by Bryan K. Williams, April 2006
In my current role as corporate director of training and organizational effectiveness, I travel quite regularly, and am able to experience service at some of the finest hotels in the world. In fact, I consider myself to be an expert in not only assessing world-class service, but delivering world-class service as well. During a recent business trip to Chicago, Illinois, I stayed at one of that city’s finest hotels, and was thoroughly impressed with the flawless execution of virtually every service detail. Particularly, I was privileged to have been “roomed” by the most professional and genuine bellman I have ever met. In strength management, a strength is defined as consistent near-perfect performance in a given activity. Basically, that means that someone is doing something so remarkably well, that everyone else looks on in awe as this strength is being displayed (this is easily seen in many professional athletes). This particular bellman definitely has a phenomenal strength for making people feel not only welcomed but treated as royalty. His delivery was effortless, precise, and genuine at the same time.
Allow me to walk you through the service experience as I witnessed it….
After the front desk agent checked me in, she walked around the counter and introduced me to “Tim”. He immediately used my name and welcomed me to the hotel, and told me that I should anticipate having a wonderful stay at “his” hotel. As he escorted me to the guest elevator, he gave a thorough description of various hotel amenities such as the dining outlets, spa facilities, and gift shop. He then said that he would meet me at my room in about five minutes with the rest of my luggage that I had given to the doorman earlier.
Sure enough, five minutes later, Tim knocked on the door. When I opened the door, he again used my name and asked if he may enter. Once I said yes, he proceeded in, and immediately asked if the room temperature and lighting was to my satisfaction. Like any five diamond property, he asked me where I’d like my luggage placed. Tim then proceeded to explain all of the room’s features including the following:
Laundry service
CD player/Radio operation
Shoe shine service
Location of In room dining menu
Location of ice-bucket (which was already filled with ice). He then asked if I had a laptop with me. When I said yes, he explained the internet connection, and showed me where the internet cable was. He then inquired about laundry, and told me if I had items to be laundered and/or pressed, he would be happy to take them for me. I did, and Tim ensured that I would have them back within two hours (which is what I requested). He then wished me a wonderful stay, and asked if there’s anything else he could do to assist.
From a leadership perspective, I am always looking to study success and what type of environment fosters such remarkable excellence to flourish. Usually, there is a clear and unbroken link to leadership. So I asked Tim how long he worked at the property, and he told me 28 years, and loving every day of it. I then asked him what keeps him so motivated to do a great job. Besides the obvious answer of being in the right role and using his talent often, he said that the leadership (especially the hotel’s senior leaders) made it a point to consistently solicit his opinion on various service matters, and always made sure that he felt greatly appreciated and taken care of.
This brings me to my next point about how leaders should treat stars. From my travels, one of the biggest misconceptions leaders have is that they should treat everyone on their team the same way. That is probably one of the fastest ways to accelerate mediocrity on a team.
Think about it…if I’m consistently doing a superior job, is it fair that I get offered the very same coaching, development, and recognition opportunities as those colleagues who don’t put forth the same effort? Don’t get me wrong…of course, everyone has to be held accountable for standards of conduct, attendance policy, etc. I’m referring to the amount of effort that is bestowed on various employees. To put it plainly, people should be treated the way they deserve to be treated. In an ideal work environment, people shouldn’t even be paid the same. Payment should somehow be linked to identifiable and quantifiable performance metrics (guest satisfaction, financials, generation of repeat business, etc.).
On sports teams, every athlete doesn’t get paid the same. On the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James doesn’t get paid what every other player on his team is paid. Why not? He contributes more than everyone else…he scores more, grabs more rebounds, and as a result, more is expected of him, not only from his coaches, but from his teammates and the fans as well.
Now, back to our bellman…he is also the bell captain of this particular hotel, and I would always see him giving feedback to his team (reminding them to smile more, and use the guest’s names). It was as though he was a conductor in the middle of the lobby, orchestrating (and inspiring) the actions of the team around him.
Clearly, he loved his job, and more importantly, he took exceptional pride in making his guests feel like they have returned home. Whenever he saw me in the lobby, he made it a point to inquire if my stay was indeed wonderful, and if there was anything he could to assist me. Always very classy, articulate, and genuine. He is a role model of what a world-class service professional should be like.
Tim is, by far, the best bellman I have ever met.
This article found at:
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_2nd/Apr06_GreatestBellman.html
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Guestroom 2010, the guided tour
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) provided a glimpse of the technologies to be featured in its GUESTROOM 2010 prototype hotel room and adjacent pavilion. The display debuted last week at HITEC (Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference) 2006, June 19-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
Based on a worldwide, comprehensive study, more than 40 different technologies were chosen to be featured in the pavilion. Few of the technologies are only conceptual, while a majority is capable of installation within 90 days.
Get a guided tour of the Guestroom 2010 at :
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4027999.html
Based on a worldwide, comprehensive study, more than 40 different technologies were chosen to be featured in the pavilion. Few of the technologies are only conceptual, while a majority is capable of installation within 90 days.
Get a guided tour of the Guestroom 2010 at :
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4027999.html
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Is Your Menu Working For You or Against You?
By John Nessel ~ Restaurant Resource GroupThursday, 22nd June 2006
As a restaurant operator you already know the importance of keeping your food costs in line. Pretty obvious stuff huh? That’s because combined with your wages and other payroll expenses, food and beverage costs account for anywhere from 60-70+ percent of your total revenue. Moreover, your food and labor are relatively controllable costs compared to rent, utilities, insurance and most of the remaining expenses that make up your monthly payables list.
Menu Engineering
We’re going to save the labor conversation for another day. Today we’ll take a unique look at controlling your food costs. More specifically I’m going to introduce to you a powerful tool to help you achieve this. This tool, along with techniques for utilizing it, has been called menu engineering. In simpler terms I would describe the process as the methodical selecting, costing, pricing and evaluating of your menu items.
Menu engineering provides the manager with information about a menu item’s profitability, as well as popularity, so that proactive planning, recipe design and customer pricing decisions can be made. Menu engineering is not a substitute for proper purchasing, food rotation, standard recipes or any of the other basic kitchen controls that can negatively impact your costs. Rather it is a method of evaluating every item on your menu relative to its present contribution to bottom line dollars, thereby allowing managers to recognize the items they want to sell!
Contribution Margins
While the concept of food cost percentage (an item’s ingredient cost divided by it’s menu price) is the most commonly used criteria for assessing effective cost controls, the concept of contribution margin (an item’s menu price less it’s food cost) is the basis of menu engineering. A simple question should make the distinction clear. If you could sell one more item before your restaurant closed today, would it be a sirloin steak for $20 that costs you $8 or a plate of pasta primavera for $10 that costs you $2. While the food cost percentage of the pasta is 20% versus 40% for the steak, the steak will contribute $12 to gross revenue as opposed to $8 for the pasta. I’ll take the $12… thank you very much. Contribution margin then is based on the dollars you take to the bank.
Accounting for the Popularity of Menu Items While a menu item's contribution margin tells us how many dollars each individual sale of the item contributes to the cash register, you need to know how popular the item is to determine the total dollars it contributes to the restaurant’s revenue. A popular item with a high contribution margin is a “star” while an unpopular item with a low contribution margin would fairly be called a “dog”.
Menu engineering therefore takes each menu items contribution margin and its popularity into account to determine into which of four categories it falls: star, workhorse, challenge or dog. We’ll get back to these categories shortly. The Evaluation I have included a completed Menu Engineering spreadsheet to demonstrate how the process is performed based on the required information listed below (click on the image to enlarge it). This fully automated spreadsheet is available for sale along with other useful restaurant operations spreadsheets at www.rrgconsulting.com/spreadsheets.htm
The information that you need to perform a menu engineering exercise is as follows:
Column A. A list of your competing menu items (a separate evaluation should be performed for each menu category e.g. appetizers, entrees, and desserts)
Column B. A periodic (weekly or monthly) total of the number of each item sold (use your POS report)
Column D. The ingredient cost of each menu item (not just the “center of the plate” cost but the entire cost of the item)
Column E. A list of the menu selling price for each item being evaluated You can perform the evaluation yourself by manually calculating the numbers in the following: Columns C, F, G, H, L, N, I, J, M, K, O, and Q. (Note that the spreadsheet above automatically calculates these numbers)The inputs in Columns P, R and S are calculated as follows: Column P: Profit Category is LOW if the menu item profit is less than the menu’s Average item profit ($4.16 in this example). Conversely, enter HIGH in the cell if the menu items profit is greater than average for the menu. Column R: Popularity Category is LOW if the menu item's menu-mix percentage (e.g. the total number of the item sold divided by the total number of items) is less than 80% of the average. Conversely this means that we are considering an item to be popular, and placing the word HIGH in the column, if it sells at least 80% of an average item’s popularity. In the example below, the average menu popularity equals 8.3% (100% divided by 12 items = 8.3%). Therefore we consider an item popular (HIGH) if it sells 80% of 8.3% or 6.7%. Column S: The Menu Item Class is determined by the results of Columns P and R.
If an item is both profitable and popular then it’s a STAR. It it’s profitable but relatively unpopular then enter the word CHALLENGE. If the item is relatively unprofitable but popular then enter the word WORKHORSE.
Finally, a DOG is an unprofitable and unpopular menu item. How to Take Action Based on the Results Let’s start with the obvious. Keep the STARS and dump the DOGS. Your creativity is now required dealing effectively with your CHALLENGES and WORKHORSES.
Lets start with the CHALLENGES. These items are profitable but relatively unpopular. Your “challenge” is to make them more popular. There are many ways to accomplish this including changing the preparation (Veal Marsala may be more popular than Veal Putanesca, but still just as profitable).
Re-naming or re-plating the item to make it sound and/or appear more appealing is another alternative. Alternatively you might want to create a whole new menu item using the same “center of the plate” ingredient, but doing it in a way that will be more appealing to your customers.
As for the WORKHORSES, they are popular items with less than ideal profit margins. Here is where your best opportunities lie. Your job is to re-engineer the menu item to reduce its cost while not sacrificing what makes it popular. This can involve substituting a single relatively expensive ingredient for a one that is less costly (e.g Assiago cheese in a Caesar salad for Reggiano Parmesan). It may involve substituting one cut of meat for a less expensive one knowing that the preparation is what makes the item popular. It might be as simple as using a less expensive garnish. How about increasing the items selling price?
Your chef’s imagination and talent takes over here. If I knew how to perform this magic I would be wearing an apron and a tocque instead of sitting in this chair banging on my keyboard!
Hopefully it is now easy to see how this information allows you to proactively manage your menu. From collaborations with your chef to tinkering with your prices you can use menu engineering to effectively manage a key aspect of your food costs!
