Hotel Operations

📦 Hotels and resorts face supply chain unpredictability, impacting operations and profitability. Building a resilient supply chain is vital for transforming procurement into a strategic advantage. Key strategies include supplier mapping, identifying risk areas, and creating contingency plans. Essential elements of backup plans involve pre-approved substitutes, tiered supplier lists, contract flexibility, enhanced inventory strategies, and crisis communication plans. Communication with procurement partners is crucial for both short-term and long-term planning, ensuring smooth operations and exceptional guest experiences.

🏨 Alec Dalton received the 2025 Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting at the ISHC conference in New Orleans on November 4-6. This accolade includes a one-year ISHC associate membership. Dalton leads Accelerating Leaders, provides consulting across various sectors, and teaches at Boston University and Florida International University. His achievements include being named among the 100 Most Inspirational People in Global Hospitality & Travel and co-authoring best-selling books on customer experience.

🏨 Ryan Magnon, COO of Ithaka Hospitality Partners, reflects on his time as a bat boy for the Atlanta Braves, highlighting how it taught him essential hospitality and time management skills. This experience emphasized anticipating needs and personal excellence, which continue to influence his leadership. These insights are crucial for anyone in hospitality. Music for the episode is by Clay Bassford from Bespoke Sound.

🏨 Key partnerships in hotel projects include lenders for financing, branding agencies for storytelling, interior designers for aesthetics, and general contractors for cost and timeline management. Lessons learned from the first hotel project highlighted the importance of multiple lender relationships and not skipping branding agencies. Effective partnerships turn visions into reality, ensuring projects are not just completed but are also successful and admirable. Mistakes made initially were avoided in subsequent projects, emphasizing strategic collaboration.

📍 A Disney cruise moment highlights guest-centric culture: a server brought chicken tenders and fries to a picky four-year-old from the ship to Disney's private island. Guest-centric hospitality prioritizes transformations over transactions, emphasizing empathy and personalized service. Authenticity and individual initiative over rigid scripts drive genuine interactions. Consistency, empathy, and mentorship foster a supportive culture. Training should be engaging and retention-focused. Technology supports human connection, not replaces it. Culture is built through daily, compassionate actions that create memorable moments.

💪 In Las Vegas, the 35th annual Housekeeping Olympics took place on Monday, celebrating guest room attendants and environmental services workers. This event is part of the ISSA Show North America, the largest event for cleaning and facility solutions industries, which attracts over 12,000 professionals annually. The upcoming ISSA Show is set for November 16-19, 2026, at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas.

📨 2025: In the hospitality sector, traditional pre-arrival emails often fail to capture attention due to generic content and predictable timing. To stand out, businesses should use emotional, story-based subject lines, adopt a multi-channel communication approach (including SMS, WhatsApp), and tailor messages to specific guest types. Incorporating visuals like videos and GIFs can enhance engagement. These strategies help break through inbox clutter and improve guest experience, as suggested by Bookboost, a Hospitality Engagement Platform.

🏨 Housekeeping productivity is redefined by prioritizing quality over speed. Cleaning 14 flawless rooms with no complaints is better than 18 rushed rooms. Key areas for profit: Housekeeping, Front Office, and F&B, focusing on metrics like Guest Satisfaction Scores (GSS), $ Upsell Revenue, and Revenue per Guest. Shift from cost-cutting to productivity-driven strategies, emphasizing tech investment, process optimization, and employee empowerment for sustainable profitability and brand loyalty. Implement changes by asking, "How can we do this better?

🏠 On a family trip to Dubai, the standout experience was the exceptional service by housekeeper Musa. Each day offered delightful surprises: towel animals like a crocodile and monkey, a swan with rose petals, a branded bookmark for a child, and extra Nespresso capsules. These thoughtful gestures made the family feel valued and highlighted the importance of personal touches in hospitality, elevating the standard of 5-star service.

💰 Hotels must manage cashflow by balancing direct bookings and OTAs, automating payments, and diversifying revenue streams. By 2030, direct bookings could surpass OTAs with $400 billion in revenue. Challenges include VCC delays and seasonality, while strategies like maintaining a cash reserve and optimizing costs enhance liquidity. Cashless payments support financial flexibility, crucial amid economic uncertainty.