie-cutter. Another is it’s here to stay no matter how hard traditional lodging tries to beat it back. Homesharing and hotels provide different kinds of travel experience. May both change from combative to complementary.

1. Ask any child who visits Give Kids The World their favorite feature of the Village and they will undoubtedly say, "The Ice Cream Palace!"  At the Palace, Wish kids and their families are treated to ice cream any time of day - even for breakfast!  In fact, families are encouraged to have ice cream for breakfast at least once during their week-long visit.  On March 7th of this year, to celebrate Give Kids The World founder Henri Landwirth's 90th birthday, plans were unveiled for a galactic make over for the Ice Cream Palace.  It will be called "Henri's Starlite Scoops" as a nod to one of the first hotels Henri managed, The Starlite Motel in Cocoa Beach, FL.                                                                 

To ensure that families are able to participate in “Ice Cream for Breakfast” at the Village, Chesapeake Hospitality holds "Scoops of Hope" fundraisers.  In June, The Georgian Terrace held their ice cream social spreading awareness, joy and hope while raising funds for Give Kids The World.

This month, The Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore will also hold an ice cream social for Give Kids The World.  If you’re in the Tampa area on July 26^th, be sure to stop by our beautiful Crowne Plaza to enjoy ice cream and participate in a worthwhile cause.  Fundraising never tasted so good!

Karen Nicholson first heard of Give Kids The World Village through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Her son, Nathaniel, had been diagnosed with leukemia at 2 1/2 years old and was granted a Wish: to go to Disney World.  Give Kids The World Village was to be their home for the week while they traveled to and from the Orlando theme parks.  I caught up with Karen recently and asked her to briefly share her experience from their trip in April 2016.

Each family stays in their own private villa while at Give Kids The World. What did you like about your villa?

Karen: "Everything!! The cleanliness, the location, the surroundings, the quiet, the décor, the upkeep (it was immaculate!)"

The Village itself has many activities for children. What was Nathaniel's favorite part about the Village?

Karen: "Between the Ice Cream Palace, Amberville and the spectacular pool, those were his top three places!!"

Describe a typical day at the Village.

Karen: "Waking up to hear the coffee and donut cart at your door then a few minutes later to be whisked to the restaurant for a delicious meal. Then you decide what your day holds in store…to stay at the resort and enjoy the various activities, or go to an amusement park. There was so much to choose from with tough decisions to be made since you didn’t want to miss out on anything. That was the beauty of Give Kids The World. There was never a lack of activities. Always guaranteed a good day with whatever plans you made that included GKTW. Food was excellent and surprises were aplenty! Once the day was complete, that reliable cart would transport you back to your beautiful villa where, once again, GKTW had left a token for the children. It was totally magical."

Karen added:

"Give Kids The World was phenomenal. They highly exceeded any expectations that we had. My regret is a personal one – we pushed our son to go to the various amusement parks which were NOT to his liking. He was more than content to stay at the GKTW resort and enjoy the low key activities, since over-stimulation is too much for him. We have absolutely wonderful memories of Give Kids The World and wish that we had let him call the shots more and not be so eager to experience the parks. Give Kids The World Village is a Make-a-Wish in itself . . . Give Kids The World is a magical, wonderful, once in a lifetime experience that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to explore. My family and I really hope to travel back sometime and volunteer there – to see the looks on other people’s faces as they experience joy – and to give back."

On May 1st, the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront hosted their 4th Annual Give Kids The World Charity Golf Tournament. Proceeds from this fundraiser enable children with life-threatening illnesses to enjoy a cost-free vacation at Give Kids The World Village with their families.  Year after year, the DoubleTree successfully achieves their fundraising goal at this event.  Their secret: generosity.

Generosity at Chesapeake Hospitality is more than the sum of the parts; it builds on each individual act.  The DoubleTree's golf tournament this year was the perfect example of this exponential generosity.

Fifteen volunteers devoted the day to ensure that the tournament ran smoothly and that the golfers were well taken care of.  But it was more than that; these volunteers in turn brought joy to a family that has known only hospitals.

Twenty-six individuals or companies generously sponsored either a hole, a foursome, food, drinks or prizes.  In doing so they also relieved a child's suffering, gave hope to the hopeless and turned a family's sadness into joy.

Eighty-five golfers took time off from work to play golf for children they do not know and will probably never meet.  In turn, these golfers brought families together for a week of relaxation and fun.

Each individual who supported this tournament through volunteering, sponsorship or golfing directly played a part in bringing joy to families in need. Generosity is more than just a golf fundraiser, it's who we are at Chesapeake Hospitality.  