This article found at:
http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1393
As a restaurant operator you already know the importance of keeping your food costs in line. Pretty obvious stuff huh? That’s because combined with your wages and other payroll expenses, food and beverage costs account for anywhere from 60-70+ percent of your total revenue. Moreover, your food and labor are relatively controllable costs compared to rent, utilities, insurance and most of the remaining expenses that make up your monthly payables list.
Menu Engineering
We’re going to save the labor conversation for another day. Today we’ll take a unique look at controlling your food costs. More specifically I’m going to introduce to you a powerful tool to help you achieve this. This tool, along with techniques for utilizing it, has been called menu engineering. In simpler terms I would describe the process as the methodical selecting, costing, pricing and evaluating of your menu items.
Menu engineering provides the manager with information about a menu item’s profitability, as well as popularity, so that proactive planning, recipe design and customer pricing decisions can be made. Menu engineering is not a substitute for proper purchasing, food rotation, standard recipes or any of the other basic kitchen controls that can negatively impact your costs. Rather it is a method of evaluating every item on your menu relative to its present contribution to bottom line dollars, thereby allowing managers to recognize the items they want to sell!
Contribution Margins
While the concept of food cost percentage (an item’s ingredient cost divided by it’s menu price) is the most commonly used criteria for assessing effective cost controls, the concept of contribution margin (an item’s menu price less it’s food cost) is the basis of menu engineering. A simple question should make the distinction clear. If you could sell one more item before your restaurant closed today, would it be a sirloin steak for $20 that costs you $8 or a plate of pasta primavera for $10 that costs you $2. While the food cost percentage of the pasta is 20% versus 40% for the steak, the steak will contribute $12 to gross revenue as opposed to $8 for the pasta. I’ll take the $12… thank you very much. Contribution margin then is based on the dollars you take to the bank.
Accounting for the Popularity of Menu Items While a menu item's contribution margin tells us how many dollars each individual sale of the item contributes to the cash register, you need to know how popular the item is to determine the total dollars it contributes to the restaurant’s revenue. A popular item with a high contribution margin is a “star” while an unpopular item with a low contribution margin would fairly be called a “dog”.
Menu engineering therefore takes each menu items contribution margin and its popularity into account to determine into which of four categories it falls: star, workhorse, challenge or dog. We’ll get back to these categories shortly. The Evaluation I have included a completed Menu Engineering spreadsheet to demonstrate how the process is performed based on the required information listed below (click on the image to enlarge it). This fully automated spreadsheet is available for sale along with other useful restaurant operations spreadsheets at www.rrgconsulting.com/spreadsheets.htm
The information that you need to perform a menu engineering exercise is as follows:
Column A. A list of your competing menu items (a separate evaluation should be performed for each menu category e.g. appetizers, entrees, and desserts)
Column B. A periodic (weekly or monthly) total of the number of each item sold (use your POS report)
Column D. The ingredient cost of each menu item (not just the “center of the plate” cost but the entire cost of the item)
Column E. A list of the menu selling price for each item being evaluated You can perform the evaluation yourself by manually calculating the numbers in the following: Columns C, F, G, H, L, N, I, J, M, K, O, and Q. (Note that the spreadsheet above automatically calculates these numbers)The inputs in Columns P, R and S are calculated as follows: Column P: Profit Category is LOW if the menu item profit is less than the menu’s Average item profit ($4.16 in this example). Conversely, enter HIGH in the cell if the menu items profit is greater than average for the menu. Column R: Popularity Category is LOW if the menu item's menu-mix percentage (e.g. the total number of the item sold divided by the total number of items) is less than 80% of the average. Conversely this means that we are considering an item to be popular, and placing the word HIGH in the column, if it sells at least 80% of an average item’s popularity. In the example below, the average menu popularity equals 8.3% (100% divided by 12 items = 8.3%). Therefore we consider an item popular (HIGH) if it sells 80% of 8.3% or 6.7%. Column S: The Menu Item Class is determined by the results of Columns P and R.
If an item is both profitable and popular then it’s a STAR. It it’s profitable but relatively unpopular then enter the word CHALLENGE. If the item is relatively unprofitable but popular then enter the word WORKHORSE.
Finally, a DOG is an unprofitable and unpopular menu item. How to Take Action Based on the Results Let’s start with the obvious. Keep the STARS and dump the DOGS. Your creativity is now required dealing effectively with your CHALLENGES and WORKHORSES.
Lets start with the CHALLENGES. These items are profitable but relatively unpopular. Your “challenge” is to make them more popular. There are many ways to accomplish this including changing the preparation (Veal Marsala may be more popular than Veal Putanesca, but still just as profitable).
Re-naming or re-plating the item to make it sound and/or appear more appealing is another alternative. Alternatively you might want to create a whole new menu item using the same “center of the plate” ingredient, but doing it in a way that will be more appealing to your customers.
As for the WORKHORSES, they are popular items with less than ideal profit margins. Here is where your best opportunities lie. Your job is to re-engineer the menu item to reduce its cost while not sacrificing what makes it popular. This can involve substituting a single relatively expensive ingredient for a one that is less costly (e.g Assiago cheese in a Caesar salad for Reggiano Parmesan). It may involve substituting one cut of meat for a less expensive one knowing that the preparation is what makes the item popular. It might be as simple as using a less expensive garnish. How about increasing the items selling price?
Your chef’s imagination and talent takes over here. If I knew how to perform this magic I would be wearing an apron and a tocque instead of sitting in this chair banging on my keyboard!
Hopefully it is now easy to see how this information allows you to proactively manage your menu. From collaborations with your chef to tinkering with your prices you can use menu engineering to effectively manage a key aspect of your food costs!
This article found at:
http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=1393
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Hotel online reviews put operators to test
After a December visit to Amara Creekside Resort in Sedona with her husband and young kids, a Phoenix woman let the boutique hotel know what she thought of the place.The beds were comfortable, the concierge helpful and the fire pit perfect for roasting marshmallows. The view from her room, though, was awful, and there were slim pickings in the lineup of complimentary DVDs. Bottom line: It was just OK, even at a fraction of the usual rate. She sized up the hotel not on a traditional comment card or its newer e-mail cousin. She posted an online hotel review at TripAdvisor.com.
The travel site is wildly popular with vacationers and business travelers planning a trip or just back from one, with more than 4 million first-hand reviews and related reports from the front lines. But it also has attracted a loyal following among the subjects of the reviews. Hotels and resorts mindful of their reputations in this era of do-it-yourself travel planning can't afford to ignore this growing force. Comment cards are invaluable, read religiously and here to stay, but Internet postings carry a punch they don't: they are public.And often very detailed, down to the brand name of the bathroom towels and the cost of the breakfast buffet.A string of positive reviews could persuade a hotel shopper to book a particular place; a bunch of lukewarm or negative ones might give them pause or keep them away."Word of mouth is everything. It's more important than anything," said veteran Valley hotelier Tom Silverman, co-owner and general manager of family favorite Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale. "People want to hear personal experiences."
Managing the chatter
It's not just travel, of course. There are Internet message boards, forums, online reviews and blogs dedicated to everything from computers to cars, college savings plans to individual stocks. Internet researchers and consultants have studied the trend and given it a name: consumer-to-consumer, or word-of-mouth, dialogue.
On Monday, Jupiter Research published a report, "Managing Word of Mouth Online," on how businesses can stay on top of Internet chatter about their products or services. The first two tips: monitor consumer dialogue frequently and share the findings throughout the company.Silverman and his staff monitor TripAdvisor regularly, he said, "but probably not often enough."Mary Mantle, area director of sales and marketing for Pointe Hilton Resorts, said they look at the posts several times a week."It's another vehicle for listening to our guests," she said. "It's a part of our business environment today."Kevin Johnson, general manager of Amara, said he and the 3-year-old hotel's chief operating officer look at the reviews three or four times a week. Most are very good, helping give the hotel a No. 6 ranking among 37 Sedona hotels rated on the Web site."It's a very good gauge of our guests' perception of their stay," he said.
Johnson contacts those who provide contact information with their review. Most are anonymous, though. Were the anonymous Phoenix woman to return to Amara - her report said she only stayed there because Hyatt put her family there for $40 as part of that chain's timeshare promotion - she would find a stocked selection of DVDs.Johnson said he went to a video store in Sedona and bought $500 worth of previously viewed DVDs after seeing the post. Amara usually restocks them two or three times a year as they wear out or disappear but had fallen behind during the holiday season.In April, the resort replaced the carpeting in the lobby, hallways and other public areas. Some reviewers on TripAdvisor had complained about worn, stained carpeting. ("The public areas of the hotel are in need of a paint touchup combined with a good carpet cleaning," one said.)"I think the trick with TripAdvisor is, and it's not necessarily a trick, guests want to know that their comments are heard," Johnson said.
Tom Kelly, general manager of the luxury Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, started perusing TripAdvisor about six months ago."I kept hearing more and more about it," he said. He and other hotel executives said it gives people who don't want to talk to a manager or fill out a comment card another option."Some people feel more comfortable putting their comments or thoughts on a Web site like this, which is fine," he said. "We consider it certainly legitimate and helpful."If not always easy to swallow.
Last month, one reviewer from Utah gave the resort one star (out of five) based on a December stay. The subject line of her review: "Not up to par.""I felt like I was at a nice apartment complex, not an upscale hotel. Staff was Marriott so-so. The room was by a busy street. Couch was old and stained. Desk told me they ordered new ones, will be there in a couple months. Cleaning service was poor. Manager was M.I.A."The headline on another recent one: "Great Service. Nice Property. Crappy Beds." Kelly said the bed comment surprised him because so many guests love the beds so much they order the same model for their house.The Four Seasons Scottsdale doesn't get too many thumbs down. It is ranked No. 1 out of 81 hotels in Scottsdale on TripAdvisor.
Taking action
Hotel managers all say they play the percentages when it comes to guest feedback. "If the overwhelming majority are good, well, then you know you're doing pretty good," Silverman said."But here's the thing," he quickly adds. "You've got to react to the legitimate gripes and take care of them. They're telling you what's wrong and shame on you if you don't take care of the problem."One traveler's problem is a mere annoyance or even off the radar for others, of course. Someone who travels with a mobile sound soother (it's come up on TripAdvisor) is likely to be much more sensitive to noise and put off by loud neighbors or a room by the parking lot than the average guest. Then there are expectations. And budgets. And travel experience. "What I would caution people about is not to use it (the online reviews) as the bible, the end all to end all," Kelly said. "Because every experience is going to be different. It's one person's opinion."
