Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 - (Page 6)

Checking In PERSPECTIVE & LETTERS H&MM June 2, 2008 | HotelMotel.com EDITORIAL 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1100, Cleveland, OH 44114 New editorial director gets down with OCC IN THE details The case for jargon Glad to be on board Struggles for new hires Interacting with guests By Paul Heney Editorial Director he ﬁrst thing that comes to mind when I think of the hotel industry is people—people who put you at ease, make you feel at home, care about interacting with you on a personal level. Coming into any new industry is always daunting, but my initial interactions with lodging professionals have been so positive that it already is easing the transition. I suppose they don’t call it the hospitality industry for nothing. I’m thrilled to be on board at H&MM and the entire HotelWorld Network. We have a fantastic staff of dedicated peo- T ple, and I know you’ll be excited about some of our upcoming digital initiatives. We’ll share details with you in future issues. Coming from a vastly different background at my last magazine—engineering—I’m fascinated to see and learn some of the industry’s buzzwords, jargon and acronyms. I’ve already been exposed to OCC, RevPAR, MUD, FF&E, ADR, PIP and countless others. Jargon can be a good thing, no doubt. For those versed in an industry, it’s a sort of shorthand and allows for efﬁcient communication. The dark side comes about when you neglect to realize when you change audiences. Consider how your new hires must feel. Eventually, they’ll know what backof-the-house is and what F&B stands for—not to mention terms relating to your specific property, such as the computer software you use. But, realistically, they’re probably more concerned about remembering names and faces and what’s located where. Do you have a cheat sheet to help them through their ﬁrst few weeks? Remind other staff members in the know that they should help decode the language for the new employee. The other place that jargon can seep into the conversation is in interaction with guests. This should be avoided at all costs, as using unfamiliar terms creates a barrier between you and the guest. It may come across as elitist, even if it wasn’t intended that way. I recall a conversation with a fellow business traveler who was frustrated with not being able to get an upgrade on a particular ﬂight. He wasn’t nearly as mad at not getting the upgrade as he was about the agent’s scolding him for not knowing which “fare bucket” he was in. She assumed he knew the difference between a Y fare and a C fare and an S fare. He didn’t even know what those letters meant, and he was left with a bitter aftertaste. How much better if he’d been politely told, “Sir, I’m sorry. We sell different seats for all sorts of prices, and only the highest-priced seats are eligible for upgrades. Sorry that your fare isn’t one of those, but it looks like you got a fantastic fare to L.A. Great job!” So the next time you’re about to discuss your ADR or your DOS with a guest, stop and think about your audience. They’ll thank you for it ASAP. pheney@questex.com Paul Heney, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . pheney@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 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 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 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 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Stacy Silver, BUSINESS DEV. DIRECTOR. . . . . ssilver@questex.com Ph: (954) 306-0747 | Fax: (954) 697-6265 J. Richard Casson, ASSOCIATE BUSINESS DEV. DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rcasson@questex.com Ph: (212) 895-8426 | Fax: (212) 895-8210 PRODUCTION 306 W. Michigan St., Suite 200, Duluth, MN 55802 Jamie Kleist, ASST. PRODUCTION DIR. . . . . . . jkleist@questex.com Ph: (218) 279-8855 | Fax: (218) 279-8812 Janelle Heller, SR. PRODUCTION MANAGER . . jheller@questex.com Ph: (218) 279-8834 | Fax: (218) 279-8815 THE HOTEL TIMES The June issue of The Hotel Times is available now. This global magazine takes you inside the international investment and real-estate world, and is the HotelWorld Network of publications’ newest launch. Visit www.TheHotelTimes.com for subscription information and to browse the digital version of the latest issue. MARKETING/MAGAZINE SERVICES MARKETING/MAGAZINE SERVICES Ilene Schwartz, Kroll Direct, LISTS . . . . . . . . .ilene@krolldirect.com Ph: (216) 371-1667 | Fax: (216) 371-1669 PERMISSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . .questexpermissions@reprintbuyer.com Ph: (800) 494-9051 Ext. 100 REPRINTS . . . . . . . . . . .HotelandMotelManagement@reprintbuyer.com Ph: (800) 290-5460 Ext. 100 SUBSCRIPTIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE. .hspangler@questex.com Ph: (847) 763-9594 | Fax: (847) 763-9694 BACK ISSUES, SINGLE CURRENT COPIES Ph: (847) 763-9594 | Fax: (847) 763-9694 Tech talk decoded I read Managing Editor Stephanie Ricca’s article, “My name is Stephanie and I read blogs” [April 21, 2008, page 6] today. I don’t want to sound ignorant, but maybe you can help me. The terms “social networking” and “blogging” are all around, but I don’t know their exact meanings. The other term that pops up a lot is Web 2.0. I’ve asked my friends in technology and some of them are confused too. What does it mean to refer to Web 2.0? I’m going to visit one of the blogs that you listed in the column, the Hotel Hotsheet, to see if I can understand what it’s all about. Mail Box Letters to the Editor hmm@questex.com Facebook and YouTube are also programs I’ve heard of but not used. I’m “stuck” with AOL in the ‘90s I suppose. The more info, you can share, the better. Thank you! Peter from Coconut Creek, Fla. (Information withheld on request) Stephanie Ricca’s response: Thanks for the letter, Peter. Different people have different deﬁnitions for these terms, so I went to a reliable source for some answers: www.techterms.com. It’s an excellent searchable database that I have bookmarked and refer to again and again. These deﬁnitions are abridged from the site: Social networking: Social networking Web sites allow users to be part of a virtual community. The two most popular sites are currently Facebook and MySpace. … These features provide the building blocks for creating online communities. Blog: Short for “Web log,” this term refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. … Blogs are typically updated daily, monthly, or anywhere in between. Web 2.0: Web 2.0 is a term that was introduced in 2004 and refers to the second generation of the World Wide Web. … Web 2.0 does not refer to a speciﬁc version of the Web, but rather a series of technological improvements like blogs, Wikis and social networking. Hope this helps! We welcome your comments, criticisms and compliments. Address correspondence to: Letters Editor, Hotel & Motel Management, 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1100, Cleveland, Ohio 44114; e-mail to hmm@ questex.com; or fax to (216) 706-3711. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Please keep letters to 300 words or fewer. PRESIDENT & CEO—Kerry C. Gumas EXECUTIVE V.P. & CFO—Tom Caridi EXECUTIVE V.P.—Robert S. Ingraham EXECUTIVE V.P.—Tony D’Avino EXECUTIVE V.P., CORP. DEV.—Claudia Flowers V.P. & G.M.—Don Rosenberg V.P., DIGITAL MEDIA—Seth Nichols V.P., HUMAN RESOURCES—Diane M. Evans Copyright 2008 Questex Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopy, recording or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of speciﬁc clients, is granted by Questex Media Group, Inc. for libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; phone: (978) 750-8400; fax (978) 7504470; call for copying beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. For those not registered with the CCC, send permission request to questexpermissions@reprintbuyer.com; phone: (800) 494-9051 Ext. 100. Hotel & Motel Management does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. Hotel & Motel Management welcomes unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations and other materials but cannot be held responsible for their safekeeping or return. Questex Media Group, Inc. provides certain customer contact data (such as customers’ names, addres http://HotelMotel.com http://www.TheHotelTimes.com http://www.techterms.com http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hmm042108/index.php?startpage=8

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 Contents State Programs Help Define Green Hotels AmericInn Boosts its American Presence Questex, The Bench to Host Russia Event Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column Marketing Matters Consultant's Corner Satisfaction Trends On Finance Travel Trends Cornell Insights Energy Star Update Maintenance Doctor Management Trends Trends & Stats Finding Financing Challenges Developers Credit Crunch Still Tops List of Lawyers' Concerns Mixed-use Funding Bleak, Panelists Say Luxury Landscape Keeps Pushing Higher PTACs Events Casegoods Seating Energy Controls and Sensors Pest Control Electronic Locks Transactions Supplier News Timeshare Misconceptions Still Prevalent Awards People Ad/Edit Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

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