May 2013 - American Hotel Blog

Live Green to Wake Up to A Better Tomorrow

May 30, 2013

go green hotel energy efficiency

We have already written about steps that the hospitality industry is taking to provide greener facilities: Green Lighting for the Hospitality Industry and more recently, Green at Heart: One Brand’s Commitment to the Environment. In this post, we will get more into the details and find out why this is such an appealing, important, and critical move to make.

Before embarking on a quest to renovate your hospitality facility into an environmentally responsible one, or develop an environmental management system, it is necessary to understand some of the motivators in embracing the environment.

Providing a green hospitality facility not only saves you money, it helps preserve the environment and attract more visitors. Additionally, the EPA lists the following benefits of going green: hospitality facilities can reduce costs, achieve environmental results, gain recognition, win new business, and be more attractive to employees.

Although the majority of hotels built today take advantage of conventional design and operation methods common to North America, many of those hospitality facilities are beginning to take advantage of environmental trends in the industry as well.

Unfortunately, many environmental endeavors often do not extend beyond this gesture and only a small number of hospitality facilities have been specifically designed to be environmentally efficient.

Currently, any visit to most hotel rooms will turn up a notice asking the guest to reduce laundry pollutants by identifying the towels used each day, or reduce overall use of certain products that do not necessarily need to be changed daily (if you need these helpful items, just visit our site). But for many hotels, this is usually the extent of their efforts.

It should be acknowledged that hotel guests are usually happy to assist hotels in their green efforts. In fact, guests find this to be incredibly appealing in influencing where they choose to stay. This recent study cites three categories that matter most to consumers: water, energy, and waste reduction.

By taking measures to cut down on all three, you’re not only saving money and helping the environment, you’re attracting more customers. What steps can you take? Consider the following ideas:

Use Energy Star appliances
Use filtered water
Provide recycling bins for employees and guests
Provide toilets that are dual-flush
Consider showers that are low-flow
Provide shampoo and conditioner in bulk dispensers
Clean your pool with saline salt solution instead of eye-burning chlorine
Install green lighting throughout the facility
Encourage guests to turn out the lights when they leave their room
Turn off air conditioning units when not in use, and be sure to turn them on so the room is comfortable before guests arrive
Encourage guests to reuse towels

You don’t have to go all in when just starting out, but small steps will have a big impact. What are you doing to go green?

Why “Ready to Use” Really Means “Ready to Save”

May 24, 2013

ready to use linens

Would you like to save more?

Whether it’s time, cost, or resources, the one thing we all want to do is to save more. Any opportunity where we can save without compromising is seized upon, and businesses across the globe are responding to their customers by offering them more ways to save.

The hospitality market is no different, and as travelers become more attentive in finding ways to save, so to have hotels.

A large expense for any hotel is linens. The combined cost of just sheets and towels, for example, can become a large portion of a guest room’s budget, and it certainly pays to look for savings in these categories whenever possible.

“Ready to Use” has become a leading cost-saving initiative for many hotels. Simply put, these are sheets and towels which can go directly from the box they arrive in to the bed or bath without having to go through an initial laundering. So how does a hotel save by using these types of linens? Ask yourself these questions:

How much time do housekeepers spend washing every sheet and towel that they unpack over the course of a year?
How much water, detergent, and electricity is used in laundering a fresh set of sheets or towels each time, and over the course of a year?

The average cost to wash a pound of laundry can range from $0.30 to $0.35 cents (which does not include the cost of labor or other costs such as keeping the lights on in the laundering facility, etc.).

Just by avoiding the initial laundering of a dozen “Ready to Use,” 17-lb. towels, you can save nearly $6.00! Now multiply that across all of the sheets and towels that you unpack and launder in a year and the savings quicky grow.

“Ready to Use” sheets and towels can save you a great deal of money, and they’re eco-friendly, too, saving resources that would otherwise be consumed in an initial laundering.

Be sure to check out our wide selection of Ready to Use Towels or Ready to Use Sheets, and get ready to save more!

Get connected: why every hotel should be using social media

May 13, 2013

Last March, we reminded you that, “…with the heightened popularity of social media and hotel review websites, people are talking, leaving reviews, and influencing potential guests. People talk, so give them something to talk about: your incredible service.”

Clearly then, social media has its impact. But how else can you harness the power of social media and why should you? That is what we will be exploring in this post.

Hospitality venues need to understand consumers’ attitudes toward social media, and find ways to access and use the bank of information available on social media sites. Too often, many people – whether those in the hospitality industry or not – may not understand the full value of having an active, engaging social media presence, while those who do know prosper.