Dawn Gilbertson The Arizona Republic Jun. 13, 2006
This article found at:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0613biz-hotelreviews0613main.html
The travel site is wildly popular with vacationers and business travelers planning a trip or just back from one, with more than 4 million first-hand reviews and related reports from the front lines. But it also has attracted a loyal following among the subjects of the reviews. Hotels and resorts mindful of their reputations in this era of do-it-yourself travel planning can't afford to ignore this growing force. Comment cards are invaluable, read religiously and here to stay, but Internet postings carry a punch they don't: they are public.And often very detailed, down to the brand name of the bathroom towels and the cost of the breakfast buffet.A string of positive reviews could persuade a hotel shopper to book a particular place; a bunch of lukewarm or negative ones might give them pause or keep them away."Word of mouth is everything. It's more important than anything," said veteran Valley hotelier Tom Silverman, co-owner and general manager of family favorite Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale. "People want to hear personal experiences."
Managing the chatter
It's not just travel, of course. There are Internet message boards, forums, online reviews and blogs dedicated to everything from computers to cars, college savings plans to individual stocks. Internet researchers and consultants have studied the trend and given it a name: consumer-to-consumer, or word-of-mouth, dialogue.
On Monday, Jupiter Research published a report, "Managing Word of Mouth Online," on how businesses can stay on top of Internet chatter about their products or services. The first two tips: monitor consumer dialogue frequently and share the findings throughout the company.Silverman and his staff monitor TripAdvisor regularly, he said, "but probably not often enough."Mary Mantle, area director of sales and marketing for Pointe Hilton Resorts, said they look at the posts several times a week."It's another vehicle for listening to our guests," she said. "It's a part of our business environment today."Kevin Johnson, general manager of Amara, said he and the 3-year-old hotel's chief operating officer look at the reviews three or four times a week. Most are very good, helping give the hotel a No. 6 ranking among 37 Sedona hotels rated on the Web site."It's a very good gauge of our guests' perception of their stay," he said.
Johnson contacts those who provide contact information with their review. Most are anonymous, though. Were the anonymous Phoenix woman to return to Amara - her report said she only stayed there because Hyatt put her family there for $40 as part of that chain's timeshare promotion - she would find a stocked selection of DVDs.Johnson said he went to a video store in Sedona and bought $500 worth of previously viewed DVDs after seeing the post. Amara usually restocks them two or three times a year as they wear out or disappear but had fallen behind during the holiday season.In April, the resort replaced the carpeting in the lobby, hallways and other public areas. Some reviewers on TripAdvisor had complained about worn, stained carpeting. ("The public areas of the hotel are in need of a paint touchup combined with a good carpet cleaning," one said.)"I think the trick with TripAdvisor is, and it's not necessarily a trick, guests want to know that their comments are heard," Johnson said.
Tom Kelly, general manager of the luxury Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, started perusing TripAdvisor about six months ago."I kept hearing more and more about it," he said. He and other hotel executives said it gives people who don't want to talk to a manager or fill out a comment card another option."Some people feel more comfortable putting their comments or thoughts on a Web site like this, which is fine," he said. "We consider it certainly legitimate and helpful."If not always easy to swallow.
Last month, one reviewer from Utah gave the resort one star (out of five) based on a December stay. The subject line of her review: "Not up to par.""I felt like I was at a nice apartment complex, not an upscale hotel. Staff was Marriott so-so. The room was by a busy street. Couch was old and stained. Desk told me they ordered new ones, will be there in a couple months. Cleaning service was poor. Manager was M.I.A."The headline on another recent one: "Great Service. Nice Property. Crappy Beds." Kelly said the bed comment surprised him because so many guests love the beds so much they order the same model for their house.The Four Seasons Scottsdale doesn't get too many thumbs down. It is ranked No. 1 out of 81 hotels in Scottsdale on TripAdvisor.
Taking action
Hotel managers all say they play the percentages when it comes to guest feedback. "If the overwhelming majority are good, well, then you know you're doing pretty good," Silverman said."But here's the thing," he quickly adds. "You've got to react to the legitimate gripes and take care of them. They're telling you what's wrong and shame on you if you don't take care of the problem."One traveler's problem is a mere annoyance or even off the radar for others, of course. Someone who travels with a mobile sound soother (it's come up on TripAdvisor) is likely to be much more sensitive to noise and put off by loud neighbors or a room by the parking lot than the average guest. Then there are expectations. And budgets. And travel experience. "What I would caution people about is not to use it (the online reviews) as the bible, the end all to end all," Kelly said. "Because every experience is going to be different. It's one person's opinion."
Dawn Gilbertson The Arizona Republic Jun. 13, 2006
This article found at:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0613biz-hotelreviews0613main.html
Monday, June 26, 2006
A Delicate Balance: By Natalie MacLean
Dinner with wine used to be simple. The rule was white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. But most of us don’t just eat meat and potatoes or drink claret and chablis these days.
With modern fusion cuisine and wines from new regions around the world, the choices – and confusion – are great. One new school of thought is that any wine goes with any dish. However, most of us don’t put ketchup on our ice cream for the same reason as we don’t drink a delicate white wine with a hearty meat dish or a powerful red wine with sole – they are mismatched flavors and textures.
When the marriage of food and wine works well, each enhances the other, making the meal greater than if you had consumed them separately. That’s why the following classic matches have survived the changes in food fashion: stilton with port, foie gras with sauternes, boeuf bourguignon with Burgundian pinot noir and goat cheese with sauvignon blanc.
It helps to start with the basic principles of food and wine pairing as they still provide a basis for experimenting with new world cuisine. One of the most important elements to harmonize between wine and food is flavor. For example, a tangy tomato-based pasta sauce requires a wine with comparable acidity. Without this balance between the acidity of the dish and the wine, the partner with lower acidity tastes flabby and dull, while the other, too tart.
To find an acidic wine, you can chose one that is made in the same area as the food. Years of matching the regional cuisine and wine as well as similar soil and climatic conditions make this a safe bet. For example, you could pair a tomato sauce fettuccine with a Tuscan chianti. Or you can select a wine from a cool climate where the grapes don’t ripen to great sweetness, and maintain their tart, tangy edge. Crisp New Zealand sauvignon blancs and French chablis serve these dishes well.
Acidic wines also work well with salty dishes. For example, oysters are both salty and briny with an oily mouth-coating texture that can smoother most wines. However, a sparkling wine from California, a Spanish cava or French champagne can both refresh and cleanse your palate when eating fish. Bubblies also work well with spicy foods. Hot spice in Asian, Thai, curry and chili pepper dishes can numb the palate. Many of these foods also have high acidity from citrus ingredients such as lime juice as well as sweetness. Therefore, you need a wine with an acidic backbone as well as a touch of sweetness such as an off-dry California sparkling wine with lots of fruit.
While off-dry, acidic wines go well with many dishes, the two most difficult wines to pair with food are also the two most popular: chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. New World chardonnays can be oaky, buttery, flavorful wines that overwhelm many dishes. But you can still enjoy chardonnay with your meal. Pair it with butter and cream sauces to marry similar textures and flavors.
Conversely, cabernet sauvignons can have bitter dark fruit flavours with mouth drying tannins (the same sensation you get from drinking well-brewed tea). Therefore, they find their happiest match in foods with juicy proteins such as a rare steak. The protein softens the tannin making the wine taste smooth and fruity. Steaks done with crushed black peppercorns sensitize your taste-buds, making the wine taste even more fruity and robust. However, the way in which the dish is prepared also has an impact. A well-done steak, for example, may taste too dry with a tannic cabernet.
Proteins are also at work with the marriage of wine and cheese, the cocktail classic. Red wines tend to go better with hard cheeses such as blue cheese as they can accommodate more tannins. However, whites suit soft cheeses such as brie and camembert as the creamier textures require more acidity for balance.
Game birds such quail, pheasant, turkey, duck, squab and guinea hen have earthy flavors that are more robust than chicken. Wild game often goes better with racy red wines that have a gamy quality to them, the classic being Burgundian pinot noir. The flavors of pinot noir -- plum, cherry, mushrooms, earth and even barnyard (that’s a positive adjective) – accentuate the same gamy flavors in the food. Other wine options for game birds include Spanish rioja, Oregon pinot noir and lighter-style Rhône Valley wines such as Côte-Rôtie.
One of the most challenging flavors to balance is sweetness. Dishes with a touch of sweetness such as glazed pork do well with off-dry wines such as riesling and chenin blanc. However, rich desserts such as chocolate and crème brulée demand a wine that is sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste thin, even bitter. Sweet wines such as sauternes, Canadian icewine, late harvest wines and port will work not only for their sweetness but also for their unctuous texture.
For more information on food and wine pairing, an excellent book is Wine with Food by Joanna Simon, which suggests wines to serve with spicy, hot and sweet dishes, as well as the less-challenging, everyday fare. The summary charts at the back of the book are worth the price alone. You can find it at http://www.nataliemaclean.com/books.asp.
For online help, visit the Wine Spectator's web site at www.winespectator.com.
(Click on Dining on the blue buttons to the left, then on Food and Wine Matching.) The site allows you to choose either a dish or wine to find its complement from their online database.
Your best source of food and wine matching is your own palate. Experiment with different combinations to discover not only what makes a perfect pairing for you, but also to broaden your range of possibilities. As the author Alexis Lichine observed, “There is no substitute for pulling corks.”
WHITE WINE AND FOOD MATCHES
Chardonnay: seafood with butter sauce, chicken, pasta with cream sauce, veal, turkey, ham, Emmenthal, Gruyeres, Port-Salut
Riesling: mild cheese, clams, mussels, Asian dishes, sashimi, ham, pork, lobster Newberg, Tandoori chicken, Coquilles St JacquesSauvignon Blanc: oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, Irish stew, ham, chevre, goat cheese and strongly flavored cheeses, asparagus quiche
Gewurztraminer: spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, Muenster, spiced/peppered cheeses, onion tart
RED WINE AND FOOD MATCHES
Cabernet Sauvignon: duck, spicy beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys
Pinot Noir: braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, charcuterie, partridge, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, truffles, Gruyeres
Merlot: braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles
Shiraz: braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, peppercorn steak, barbequed meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille
With modern fusion cuisine and wines from new regions around the world, the choices – and confusion – are great. One new school of thought is that any wine goes with any dish. However, most of us don’t put ketchup on our ice cream for the same reason as we don’t drink a delicate white wine with a hearty meat dish or a powerful red wine with sole – they are mismatched flavors and textures.
When the marriage of food and wine works well, each enhances the other, making the meal greater than if you had consumed them separately. That’s why the following classic matches have survived the changes in food fashion: stilton with port, foie gras with sauternes, boeuf bourguignon with Burgundian pinot noir and goat cheese with sauvignon blanc.
It helps to start with the basic principles of food and wine pairing as they still provide a basis for experimenting with new world cuisine. One of the most important elements to harmonize between wine and food is flavor. For example, a tangy tomato-based pasta sauce requires a wine with comparable acidity. Without this balance between the acidity of the dish and the wine, the partner with lower acidity tastes flabby and dull, while the other, too tart.
