Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - (Page 6) Checking In PERSPECTIVE & LETTERS H&MM March 3, 2008 | HotelMotel.com EDITORIAL “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks” IN THE details Brands wield power Starbucks coffee is so-so Brands are serious business Changes are crucial By Stacey Higgins Senior Editor T he headline for this column comes from a bumper sticker advertising a local coffee shop in my college town. And while it might have more of a “stick it to the man” kind of feel, I like it. This is mostly because I don’t like Starbucks coffee and I can’t understand why so many hotel brands and properties have either adopted Starbucks as an in-room amenity or plunked a kiosk complete with barista into lobbies. But as a consumer, I recognize the brand appeal— even if the taste doesn’t quite appeal to me. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll see me sipping a Cinnamon Dolce Latte while strolling through Target— I’m a suburban mom, after all (without a minivan). With a Starbucks on every corner, it’s hard to resist. Their coffee is known for being a strong brew, so how did it pass the hotel test of appealing to the masses? The fragrance of a lotion is debated for months, so how did this one slip past, and past so many? It’s because of the brand. Starbucks’ domination of the market intrigues me. The brand is so powerful that people drink it, perhaps, without judging its taste. Hotels strive for this brand awareness too. Consumers part with five bucks for a Frappuccino without much thought, but a roomnight is much different. Hotels must continue to evolve to create buzz while holding onto brand identity. It’s a daunting task. What can be learned from Starbucks? Brand penetration certainly is important. The hotel industry talks of the magic number of critical mass—is it 100, 200 or 500 locations? These all are a far cry from the Starbucks empire (15,756 locations as of Dec. 30, 2007). There are those few giants in the lodging business that enjoy broad brand awareness, but even they have to keep up with the trends. It makes jobs like mine exciting to track the changes that are announced yearround. Around here, we look at amenity updates as de rigeur. But when your coffee vendor contract comes up for renewal, might I suggest Dunkin’ Donuts coffee? While it doesn’t have the cache of that Starbucks logo, it’s loved by many. Rachael Ray told me so. shiggins@questex.com 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1100, Cleveland, OH 44114 Jeff Higley, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . jhigley@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3728 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Stephanie Ricca, MANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . . sricca@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3791 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Elaine Simon, SENIOR EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . esimon@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3782 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Stacey Mieyal Higgins, SENIOR EDITOR . . . . . .shiggins@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3783 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Heather Gunter, ASSOCIATE EDITOR . . . . . . . hgunter@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3792 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Jason Q. Freed, ASSOCIATE EDITOR . . . . . . . . jfreed@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3727 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Emily Hanna, ASSOCIATE EDITOR . . . . . . . . . ehanna@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3784 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Patricia Sheehan, MANAGING EDITOR, Hotel Design Ph: (216) 706-3753. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .psheehan@questex.com Amy B. Witek, ART DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . awitek@questex.com Rob Ghosh, ART DIRECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rghosh@questex.com ADVERTISING/SALES/CIRCULATION 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1100, Cleveland, OH 44114 John McMahon, GROUP PUBLISHER . . . . . jmcmahon@questex.com 757 Third Ave., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Ph: (212) 895-8243 | Fax: (212) 895-8212 Matt Waddell, PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mwaddell@questex.com 2835 N. Sheffield Ave, Suite 236, Chicago, IL 60657 Ph: (773) 880-2240 | Fax: (773) 880-2241 Mary Malloy, NORTHEAST, INT’L. . . . . . . . . .mmalloy@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3790 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Brian Levine, SOUTHEAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . blevine@questex.com 757 Third Ave., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Ph: (212) 895-8285 | Fax: (212) 895-8215 Jason Wallace, WEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jwallace@questex.com 1461 S. 375 E., Kaysville, UT 84037 Ph: (801) 499-9999 | Fax: (801) 315-4137 Brian Olesinski, CLASSIFIEDS, RECRUITMENT, DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .bolesinski@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3794 | Fax: (216) 706-3711 Heidi Spangler, DIR., AUDIENCE DEV. . . . . . . . hspangler@questex.com Ph: (216) 706-3705 | Fax: (216) 706-3714 Forgot to pack your favorite issue of Hotel & Motel Management? Visit www.HotelMotel.com and go to www.HotelMotel.com/digitalarchive to download, browse through and search the text of each issue, click on links in the articles and advertisements and quickly navigate to any page. The trouble with charging I was interested in the fact that [“Guests’ sticky fingers create tricky situations,” in the Feb. 4 issue of HOTEL & MOTEL MANAGEMENT, page 1] didn’t mention that the charges that the hotel may put on the guest’s credit card are totally indefensible and can’t be collected if the guest/thief challenges them. These charges only seem to serve as a palliative for the g.m.’s anger at getting ripped off. Other than that, it was a Mail good story. Tilden L. Drinkard Box Letters to the Editor hmm@questex.com General manager The Hassayampa Inn, Prescott, Ariz. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Stacy Silver, BUSINESS DEV. DIRECTOR. . . . . ssilver@questex.com Ph: (954) 306-0747 | Fax: (954) 697-6265 J. Richard Casson, ASSOCIATE BUSINESS DEV. 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Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Contents Embassy Suites Refreshes Look, Service F&B Concept Set to Take Off Conference Promises Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column HSMAI Consultant's Corner On Finance Travel Trends Energy Star Update Trends & Stats Transactions Property Management Systems Carpet: Mixed Media Planting Greener Greens Transportation Vacation-Ownership Update Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 (Page 1) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 (Page 2) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Conference Promises (Page 4) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Conference Promises (Page 5) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Letter to the Editor (Page 6) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Letter to the Editor (Page 7) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Guest Column (Page 8) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Guest Column (Page 9) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - HSMAI (Page 10) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - HSMAI (Page 11) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Consultant's Corner (Page 12) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Consultant's Corner (Page 13) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - On Finance (Page 14) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - On Finance (Page 15) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Travel Trends (Page 16) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Travel Trends (Page 17) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Energy Star Update (Page 18) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Energy Star Update (Page 19) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 20) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 21) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 22) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 23) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Trends & Stats (Page 24) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 25) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 26) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transactions (Page 27) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 28) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 29) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 30) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Property Management Systems (Page 31) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Carpet: Mixed Media (Page 32) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Carpet: Mixed Media (Page 33) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Planting Greener Greens (Page 34) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Planting Greener Greens (Page 35) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transportation (Page 36) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Transportation (Page 37) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 38) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 39) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 40) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 41) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 42) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 43) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 44) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Vacation-Ownership Update (Page 45) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Ad/Editorial Index (Page 46) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Ad/Editorial Index (Page 47) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Marketplace (Page 48) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 49) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 50) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 51) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 52) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Classifieds (Page 53) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 54) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 55) Hotel & Motel Management - March 3, 2008 - Checking Out (Page 56)
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