If we are growing customer satisfaction, our market is sure to grow, too

A lot has been said about the global meltdown and ways for companies to hold out during these difficult times. Given the current business environment, marketing specialists are trying their best to come up with the most feasible marketing mix as well as strategies that could help their companies reap the most benefit while keeping a restriction on spending, but few basic thing we tend to forget often, I would like to focus on those aspect in this article.
The hospitality industry is facing serious issues with the global economic and political uncertainties. This column will follow up on the challenging economic cycles in the last 20-year tenure as well.
With that in mind, I have taken three points and offer the following discussion points to hoteliers at the property level.
"Too often we measure everything and understand nothing.The three most important things we need to measure in a business are customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and cash flow.
If we are growing customer satisfaction, our market is sure to grow, too. Employee satisfaction feeds you productivity, quality, pride and creativity. And cash flow is the pulse - the key vital sign of a company."
1. Measuring customer satisfaction.
The question then becomes "how to measure customer satisfaction?" There are a number of reasonable approaches, remembering how timely responsiveness must be to ongoing success. These include:
Mystery shopping can be an excellent way to view a picture in time of your total business or perhaps one outlet or aspect of your hotel. If done correctly, these unexpected, anonymous evaluations of your operations can provide insights to the customer experience. If conducted frequently enough, one can identify strengths, revenue trends and other opportunities.
There are assessments that are more inclusive available, including those provided by a number of members of Hospitality Consultants. They and others specialize in extensive analysis of operations, which can enhance the customer's experience.
2. Measuring employee satisfaction.
With multi-generations working at our hotels today embracing both the high tech and high touch of hospitality, the need has increased for additional training and development at all levels.
A handful of the major brands and management companies have evolved their corporate culture to address the need to maximize employee engagement and satisfaction , but I continue to see too many managers and owners paying minimal attention to their staff.
The successful owners and managers of the future will increase the commitment to professional development and training whenever and wherever possible throughout the hotel. The results will be better qualified professionals in more departments, providing better service while enjoying their careers.
3 Measuring cash flow.
Many people understand the concept, but not enough actively engage in measuring all the components. Regular proactive interaction with the sales team and front office management will help project more accurate short and long-term forecasts.. Understanding cash flow and position helps long-term profit improvement decisions, as well as anticipating capital needs and to justify them.
Measuring cash flow also helps ownership and managers realistically assess the operational performance of their hotel.
I want to share few strategies which include:
Take the lead on establishing and administering all financial systems and internal controls.
Create the guidelines and expectations for the preparation and updates of all operational budgets, forecasts, operating results, financial reports.
Identify the annual hotel's capital plan and establish time lines and protocols for implementation.
Implement firm procedures for the preparation of operational statements returns in compliance with government regulations, company, franchise and ownership requirements.
Set up and administer all government reporting and tax filing activities
Formulate and manage accounting policies that coordinate with ownership's or brand systems and procedures.
Operate as if you were a financial consultant for your hotel.
Monitor fulfillment with hotel and accounting policies and procedures, legal requirements and contractual obligations .
Manage the accounting department and other areas as appropriate.
Supervise the equipment and maintenance of accounting computer systems to secure best performance.
Maintain a accountability to the company and management.
As a member of the hotel executive team, share the professional expectations provided to you from ownership and/or management clearly with all members of the staff.
Increase the commitment to training whenever and wherever possible throughout the hotel.

Want to Find a Rich Woman to Date?

