London is a perfect place to host this type of event. Along with New York, London is one of the original cities where the boutique hotel first came into prominence. These hotels, sometimes referred to as design hotels or lifestyle hotels, started appearing in major cities in the UK and United States in the 1980s. They are unique properties that tend to have more architectural interest and designer décor than chain hotels. Almost every boutique hotel pays special attention to service. Some feature elaborate bars or top-notched restaurants and also include extras such as spas, technologically advanced rooms and perhaps art or cooking classes. A stay in a boutique hotel should be a memorable part of any trip or vacation experience.

Today, boutique hotels have spread to major cities across the world and also infiltrated the tropical resort segment of the hotel industry. Besides New York and London, boutique hotels are showing up in Spain and all across Europe. They are quite popular in Asia in places like Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. Resort Islands from Phuket and the Maldives to Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are also seeing the growth of boutique hotels.

The 2012 Boutique Hotel Summit will have Gordon Campbell Gray, Chairman of Campbell Gray Hotels as its Keynote Speaker. Campbell, who believes that the success of any boutique hotel ultimately rests on service, will share his thoughts on a number of different aspects within the boutique hotel space.

Other topics of discussion will include mobile technology, the importance of hiring a “name chef”, the choice between operating an exclusive versus and inclusive boutique hotel and the entrance of larger players and well known branded hotels into the boutique segment of the hotel and hospitality industry.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and greet and exchange contact information during the “Speed Business Card Swap” on the first day of the Summit. Set in Altitude London, guests will enjoy the 2 day session along the Thames River and hopefully come away with some useful ideas and new contacts that revolve around this rapidly growing hotel segment.
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Article written By Hotel Managers Group, leading hotel management company in the United States.

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TripAdvisor will be holding a free Master Class for hotel industry professionals. This seminar is aimed at sharing the most up to date marketing strategies to help L.A. hotel owners increase business and revenue.

However, even if your establishment is not in L.A., most of the topics presented will be applicable for hotels and other lodging types regardless of location. This event will also prove invaluable for those currently in the process of purchasing a hotel in L.A. or elsewhere, or even for those who are just at the stage of considering such a purchase. This opportunity is an event not to be missed for hotel industry professionals, especially when considering that you’ll be able to learn how to implement these state of the art techniques without it costing you a penny.

Why is it so Important to Learn More about Marketing my Hotel Now?

When taking into account that TripAdvisor page views for L.A. Hotels have increased almost 50% since last year, it’s an opportune time to learn how to establish a strong online marketing campaign to take advantage of this trend. Potential customers may take note of your hotel during their initial inquiry however, when directed to your site, may not be able to quickly find the information for which they are searching. Perhaps the sites appearance or content doesn’t impress them, or it lacks social media links, which many consider mandatory to include on today’s webpages. Should such cases arise, you will not have simply lost that customer but potentially all of their friends and contacts, who might one day mention a trip they are planning to L.A. and solicit suggestions for a great place to stay.

With the increasing competition in the hotel industry resulting from rising tourism and international travel becoming more of the norm instead of the exception, it’s not enough to cater to your guests once they arrive. It is first necessary to entice them so they’ll choose your establishment for lodging over all your competition. In order to accomplish this feat, it is critical that your hotel is highly visible and exceptionally well placed so that search engines rank your hotel high enough so that it appears on the first page of the search results.

In order for customers to appreciate all the fabulous amenities your establishment has to offer and become repeat customers, they first must be convinced that your hotel is where they must stay instead of those run by your competitors. In addition, especially in a difficult economy with a limited client base available, learning how to encourage your competitors’ clients to become your clients instead, while preventing the same thing from happening to you, is an important skill to learn.

Attract More Guests Using Strategies Learned at the TripAdvisor Master Class

The TripAdvisor Master Class will impart tried and true methods of establishing and maintaining a first class, online presence. The intended outcome will be ensuring that your hotel is recognized as possessing one of the best reputations in the business. This Master Class will also demonstrate techniques which have been proven successful for increasing online bookings and discuss the infrastructure necessary to achieve this result. All sessions will be taught by the recognized leaders in the hotel industry.

In conclusion, whether you’re an established hotelier or just starting out in the business, this Master Class is one you must attend if you are serious about keeping up with the technological advances necessary to successfully market your business in today’s world economy.

TripAdvisor Los Angeles Master Class Information
Location: InterContinental Los Angeles Century City
Address: 2151 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Day and Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Time of Sessions (Choose One): 9:00am – 12:00pm, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
For more information and complete agendas, visit the website at http://www.tripadvisormasterclass.com/LosAngeles

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Congratulations

Hotel Managers Group congratulates Catrinea Houston for being named Woman of Distinction by the California 63rd Assembly. Award ceremony to be held May 18, 2012. Well done! Ms. Houston is the General Manager of HMG’s Hampton Inn & Suites Highland at San Manuel Village.

The event addresses all of the important current issues and future trends in the global business travel community. It gives industry professionals in all related fields a chance to listen to some very knowledgeable speakers discussing various aspects of business travel. Those in attendance will include representatives from the hotel and hospitality industry, hospitality management companies, travel agents, vendors and other interested parties. There will be experts in procurement, finance, government regulation and many other topics.