To find an acidic wine, you can chose one that is made in the same area as the food. Years of matching the regional cuisine and wine as well as similar soil and climatic conditions make this a safe bet. For example, you could pair a tomato sauce fettuccine with a Tuscan chianti. Or you can select a wine from a cool climate where the grapes don’t ripen to great sweetness, and maintain their tart, tangy edge. Crisp New Zealand sauvignon blancs and French chablis serve these dishes well.
Acidic wines also work well with salty dishes. For example, oysters are both salty and briny with an oily mouth-coating texture that can smoother most wines. However, a sparkling wine from California, a Spanish cava or French champagne can both refresh and cleanse your palate when eating fish. Bubblies also work well with spicy foods. Hot spice in Asian, Thai, curry and chili pepper dishes can numb the palate. Many of these foods also have high acidity from citrus ingredients such as lime juice as well as sweetness. Therefore, you need a wine with an acidic backbone as well as a touch of sweetness such as an off-dry California sparkling wine with lots of fruit.
While off-dry, acidic wines go well with many dishes, the two most difficult wines to pair with food are also the two most popular: chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. New World chardonnays can be oaky, buttery, flavorful wines that overwhelm many dishes. But you can still enjoy chardonnay with your meal. Pair it with butter and cream sauces to marry similar textures and flavors.
Conversely, cabernet sauvignons can have bitter dark fruit flavours with mouth drying tannins (the same sensation you get from drinking well-brewed tea). Therefore, they find their happiest match in foods with juicy proteins such as a rare steak. The protein softens the tannin making the wine taste smooth and fruity. Steaks done with crushed black peppercorns sensitize your taste-buds, making the wine taste even more fruity and robust. However, the way in which the dish is prepared also has an impact. A well-done steak, for example, may taste too dry with a tannic cabernet.
Proteins are also at work with the marriage of wine and cheese, the cocktail classic. Red wines tend to go better with hard cheeses such as blue cheese as they can accommodate more tannins. However, whites suit soft cheeses such as brie and camembert as the creamier textures require more acidity for balance.
Game birds such quail, pheasant, turkey, duck, squab and guinea hen have earthy flavors that are more robust than chicken. Wild game often goes better with racy red wines that have a gamy quality to them, the classic being Burgundian pinot noir. The flavors of pinot noir -- plum, cherry, mushrooms, earth and even barnyard (that’s a positive adjective) – accentuate the same gamy flavors in the food. Other wine options for game birds include Spanish rioja, Oregon pinot noir and lighter-style Rhône Valley wines such as Côte-Rôtie.
One of the most challenging flavors to balance is sweetness. Dishes with a touch of sweetness such as glazed pork do well with off-dry wines such as riesling and chenin blanc. However, rich desserts such as chocolate and crème brulée demand a wine that is sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste thin, even bitter. Sweet wines such as sauternes, Canadian icewine, late harvest wines and port will work not only for their sweetness but also for their unctuous texture.
For more information on food and wine pairing, an excellent book is Wine with Food by Joanna Simon, which suggests wines to serve with spicy, hot and sweet dishes, as well as the less-challenging, everyday fare. The summary charts at the back of the book are worth the price alone. You can find it at http://www.nataliemaclean.com/books.asp.
For online help, visit the Wine Spectator's web site at www.winespectator.com.
(Click on Dining on the blue buttons to the left, then on Food and Wine Matching.) The site allows you to choose either a dish or wine to find its complement from their online database.
Your best source of food and wine matching is your own palate. Experiment with different combinations to discover not only what makes a perfect pairing for you, but also to broaden your range of possibilities. As the author Alexis Lichine observed, “There is no substitute for pulling corks.”
WHITE WINE AND FOOD MATCHES
Chardonnay: seafood with butter sauce, chicken, pasta with cream sauce, veal, turkey, ham, Emmenthal, Gruyeres, Port-Salut
Riesling: mild cheese, clams, mussels, Asian dishes, sashimi, ham, pork, lobster Newberg, Tandoori chicken, Coquilles St JacquesSauvignon Blanc: oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, Irish stew, ham, chevre, goat cheese and strongly flavored cheeses, asparagus quiche
Gewurztraminer: spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, Muenster, spiced/peppered cheeses, onion tart
RED WINE AND FOOD MATCHES
Cabernet Sauvignon: duck, spicy beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys
Pinot Noir: braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, charcuterie, partridge, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, truffles, Gruyeres
Merlot: braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles
Shiraz: braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, peppercorn steak, barbequed meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille
Sunday, June 25, 2006
America's mean cuisine: More like it hot
If people really are what they eat, we are becoming a nation of hotties.
Something strange has happened to the American palate. After decades of being satisfied with mild foods, it's now craving bold flavors that pack a punch -- hot and spicy, sweet and heat, and interesting combinations that add new meaning to kicking it up a notch. Experts say the population has become more diverse and better-traveled, and taste buds are reflecting this new worldliness. "We've become much more adventurous in our eating," said Rachel Koryl, a trend analyst for the Center for Culinary Development in San Francisco. "In the last five years, we've really seen a change in tastes. Baby Boomers are eating out more often and are being exposed to different ethnic cuisines. And today's kids are growing up on ethnic foods like Thai and sushi."
But diners aren't just reaching for pungent curry or spicy tuna rolls. They want bold flavors in all kinds of foods -- haute cuisine, fast food, snacks and even candy. Big corporations like General Mills, Wrigley, McDonald's and Denny's are all cashing in on the flavor craze. Just this month, the Coca-Cola Co. introduced Blak, a new "fusion" beverage of Coke and coffee. Last month, Frito-Lay launched its new Sensations line of potato and tortilla chips seasoned with ingredients like chiles, crushed red pepper and black peppercorns. Blue Diamond's "Bold" line of almonds -- four flavors ranging from Lime 'n Chili to Wasabi & Soy Sauce, introduced a year ago in Southern California test markets, are now carried in 46 percent of the nation's grocery stores.
Wendy's advertises a spicy chicken sandwich that is so hot that the guy in the commercial has to douse himself with a giant jug of water after taking only a few bites. Carls Jr.'s spicy barbecue burger with batter-fried slivers of onion and jalapeño is supposedly so smoking that the fast-food firm hired hotel heiress Paris Hilton for the television campaign. Wearing a barely-there bathing suit, she munches on the sandwich as she seductively washes her Bentley. Now that's hot -- so hot, in fact, that the ad was pulled off the air.
Supermarket shelves are packed with Cheetos, sauces and condiments that promote ethnic flavors like habanero, cumin and guacamole. Mints, candy and chewing gum have all been pumped up, with advertisers promising that they are more "intense" and "fiery" than ever.
Even salad eaters are gravitating to the spicy arugula, peppery mizuna and bitter radicchio, leaving the more demure butter and leaf lettuces on the shelf.
Marc Halperin, director of the Center for Culinary Development, which maps trends and creates new food products, said this yen for bold flavors is being driven mostly by Gen Xers -- 30- to 45-year-olds -- who have seen the world and now want to taste it. "There is nothing physiological about it," Halperin said. "This is purely sociological." And the demand has lit a fire under food developers and manufacturers. In the last two years, 1,463 products with the word "spicy" were introduced, according to Mintel International, a Chicago-based research firm that tracks food marketing. In 2005, Mintel said, there was a 4.5 percent increase in "hot" and "spicy" items found on fast-food menus from the previous year, and a 2 percent increase at fine-dining restaurants. "Restaurants are acknowledging that it's a trend that's here to stay," said Maria Caranfa, a food analyst at Mintel, who believes that food developers and chefs are taking their flavor prompts from Latin America and Asia. That's because, she says, those populations have grown significantly in this country.
There are 15.1 million more Hispanics living in the United States than there were 10 years ago, and 3.2 million more Asians and Pacific Islanders, according to the most recent census data. And the foods of those countries -- longtime favorites with Californians -- are now the nation's most popular. Justin Whitney, a 36-year-old technical writer in San Francisco, said he loves all things spicy. After all, he's from Texas. So when Carl's Jr. came out with its jalapeño burger, Whitney ran there as soon as he could. "It wasn't hot enough," he lamented. When his local sushi joint put a jalapeño roll on the menu, he ordered up a plateful. "I kind of liked it," he said, although, "It was just a little overkill." What he really likes, he said, is that the food industry is taking chances -- "they're finally adding some flavor."
Maybe even too much. Take, for instance, Cold Stone Creamery's wasabi-ginger ice cream, which Whitney tasted a year ago. When he saw it, he thought he'd gone to dairy heaven. But that was before he tasted it. "I really wanted to make it work," he now says. "But it was just wrong." Even young kids are being more adventurous, leaving hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie behind. In 2001, Wharf Research, a San Francisco polling company that works with the Center for Culinary Development, asked 400 10- to 13-year-olds from around the country about their favorite foods. Chinese food came out on top, followed by Mexican, Japanese, Italian and, in fifth place, American. That means that quesadillas could replace the grilled-cheese sandwich. Nearly three-quarters of those polled enjoyed eating quesadillas; 47 percent, spring rolls; 36 percent, pot stickers; 31 percent, sushi; 26 percent, pesto; and 8 percent, samosas. A year later, Wharf Research surveyed 22- to 25-year-olds. Fifty-one percent said they like their salsa either hot or very hot.
Nick Linduer, a former chef who started selling fiery sauces on the Internet four years ago, says business has never been better. The 25-year-old New Yorker said he's averaging 50 orders a day on his Sweat 'n Spice site. One of Linduer's favorites is a pumpkin sauce flavored with habanero peppers. He pours it over vanilla ice cream. Jared Dougherty, a spokesman for Frito-Lay, said consumers are looking for "sweet and heat," or just a whole lot of heat, in their snack foods. "We take our cues from across the food industry," Dougherty said. "And taste buds are definitely expanding."
Responding to that, in 2003, the company, with the help of its Latino employees, developed potato chips and Doritos flavored with guacamole. Within a year, retail sales hit $100 million, Dougherty said. That paved the way for Frito-Lay's hottest and spiciest chip ever -- Doritos Fiery Habanero. After testing the market in Southern California earlier this year, the company is taking the product nationwide. Over the past four years, flavored potato chips have taken off. In the last year alone, sales have seen a 13.7 percent increase, according to ACNielsen, a worldwide marketing research firm. During the same period, regular potato chip sales decreased by 7.2 percent. It's not just chips that are firing up. Blue Diamond, a growers' cooperative based in Sacramento, has sold the same five flavors of its smokehouse almonds for 35 years, which also happened to be the youngest age of the product's typical consumer. The company thought it was time for a hipper nut, said Algernon Greenlee, Blue Diamond's director of marketing. "Almonds tend to attract an older crowd -- 35 and up," Greenlee said. "We're hoping that the new flavors bring in a younger customer."
Even Hot Tamales, the gummy red candies that have been heating up the mouths of babes since the 1950s, found a way to become even hotter tamales. The manufacturer, Just Born, says the new candy has "more kick" and more "intense flavor." And just in case those don't burn enough, the company has added Hot Tamales Fire to its line.
