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Impertinent Question Still Seeking a Pertinent Answer;
The Fountain of Old Age; Quote of the Month
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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC
February 11, 2011 1. Impertinent Question Still Seeking a Pertinent Answer Question: Since there are already more than 100 hotel brands, can the current announcements of the following 50 new hotel names be the result of thoughtful research or the triumph of public relations over common sense? New brands announced in the past six months:
2. The Fountain of Old Age An article in the New York Times (February 6, 2011) asks, “Now that the oldest baby boomers are turning 65, their sheer numbers may attract industries that had earlier shied away.” Ken Dychtwald, CEO of AgeWave, a research and consulting organization that focuses on population aging….has been trying to rebrand aging as a positive phenomenon. Back
on July 13, 2006, I wrote: The U.S.
population
age 65 and over is expected to double in the next 25 years. By 2030 almost one out of five Americans
(some 72 million people) will be 65 years or older.
The age group 85 and older is now the fastest
growing segment of the U.S. population.
Many prefer
rooms with
two beds and they often prefer locations on the low floors near an
elevator. Safety and security are
concerns, so in-room sprinklers and smoke detectors can be a strong
selling point. More than other travelers,
older guests enjoy
public areas where they can gather to talk and socialize.
Such rooms should generally be separate from
the cocktail lounge. Groups of
mature
travelers usually enjoy attending some kind of welcoming reception. You might meet them as they arrive – to
explain meal times, hotel facilities and the like – and then offer
coffee,
lemonade and home-baked goods. Most
older persons also like to participate in organized entertainment after
dinner,
such as a trip to a local theatre, a sing-along, or a shopping
excursion. Guide services for these
activities and for
day trips are a plus. Older Travelers
Physical Requirements
Interior design
for
senior citizens must take into account the elements of hearing loss,
diminished
vision, lessened color perception, poorer short-term memory and
weakened upper
body strength. While
experts agree that hotel facilities for seniors
should be designed to offset these difficulties, I believe that, in
fact, all
hotel guests would benefit from the following improvements:
In Guest Rooms 1. Better lighting at writing table, at bedside,
in closet, at TV set, at room
entry. 2. Master electrical switch at bedside to control
all room lights. 3. TV and radio operation instructions that are
easy to read, clear in direction,
simple to operate and well-lit. 4. Blackout drapes and/or shades that actually
keep light out. 5. Clear instructions on how to adjust the room
temperature. 6. An alarm clock that is easy to program and
read. 7. Lamp switches at the base of the lamp where
they can be easily seen and reached. 8. Real clothes hangers in the closet along with
irons and ironing boards. 9. Free
Wi-Fi access 10. Provide a refrigerator and a microwave oven 11. Automatic in-room sprinklers and fire alarms.
In Bathrooms
1. Apply good non-skid material to both the bathtub floor and the bathroom floor. 2. Install multiple well-placed and secure
hand-holds
and grab bars in bathtub/shower/toilet areas. 3. Make sure the adjustable shower head is
easy
to adjust and does the job. 4. Eliminate hot water surges and provide
scald-proof hot water. 5. Provide good lighting over the mirror. 6. Install night lights which won’t disturb
sleeping but will provide safe night trips
to bathroom. 7. Provide a UL-approved hair dryer with a
wall-hung bracket. 8. Supply better-quality, more absorbent
towels
in color. In Corridors And Elevators 1. Make certain that corridors are well illuminated, especially over guest room doors to expedite the use of electronic door lock cards. 2. Exit signs should be installed close to the floor so that they won’t be hidden by rising smoke. 3. Provide easy-to-read, well designed directional signs. Older Travelers’ Needs And Preferences Older persons often want more personal attention than other guests. Many travel largely for companionship and need to talk to people of different ages. Older citizens are a heterogeneous group ranging in age from the mid-50’s to 70, 80 and older. Prejudice against the elderly, which is characterized by rude behavior toward older persons is fairly widespread. Direct-contact hotel personnel must be trained to work with the older traveler. The staff must be taught how to communicate with persons with weak eyesight or poor hearing or both. The cleanliness of rooms and of public areas is especially important to mature travelers. The
face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically and
rapidly, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Today’s older Americans are very different
from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of
disability,
achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty. In fact, recent demographic estimates
indicate that seniors comprise 47% of the leisure travel market or 144
million
roomnights per year. Today’s seniors are
relatively active, healthy and young at heart. They
control half of the nation’s discretionary income and
are America’s
fastest growing age group. The U.S.
Federal
Reserve Board reports that the over-50 age group now controls 77% of
the
nation’s financial holdings worth about $800 billion; represents about
35% of
the total U.S. population and accounts for 42% of after-tax income. 3. Quote of the Month “Opportunity is
missed by most
people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Order Your Copy Now: “Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry” By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC Reviewed by Don Sniegowski, Editor-in-Chief of the BlueMauMau website: "Leave it to hotel consultant and prolific writer Stan Turkel to explore the careers of sixteen of the most outstanding leaders and innovators in the hotel industry. Such books are rare. In Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry, Turkel uncovers remarkable insights into these pioneers, whom not only built well-known mega-hotel icons of Americana but in some cases also helped build the very infrastructure of this country. At the very least, these are movers and shakers that make things happen, from racer Carl Fisher to flamboyant Conrad Hilton to franchisee Marriott with his Midas touch. A number of these great hotel leaders started out as franchisees. Others learned to franchise. Turkel looks at these tycoons and the leadership that helped bring them to the top of their profession. In Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton chain, Turkel also reveals three blunders that the hotel pioneer wished he had never made. It’s a recommended read for franchisee, franchisor, businessman and most especially, hotel professional. (www.greatamericanhoteliers.com) " Stanley Turkel,
MHS, ISHC has just published “Great American Hoteliers:
Pioneers of the Hotel Industry.” It contains 359 pages, 25
illustrations
and 16 chapters devoted to each of the following pioneers: John McEntee
Bowman, Carl Graham Fisher, Henry Morrison Flagler, John Q. Hammons,
Frederick
Henry Harvey, Ernest Henderson, Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Howard Dearing
Johnson, J. Willard Marriott, Kanjibhai Patel, Henry Bradley Plant,
George
Mortimer Pullman, A.M. Sonnabend, Ellsworth Milton Statler, Juan Terry
Trippe and Kemmons Wilson. It also has a foreword by Stephen
Rushmore,
preface, introduction, bibliography and index. Visit www.greatamericanhoteliers.com
to order the book at reduced rates: • Paperback (6x9) $25.00 • Dust Jacket Hardcover (6x9) $35.00 |
| Contact:
Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC |