News for the Hospitality Executive |
by Vikram
Singh I recently finished reading Heads in Beds by
Jacob Tomsky.
To be clear: I am not writing a standard book review. A book is going
to have a
different impact on every reader. I’d rather tell you what the book
meant to
me, and to the hotel industry. First, let me
say that I thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious
and very readable book. Now down to
business. I think the hospitality industry is in
dire need of books that put into perspective how hard people in the
hotel
business work. To make it appeal to a general audience, Tomsky has
included all
sorts of tips and tricks for getting upgrades, and a better deal on
everything
that you can imagine at a hotel. That is a great way to sell more books
to the
everyday reader/traveler. But as a hotel industry person, you have to
look
beyond the tips and tricks. There are some amazing insights here,
particularly
for folks who inhabit or are about to enter the world of hotel
operations. If you have
ever worked in hotel operations in your
lifetime, as I have, it’s almost impossible to dislike this book. The
man
(Jacob) lays it down the way it is, no matter what people tell
themselves in
order to sleep at night. I like that sort of brutal honesty in my
reading. Here are the
top highlights of the book — beyond all the
hustle, profanity, tips and tricks — that I think hotel owners and
managers
should pay attention to. Don’t curb
the enthusiasm! There are a lot
of people who start out in hotels (such as
myself) with much, some might say, “unbridled enthusiasm.” A lot of
times it’s
our first job! The book opens with a very young Mr. Thomas who is
working
really hard (like there is any other entry kind of level job!). But he
is not
just working for his paycheck. Every hotel
Human Resources professional and every
department head should try their best to protect their enthusiastic,
fresh, new
employees from the jaded members of their workforce. Hospitality is
about
people. If your hotel staff comprises jaded and bitter senior-level
staff, they
will crush the young spirits. I have seen it and experienced it myself.
Don’t
let the Debbie Downers be in charge of training the youth. A few bitter
dinosaurs can crush the passion that new hires bring with them. The book also
highlights something that has adorned the
pages of so many business magazines: Employees don’t just leave their
jobs for
the money and better hours…It’s mostly the lack of appreciation that
does it
for them. Nasty “bosses” will always drive up the attrition rate for
your
organization. Hotels that have recently made money during the economic
collapse
of 2008 have awesome employees on board who dispensed much-needed
encouragement
to their teams. Housekeeping
is king. It’s
spectacular how the most important department in hotels
is almost always an afterthought. Endless hours are spent discussing
marketing,
revenue, reputation, and even ridiculous things like… the revenue
potential of
social media for hotels. The answer to solving a ton of issues actually
lies in
improving and cultivating the housekeeping department. It was amazing
how Jacob
highlighted in his book the massive task that is cleaning a hotel and
keeping
it running. Nothing is more important to a guest checking into a hotel
than a
clean room. Why can’t that be the core focus for hotels? (That, and
free
high-speed Wi-Fi!) Paying your housekeeping staff well and treating
them well
can transform how your hotel guests write about you on review sites
like
TripAdvisor, what they tell their friends and family, etc. You solve a
lot of
your social, reputation, branding and revenue issues in one sweep
(literally
and figuratively). Respect the
front desk. Jacob correctly
pointed out that the front desk is the nerve
center of the hotel. Getting the right team in place at your front desk
will
transform how your hotel operates. I have always been baffled by the
fact that
so many hotel operators refuse to look for the right information in
their
biggest human database of guest information — their front desk.
Marketing
companies will sell you an “e-CRM” for whatever money you’d like to
spend on
it. Nothing replaces the depth and accuracy of the experienced front
desk
operations staff. They can tell you a lot about your hotel, its guests,
what’s
important to them, and what would transform the guest experience. A
huge focus
on marketing, without doing the right research at the operational
level, is why
so many marketing plans fail/backfire. I have often said, “The front
desk is
where the best laid hotel marketing plans go to die.” Don’t burn
people for profits. There are hotel
owners and there are hotel operators. This
is the first book I have read that highlights the dark side of some of
the
private equity groups in the hotel industry. There are some wonderful
groups
out there that have a hospitality focus. Jacob’s book highlights some
funds
that would be as happy running a public storage facility as they are
running a
hotel. People simply don’t matter to them. The truth is
that the ‘slash and burn’ approach of massive
cutbacks reaps excellent returns in the short term. These owners
optimize and
flip assets like nobody’s business. In the long
term, losing good staff is never good. It was
great to see the author’s example of the additional revenue a smart
front desk
agent can deliver versus a low-wage dud. Sadly, short-term gains are
the mantra
of a lot of private equity firms. The author’s hotel fell victim to
such a
takeover, and it’s stunning to read about the lives this ruthless
‘trimming of
the proverbial fat’ impacts. Having smart people and paying them a
worthy wage
is always more profitable than replacing good employees with
below-average,
low-cost hires. Another really
amusing thing for me was the whole idea of
turning a classic hotel “boutique.” Apparently, turning the hotel lobby
into a
shady nightclub makes it boutique. How many hotels in how many cities
(especially Manhattan) have fallen to these “boutiquification” (maybe I
should
trademark this word) misadventures? The Fallout A lot of hotel
folks I know were pretty upset about the
portrayal of the industry in this book. I heard a lot of “how dare he
say that”
and “OMG, that’s not how we operate.” These people obviously work in
some
dimension of the industry that is not accessible to common folks like
us. Maybe
they exclusively worked in sales and marketing — conveniently removed
from the
realities of actually running a hotel. Jacob does not put the hotel
industry
down like many have said. He is not a bitter guy, just a normal guy who
went on
a hospitality adventure and was bold enough to write about what he
experienced. I think he
almost romanticizes the popular notion in the
industry that “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never
leave.”
(For you kids reading this, it’s a band called The Eagles.) Once you
get into
hotels, it’s hard to ever check out! About Vikram Singh A dynamic and internationally respected speaker, Vikram delivers keynote lectures, workshops and seminars worldwide, including workshops for the US Department of Commerce, Travel Distribution World Asia, Arabian Travel Market and HSMAI. He enjoys lecturing at Purdue University and BYU Hawaii to the next generation of online marketers. He is also a highly requested speaker for the American Express/American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Series, through which he has spoken in several states across the US. He is a favorite speaker of audience members because he emphasizes action-oriented strategies that help them differentiate themselves in their work. |
Contact: Vikram Singh www.wordsofvikram.com
|
To Learn More About Your News
Being Published on Hotel-Online Inquire Here
Other
articles by Vikram Singh
Biggest
Myths About WordPress Perpetrated by Hotel Marketing Agencies /
Vikram Singh / April 2013 |
Airbnb:
More than a Threat, It's a Great Disruptor to the Hotel & Travel
Sector / Vikram Singh / April 2013 |