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., which already manufactures some "curiously strong" mints, is adding what some consumers might find to be some curiously odd-sounding products -- Altoids Mango Sours, and Eclipse Cinnamon Inferno and Midnight Cool gum. Linduer, the hot sauce salesman, says that just because there is sizzle doesn't mean there is fire. He's tried many of the new products that claim to be intense, hot, spicy and bold, he said, and has deemed them unimpressive. "A lot of the manufacturers and fast-food companies jumping on the hot and bold bandwagon aren't very hot or bold at all," he said. But, then again, this is a guy who collects hot sauce for a hobby. While renowned restaurant chefs aren't likely to start serving habanero chips with a Ranch-chipotle dip anytime soon, even they acknowledge the changing tastes of their patrons. Hubert Keller, the chef and co-owner of the four-star Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and its sister restaurant in Las Vegas, said he has taken to using some interesting spices that aren't usually seen in classic French cooking -- star anise, native to China and Vietnam; cumin, a spice that plays a major role in Mexican, Asian and Indian food; and coriander and cardamom, mainstays of Mediterranean and Indian cuisines. He's making sea bass with a black licorice sauce and using other ingredients that "have intense flavors that cause excitement." "On one hand, it's not French at all," he said while laughing. "But people appreciate it. If they didn't, I'd stop doing it."
E-mail Stacy Finz at sfinz@sfchronicle.com.
This article found at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/16/MNGFLIA10R1.DTL
Something strange has happened to the American palate. After decades of being satisfied with mild foods, it's now craving bold flavors that pack a punch -- hot and spicy, sweet and heat, and interesting combinations that add new meaning to kicking it up a notch. Experts say the population has become more diverse and better-traveled, and taste buds are reflecting this new worldliness. "We've become much more adventurous in our eating," said Rachel Koryl, a trend analyst for the Center for Culinary Development in San Francisco. "In the last five years, we've really seen a change in tastes. Baby Boomers are eating out more often and are being exposed to different ethnic cuisines. And today's kids are growing up on ethnic foods like Thai and sushi."
But diners aren't just reaching for pungent curry or spicy tuna rolls. They want bold flavors in all kinds of foods -- haute cuisine, fast food, snacks and even candy. Big corporations like General Mills, Wrigley, McDonald's and Denny's are all cashing in on the flavor craze. Just this month, the Coca-Cola Co. introduced Blak, a new "fusion" beverage of Coke and coffee. Last month, Frito-Lay launched its new Sensations line of potato and tortilla chips seasoned with ingredients like chiles, crushed red pepper and black peppercorns. Blue Diamond's "Bold" line of almonds -- four flavors ranging from Lime 'n Chili to Wasabi & Soy Sauce, introduced a year ago in Southern California test markets, are now carried in 46 percent of the nation's grocery stores.
Wendy's advertises a spicy chicken sandwich that is so hot that the guy in the commercial has to douse himself with a giant jug of water after taking only a few bites. Carls Jr.'s spicy barbecue burger with batter-fried slivers of onion and jalapeño is supposedly so smoking that the fast-food firm hired hotel heiress Paris Hilton for the television campaign. Wearing a barely-there bathing suit, she munches on the sandwich as she seductively washes her Bentley. Now that's hot -- so hot, in fact, that the ad was pulled off the air.
Supermarket shelves are packed with Cheetos, sauces and condiments that promote ethnic flavors like habanero, cumin and guacamole. Mints, candy and chewing gum have all been pumped up, with advertisers promising that they are more "intense" and "fiery" than ever.
Even salad eaters are gravitating to the spicy arugula, peppery mizuna and bitter radicchio, leaving the more demure butter and leaf lettuces on the shelf.
Marc Halperin, director of the Center for Culinary Development, which maps trends and creates new food products, said this yen for bold flavors is being driven mostly by Gen Xers -- 30- to 45-year-olds -- who have seen the world and now want to taste it. "There is nothing physiological about it," Halperin said. "This is purely sociological." And the demand has lit a fire under food developers and manufacturers. In the last two years, 1,463 products with the word "spicy" were introduced, according to Mintel International, a Chicago-based research firm that tracks food marketing. In 2005, Mintel said, there was a 4.5 percent increase in "hot" and "spicy" items found on fast-food menus from the previous year, and a 2 percent increase at fine-dining restaurants. "Restaurants are acknowledging that it's a trend that's here to stay," said Maria Caranfa, a food analyst at Mintel, who believes that food developers and chefs are taking their flavor prompts from Latin America and Asia. That's because, she says, those populations have grown significantly in this country.
There are 15.1 million more Hispanics living in the United States than there were 10 years ago, and 3.2 million more Asians and Pacific Islanders, according to the most recent census data. And the foods of those countries -- longtime favorites with Californians -- are now the nation's most popular. Justin Whitney, a 36-year-old technical writer in San Francisco, said he loves all things spicy. After all, he's from Texas. So when Carl's Jr. came out with its jalapeño burger, Whitney ran there as soon as he could. "It wasn't hot enough," he lamented. When his local sushi joint put a jalapeño roll on the menu, he ordered up a plateful. "I kind of liked it," he said, although, "It was just a little overkill." What he really likes, he said, is that the food industry is taking chances -- "they're finally adding some flavor."
Maybe even too much. Take, for instance, Cold Stone Creamery's wasabi-ginger ice cream, which Whitney tasted a year ago. When he saw it, he thought he'd gone to dairy heaven. But that was before he tasted it. "I really wanted to make it work," he now says. "But it was just wrong." Even young kids are being more adventurous, leaving hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie behind. In 2001, Wharf Research, a San Francisco polling company that works with the Center for Culinary Development, asked 400 10- to 13-year-olds from around the country about their favorite foods. Chinese food came out on top, followed by Mexican, Japanese, Italian and, in fifth place, American. That means that quesadillas could replace the grilled-cheese sandwich. Nearly three-quarters of those polled enjoyed eating quesadillas; 47 percent, spring rolls; 36 percent, pot stickers; 31 percent, sushi; 26 percent, pesto; and 8 percent, samosas. A year later, Wharf Research surveyed 22- to 25-year-olds. Fifty-one percent said they like their salsa either hot or very hot.
Nick Linduer, a former chef who started selling fiery sauces on the Internet four years ago, says business has never been better. The 25-year-old New Yorker said he's averaging 50 orders a day on his Sweat 'n Spice site. One of Linduer's favorites is a pumpkin sauce flavored with habanero peppers. He pours it over vanilla ice cream. Jared Dougherty, a spokesman for Frito-Lay, said consumers are looking for "sweet and heat," or just a whole lot of heat, in their snack foods. "We take our cues from across the food industry," Dougherty said. "And taste buds are definitely expanding."
Responding to that, in 2003, the company, with the help of its Latino employees, developed potato chips and Doritos flavored with guacamole. Within a year, retail sales hit $100 million, Dougherty said. That paved the way for Frito-Lay's hottest and spiciest chip ever -- Doritos Fiery Habanero. After testing the market in Southern California earlier this year, the company is taking the product nationwide. Over the past four years, flavored potato chips have taken off. In the last year alone, sales have seen a 13.7 percent increase, according to ACNielsen, a worldwide marketing research firm. During the same period, regular potato chip sales decreased by 7.2 percent. It's not just chips that are firing up. Blue Diamond, a growers' cooperative based in Sacramento, has sold the same five flavors of its smokehouse almonds for 35 years, which also happened to be the youngest age of the product's typical consumer. The company thought it was time for a hipper nut, said Algernon Greenlee, Blue Diamond's director of marketing. "Almonds tend to attract an older crowd -- 35 and up," Greenlee said. "We're hoping that the new flavors bring in a younger customer."
Even Hot Tamales, the gummy red candies that have been heating up the mouths of babes since the 1950s, found a way to become even hotter tamales. The manufacturer, Just Born, says the new candy has "more kick" and more "intense flavor." And just in case those don't burn enough, the company has added Hot Tamales Fire to its line.
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., which already manufactures some "curiously strong" mints, is adding what some consumers might find to be some curiously odd-sounding products -- Altoids Mango Sours, and Eclipse Cinnamon Inferno and Midnight Cool gum. Linduer, the hot sauce salesman, says that just because there is sizzle doesn't mean there is fire. He's tried many of the new products that claim to be intense, hot, spicy and bold, he said, and has deemed them unimpressive. "A lot of the manufacturers and fast-food companies jumping on the hot and bold bandwagon aren't very hot or bold at all," he said. But, then again, this is a guy who collects hot sauce for a hobby. While renowned restaurant chefs aren't likely to start serving habanero chips with a Ranch-chipotle dip anytime soon, even they acknowledge the changing tastes of their patrons. Hubert Keller, the chef and co-owner of the four-star Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and its sister restaurant in Las Vegas, said he has taken to using some interesting spices that aren't usually seen in classic French cooking -- star anise, native to China and Vietnam; cumin, a spice that plays a major role in Mexican, Asian and Indian food; and coriander and cardamom, mainstays of Mediterranean and Indian cuisines. He's making sea bass with a black licorice sauce and using other ingredients that "have intense flavors that cause excitement." "On one hand, it's not French at all," he said while laughing. "But people appreciate it. If they didn't, I'd stop doing it."
E-mail Stacy Finz at sfinz@sfchronicle.com.
This article found at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/16/MNGFLIA10R1.DTL
Friday, June 23, 2006
How to Keep The Winners: Some Proven Business Management Techniques for Maintaining Great Staff - By Jack Turesky, President, The Hamister Group, Inc.
After spending a lot of time and resources finding and hiring the highest quality staff available, you might be in the fortunate position of having really great, dedicated people working at your company.
You think that it's time to settle down and get on with doing business, right? Not entirely. Great people have to be maintained, not just hired.The Hamister Group, Inc. and its affiliates own and manage select service hotels and Adult Living Residences. Since both are labor intensive businesses, we believe that it is imperative both to find great candidates and to create an environment in which they can thrive. We want to motivate our co-workers to do their very best for us every day and to stay with us for a very long time. I have found a few tactics especially useful in achieving this goal:
Tactic #1: Maintain Open Communication
Your employees want to know that you listen. You don't always have to agree with them, but you must give them opportunities to be heard. This can be accomplished in a number of ways: through staff meetings, suggestion boxes, and one-on-one meetings.General staff meetings should be held regularly. You choose the frequency, but whatever you choose, stick with it. Staff should become accustomed to having a regular outlet for communication. It helps them to feel comfortable around you and their fellow employees. Also, you should require your Department Managers to hold regularly scheduled Department staff meetings to discuss and review the more department detail issues.A Suggestion Box promotes spur of the moment communication and allows staff to remain anonymous if they so choose. It is extremely important to examine the suggestion box regularly (at least monthly). If you don't, you staff stop using it. Be sure to communicate responses to the entire staff in a consistent manner, either on the employee bulletin board, in a paycheck stuffer, or by e-mail.One-On-One meetings are another necessary aspect of effective communication. They can be conducted at any time, in any place, on any topic, with any one of your staff members. The exchange can be confidential if necessary or simply a more personalized exchange of ideas. When you make your property rounds you should develop a good sense of who you might want to meet with in one-on-one meeting. And remember: it is usually wise to do more listening than talking in these meetings.