Steps :-
1.Hang out where you know a lot of rich people are. You don't have to move to Palm Beach or anything. Try an exclusive fitness center, an upscale restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory, or country club.
2.If you see that she's got a designer bag and sunglasses then you can probably go for it. Be careful and learn to recognize impostors.
3.Dress in all white (only if before labor day) many people don't know this but white makes you seem richer. Act like you're important and if you can get someone to call you and yell at them on the phone for a while. Consider investing in a nice and expensive phone.
4.Hang up and look to see if you've caught her eye. If so, approach her and try to make small talk, see if you can find out what her dad does for a living. If he's a surgeon, lawyer or if you recognize his name...you've found your girl!! Ask her out to somewhere expensive, like Mortons. This is the one gamble because you're obviously going to have to pay for the first date and you do not want her to think you are miserly so don't be afraid to splurge. If she's really hot you may not want to waste your time unless she seems to really dig you. Get her number and don't call her for a few days. You want to seem mysterious and hard to get. Don't seem available or desperate.
5.Congratulations! The hard part is over! Now all you have to do is impress her on your date and you're in! Sorry but you're going to have to go shopping and buy something way hot and in and get her a single red rose (a dozen seems desperate) Wear a memorable cologne and if you can spray some on her clothes (in secret) before the night is over to jog her memory when she goes to take off her clothes. This will get her remembering you and wanting more. Be a gentleman on your date. Have a friend call you in the middle of the date. Apologize profusely to your hot date and speak gruffly but with class to your friend. She will be intrigued and think of her important daddy.
6.For your second date go somewhere free. Try a walk in the park or the beach. It won't break the bank and will show her you have a softer side. Have your buddy call you again but instead of answering it this time look at the call and turn off your phone or, better yet, if she will fall for it, do like in the movies and break it. She will instantly be in love with you.
7.If all goes well the two of you will soon be tighter than ever. Begin to let her offer to pay and soon things will fall in to place. Research her dad on the Internet or talk to his assistants and see if you can find his interests. When she takes you to meet them, bring a bottle of the most expensive wine (try your parents wine collection if you live near them) Tell her mom you know where her daughter got her looks and make sure you compliment her fathers cars, house, pool, etc. and make sure you talk about those interests you found out about him. It helps to bring "props" if possible. Never lie, just stretch the truth.
Tips :-
You have to decide early on whether your rich persona will be nouveau rich or old money rich. Both approaches have upsides and downsides.
Falling in love with this girl is always a plus. You will never have to worry about money again.
Winning her dad over is key.
Make sure you got game.
Wear expensive cologne.
In the long run, money wont make you compatible so try to find your own ways to become rich, instead of looking for someone with money.
When she finds out you've got nothing, blame it on the stock market crash.
Warnings :-
You might end up marrying a woman that you do not love. This is a good recipe for an unhappy life. Then again, this won't be such a big deal since you will be able to cash in on alimony payments when the marriage ends up in divorce.

A different approach to 2009 recession

In economics, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity in a country over a sustained period of time, or a business cycle contraction. Production as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment, investment spending, capacity utilization, household incomes and business profits all fall during recessions.
Governments usually respond to recessions by increasing money supply, increasing government spending and decreasing taxation.
This fiscal crisis is hardly new to the hospitality and tourism industries. In my career, I can identify at least five major economic downturns that have included energy shortages, high rates of inflation, and negative general global cycles.
For many hotels, that means a change in operational practice - it means embracing the spirit and results of empowerment. What does that word really mean?
The dictionary shows some verbs alluding to "giving authority to somebody" or to give somebody power or authority.
A second definition is to give somebody a greater sense of confidence or self-esteem. By contrast, this second definition appears to be more action oriented but the reality is that is still means extending that sense of trust and belief in others.
Empowerment in the world of hospitality means that staff members at the front line (and hopefully everywhere) have been trained to more clearly understand the reality of the business, and the value of each customer. Everyone can be enthusiastic about the hotel's reputation, profitability and the staff is more motivated to take the initiative to deliver that one extra step.
Thirty-two percent of employees spend at lest twenty hours per month complaining about their bosses. (Probably a lot of those twenty hours are on company time).
More than 66% of employees are actively considering leaving their current job.
Employers suffer losses due to employee dissatisfaction.
Most managers believe their focus should be in bringing in the numbers ... but most get fired because of poor people skills.

three simple but effective techniques can shift the way we manage.

1. Set full-fledged expectations - make sure the employee's efforts are spent doing the right things the right way. Let them know what is expected and how they will be evaluated in the future. Be sure to get agreement and commitment to work toward established goals.
2. Communication that clicks- Too often managers do not communicate enough and only communicate when things go wrong. Observe what employees say, do, and speak openly with them about their work. Communication clicks when it is frequent and in a language everyone understands.
3. Paws on Performance - pay attention to each employee's performance - offer praise as often as constructive feedback. Keep your paws on performance."