To view more photos from our day, watch this video.

"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out." ~Frank A Clark  

The three million global vacation rental listings that Airbnb has under its belt means the hotel industry is going to go through dramatic changes, says W. Chris Green. However, it doesn’t mean that homestay titans like Airbnb, VRBO or FlipKey can offer what hotels do best, says the Chesapeake Hospitality COO.

For instance, homestay arrangements don’t cover refunds as hotels do, nor is there any guarantee that what prospective renters see on a homestay website is what they’ll get when they arrive at their temporary home.

Still, Airbnb and similar sites have become “the Uber of hotels,” Green says, suggesting that their transient, virtual business model is on the rise. However, the bricks-and-mortar of traditional hotels will continue to survive and perhaps even thrive.

Citing a 40 percent increase in consumer spending on hospitality in the past five years, Green suggests that that dramatic growth is at least a partial explanation for what Consumer Reports describes as a $100 billion homestay economy.

Homestays are “changing the dynamic, giving another option of places to stay,” he says. “You’re going to see it, whatever they’re going to call it, for boats too, where you just take a boat out for a day or two. Everything’s going to change, and we’re going to have to adapt with it. Maybe I’m a little bit old-fashioned in this, but I think, you can’t replicate bringing a hundred people to a Hilton or having a meeting room and a banquet set up. You can’t do that in Airbnb.”

Chesapeake hasn’t felt much impact from the homestay business, says Green, noting the company “operates in either the convention and business travel side of the hotel business.” Some of the independent and branded properties Chesapeake manages are more leisure oriented, but even those have wedding or reception facilities and many have very favorable locations with great amenities such as pools and or water views.

Green concedes that you can have a more “authentic” experience in a homestay, a room or apartment directly rented from the owner, than in a hotel, particularly a branded one. A friend of his used Airbnb to rent an apartment in Charleston, SC., paying more than he would have at a hotel for extra room and a downtown experience. Such transactions have essentially become “another part of the hotel business, a part that’s always existed in different forms,” he says.

Rick Steves, a well-known consumer travel writer, says vacation rentals are ideal for families, particularly for stays longer than four days. But shorter stays may not be worth the potential hassles involved in arranging key pickup, familiarizing oneself with the residence and having to depend on one’s own resources.

A flat economy may be just the context in which to leverage a property’s appeal, applying sound management principles to the maximum.

Barring catastrophic, surprise events like 9/11 or the deep recession of 10 years ago, there’s no bad time to acquire, let alone run, a hotel. Even when the hospitality economy is flattening, as it is now, doing either, or both, may not be a bad thing. In fact, a flat economy may be just the context in which to leverage a property’s appeal, applying sound management principles to the maximum.

As Deloitte US notes, the global economy is in flux and there’s geopolitical turmoil worldwide, making travel unsettling. Despite that, consumer spending on travel is rising and the labor market continues to improve. That’s the good news.

But Deloitte also warns: “The recent recession was a harsh reminder that consumers will be quick to cut travel from their budgets at the mere hint of a financial downturn.”

This year, for the first time in years, supply effectively outpaced demand, meaning that marketing is ever more critical to healthy rates. That doesn’t mean consumers aren’t spending, however. In fact, says Chesapeake Hospitality Principal and COO W. Chris Green, where consumer spending rose by 3 to 5 percent in other areas, it jumped 40 percent in hospitality over the past seven years – including years in which a hotel economy recovering from the recession went on a building spree.

Most industry forecasts expect Rev PAR to rise by 2 percent (down from a peak of 8 percent in recent years) this year, with demand lagging at 1.7 percent. That mix is expected to lead to a fractional drop in occupancy, which has been at record levels for years.

So that boom is indeed over, suggesting it’s time to hunker down and take full advantage of the marketplace. There are opportunities to do so. The key is identifying them and then leveraging them.

When supply outstrips demand, says Chesapeake Hospitality’s Green, “it always flattens out the future growth of the business for a while, until demand crosses back over the supply line. That means during that period you’re going to have additional challenges, additional headwinds to your operation, which are the new supply in the marketplaces.”

The trick is to keep a sharp, analytical eye on what your property is doing right in terms of growing its market – and to fix areas in which it’s lagging. This is the time for hoteliers to look at hotels where people may have experienced growth and success over the past several years but haven’t really taken full advantage of that because, obviously, with a rising tide all boats go up.