Tactic #2: Establish a Grievance Outlet
In any company, staff will occasionally have a grievance with another employee, management, a policy or a decision. I view staff as customers of the business unit. I look upon their grievances as opportunities to discover problems or areas that need my attention. If I handle their complaints properly I can solidify their connection with the company as well as identify better practices.A confidential hotline is an ideal grievance outlet. At The Hamister Group we set up a toll-free number that staff can call in order to leave a message (anonymously if they so choose) or they can talk to our Q. A. Coordinator. This hotline is rarely used, but just having it available and promoting it lets the staff know that you are focused on their needs. You may also want to place a 'Hot Line' poster near your time clock to inform your staff of its existence.I believe that each company must also have a formal grievance procedure. There needs to be an established method to disagree with a directive or practice of the company. Make sure that it is published in the employee handbook and be sure that you follow this procedure to the letter, including any established time limits.
Tactic #3: Open-Door Policy
An informal, open-door policy is just a good management practice. As a GM or Administrator, have your desk positioned so you can see out your door. If possible, locate your office off a main hallway so that employees see you when they pass by. It always dumbfounds me when I see GM/Administrator offices buried in the back of the building, protected by gate-keepers, far away from operational activity. How can you effectively manage your staff if you cannot see and hear what they are doing? And how can they feel comfortable with you if they never see you?
Tactic #4: Show that You Care through Constructive Review
Annual anniversary reviews are a serious responsibility and should be high priority for all managers. The evaluation should be constructive, objective, and comprehensive. Dedicate time both to preparation and to the review itself. If an employee's performance does not meet your expectations, don't wait to let him/her know during their annual review. You will might need to perform an evaluation at the end of the probationary period or whenever it will benefit your staff members most. Keep ongoing performance notes, perhaps even on index cards, and share that information with your employees when possible. You are likely forced to work within the confines of your organizations policies, but that doesn't mean that you can't add to the evaluation. Be firm, fair, and consistent. Too often this is looked upon as a chore, done late and as a result, the review is ineffective and helps no one.
Tactic #5: Reward Your Staff
Are your compensation rates and benefits competitive? Regular wage and benefit checks are imperative. I suggest at least twice per year. Are the benefits you offer really what the employees are looking for? Have you ever asked the staff what benefits they would prefer? There are limitations to what can be offered and everyone understands that. However, you have the ability to potentially make some that changes may be more in tune with staff needs.Do you recognize longevity and performance? If you have no formal programs, perhaps you can create one. The most obvious example of such a program is Employee of the Month recognition. It is best to give some sort of award that will serve as a continuous reminder of a job well done, rather than a monetary reward. I love to hand out Golden Dollars (American Sacajawea One Dollar Coins) whenever I see a good thing happen. They are my trademark recognition for superior performance. It is easy to acknowledge extra effort; the more difficult part is being observant enough to know when extra effort is given. The smallest of acknowledgements including just a thank you go a long way.
Tactic #6: Make It Fun
Fun doesn't mean jokes and gags. What it does mean is that you want to create an environment where employees come to work because they want to, not because they have to. This can be done by taking an interest in your staff, treating them in a firm, fair, and consistent manner and taking the time to recognize the many positive things they do each day. I am always amazed at how much a little recognition from managers affects employees. Positive reinforcement is one of the most essential aspects of good leadership.
Managers cannot motivate their employees, but they can create an encouraging environment in which staff can motivate themselves. If a manager is not approachable or has an intimidating manner, s/he is certain to de-motivate employees. The development of efficient communication systems and an encouraging work environment will help you maintain dedicated and valuable staff members.
This article found at:
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article22845.html
You think that it's time to settle down and get on with doing business, right? Not entirely. Great people have to be maintained, not just hired.The Hamister Group, Inc. and its affiliates own and manage select service hotels and Adult Living Residences. Since both are labor intensive businesses, we believe that it is imperative both to find great candidates and to create an environment in which they can thrive. We want to motivate our co-workers to do their very best for us every day and to stay with us for a very long time. I have found a few tactics especially useful in achieving this goal:
Tactic #1: Maintain Open Communication
Your employees want to know that you listen. You don't always have to agree with them, but you must give them opportunities to be heard. This can be accomplished in a number of ways: through staff meetings, suggestion boxes, and one-on-one meetings.General staff meetings should be held regularly. You choose the frequency, but whatever you choose, stick with it. Staff should become accustomed to having a regular outlet for communication. It helps them to feel comfortable around you and their fellow employees. Also, you should require your Department Managers to hold regularly scheduled Department staff meetings to discuss and review the more department detail issues.A Suggestion Box promotes spur of the moment communication and allows staff to remain anonymous if they so choose. It is extremely important to examine the suggestion box regularly (at least monthly). If you don't, you staff stop using it. Be sure to communicate responses to the entire staff in a consistent manner, either on the employee bulletin board, in a paycheck stuffer, or by e-mail.One-On-One meetings are another necessary aspect of effective communication. They can be conducted at any time, in any place, on any topic, with any one of your staff members. The exchange can be confidential if necessary or simply a more personalized exchange of ideas. When you make your property rounds you should develop a good sense of who you might want to meet with in one-on-one meeting. And remember: it is usually wise to do more listening than talking in these meetings.
Tactic #2: Establish a Grievance Outlet
In any company, staff will occasionally have a grievance with another employee, management, a policy or a decision. I view staff as customers of the business unit. I look upon their grievances as opportunities to discover problems or areas that need my attention. If I handle their complaints properly I can solidify their connection with the company as well as identify better practices.A confidential hotline is an ideal grievance outlet. At The Hamister Group we set up a toll-free number that staff can call in order to leave a message (anonymously if they so choose) or they can talk to our Q. A. Coordinator. This hotline is rarely used, but just having it available and promoting it lets the staff know that you are focused on their needs. You may also want to place a 'Hot Line' poster near your time clock to inform your staff of its existence.I believe that each company must also have a formal grievance procedure. There needs to be an established method to disagree with a directive or practice of the company. Make sure that it is published in the employee handbook and be sure that you follow this procedure to the letter, including any established time limits.
Tactic #3: Open-Door Policy
An informal, open-door policy is just a good management practice. As a GM or Administrator, have your desk positioned so you can see out your door. If possible, locate your office off a main hallway so that employees see you when they pass by. It always dumbfounds me when I see GM/Administrator offices buried in the back of the building, protected by gate-keepers, far away from operational activity. How can you effectively manage your staff if you cannot see and hear what they are doing? And how can they feel comfortable with you if they never see you?
Tactic #4: Show that You Care through Constructive Review
Annual anniversary reviews are a serious responsibility and should be high priority for all managers. The evaluation should be constructive, objective, and comprehensive. Dedicate time both to preparation and to the review itself. If an employee's performance does not meet your expectations, don't wait to let him/her know during their annual review. You will might need to perform an evaluation at the end of the probationary period or whenever it will benefit your staff members most. Keep ongoing performance notes, perhaps even on index cards, and share that information with your employees when possible. You are likely forced to work within the confines of your organizations policies, but that doesn't mean that you can't add to the evaluation. Be firm, fair, and consistent. Too often this is looked upon as a chore, done late and as a result, the review is ineffective and helps no one.
Tactic #5: Reward Your Staff
Are your compensation rates and benefits competitive? Regular wage and benefit checks are imperative. I suggest at least twice per year. Are the benefits you offer really what the employees are looking for? Have you ever asked the staff what benefits they would prefer? There are limitations to what can be offered and everyone understands that. However, you have the ability to potentially make some that changes may be more in tune with staff needs.Do you recognize longevity and performance? If you have no formal programs, perhaps you can create one. The most obvious example of such a program is Employee of the Month recognition. It is best to give some sort of award that will serve as a continuous reminder of a job well done, rather than a monetary reward. I love to hand out Golden Dollars (American Sacajawea One Dollar Coins) whenever I see a good thing happen. They are my trademark recognition for superior performance. It is easy to acknowledge extra effort; the more difficult part is being observant enough to know when extra effort is given. The smallest of acknowledgements including just a thank you go a long way.
Tactic #6: Make It Fun
Fun doesn't mean jokes and gags. What it does mean is that you want to create an environment where employees come to work because they want to, not because they have to. This can be done by taking an interest in your staff, treating them in a firm, fair, and consistent manner and taking the time to recognize the many positive things they do each day. I am always amazed at how much a little recognition from managers affects employees. Positive reinforcement is one of the most essential aspects of good leadership.
Managers cannot motivate their employees, but they can create an encouraging environment in which staff can motivate themselves. If a manager is not approachable or has an intimidating manner, s/he is certain to de-motivate employees. The development of efficient communication systems and an encouraging work environment will help you maintain dedicated and valuable staff members.
This article found at:
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article22845.html
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Create a Successful Hotel Restaurant
By Robert R. Cohn, ex-Food and Beverage Director June 2006
There are more and more people these days, which advocate you, outsource the hotel’s restaurant. Owners today, often think that you don’t know how to run a proper and profitable restaurant. They will compare your revenue to one of the big guys’ revenue in cities like New York, or Chicago, and tout that they have revenues of $12,000,000 per year, versus your dismal $1,000,000 per year.
It doesn’t have to be like this.
You might be in a smaller city, or you might just happen to operate a resort, so to expect New York City-like revenues is not fair to you, and don’t think for even a New York Minute, that the big guys from the big city would have the same results in your situation (location, location, location!).
No need to despair; you are able to get results, but it does take hard work and a slightly different mind-set than you currently have.
Treat your restaurant to a far-going degree like if it were a free-standing operation, which has little to do with the hotel. You are lucky, if there is a separate entrance to the outlet, which doesn’t come off of the lobby, aiding perception, and reduce intimidation. However, at the same time, do not forget about attracting your hotel’s guests, who give you a very nice base clientele.
First things first: provide your restaurant managers with an incentive, which takes into account their entire performance, to include hotel guest capture, and local traffic into the outlet.
Know your guest.
Who is your guest? Keep track on a monthly basis of hotel-generated covers, and locally generated covers. Eventually measure the progression year-over-year. You may want to compare this April to April of last year, and you would expect to see growth on both fronts.
The restaurant managers should come up with an annual marketing plan for their outlet. It is nice, if there is some money to be spent on advertising, but this is rarely the case, since the return on room-nights trounces the return on additional covers in the restaurant, so be creative; it doesn’t take dollars to be successful. Creativity is key. Here are a few examples of what has worked for me in the past.
