AXIS Hospitality International

A Hotel is a Place.....

.......WHERE HOSPITALITY LEADERS NEED TO HAVE THESE FANTASTIC ATTRIBUTES.

What do the best Hospitality Leaders in the world have that sets them apart from the rest? What traits are important and what sets them apart from the rest of us who struggle through our careers scratching our heads as these 'bright lights' dazzle us with the simplicity of their style and the economy of movement in their success.

To answer this question, I listed the top ten leaders to whom I have been exposed in my career and described the most remarkable trait or attribute of each one. These qualities are probably not to be found in the Human Resources manual but most HR Executives that I know will identify with these traits and characteristics.

"Fun to be around".  Here is a man who has sown his seeds of experience in this industry on at least three Continents. He is fun to be with either in work or in play and whose sense of humour is infectious whether you are a client, an employee or a peer. The contamination of his humour and sense of fun effects all around him who become one in their pursuit of developing an entertaining environment. Even when things have not gone right and there is good reason for a change in mood, this good friend remains solid to his character and the pursuit of a better process is followed. This character attracts enormous loyalty from all sides.

"Yes, I can" My second candidate for mention in this column is also a 'party animal' but is remarkable for his ability to assume full responsibility for anything that can be thrown his way but is never seen to actually do anything himself. His secret is to ensure he has great people around him, most of whom have skated to where the puck is going to go and ready for his pass.

"Ambassadorial Role Model" As the host to the world and innkeeper to the masses, all of whom seem to have an ego, my third successful executive looks and sounds the part. Immaculately dressed at all times and sounding royal even when in private conversation with his wife or his pet, this leader epitomises the image of an ideal host. Small wonder that his employees style their behavious after their leader and the result is a palatial experience regardless of the surroundings.

"Delegate with Authority" Charged with the task of developing a global hotel brand from nothing, our next candidate for hospitality 'sainthood' used the power of passing the buck to create the most creative and lively hotel & resort products in the world. This he did by taking off the shackles of standardisation and living the life of a 'rockstar with taste' to ensure that his creative teams around the world built the product for which he was responsible. Small wonder that he was known by his first name only.

"Party Animal First Class" Also charged with the task of developing a global brand from nothing, my next candidate's claim to fame was cemented into the fabric of this upstart company through the style and creativity of the parties that were thrown and on which his enormous reputation was built. Emanating from this elegant debauchery was a creativity and attention to detail that soared over the competition and drove this company to levels that not even they could imagine.

"Quality Maniac" Perhaps the only person referred to by the 5 Star Community as the only 6 Star Operator, our leader was a stickler for Quality in every aspect of both work and play. As a successor to one of those described above, this 'stickler for quality' quality rubbed off on all that he met and many that he did not.....through those that he did.

"Hospitality is Entertainment" Driven by an inordinate level of creativity on which his company was founded, this leader has started the process of reinventing hospitality. Or, said a different way, reconnected Hospitality with Entertainment where it was originally born. Simply by challenging every status quo drives the troops to reinvent this mornings best idea into this evening's theme.

"Off the Wall Enthusiasm" Ideas that test the resolve of even the most creative employees has taken this executive to immense success wherever he has been. The stupidest off-the-wall ideas challenge his peers to develop more practical alternatives to this mile-a-minute ideas machine.

"Realist" My first employer spent the two full hours of my first interview telling me the worst things about working in this industry including long hours, low pay, working while others play and other very temporary irritations. The result was a challenge with which I was fully prepared and ready to address.

"Bar-Fly Extraordinaire" Long before MBWA was deemed to be effective, this Luxury Hotel operator was the first and last customer in his own hotel bar where he personally knew every patron and from where he built the heart of his hotel's patronage. Losing a fortune on his arrival in this great European Capital, this hotel's value was rebuilt from the bar outwards on the strength of this great Irishman's liver. Also one of the best standup comedians I have ever known!

"Back to Basics" Famous for the financial turnaround of countless upscale hotel restaurants and bars, my next extraordinary leader simply 'makes silk purses out of sow's ears'. As the second non-hotelier on this list, this creator and his team puts his finger on our self-made problems with great humility and extraordinary accuracy and then shows us the way home to the basics. Now basics have also never been this much fun!

For contributions to this inventory of the great and desirable traits in our leaders, contact [email protected]

GLOBAL HOSPITALITY DIALOGUE

A CASE FOR THE FORMATION OF GLOBAL HOSPITALITY COUNCILS

Most of us attend industry conferences in various parts of the world and experience efforts by leaders to debate the global issues. Hardly any are truly global and, due to time constraints debate is minimal and since the conferences are usually annual, there is little continuity to the dialogue.

As the CEO of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association in 2005 and 2006, I saw the acute need for ongoing and continuous dialogue between specialists in the industry on the issues of the day. As the official voice of the industry at the IH&RA, this gave me the opportunity to 'dip my tongue in the brain' of the membership before formulating a position. While with the IH&RA,  several global councils were formed with over 100 senior specialists from around the world.

While most were senior specialists from the major brands/chains with global responsibility, others were specialists or representatives from smaller companies or national associations. Where necessary, confidentiality agreements were put in place or an anti-trust lawyer participated to ensure no boundaries were crossed.

As a reference point, the specialists were from the following areas and in some, separate councils were formed,

1. E-Marketing (Trademark Protection, Best Practices & SEO).
2. Human Resources  (Labour shortage/mobility, Management diversity, Education)
3. Food & Beverage  (Safety, Labelling, Alcoholism, Trade Barriers)
4. Security  (Terrorism, Natural disasters, Pandemics)
5. Corporate Social Responsibility  (Sustainability, Sexual Tourism, AIDS)
6. Legal & Finance  (Standards & Classification, Copyright ,Collection Agencies)

The experience to chair these one hour teleconferences for each Council was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career as we gradually drilled down into the guts of every issue and then shared relevant documentation on an interactive website protected by password.

Here are the general rules of engagement,

1. Management. Chairman appointed for each region. Deputy in case of absence.
2. Numbers. 8-10 persons participating.
3. Method. Teleconferences only (Video accepted).
4. Frequency. Every 2-3 months or as required. Council disbanded when issues resolved.
5. Length of Debate. Maximum 60 minutes.
6. Content. Agenda 7 days in advance.
7. Records. Minutes within 7 days of teleconference.
8. Lessons learned. Cellphone attendance is not advised. Mute the phone if calling from airports.

In the interests of continuing this dialogue and contributing to the identification and solution of the industry's major challenges, I believe strongly that the industry must create ongoing dialogue that address the issues globally and then take pro-active steps to provide solutions.

Some of the input and output will need to be debated and distributed in other languages such as Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Portuguese.

We also read the Global Trends from the Consultant Giants that appear to have been written from the perspective of one country or region by industry observers rather than by 'hands-on' practitioners.

The excercise would start by each of the ten regions identifying the five most important issues that they face. Once there is consensus on the top ten worldwide issues, the group will then be asked to identify the strategies and actions that must be taken by the industry, by governments, by international organisations to address the challenges. The regions would, in my opinion, be set up as,

1. Americas (English)
2. Americas/Europe (Spanish)
3. Americas/Europe (Portuguese)
4. Africa/Mid East (French)
5. Africa (English)
6. Mid East (Arabic)
7. Europe (English)
8. China (Mandarin)
9. Russia (Russian)
10. SE Asia/Australia/New Zealand (English)

A ten member Global Council of Leaders would then determine the best course of action, establish a budget and a means of executing the plan. It is quite likely and natural that international bodies would participate in the execution.

Opportunities to sponsor the work of these groups could be made available to interested groups so that the operating expenses of these groups can be covered.

A series of global discussions is needed immediately to address the issues that our global industry faces. For more information, to comment or register for participation or a sponsor, contact [email protected] mentioning Global Councils in the Subject area.

WHO CARES?

WE SEEM TO NOT CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT THE BIG ISSUES.

It really does concern me that the leaders of the world's largest hotel chains are not joining together as a team to deal with the big issues of the future but it is not only the hoteliers who are at fault.