Take full advantage of the marketplace. It may be flattening, but not for lack of opportunity. Chesapeake can help you identify where such chances are worth taking even though the hotel economy has cooled.

On our last Super Staff conference call, Chris Green spoke of our responsibility as leaders within the company.  He said, “It’s NOT about YOU.”  Rather, our success should be determined by our employees’ accomplishments. This reminded me of a quote that resonates with me:

"Your gifts are not about you.   Leadership is not about you.  Your purpose is not about you.  A life of significance is about serving those who need your gifts, your leadership, your purpose."

By using our gifts, our leadership and our purpose to serve others, we will truly know success – both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

I am proud to work in a company that places a great deal of value on serving others.  Chesapeake employees are granted 5 days of Service in which they are encouraged to volunteer their time serving others. When given this news, I knew right away exactly where I would spend my five days; I booked a trip to the village of Desdunes, Haiti.

I love spending time in Haiti with people who are among the poorest in the western hemisphere yet the richest in grace and love.  Each time I visit I am reminded of several things: 1) running water is a luxury that I take for granted but should not, 2) spaghetti for breakfast is a fantastic idea, 3) our similarities outweigh our differences, and 4) I learn much more from those with less.

My volunteering experience is not unusual in this company. Across the board, Chesapeake employees are making time in their busy schedules to serve others. On New Years Eve, Meagan Combs got together with family and created bagged lunches for the homeless.  They drove around town and delivered these lunches along with toiletry bags to the homeless they met on the streets.  Any left over bags were then brought to the Elizabeth House in Laurel, MD.  Meagan and her cousin found this so rewarding that they intend to make it a tradition every New Year's Eve.

Lou Schaab and Chris Green are committed to using their gifts to serve those with special needs.  Lou Schaab and his wife Melissa run the Special Hockey Washington Ice Dogs program.  Part of their mission statement reads: "In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability." Lou's program allows the players to skate every Saturday from October through April, providing them the opportunity to build their self esteem and confidence both on and off the ice.

Chris Green spent a week this past summer at Camp Barnabus, in Purdy, MO. Camp Barnabas is a camp dedicated to providing summer camp experiences to people with special needs, physical or intellectual challenges. Campers enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, campfires, s'mores and more. Chris' dedication is evident, "My role was to be a 'cabin dad' in support of all the campers and counselors in our room. Not a lot of sleep occurred that week but the opportunity to unselfishly serve others more than made up for it. I am heading back this summer for another week of serving and just can’t wait!" 

We will continue serving others knowing that we're not doing so for ourselves; we serve because it's what we are called to do. The warm feeling of fulfillment we receive from serving others? That's just a welcome bonus.

By: Chris Green

Virtually everyone has been riding a wave of prosperity and rising numbers over the last few years. But now, with the revenue per available room growth curve flattening out and leaner times ahead, savvy hoteliers understand that it isn’t enough to simply go along for the ride.

Looking ahead, it is incumbent upon proactive hotel owners and operators to assess their approach; is your marketing and sales team making the most of their opportunities? Specifically, at a time when powerful, new technologies, the explosive growth of social media platforms and the evolution of new communication modalities are changing the way we communicate with and market to core audiences and professional partners.

Prudent hoteliers will weigh the importance of leveraging the effective use of technology while simultaneously strengthening personal communication and nurturing client relationships.

Teching in
A great deal has been written about the affinity for technology among millennials, as well as members of Generation X and Generation Y. A large (and growing) segment of the population today communicates more effectively and stays connected largely through texting, email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.

As efficient as these tools are, there is an inherent and unavoidable level of impersonal disconnection that creeps in—even as we may feel more connected than ever. At least one study has suggested that as much as 93% of communication is based on nonverbal body language. Can you afford to ignore this fact when trying to develop long-term business relationships?

From a sales and marketing standpoint, there is a similar conflict at work. Even as we are “in touch” with our customers more often, we are in some ways more disconnected from them. At the same time, the growing focus on e-commerce and digital communications has eroded some of the “old-school” focus on leveraging data, tracking down opportunities and engaging in the kind of face-to-face and highly personalized engagement that can yield significant and sustainable lines of business.

In some ways, we have lost (or at least temporarily misplaced) the important art of effectively selling our hotels. We must strive to find ways to connect personally to establish strong and binding relationships with our clients.

It takes a great deal of focused effort and engagement to work closely not just with travel agencies, but with individual agents, cultivating and maintaining those all-important personal relationships. Doing your homework, tracking down information and making personal connections that literally and figuratively pay off, all takes time and resources.