However, simply having an online social presence is never enough. The goal is to actively engage with fans and followers in fun ways. Develop real, genuine, and long-lasting relationships with them.

For example, Facebook holds an immense amount of potential for hotels because guests can not just share ideas and ask questions on the page, they must “check-in” to the hotel – not literally, however. Whoever checks-in to your hotel on Facebook will be voluntarily telling their friends and family where they have decided to book their reservations – with you.

But as mentioned, guests have the opportunity to spend time on your page and the more they are being engaged, the more time they are spending on your page seeing your name.

Use this opportunity to remain transparent so that complaints and concerns are addressed promptly and efficiently. Most people are aware that all places can have problems or make mistakes, but they want to know how well you find solutions. Social media proves it to potential guests.

Also, remember that people regularly look into the surrounding area when choosing a hotel. From nearby restaurants to upcoming events, guests look for places to go and things to do.

Use your page to showcase events, travel adventures, opportunities, and just about anything else going on in the area. Work with area companies, restaurants, etc., to offer guests discounts.

Additionally, social media can help you reward loyal customers, fans, and followers. For example, some hospitality services offer special rates for those that ‘like’ them on Facebook. You can also create engagement on social networks by giving out special rewards, such as discounts or prizes, to your most active users. Encourage past guests to write reviews about your venue on sites such as Yelp and Foursquare. Keep track of who your most engaged social media connections are and reward them. When others see how your business values loyalty and engagement, there is a good chance new people will choose to interact with your hotel more.

This post only explores the tip of the social media iceberg. Opportunities for those in the hospitality industry are vast and much of it is still unexplored territory. How will you use social media to boost your business?

Hospitality mistakes: learning from the failures of others

May 2, 2013

common hotel front desk mistakes

Some service mistakes by front desk staff are universal. Some are unavoidable. Some are amusing. But they can all have disastrous effects.

While it’s always important to look back on our own mistakes and make corrections for the future, it also helps to look at others’ mistakes and learn from them.

In this post, we will look at some common hospitality mistakes so you can make sure your future isn’t condemned to repeat someone else’s history. Some of these are general mistakes, others are much more specific, but they are all equally important to consider.

Mistake #1: Failure to give adequate praise, thanks, recognition, or appreciation to the team

Your hospitality team consists of many individuals with many assigned tasks who are the face of your venue. Keeping them happy means keeping guests happy. Remember, a person can build a team, but he cannot buy one. Plan surprises for your staff, have a bonus system in place, and give constant thanks and praise.

Another mistake under this umbrella is: “Failure to provide the team with goals, personal accountability, performance evaluations, and feedback.”

Provide annual performance evaluations. Have regular and productive staff meetings, involve the team in the goal-setting process, and consider hiring someone to help you do this. Reward great performance and watch great performance repeat.

Mistake #2: Not hiring the “right” people and keeping the “wrong” people instead

Create an environment that fosters and promotes personal and professional development. Identify a list of characteristics and traits you want to see in your personnel and seek those out during the hiring process. To avoid having employees who do not fit into your culture, avoid desperate hiring and learn to recognize negative personality traits that may affect other staff members and guests. Also, consider testing (IQ and/or personality) during the hiring process.

Mistake #3: Failure to establish an organized and effective marketing plan

Having a marketing committee that meets regularly to discuss, plan, and implement marketing strategies is imperative. Go to meetings, ask others so you learn more, and consider hiring marketing consultants to help you. This is common knowledge to a lot of people out there, but others try to get by with little or no marketing. Little or no marketing almost always leads to little or no business.

Mistake #4: A poor or negative attitude exhibited by anyone – especially a manager

Most of us know that a big ego and arrogance do nothing for anyone except turn others away. Set a good example and create an environment where employees feel able to admit their weaknesses and mistakes to you and the team. Doing this not only nurtures a better working environment for employees internally, but externally they will work and deal much more effectively with customers.

Mistake #5: Failure to use the guest’s name

As people, we like to be treated as people. Sounds simple, easy, and obvious, right? But failure to use a person’s name – a respectful acknowledgement of who they are – can make guests feel like objects and not appreciated.

Mistake #6: Failure to acknowledge a waiting guest

The idea from mistake #5 is similar here: As people, we like to be treated as people. Most of us have stood unacknowledged in a line or at a desk and have despised that feeling – so why would we do that to others? Even if your staff is busy, train them to acknowledge waiting guests.