At a large resort in Hawaii we had a tremendously energetic restaurant manager, Joe Batteiger from Cleveland, Ohio, who had just the right personality to go on radio with what he successfully called “scratch and sniff”. He would talk about his outlet, and then have a tasting set up in front of the radio station, right at 5:00p.m., as people would leave work.
In San Diego I worked at a large convention hotel in the mid-nineties, close to the Convention Center. The 3-meal a day restaurant was a true “dog”. We only had good breakfast business, and lunch was 100% dependant upon convention guests. Dinner was a “horror story”; we only had one server scheduled ever for dinner.
In order to create some kind of local business we decided upon Thursday night “all you can eat” Prime Rib, along with a salad bar, and a chocolate lovers desert extravaganza. The first night we had 80 covers, which was a new record, I believe. Then we proceeded to create a cheap and ugly flier, with red letters on blue paper, which stated only the simple facts, and the price: All-you-can-eat Prime Rib, $11.95, includes salad bar, and a chocolate lover’s desert extravaganza. We papered the residential buildings in the immediate area of downtown San Diego, within a radius of less than one mile. The results were phenomenal. When we showed the flier to the hotel’s public relations and marketing firm’s leader, he told us it was a disaster in his opinion. We simply gave him the fact, which was that the restaurant was full every Thursday evening, and that people had to wait to get in. (Remember; lines are good in the restaurant business). We even received a very positive write-up in the San Diego Tribune, and we never looked back. I believe that the buffet exists to this day, and people even drove in from 15-20 miles to enjoy our little invention.
In a very large sprawling desert resort near Palm Desert, I was lucky to work with a very talented Executive Chef, who nowadays works for Ritz Carlton in Hawaii. We had a tremendous Mediterranean restaurant, which I would have put up against just about any top-notch restaurant in the country. It was located in, what I believe to be the oldest dining room in the Coachella Valley, loaded with charm, and some authentic items, such as the chandeliers, and a mural.
Our average check was around $100.00 per person, and we sold a tremendous amount of top-rated wines, such as Grgich Hills, Stonestreet, Swanson, Duckhorn, Silver Oak, for example.
We ended up practically “owning” the clientele of a nearby Marriott resort, by giving one dollar per cover to the concierge, who would send us business. We also had a strong following amongst the more affluent snowbirds.
In our Mexican restaurant we issued coupons for free appetizers/deserts to the management of a local Ralph’s supermarket, which brought us tons of business.
Another possible way of generating interest is by sending new menus to food critics, by organizing a food tasting on Saturday morning in a supermarket (if they allow you to do so), or other big box store, etcetera, etcetera.
There is no limit of what one can try.
So, be encouraged, and don’t think for a minute, you cannot have a very profitable restaurant in your hotel. Keep measuring your progress, and be creative.
Good luck.
This article found at:
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_2nd/Jun06_HotelRestaurants.html
There are more and more people these days, which advocate you, outsource the hotel’s restaurant. Owners today, often think that you don’t know how to run a proper and profitable restaurant. They will compare your revenue to one of the big guys’ revenue in cities like New York, or Chicago, and tout that they have revenues of $12,000,000 per year, versus your dismal $1,000,000 per year.
It doesn’t have to be like this.
You might be in a smaller city, or you might just happen to operate a resort, so to expect New York City-like revenues is not fair to you, and don’t think for even a New York Minute, that the big guys from the big city would have the same results in your situation (location, location, location!).
No need to despair; you are able to get results, but it does take hard work and a slightly different mind-set than you currently have.
Treat your restaurant to a far-going degree like if it were a free-standing operation, which has little to do with the hotel. You are lucky, if there is a separate entrance to the outlet, which doesn’t come off of the lobby, aiding perception, and reduce intimidation. However, at the same time, do not forget about attracting your hotel’s guests, who give you a very nice base clientele.
First things first: provide your restaurant managers with an incentive, which takes into account their entire performance, to include hotel guest capture, and local traffic into the outlet.
Know your guest.
Who is your guest? Keep track on a monthly basis of hotel-generated covers, and locally generated covers. Eventually measure the progression year-over-year. You may want to compare this April to April of last year, and you would expect to see growth on both fronts.
The restaurant managers should come up with an annual marketing plan for their outlet. It is nice, if there is some money to be spent on advertising, but this is rarely the case, since the return on room-nights trounces the return on additional covers in the restaurant, so be creative; it doesn’t take dollars to be successful. Creativity is key. Here are a few examples of what has worked for me in the past.
At a large resort in Hawaii we had a tremendously energetic restaurant manager, Joe Batteiger from Cleveland, Ohio, who had just the right personality to go on radio with what he successfully called “scratch and sniff”. He would talk about his outlet, and then have a tasting set up in front of the radio station, right at 5:00p.m., as people would leave work.
In San Diego I worked at a large convention hotel in the mid-nineties, close to the Convention Center. The 3-meal a day restaurant was a true “dog”. We only had good breakfast business, and lunch was 100% dependant upon convention guests. Dinner was a “horror story”; we only had one server scheduled ever for dinner.
In order to create some kind of local business we decided upon Thursday night “all you can eat” Prime Rib, along with a salad bar, and a chocolate lovers desert extravaganza. The first night we had 80 covers, which was a new record, I believe. Then we proceeded to create a cheap and ugly flier, with red letters on blue paper, which stated only the simple facts, and the price: All-you-can-eat Prime Rib, $11.95, includes salad bar, and a chocolate lover’s desert extravaganza. We papered the residential buildings in the immediate area of downtown San Diego, within a radius of less than one mile. The results were phenomenal. When we showed the flier to the hotel’s public relations and marketing firm’s leader, he told us it was a disaster in his opinion. We simply gave him the fact, which was that the restaurant was full every Thursday evening, and that people had to wait to get in. (Remember; lines are good in the restaurant business). We even received a very positive write-up in the San Diego Tribune, and we never looked back. I believe that the buffet exists to this day, and people even drove in from 15-20 miles to enjoy our little invention.
In a very large sprawling desert resort near Palm Desert, I was lucky to work with a very talented Executive Chef, who nowadays works for Ritz Carlton in Hawaii. We had a tremendous Mediterranean restaurant, which I would have put up against just about any top-notch restaurant in the country. It was located in, what I believe to be the oldest dining room in the Coachella Valley, loaded with charm, and some authentic items, such as the chandeliers, and a mural.
Our average check was around $100.00 per person, and we sold a tremendous amount of top-rated wines, such as Grgich Hills, Stonestreet, Swanson, Duckhorn, Silver Oak, for example.
We ended up practically “owning” the clientele of a nearby Marriott resort, by giving one dollar per cover to the concierge, who would send us business. We also had a strong following amongst the more affluent snowbirds.
In our Mexican restaurant we issued coupons for free appetizers/deserts to the management of a local Ralph’s supermarket, which brought us tons of business.
Another possible way of generating interest is by sending new menus to food critics, by organizing a food tasting on Saturday morning in a supermarket (if they allow you to do so), or other big box store, etcetera, etcetera.
There is no limit of what one can try.
So, be encouraged, and don’t think for a minute, you cannot have a very profitable restaurant in your hotel. Keep measuring your progress, and be creative.
Good luck.
This article found at:
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_2nd/Jun06_HotelRestaurants.html
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Five Tips to Improve the Cohesiveness in Your Management Team - By Dr. Rick Johnson
A cohesive management team is the most important ingredient to your company's success. The management team needs to function as a team to maximize their accomplishments. To quote an over used phrase, teamwork is really key to an effective management team.
This sounds like a simple concept but it is more complicated than you might think. It just isn't a natural act for people to come together and immediately become effective by addressing common objectives, common issues and common problems.A management team can often become overwhelmed by day to day events which effectively prohibits strategic thinking. Thinking outside the box becomes difficult because they are too busy trying to control what's going on inside the box. The sharing of common visions and long term goals becomes extremely difficult.
Individual personalities, values and personal goals often become roadblocks to functioning well as a team. Getting your management team to focus on common strategic goals is not easy but it is absolutely essential if you are going to maintain competitive advantage and get things done.
Five tips to get your management team to function as a unit.
1. Take complex plans and strategies and assign accountability and ownership. This creates more efficiency and leverages creativity. Assign responsibility according to individual passions.
2. Brainstorming must be encouraged to release team innovation. Bouncing ideas off one another stimulates creative thinking which leads to creative solutions. This in itself bonds individuals into a common purpose.
3. Ask for solutions assigning both responsibility and empowerment. Ownership of ideas and initiatives builds commitment. Involving the team in creating direction and solutions through empowerment generates commitment to the tasks necessary to meet objectives.
4. Challenge your management team. Reliance on team effectiveness minimizes risk by being more flexible and adaptive than relying on a single individual. No one individual alone can jeopardize success. The loss of one team member can be overcome without losing sight of the objectives.
5. Create a 'Night of the Long Knives
• The 'Night of the Long Knives' is a terminology used when the Elephant is too big to eat and you have to chop it up into pieces.
• It is the coming together of a competent team to address common issues & challenges that need to be resolved in the best interest of the entire group
Document current and future challenges, projects, initiatives and issues. Ask your management team to review them, add their thoughts and comment on any issues that may have been overlooked. Lastly, ask them to prioritize the list based on the impact to the success of the organization over the next twelve to eighteen months. Arrange for a two day 'Night of the Long Knives' workshop utilizing the following agenda.
• Defining the hurdles to both short term and long term success
• Identification of critical constraints
• Re-Prioritization
• Scenario planning and brain storming
• Action planning both short and long term (12 months)
• Presentation for call to action and resources required
This article may be found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22776.html
This sounds like a simple concept but it is more complicated than you might think. It just isn't a natural act for people to come together and immediately become effective by addressing common objectives, common issues and common problems.A management team can often become overwhelmed by day to day events which effectively prohibits strategic thinking. Thinking outside the box becomes difficult because they are too busy trying to control what's going on inside the box. The sharing of common visions and long term goals becomes extremely difficult.
Individual personalities, values and personal goals often become roadblocks to functioning well as a team. Getting your management team to focus on common strategic goals is not easy but it is absolutely essential if you are going to maintain competitive advantage and get things done.
Five tips to get your management team to function as a unit.
1. Take complex plans and strategies and assign accountability and ownership. This creates more efficiency and leverages creativity. Assign responsibility according to individual passions.
2. Brainstorming must be encouraged to release team innovation. Bouncing ideas off one another stimulates creative thinking which leads to creative solutions. This in itself bonds individuals into a common purpose.
3. Ask for solutions assigning both responsibility and empowerment. Ownership of ideas and initiatives builds commitment. Involving the team in creating direction and solutions through empowerment generates commitment to the tasks necessary to meet objectives.