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives was founded in 1988 as a non-profit organization. They have representatives throughout the world and currently serve the global business travel industry in more than 102 countries. With over 12 million men and women traveling internationally for business every year and spending billions of dollars, the importance of the international business travel market can not be under-estimated. The ACTE Conference not only provides a focused educational forum for its members and attendees, but it also is an ideal place to network with other professionals.

This year’s Conference will feature a number of interesting and informative keynote speakers. Dambisa Moyo, a well known economist will discuss world economic trends and issues that might impact the global business travel industry. She will be joined by Frank Madruson, Chief Information Officer of the Accenture Corporation. Madruson is scheduled to talk about “The Convergence of Collaboration Technologies and Travel” which will focus on ways colleagues and clients can interact more effectively through the use of the latest technologies.

There will be several other important keynote speakers at the event. Co-founder and Chairman of LinkedIn, Ben Casnocha is a very inspirational and motivational speaker who will address transformational issues of adapting new ideas and technologies in the travel industry. Michael Choi, a Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, will focus on Big Data, discussing how the vast amount of available data can most effectively be used to make decisions and advance the cause of vendors and other members of the global business travel community.

The Conference promises to educate and inform decision-makers in the industry and also foster important business relationships among those in attendance. Guests will have a chance to ask questions and interact with the experts. On the final day, interested parties can attend a special closing reception. The Black & Red Gala will run from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and feature great food, wine tasting, entertainment, a silent auction and a chance to mingle with the most important leaders in the global travel industry.
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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the HTNG North American Conference. The Conference will be held April 2-5, 2012 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. A group of about 300 are expected to participate in this year’s event. Based on attendance statistics in past years, those attendees are likely to be comprised of hotel executives and key management personnel (25-35%), vendors (50-60%) and independent consultants, academics and other interested parties (10%).

The audience will have a chance to learn the latest hotel industry trends from some of the most qualified IT speakers that have focused their efforts on the hotel and hospitality industry. There will be several different social events where guests will have the chance to network in informal groups and also attend Forum meetings to learn about specific areas of interest. This year’s Conference will have two main forums, both of which are scheduled for April 2. There will be an Infrastructure & Device Forum as well a Software Forum.

The Infrastructure and Device Forum will discuss “Mobile App Connectivity to Hotel Systems” and a hotel’s “Infrastructure Resource Team.” The Software Forum will have workgroups concentrating on such subjects as “Designing an Intelligent Guest Room” and a “Secure Payments Framework.”

There will be an outstanding panel of keynote speakers that should be the center of interest at this year’s Conference.

Bruce Hoffmeister, the Global CIO of Marriott International, Inc. will be speaking on the topic “Making Technology Work at Marriott.” Nick Price, CEO of NetSys Technology will give a broad overview of new technologies for the industry entitled “Hotel Technology: The Long Term Perspective.”

Green technology and the efficient use of energy is an important topic that will be addressed by Auden Schendler, the VP of Sustainability at the Aspen Skiing Company. “Make Social Media Rock in 2012” is sure to draw crowds as Morris Sim, Co-founder and CEO of Circos Brand Karma shares his ideas about the best ways for hotels to get the most out of social media. Rounding out the scheduled keynote speaker lineup is Tom Duke, the CTO of iBahn. Duke will talk about the “Impact of Mobile Devices on the Hotel Wireless Network.

Hotel management companies that want to get a competitive advantage over their less technology-advanced competition are sure to learn all about the leading edge technologies that will directly affect the hotel industry. The conference is being held in the beautiful Four Seasons in downtown Chicago. While the schedule is packed with events, there still will be a little time to take a walk along Lake Michigan, grab a slice of Deep Dish pizza and just enjoy the 2nd biggest city in the United States.
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This year’s show, to be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago will be bigger and better than ever. The Organizers expect a crowd of close to 60,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and over 100 different countries to attend. As one of the bigger trade shows in the country, it takes a tremendous amount of planning to make sure the event goes off without a hitch. Chicago will get a substantial economic boost to start off the month of May as hotels will be filled with guests attending the show.

Filling the McCormick Place Convention Center will be more than 1,800 Exhibitors representing over 900 different product categories. There will be food and beverage vendors. There will be suppliers of tableware, linens, paper and plastic products and uniforms. New technology and the latest innovations in electronics will be on display. Hotel owners and vendors that serve the hospitality industry will be well represented.

While the show is always entertaining, it is also a great opportunity for industry leaders to learn the latest news and trends. This year’s show will feature over 70 free educational seminars where experts will share their knowledge and take questions from those in attendance. A few of the topics to be discussed will be the current and future prospects in casual dining, retail, casino operations and serving the military.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

On Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 pm, President Bill Clinton will be the center of attention as he talks about his presidency and the work his William J. Clinton Foundation is doing here in the United States as well as all around the world.

FEATURED SPEAKER

Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, David C. Novak will speak on Monday, May 7. Yum! Brands is the world’s largest restaurant chain with 38,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in more than 110 countries and territories.

THINGS TO DO

- Kitchen Innovations Pavilion: See new innovative products and ideas for the commercial kitchen.

- Food & Beverage Innovation Awards: See last year’s winners and this year’s contenders.

- World Culinary Showcase: A chance to meet and sample the cuisine of the world’s greatest chefs.

- Ask the Design Experts: Free 30 minute consultation with leading designers and manufacturers.

- American Food Fair: Niche products and a display dedicated to healthy foods for children.

- 2012 Restaurant Rocks: Party benefiting ProStart, a high school program for students interested in the restaurant and hospitality industry as a career.

- Operator innovations Award Luxury Cocktail Party: The 1st annual awards will be presented for innovative operators and feature top-notch entertainment and elite members of the restaurant and hospitality industry.

If you are planning to attend this year’s big event, make sure you are prepared for 4 days of non-stop activity. You’ll have a chance to learn about new products and trends, listen to some fascinating speakers and interact with influential people in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/national-restaurant-association.html

http://www.restaurant.org/show

Article written By Hotel Managers Group, leading hotel management company in the United States.

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The complaint was filed by the UK online reputation firm Kwikchex. ASA agreed with Kwikchex claim that Trip Advisor could not prove that the reviews were legitimate and authentic reviews, written by independent parties, who wanted to offer an opinion on their experience after staying at a hotel, eating at a restaurant or flying on a plane. The ASA ruled that copy that appeared on Trip Advisor’s site such as “reviews you can trust” and “from real travellers,” misleads visitors to the site because Trip Advisor could not guarantee that all of the information in the reviews was true.

Trip Advisor vehemently disagreed with the ASA decision, but in response to the ruling, changed the copy on their site so it would be more amenable to the ruling body. If you look a little more closely at this decision, you will see why Trip Advisor and many other people who use these types of review sites to make decisions on which hotel they want to book, have a legitimate reason to be upset.

It should be pointed out that Kwikchex, the party that filed the original complaint, has an interest in seeing sites like Trip Advisor being forced to develop a stringent verification system for each reviewer they allow to post on their site. Kwikchex is hired by different clients, including those that own or manage hotels, to make sure that negative reviews are challenged and false claims are removed altogether.

Frankly, what they are trying to do is limit free speech and have independent reviews controlled so they do not negatively affect their clients. While no one will argue that some negative reviews are grossly exaggerated, so too are the positive reviews. It is up to the reader of the review to decide whether or not the review has merit. Whether it is a review for a toaster or a review based on a stay at a hotel, the reader should read a large selection of both positive and negative reviews to be able to form an educated opinion of the product being offered.

Realistically, there is no way to monitor every person that posts an OPINION on a review site. The ASA should lighten up and realize that they can not and should not try to control every last aspect of these helpful, but also, subjective review sites. While one should not take any single review as Gospel, Trip Advisor always posts numerous reviews, both positive and negative, for hotels, restaurants and other travel-related interests. Trip Advisor has done nothing wrong and should be looked upon as a trusted travel review site that provides valuable information to the traveling public.

Article written By Hotel Managers Group

A new travel survey conducted by Deloitte suggests that the hotel industry will rebound nicely in 2012 thanks to young business travelers increasingly performing more necessary work outside of their home offices.

This finding was part of the 2011 Business Travel Survey, an annual report put out by Deloitte to help the hospitality industry prepare for the year ahead. If this survey is any indication, the coming year will be defined by significant growth for hotels on account of the business traveler community.

Among other findings, the survey showed that more than 80 percent of all business travelers expect to travel at least as often in 2012 as they did in 2011. Much of this growth is centered around younger workers, who have finally been able to shrug off the effects of the most recent recession and begin their business careers in earnest; in fact, more than a quarter of all business travelers under the age of 44 expect to travel more often during the year ahead.

The growth of younger business travelers is due in part to a rebounding economy, which has helped businesses increase the amount of cash on their balance sheets. Real gross domestic product grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter of 2011, and most analysts expect that GDP growth in 2012 will be slightly higher, at around two percent.

Business travel revenue was even stronger than the general economy in 2011 with growth of 7.6 percent, according to the Global Business Travel Association. In addition, growth is expected to increase another 4.6 percent in the coming year as these younger workers spend more time on the road while conducting business.

Deloitte also found that younger business travelers have very different attitudes and expectations about the hotels they frequent when compared to older travelers, and hotels will need to adjust accordingly if they are to succeed in the future.

When compared to older workers, young business travelers put much emphasis on convenience, sociability, and sustainability. For instance, these travelers prefer expedited check-in, working in public areas of hotels and patronizing hotels that operate in an environmentally responsible way.

In short, younger business travelers expect more from their hotels: they make judgment calls before booking, and the lowest price is no longer the priority. Because of this, it is important that hotels choose only the best hotel management companies to run their operations. Companies like the Hotel Managers Group have plenty of experience in satisfying the needs of both young and senior business travelers.

The ultimate benefit from employing the best hotel management companies is loyal customers. Indeed, Deloitte found that younger business travelers are more loyal to hotels that treat them like valued customers. There has never been a more important time to engage the services of hotel management companies like HMG that will ensure that customers have the best experience possible.