Just look at Golf ......

Golf is a major contributor to Tourism Services and is a segment that is growing exponentially, in spite of global warming....or maybe because of it. Ruled as an industry and as it should be by itself, The R & A is the body responsible for rules and standards and who have done an admirable job of it for over 250 years.

It is therefore particularly disturbing that ISO, the International Standards Organisation is leading the task force of determining international standards in tourism services which one day might well include the services and standards of golf around the world.

Is the Royal & Ancient at the table during these discussions? No. They do not have to be because when ISO decides to develop a standard, it will be done by a group of experts, usually consultants and special interest groups. Of course these will include environmentalists,  recyclers, naturalists and government tourism officials all of whom have a passing interest in golf. Should the Royal & Ancient decide to attend, their voice will perhaps be one of 10 or more. And will their vote be counted............no, because they have no vote at all.

With the actual rule changes under discussion, the Royal & Ancient may change the club face to make it harder for us to get out of the rough, or change the ball so that it does not go so far. Colin Montgomerie prefers the first and Jack Nicklaus, the second.

If ISO was managing this, the environmentalists might object to millions of us chopping up the rough to get the ball out while the recyclers would object to making hundreds of million balls obsolete. The compromise might be greased handgrips & oval balls.

But I am off my subject.

What should the hotel leaders be discussing amongst themselves and working on proactively? Here are three that never seem to make the top 10 Global Trends, each one with the likelihooh of affecting the industry by billions,

1. A '10 Point' Plan to avert the Hospitality Human Resources Crisis.
2. Hospitality Best Practices that contribute to the reduction of Global Warming.
3. A position on ISO's establishment of International Standards in Tourism.

The world is moving faster to globalise than most of us realise and the decisions are being made by special interest groups and the outcomes are not funny. The time has come for leadership.

For more information or to contribute to the dialogue on this or other issues, contact [email protected]

A GENERAL PRACTITIONER, A SPECIALIST OR A SURGEON.

WHAT I DO FOR HOTEL & RESORT DEVELOPERS, OPERATORS, INVESTORS, OR OWNERS .

"The occupancy and rates are stagnant, the food & beverage department is tanking, the brand wants more investment, the competition is clobbering us and the management company does nothing but collect fees."

It is fairly simple!! If you are sick, you consult a GP or maybe a specialist. If you are healthy, you get a check up and sometimes make some adjustments. The solutions range from pills, lifestyle  and behavioural changes to surgery, amputation and eventually death.

It's similar in the hospitality industry!

If you are not sure about an investment, an idea, a concept......or if your property is either not performing or you are not sure..... or if you just need to verify that the management company is doing what they should......you consult a Consultant. The solutions when there is a problem range from band-aids and surgery to excercise of poor muscles or a change in diet and sometimes divorce.

Sometimes you don't want a Consultant to tell you what has to be done or to submit a fancy report on their findings, you just want it done!!

This is the stuff I do.

EXISTING OPERATIONS

• Business & Strategic Planning.
• Re-Positioning or Re-Invigorating.
• Productivity Planning & Execution.
• Asset Watchdogging.
• Ideation.
• Project or Concept 'Sanity Checks'. 
• Profit Engineering and Breaking-even.
• Financial Benchmarking.
• Product Improvement Planning.
• Creating USPs & product value.
• Analysis of Brand Promises .
• Evaluate management's performance or excuses.
• Exit Strategies.

NEW DEVELOPMENT

• Business & Strategic Planning.
• Should you develop....or not!
• Feasibility Checks.
• Global resort competitiveness.
• Over-Design Resolutions. 
• Brand Selection or De-Selection.
• Management company selection....or not.
• New Hotel & Resort Development Process (incl. Timeshare) .
• Hotel or Resort Openings.

My recent Honorary PhD is a testament to my claim as a doctor and a specialist to the hospitality industry. When I require specialists' assistance, I consult my associates.

Together we keep the Hotel Morticians at bay.

For more information, contact [email protected]

TOP 10 REASONS TO BE IN HOSPITALITY....SSSSSHHHHHHH.......A SECRET!