Get personal
The very definition of hospitality—“to create a warm and sincere welcome”—can be potentially compromised by an over-reliance on technology. An email or a text may be convenient, but is it warm? Can it evoke the same sense of connection that a big smile and a one-on-one conversation can convey so effortlessly?

New technology and communications tools are very efficient for transactional business, but there are very real limitations with respect to relying exclusively on these tools in a marketing and sales context.

Complementing technology with engagement is absolutely essential. Make it a point to get out to see your major clients and connect with agents and brokers—not just at sales meetings, but through regular personal touches.

Customized, not digitized
A detailed digital sales strategy is an important piece of the sales and marketing puzzle for any hotel. However, we cannot become so enamored with the convenience of digital communication and the power of e-commerce that we neglect valuable and lucrative sources of business generated through more traditional engagement.

The trick is to use technology and market intelligence strategically: not as a standalone strategy, but as a complementary piece that helps you enhance business relationships. Utilizing advanced BI Tools like Demand 360 and Agency 360 from TravelClick, or the Knowland suite of services, can help you identify key bookers. Direct sales calls on those agencies that don’t typically see sales people is not only a way to tap into new business, but also a way to forge valuable connections.

Stay vigilant
Communication methods may change, but the importance of establishing a personal connection remains constant. Different generations may have disparate preferences and comfort levels in regards to their favored communication platforms; it is up to us as hotel professionals to understand, adapt and respond accordingly.

We must constantly strive to find ways to stay connected with our guests and clients through face-to-face and voice-to-voice communications. We must take full advantage of powerful new digital communications tools, while striving to make electronic communication more personal and sincere.

In the years ahead, hospitality professionals who can strike the right balance and effectively use personal engagement to foster relationship-building will find themselves well positioned to compete in an ever-changing marketplace.

A trip to Give Kids the World Village reinforces our commitment to caring for families in need.

My daughter Sophia and I recently had the privilege of visiting Give Kids the World Village to experience a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into providing each family their wish vacation. Having been recipients of a similar vacation when Sophia was in treatment for leukemia, we had a pretty good understanding of how grateful the families would be but we were curious to see how it all came together.

We were met by Karen Cook, Sr Director, Corporate Advancement, who gave us a tour of the corporate offices and then a tour of the entire village. Throughout the tour we were struck by how warm and friendly everyone was – from volunteers to GKTW employees. They all seemed so excited about what they were doing! As the tour progressed, it became evident - everyone's excitement stemmed from the joy they were bringing to so many families.

Upon arriving at the Village, families are given passes to Walt Disney World parks, Universal Studios and Sea World. Since our visit was in the middle of the day,  we did not see many families as they were most likely at the parks. Those we did encounter however, all looked calm and happy – not an easy feat for those undergoing treatment. We saw a toddler excitedly playing with a beach ball, his mother watching happily from the pool with his sibling. We witnessed a little boy walking from a ride with his father. The boy was wearing a face mask indicating that he was immunocompromised. Sophia gave him a knowing smile, remembering the need to wear a mask out in public during treatment. How nice it was to be in a place where that’s normal, where everyone gets it!

We also encountered an alumnae family enjoying a late lunch together. We learned that once a wish family receives a vacation at the Village, they are able to come back for a day visit in the future. Many families come back as volunteers, grateful for their experience and eager to do the same
 for others.

After our tour we sat down with Karen and members of the marketing team to discuss ways in which Chesapeake Hospitality could assist with fundraising. The biggest take-away from the meeting is that GKTW is extremely grateful for our support and eager to help us reach our fundraising goals offering whatever assistance we need along the way. We have a pretty lofty goal this year, but I am confident we can reach it!  

"Life is beautiful. It's about giving. It's about family."  Walt Disney

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At Chesapeake Hospitality, service is what we do best.  Our desire at each one of our properties is to have every guest feel cared for when they stay with us.  In addition to serving the guests within our hotels, we are committed to reaching out to those in the greater community as well.  Chesapeake Hospitality is honored to work with Give Kids the World Village to assist in offering vacations to families of children with life threatening illness.  Our fundraising efforts provide these wish families with an expense-paid, week-long vacation at the Village including daily trips to local Orlando theme parks. 

Our properties also support local charities with additional fundraising events which help strengthen the bond between our employees and the community in which they serve.  We welcome any opportunity to come together as a group in service to others.

The Chesapeake Gives Back blog will highlight our fundraising efforts as well as provide stories of hope, success and happiness.  Our goal is to inspire you to work together in your community to make a difference in the quality of life for those in need.