Hotel Executive on How to Get Good Service

Paul James, global brand leader at St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, estimates that he spends no less than 150 nights a year in hotel rooms. His experience goes well beyond his own company's brand; he often checks out the competition by staying at other hotels.

Over time, Mr. James has developed a number of tricks to make sure his hotel stays are comfortable. For instance, after booking a room online, he immediately follows up with a phone call to the hotel's concierge. His aim: to request a room that will suit him.
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3 body-language tricks every executive should know

Many arguments are won or lost before you even open your mouth, writes communications coach Nick Morgan. Using body-language tricks such as mirroring and alignment, it's possible to defuse tension, cut off hecklers and ensure your ideas get a positive reception. "Try the nonverbal argument right from the start. It may save you a lot of time and trouble," Morgan advises. Forbes

How to let go and stop being a micromanager

As sales and franchises continued to increase, Shelly Sun thought everything was on the right track at her home-care company, BrightStar. But franchise-satisfaction surveys told a different story. Franchisers were frustrated with the number of new initiatives being pushed by the corporate office. "I had to learn to let go of every little process -- to say that good enough is good enough, and focus on a few of the most critical issues," Sun says. BNET/Owners Only blog

Orlando-area hotel occupancy

Orlando-area hotel occupancy for the month of June was 66.1 percent, up 4.2 percent from 63.4 percent the same month last year, said Smith Travel Research.

Average daily room rates for the month were $91.07, a 2.1 percent increase from June 2009’s rate of $89.20.

Revenue per available room — an indicator of the hotel industry’s health — was $60.22, up 6.4 percent from $56.59 the prior year.

Year-to-date figures for Jan. 1 through June 30 showed hotel occupancy reached 65.1 percent, a 3 percent increase from 63.2 percent for the same six-month period in 2009.

The average room rate for the first six months of 2010 was $95.59, a 5.9 percent drop from $101.62 for 2009.

In addition, revenue per available room also dropped 3.1 percent from $64.25 for the first half of 2009 compared to $62.23 this year.Read more: June hotel occupancy at 66.1% - Orlando Business Journal

7 skills they don't teach in business school

Business schools and leadership gurus love to talk about the theory of management, but what about the practical survival skills every C-suite executive needs? Jo Owen advises learning to sleep on planes, to work productively in the back of taxis and cars, and to pick and stick to a diet plan that actually works. BNET/Sterling Performance blog

One in Four New NYC Hotel Rooms in 2010 will Fly Starwood Flag

Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced that it will grow its New York City portfolio by 50% this year and open more hotels in New York in 2010 than any other city in the world. Today, Starwood operates 12 hotels in the Big Apple across six of its nine distinct and compelling brands. The company’s NYC boom will result in 18 high-caliber Starwood hotels including the debut of Starwood’s two newest brands in Manhattan – Aloft and Element. The company’s bullish focus on NYC is illustrative of its meaningful global growth strategy – Starwood is on track to open more than 80 hotels in key markets around the world this year.

During the remainder of 2010, Starwood will open six new hotels in neighborhoods across Manhattan, as well as in Long Island City and Brooklyn, representing 25% of the new hotel rooms in New York City - one out of four new hotel rooms slated to debut in the city this year will be branded Starwood. In May, the highly anticipated Sheraton Brooklyn opened its doors – bringing the total number of new Starwood hotels to open in the Big Apple in 2010 to seven. The company’s aggressive growth will bring 1,712 new hotel rooms and more than 500 new jobs to New York City.

“While nearly 80% of our future hotel pipeline is outside of the United States, we have more hotels in New York City than any city in the world and we will open more hotels right here in our backyard than anywhere else, which speaks to New York’s enduring stature as the most global gateway city in the world,” said Frits van Paasschen, CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. “New York continues to be a beacon for international business and leisure travelers alike, and as we look to the future, we expect that as masses of travelers from China, India and other emerging markets begin to travel internationally, New York will be at the top of their list. We couldn’t be more bullish on New York near or long term.”

Over the past several months, NYC occupancy has continued to surpass last year’s levels: June occupancy averaged 86.4%, up 5% over last year at the same time. In addition, 45.25 million tourists visited in 2009, exceeding expectations by 7%. By 2012, New York City anticipates attracting 50 million visitors annually and there is a need for new hotels to meet this demand. New York maintained its position as the world’s most popular tourist destination for international visitors last year, and emerged as the top choice for domestic travelers for the first time in nearly 30 years. Starwood is well prepared for the influx of travelers with product that is the best it has ever been. In fact, by 2011, 75% of Starwood’s portfolio in New York will be brand new or freshly renovated.

“In 2010, we will further diversify our strong portfolio in New York City by adding seven strategically located hotels, all backed by our powerful Starwood Preferred Guest program,” said Denise Coll, President of North America Division for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. “We have spent the past three years preparing for New York City’s economic recovery by working closely with our proven development partners on the right properties in the right places. As a result, we’re ready to meet the resurgence in demand for our high-quality lifestyle brands in neighborhoods across the city.”

This year, Starwood will debut its two newest lifestyle brands in New York City with the opening of Aloft hotels in Harlem and Brooklyn and its first Element hotel in Times Square. Aloft and Element have proven to be popular among the hotel development community as consumer demand for stylish, comfortable and affordable accommodations in Manhattan and the outer boroughs continues to rise. The Aloft and Element brands redefined the select service segment when the first hotels opened in 2008, and by the end of the year will have a combined portfolio of nearly 59 properties worldwide. Aloft is the stylish new select service lifestyle brand derived from the DNA of W Hotels, and Element, which is inspired by Westin Hotels & Resorts, and offers an eco-savvy experience for longer-stay guests.

Within the upper-upscale segment, New York is proving to be fertile ground for Sheraton, Starwood’s largest and most global brand. Among the new hotels Sheraton is adding worldwide, two are in New York City. The summer opening of the highly anticipated Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel will be followed by the opening of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel in September. Sheraton and its partners are also continuing to invest in upgrading its existing flagship hotel, the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, which is slated to begin a $100 million renovation later this year. These enhancements to the Sheraton brand’s NYC portfolio stem from its recently completed $6 billion global, multi-year revitalization program, which resulted in $2 billion in new hotels and $1.3 billion in renovations.

New York City remains the epicenter of W Hotels Worldwide, with four currently open in the metro area, and the new W New York - Downtown Hotel & Residences opening this summer. W continues to evolve its existing landmark hotels, recently renovating W New York and W New York - Times Square. Since the very first W opened in New York City in 1998, the hotel category buster and industry innovator has evolved from a New York City phenomenon to a global powerhouse with a portfolio of 35 W Hotels around the world and plans to more than double its portfolio by the end of 2011.

Four Points by Sheraton continues to make inroads in New York City with the upcoming opening of Four Points by Sheraton Long Island City this summer. The fast-growing brand made its debut just six years ago in the Big Apple, where it expects to have a total of seven hotels by 2011.

Source:Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Take a good look at your leadership blind spots

Much like cars, every leader has a blind spot -- behaviors of which he or she isn't aware but that everyone else can see. Dan McCarthy suggests making use of a 360 leadership assessment and taking advantage of a coach to help you find out what you might be missing. Great Leadership

6 steps to a better strategic plan

Creating a plan for your business doesn't have to be a frightening task, according to experts. You already have a plan in your head, you just need to get it down on the page, suggests Palo Alto Software President Tim Berry. Keep your plan short, start with the basics, find help online, include a contingency plan, ask others for advice and review the plan once a month, experts suggest. Entrepreneur