DON'T TELL TOO MANY PEOPLE, THEY'LL BE LINED UP AT OUR DOORS!

 

What does this industry offer a young person today. Here are my Top Ten reasons to have a job in Hospitality

 

1. Hospitality is fun, highly social, financially rewarding.. after a couple of early years.
2. It is now inextricably linked with Entertainment, Design & Fashion.
3. Success is almost guaranteed. Shortages in the industry of many million ensure that.
4. Enormous opportunities to travel anywhere in the world.
5. Global friendships for all family members.
6. Opportunity to learn new languages and be exposed to new cultures.
7. You can still start at the bottom and work your way up.
8. Pleasant multi-cultural, multi-national work environment as part of a team.
9. Excellent Career assistance from many hotel groups.
10. Contributes to global peace

My own work took me from England to Switzerland, France, USA, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Curacao, El Salvador, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Kenya, China, Malaysia, St Lucia, India and Israel.

Can you ask for a better way of living?

For more information, contact [email protected]

Lifestyle Hotels

THE DEVELOPMENT OF 'LIFESTYLE' BRANDS.....ARE WE ADMITTING FAILURE

I am greatly disappointed by the trend of the big multinational hotel groups towards Brands that are suddenly focused on  'Lifestyle'. Disappointed because it is tantamount to admitting that their other brands are neither stylish nor for living. Disappointed because all of this confirms and virtually admits that over-standardisation of the design and operations of the big brands has fundamentally eliminated the ability of the local GM to add flavour and style to his operation. In other words, centralisation has gone too far. "If you have any style or life, you will have to go around the corner to our other brand".

I earnestly believe that it will take more than a corporate announcement and a headquarters' developed design strategy to create a 'lifestyle' product in 'my part of the city' without the creative input of the local manager and his creative mid-management team. A lifestyle is surely an evolution of differing experiences.

Where did we go wrong?

Are the big chains trying to emulate the small independent properties?

Why have we silenced our management teams' creativity?

Why have we fundamentally squeezed the fun out of operating a property?

Can 'panache' only be found in Head Office?

How fortunate I was to have lived in the days of the late Pete DiTullio, illustrious President of Hyatt International who charged his GMs with the responsibility of developing the 'touches' of Hyatt, of adopting characteristics from the local culture, of creating an environment in which innovativeness reigned and completely devoid of corporate  standards & procedures.  Small wonder Hyatt International was the leader of the international lifestyle brands at that time and so much fun that all of us worked all day and most nights.

How fortunate I also was to have been recruited to a leadership position with Cirque du Soleil in which we were re-inventing 'hospitality' in the same way as they had re-invented the Circus Arts. Literally designing the stage on which hospitality would take place and lifestyle would flourish, it was scenography not architecture, imagination and creativity not standards, interactivity not  automation, touch and feel, aromas and touching all the senses.

There are some positive signs on the horizon. One brand has recently announced a daily, global  'happy hour'. An hour in which management is mandated to be hospitable, un-connected to their E-Life and forced to face up to and get to know their guests. Now if Head Office can just figure out what to do with the other 23 hours, we may get this lifestyle thing licked!!

All comments are welcome at, [email protected]

ASCENT FROM THE BOTTOM

HOSPITALITY............A CAREER TO DIE FOR

Too many young people leave our industry before they start. Some leave from their first position, others study it and then leave for another industry. Some because of high immediate expectations, others for quick money up-front.

If they only knew what they were missing!!

My own career path was not exactly meteoric but fun, rewarding, scintillating at times, educational, but never dull. In fact, I have said repeatedly that I don't feel I have worked a day in my life. It is a way of life. In a nutshell, this was my way!

1. Cellar-boy,              ....oh boy, making ice cubes with a pick from a block of ice.Sorting bottles.
2. Apprentice cook,      .... peeling potatoes and graduating to aboyeur, saucier and to Maxims!
3. Bartender,               ..... lugging & unplugging beer barrels and on to that perfect martini.
4. Waiter,                   .....only Anglo in an all-Italian dining room in a classic Swiss hotel & then Paris.
5. Receptionist,            ....toe to toe with the guest on every issue. Greeting, sweating overbooking.
6. Cashier,                    ...Counting, re-counting, balancing. To here took two years!!
7. Assistant Manager,    .... phew, I think I am going to make it....12-16 hours a day.
8. Sales Manager,         ....walking to sales calls in sub-zero weather. Pitching, listening.
9. General Manager,     ....at 31 years old. An opening and with Four Seasons Hotels.
10. District director,        ....after 5 shots at GM in 5 countries, my chance to learn from 12 GMs!!
11. Technical services director, ....purchasing, design, renos, F&B, yield mgt.
12. Vice-president,         .....12,000 employees, 50 hotels.....and then a Circus reinventing hospitality.
13. President,               .....the Buck stops here, or does it? Plus a new challenge, timeshare...in Cuba.
14. CEO                       .....the 'voice' of the industry. World travel. Paris again.
15. Consultant              ..... an opinion, a position, advice and future predictions, solutions.

Slowing down? Hell no!! There are at least a couple more spaces for notches on my barrel and there's too much to do.

What does this industry offer a young person today. Here are my Top Ten reasons to be in Hospitality.

1. Hospitality is fun, highly social, financially rewarding after a couple of early years.
2. It is now inextricably linked with Entertainment, Design & Fashion.
3. Success is almost guaranteed. Shortages in the industry of many million ensure that.
4. Enormous opportunities to travel anywhere in the world.
5. Global friendships for all family members.
6. Opportunity to learn new languages and be exposed to new cultures.
7. You can still start at the bottom and work your way up.
8. Pleasant multi-cultural, multi-national work environment as part of a team.
9. Excellent Career assistance from many hotel groups.
10. Contributes to Global Peace.

My work took me from England to Switzerland, France, USA, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Curacao, El Salvador, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Kenya, China, Malaysia, St Lucia, India and Israel.

Can you ask for a better way of living?

For more information, contact [email protected]

Cuba.....WOW, what a future.

FEW PEOPLE FULLY REALISE THE POTENTIAL HERE OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT.

After nearly 14 years of involvement with Cuba, I have become both a fan and a cynic but neither of these descriptors describes my true belief that Cuba will have huge influence on North American and Caribbean tourism in the next 20- 30 years regardless of the politics.

In the early 90s, I had the enviable job of helping to negotiate a management contract for two remote hotels in the area of Pilon at the foot of the Sierra Maestra mountains. I say helping to negotiate because I refuse to take all of the blame for being hoodwinked into accepting the challenge by brilliant Cuban negotiators. Managing them was fun, challenging, rewarding, emotional and a true learning experience.

Seven years later and with slightly more knowledge of the brilliance of their negotiators and as the President of a Cuban Canadian Joint Venture, I found myself fully appreciating their accomplishments that had taken them out of the 'special period', financed a corporate turnaround from socialism to capitalism while retaining their rusty political system and appearing to make reforms.

Here however are the keys to their future success,

• Dynamite Location. Within driving distance of Key West, Miami and the whole of North America. In 1959, 2 car ferries a day connected Havana and Key West. Two terminals have been refurbished in readiness for the resumption of this service when politics permit. This will be the first drive-to Caribbean Island..........again.
• Spectaacular Geographic diversity. Longer than England, Cuba has majestic  mountains, picturesque valleys, pristine beaches, crystal clear waters and colourful cities ,towns and villages that will provide motorists, cyclists and hikers with years of exploration opportunities.
• Human Assets. A highly educated population that are in certain ways, years ahead of their neighbours.
• Well-developed Cultural Assets. Music, art, dance and even opera abound.
• Photogenic Architecture. Spanish, French, Italian, art deco and other periods provide students and photographers with endless opportunities to explore the urban landscapes.

Indeed I am a fan of Cuba and its many attributes. The potential here is huge not only commercially but also emotionally as families and neighbours, businessman and artists reconnect in one of the really hot future destinations in the Western World.

For more information, contact [email protected]