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management and operations expertise to help heal ailing hotels CHICAGO AND SCOTTSDALE, AZ � (May 2, 2005) � Properties showing symptoms of weakening management, below par marketing, sickly occupancy or poor revenue margins in this somewhat healthy hospitality market are advised to call the �Hotel Doctors�, better known as Morris Lasky and John Cauvin. Although not licensed medical physicians, Lasky and Cauvin have taken-on these honorary nicknames since healing distressed properties through full-service hotel management, short-term Streamlined Studies, continuing education courses or Mentoring Symposiums and training programs. As President and CEO of Lodging Unlimited Inc., a Chicago-based full-service management company, Lasky has spent the last 40 years providing operational cures for more than 200 ailing hotels, representing more than $6 billion in lodging real estate. He is best-known for founding the acclaimed annual Lodging Conference in Phoenix and International Hotel Conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco. As President and CEO of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Windmill Inns of America, Cauvin owns and personally manages six west coast Windmill Inns & Suites hotels that have operated in the black each year for the past 20 years (despite economic and marketplace conditions) since the brand was founded. More recently, Cauvin opened Lodging Unlimited � West, an affiliate of Lasky�s Lodging Unlimited Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale. Different Ailments, Different Cures �Whether �Dr. Lasky� is prescribing a �quick fix� to hotels through his Streamlined Study program�similar to a M.A.S.H. triage that patches up the wounded on the field of battle and prepares the property to compete another day�or prescribing rehabilitation to distressed properties through reflagging and hotel management, he certainly knows how to diagnose problems underperforming hotels are experiencing,� Cauvin said. �He identifies what�s wrong, fixes what�s broken; gets everyone at the property excited and involved in the turn-around process, and then markets the heck out of the new product.� Cauvin said �Dr. Lasky�s� expertise lies in quickly spotting physical and financial property problems that stem from inexperience or poor operational standards, such as identifying if an owner or manger has selected the wrong location for the property, hired an inexperienced accounting person to conduct a feasibility or site analysis study, or simply chose the wrong franchise flag to fly. Lasky said �Dr. Cauvin� is considered by many to be more of an �academic physician.� He was born into a three-generation hospitality and restaurant family in France, and is a graduate of the two finest hoteliers� schools in the world: L�Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, achieving a Bachelor�s and Master�s Degree in hotel administration. Today �Dr. Cauvin�s� hospitality practice success stems from true hands-on management experience, working with his employees� side-by-side in the trenches each week at a different Windmill Inn & Suites property. He also is an advocate for implementing �Best Practice Standards� at each property, from hiring the right managers to empowering employees, and training, training and then training some more. �One of the biggest problems that hotel owners will face in 2005 is hiring qualified, dedicated managers,� Lasky said. �Too often owners hire managers based on their previous job title or because of their previous brand affiliation without checking to see if the candidates actually did a good job, and to what extent. But as the industry has seen over the past five to 10 years, this process is no longer acceptable if the owner wants to remain profitable and keep guests coming back. �Dr. Cauvin�s philosophy on hotel management and implementing best hiring practices is second to none,� Lasky said. �Not many owners can say they have remained profitable each and every year they have been in business. John Cauvin can proudly boast this accomplishment.� Symposium for Success Lasky and Cauvin said they believe that quality management has declined because there are no systems in place to property screen potential employees during the hiring process, and because continual reality-based training is not available. That�s why Cauvin has recently introduced a new series of �Mentoring Symposiums� titled: �Managers in the Making: Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts� available to hotel owners and management companies looking to improve management skills on all levels at their hotels. The first Mentoring Symposium was held in January, and is currently under review. New classes are soon to be announced. �If you don�t inspect what you expect, then you get neglect and ultimately regret,� Cauvin said. �What that means is, if you don�t make sure that those you hire can do the job you need them to do�or are doing the job you expected them to do, you�ll be sorry. If you put forth the effort to give your manager the tools they need to do their jobs better, then you will be greatly rewarded in return � and so will your guests.� If Cauvin�s track record with Windmill Inns & Suites is any indication, he strongly believes that �Street Smarts� or on-site training, continuing education and experience, will ultimately deliver the best hotel managers. Hotel companies and individual properties interested in learning more about the 2-week Mentoring Symposium should call John Cauvin at (480) 443-0909 x100. Streamlined Studies Likewise Lasky�s Streamlined Study program is proving to be a big success among hotels looking for more short-term assistance rather than traditional, full-service hotel management. Over the course of one or two days, Lasky will take a hard look at the physical condition of a building, the grounds and equipment. Then a comprehensive review is done on the interior, from curb appeal to public areas and corridors to guestrooms. �After a comprehensive, two-day process of inspecting, interviewing and analyzing the property, its employees, management and even the guests, I can then make some very important and informed decisions,� Lasky said. �These decisions will quickly help the owners and operators save money, protect their investments and become more competitive in the acquisitions market, if applicable.� Hotels interested in a diagnostic Streamlined Study or a more long-term rehabilitation program through full-service hotel management should call Lasky at (312) 595-0139. Either process can be painless and inexpensive, depending on the ailment and cure. So call the �Hotel Doctor� nearest you today �
and get your property back on its feet quickly.
 About Lodging Unlimited Headed by 40-year hotel-industry veteran Morris Lasky, its founder and C.E.O, Chicago-based Lodging Unlimited has been providing management and consulting services to the hotel industry since its inception in 1970. With an emphasis on client satisfaction and bottom-line results, Lodging Unlimited has been involved in serving more than 200 lodging properties representing more than $5 billion in lodging real estate. Lodging Unlimited is known throughout the industry for consistently delivering numbers that are well above the national average. For more information on Lodging Unlimited, visit www.lodgingunlimited.com or call (312) 595 1390. .  About Windmill Inns & Suites and Lodging Unlimited � West Windmill Inns of America Inc, Scottsdale, Ariz., is a six-property lodging enterprise with three locations in Oregon and three in Arizona. John Cauvin, President and CEO of Windmill Inns of America, offers a 110% satisfaction guarantee at the properties, and stresses the philosophy that true hospitality is going the extra mile. Cauvin also is C.E.O. of Lodging Unlimited � West, the West Coast affiliate of Lodging Unlimited and the management entity of Windmill Inns of America Inc. For more information about Windmill Inns & Suites or Lodging Unlimited- West, call 480-443-0909 or visit www.windmillinns.com or www.lu-west.com |