News for the Hospitality Executive |
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, ISHC
October 5, 2011 1. AAHOA
Strikes Back It is time for Choice to reverse its wrong-headed march of folly; time to fully implement the AAHOA 12 Points of Fair Franchising; time to support the Universal Franchisee Bill of Rights; and time to realize that fair franchising is not an oxymoron. AAHOA members have taken it on the chin for years. Finally they are telling Choice to behave like real partners. I believe that Choice cannot last as a successful hotel franchising entity if AAHOA members do not renew expiring license agreements and do not sign new ones. 2. Would You Believe Such a Study? Here’s a verbatim
report from the St.
Petersburg Times (by Lorri Helfand) of September 30, 2011 about the
Belleview Biltmore Hotel: BELLEAIR- For years,
town leaders have struggled to protect the Belleview Biltmore,
challenging
developers who wanted to raze the vacant 114-year-old hotel.
Mayor Gary Katica labeled the mistake “amateurish” and said he expected
more details in the report....But faced with a decaying landmark and a sputtering economy, town leaders wanted to make sure that it is even financially feasible to restore the hotel, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. About two months ago, they commissioned a study by a Las Vegas-based firm to find out. What they’ve gotten so far, they say, is delays, excuses and a draft report with few specifics about the hotel’s viability. And on top of that, the report by consultant StoneCreek Partners LLC misspelled the name of the historic hotel 131 times, calling it instead the “Bellevue Biltmore.” 3. IndependentFranchisee Associations (InFAs) On the Rise
By banding together, franchisees are able to hire high-caliber attorneys and advisors- just like their franchisors, said Eric Karp, an attorney with Witmer, Karp, Warner & Ryan, which represents 12 national franchisee associations. The new Federal Trade Commission’s Franchise Rule also gives a boost to InFAs, Karp said, because it requires franchisors with franchisee associations to include information about them in their Franchise Disclosure Documents. Representatives of independent associations also helped push a Fair Franchising bill through the Rhode Island legislature three years ago and this June, Jim Coen, president of the 2,500 member Dunkin’ Donuts Independent Franchisee Organization, testified for a similar bill now under consideration by lawmakers in Massachusetts. “If you represent a significant organization with significant resources, elected officials will listen to you,” Coen said. Quote
of the Month How
To Stay Young 1. Throw out
nonessential numbers. This includes age,
weight and height. Let the doctor worry
about them. That is why you pay him/her. 2.
Keep only cheerful friends. The
grouches pull you down. 3.
Keep learning. Learn more
about the computer, crafts,
gardening, whatever. Never let the brain
idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s
name
is Alzheimer’s. 4.
Enjoy the simple things. 5. Laugh often,
long
and loud. Laugh until you gasp for
breath. 6. The tears
happen.
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only
person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
Be ALIVE while you are alive. 7.
Surround yourself with what you love, whether
it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your
home is
your refuge. 8.
Cherish your health: if it is good, preserve
it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get
help. 9.
Don’t take guilt trips. Take
a trip to the mall, to the next county,
to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is. 10. Tell the people you love that you love them,
at every opportunity. AND ALWAYS
REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that
take our breaths away.
George
Carlin “What
better way to
learn about the hotel industry than to experience it through the eyes
of some
of the world’s greatest hoteliers.
Stanley Turkel’s book, Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the
Hotel Industry, takes an upfront and personal view of 16 leaders who
shaped
the American hotel industry over the past century. Familiar names
such as J. Willard Marriott,
Howard Johnson and Conrad Hilton are mixed with some obscure players
such as
Henry Bradley Plant, Carl Graham Fisher and Henry Morrison Flagler to
provide a
unique insight into the intricacies of hotel development, operations
and
investment.
Drawing from more than 40 years of industry experience including managing some of the largest New York City hotels, Turkel captures the spirit of each of these pioneers and relates their achievements to important lessons that we can all learn from... John Q. Hammons, still going strong developing hotels in tertiary cities at the age of 90, shows us the need to give back to the local community. While he might negotiate to buy a hotel site for only $1. his huge convention hotel developments have brought new prosperity to many decaying cities. Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American World Airlines and InterContinental Hotels, created one of the first global hotel companies. Trippe was one of the few hoteliers who was able to create synergy through the direct ownership of hotels and airplanes. He also helped countries economically by providing state-of-the art hotel accommodations for tourist and business travelers. Kanjibhai Manchhubhai Patel, one of the first Asian American hoteliers came to the United States in 1923 and started operating a small residential hotel in San Francisco. Over the years thousands of Patels and other immigrants followed- they became American citizens, they purchased hotels, and they realized the American dream of owning your own business. Turkel’s book is not just a biography detailing the lives of important hoteliers but an informative text covering a number of important industry issues. For example, the Asian American hotel community through the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), has over the years battled the large hotel franchise companies to obtain fairer franchise terms and provisions. Turkel not only vividly describes how this war has evolved, but includes all 12 points of AAHOA’s Fair Franchising Policy. Great reference material for both newcomers to the hotel industry and seasoned professionals. Stan Turkel has written more than 200 articles on hospitality related topics. He never shies away from taking a controversial point of view and relentlessly prods industry players to do better. The title of his articles certainly demonstrate his push for perfection; “Reinventing Hotel Franchising,” “Accounting Guide Needs Revision,” “Imbalance of Equity in Contracts,” and the one that gives me pain- “Little Reality in a Typical Feasibility Study.” Ugh! Readers of his book will see that Stan has pin-pointed many of the important issues facing the hospitality industry today and using his usual straight-forward approach offers relevant solutions.”
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Contact: Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC 917-628-8549 [email protected] www.stanleyturkel.com
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