4. Challenge your management team. Reliance on team effectiveness minimizes risk by being more flexible and adaptive than relying on a single individual. No one individual alone can jeopardize success. The loss of one team member can be overcome without losing sight of the objectives.
5. Create a 'Night of the Long Knives
• The 'Night of the Long Knives' is a terminology used when the Elephant is too big to eat and you have to chop it up into pieces.
• It is the coming together of a competent team to address common issues & challenges that need to be resolved in the best interest of the entire group
Document current and future challenges, projects, initiatives and issues. Ask your management team to review them, add their thoughts and comment on any issues that may have been overlooked. Lastly, ask them to prioritize the list based on the impact to the success of the organization over the next twelve to eighteen months. Arrange for a two day 'Night of the Long Knives' workshop utilizing the following agenda.
• Defining the hurdles to both short term and long term success
• Identification of critical constraints
• Re-Prioritization
• Scenario planning and brain storming
• Action planning both short and long term (12 months)
• Presentation for call to action and resources required
This article may be found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22776.html
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The Key to Success is Simple - Know What You Want - By Lizz Chambers, CHA/CHE
What profile do you seek to fill your leadership positions? Hopefully, you know because you have profiled your most successful leaders? We all have leaders we wish to clone. In order to duplicate our successes we must know exactly what type of individual we are seeking in the first place.
After years of successful and, sorry to say, unsuccessful selection we have found the following profile best suits our needs in a variety of hotel franchises. From economy to luxury, from select or focused service to full service and resort properties, this profile has served us well.
I would like to first clarify that although the profile we seek in our leaders includes 'hotel experience', this is not as important for our associates. We have found that if you hire the smiles you can teach the skills in the majority of the associate level positions. Some of our best leaders originally walked through our doors with absolutely no hotel experience. What they did have was a fabulous smile, a great attitude, drive, determination and the dedication to stay the path. This type of associate quickly joins our Succession Program and with experience they will and several have become some of our best leaders.
We have found that our best leaders fit the following profile:
1. Hotel Experience
People who understand how a hotel works, what it takes to be successful, and who appreciate the rewards of making people happy. These people understand that putting a smile on an associate's or guest's face is as much of a bonus as any financial award.
2. Life Experience
People who have a variety of career and life experiences and who have a good idea of 'what they want to be and do when they grow up', which includes being a compassionate leader and running a great hotel.
3. Balance
People who work hard to balance the most important parts of their lives: Spirit (whatever that means to them), Health, Family and Work.
4. Profit and Loss Understanding
People who can put people first and still know how to make money in the hospitality industry.
5. Passion
We seek people who love what they do and people who love who we are and what we do. People who understand and believe in our Core Values so much so that they not only know them...they live them each and every day.
6. People We Trust
We provide our leaders with a lot of responsibility and latitude. We look for people we trust with both. We are in our properties at least once a month to offer support and catch our leaders doing something right, not to spy or find fault. Therefore, we must trust our leaders to deliver.
7. Leadership, Charisma & Personality
At its core, ours is a people business. It has to be one that is attractive to people. And we believe that each and every one of our hotels is a reflection of its leader's personality. It starts at the top. If you have a leader devoid of these characteristics you will not have a hotel where people want to work or stay.
8. Entrepreneurs and Risk-takers
People who will take the tools we give them, take risks to build their business, and take responsibility for the outcome.
9. Independent Thinkers
People who can and do think for themselves. People who seek total understanding of various options and come to their own conclusions.
10. Action
People who understand that doing something...anything...is always the preferable course of action in the hospitality industry. We believe in the 3-P's of Empowerment no matter what your position. All of our leaders and associates have the Permission to take care of our guests (that is their job) the Power to do whatever it takes to ensure each and every guest becomes a loyal guest, and most importantly, the Protection, when a decision may not have been what we would have done. No one is ever disciplined for taking action as long as the best interest of our guests and associates are at the heart of that action.
11. Accountability
While we are in the people business, we ARE in business. We seek people who can balance the soft heart required to lead people and the tough mind to lead a business. In other words, people who have the ability to hold themselves and others accountable.
Everyone in your organization should be a coach, responsible for providing ideas, tools, support and encouragement. Manage your leaders by influence, NOT by control. Strive to be tolerant of mistakes along the way, but intolerant of poor results. Whenever possible, favor the individual leader's choice in methods and approaches. Listen; really listen, to the people you choose to lead your company. And seek creative ways to communicate with them. The key is to know the profile you seek and not settle for less. Then success will be simple.
This article may be found at :
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article21933.html
After years of successful and, sorry to say, unsuccessful selection we have found the following profile best suits our needs in a variety of hotel franchises. From economy to luxury, from select or focused service to full service and resort properties, this profile has served us well.
I would like to first clarify that although the profile we seek in our leaders includes 'hotel experience', this is not as important for our associates. We have found that if you hire the smiles you can teach the skills in the majority of the associate level positions. Some of our best leaders originally walked through our doors with absolutely no hotel experience. What they did have was a fabulous smile, a great attitude, drive, determination and the dedication to stay the path. This type of associate quickly joins our Succession Program and with experience they will and several have become some of our best leaders.
We have found that our best leaders fit the following profile:
1. Hotel Experience
People who understand how a hotel works, what it takes to be successful, and who appreciate the rewards of making people happy. These people understand that putting a smile on an associate's or guest's face is as much of a bonus as any financial award.
2. Life Experience
People who have a variety of career and life experiences and who have a good idea of 'what they want to be and do when they grow up', which includes being a compassionate leader and running a great hotel.
3. Balance
People who work hard to balance the most important parts of their lives: Spirit (whatever that means to them), Health, Family and Work.
4. Profit and Loss Understanding
People who can put people first and still know how to make money in the hospitality industry.
5. Passion
We seek people who love what they do and people who love who we are and what we do. People who understand and believe in our Core Values so much so that they not only know them...they live them each and every day.
6. People We Trust
We provide our leaders with a lot of responsibility and latitude. We look for people we trust with both. We are in our properties at least once a month to offer support and catch our leaders doing something right, not to spy or find fault. Therefore, we must trust our leaders to deliver.
7. Leadership, Charisma & Personality
At its core, ours is a people business. It has to be one that is attractive to people. And we believe that each and every one of our hotels is a reflection of its leader's personality. It starts at the top. If you have a leader devoid of these characteristics you will not have a hotel where people want to work or stay.
8. Entrepreneurs and Risk-takers
People who will take the tools we give them, take risks to build their business, and take responsibility for the outcome.
9. Independent Thinkers
People who can and do think for themselves. People who seek total understanding of various options and come to their own conclusions.
10. Action
People who understand that doing something...anything...is always the preferable course of action in the hospitality industry. We believe in the 3-P's of Empowerment no matter what your position. All of our leaders and associates have the Permission to take care of our guests (that is their job) the Power to do whatever it takes to ensure each and every guest becomes a loyal guest, and most importantly, the Protection, when a decision may not have been what we would have done. No one is ever disciplined for taking action as long as the best interest of our guests and associates are at the heart of that action.
11. Accountability
While we are in the people business, we ARE in business. We seek people who can balance the soft heart required to lead people and the tough mind to lead a business. In other words, people who have the ability to hold themselves and others accountable.
Everyone in your organization should be a coach, responsible for providing ideas, tools, support and encouragement. Manage your leaders by influence, NOT by control. Strive to be tolerant of mistakes along the way, but intolerant of poor results. Whenever possible, favor the individual leader's choice in methods and approaches. Listen; really listen, to the people you choose to lead your company. And seek creative ways to communicate with them. The key is to know the profile you seek and not settle for less. Then success will be simple.
This article may be found at :
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article21933.html
Monday, June 19, 2006
Kids want fun in foods, not just health, says study
By Lorraine Heller
/12/2006 - Over half of the nation’s children say they wish they could have more fun when eating their meals and snacks, according to a new study.
Published by kid marketing group Just Kid Inc, the new study claims to be the first quantitative study to look at a kids' point of view of what is fun when it comes to food. And the findings suggest that while manufacturers are busy trying to keep parents happy by making their products healthier, they may be overlooking what really matters to children. "Despite the critical correlation of fun to eating habits, little is known about what fun means to kids in the world of food and beverages," said to Dr Michelle Poris, a child psychologist at Just Kid Inc.
"While there are major age differences in what defines a fun attribute for food and beverages, there are several that are common across the three age groups for kids 2-5, 6-8 and 9-12 years of age," she added.
According to the study, most children aged between 2 and 12 agree on a number of main points that make food and drinks fun to consume. These include the ability to eat it with fingers, as well as the ability to “dip or scoop it.” Another important point to kids is to be able to add things to the product themselves- such as sprinkles, sauce or toppings.
Most children also agree that they like products with filling or frosting, as well as ones with a “fun shape or cool colors.” Finally, kids also said they liked to be able to take the products with them. "The key to getting kids to eat more nutritious meals is to inject the same levels of taste and fun they experience when consuming less healthy snacks," said Just Kid Inc president George Carey.
Just Kid Inc's new FUNdamentals study was based on responses from a nationally representative sample of 3230, 6-12 year olds and moms of 2-5 year olds. The company, which claims to be one of the country's leading childrens marketing groups, says it specializes in developing kid-validated strategic growth platforms around the notion of fun that can be used to provide fact-based guidance on new product development, brand planning and promotions.
This article may be found at:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=68358-just-kid-inc-children-s-marketing-kids
/12/2006 - Over half of the nation’s children say they wish they could have more fun when eating their meals and snacks, according to a new study.
Published by kid marketing group Just Kid Inc, the new study claims to be the first quantitative study to look at a kids' point of view of what is fun when it comes to food. And the findings suggest that while manufacturers are busy trying to keep parents happy by making their products healthier, they may be overlooking what really matters to children. "Despite the critical correlation of fun to eating habits, little is known about what fun means to kids in the world of food and beverages," said to Dr Michelle Poris, a child psychologist at Just Kid Inc.
"While there are major age differences in what defines a fun attribute for food and beverages, there are several that are common across the three age groups for kids 2-5, 6-8 and 9-12 years of age," she added.
According to the study, most children aged between 2 and 12 agree on a number of main points that make food and drinks fun to consume. These include the ability to eat it with fingers, as well as the ability to “dip or scoop it.” Another important point to kids is to be able to add things to the product themselves- such as sprinkles, sauce or toppings.
Most children also agree that they like products with filling or frosting, as well as ones with a “fun shape or cool colors.” Finally, kids also said they liked to be able to take the products with them. "The key to getting kids to eat more nutritious meals is to inject the same levels of taste and fun they experience when consuming less healthy snacks," said Just Kid Inc president George Carey.
Just Kid Inc's new FUNdamentals study was based on responses from a nationally representative sample of 3230, 6-12 year olds and moms of 2-5 year olds. The company, which claims to be one of the country's leading childrens marketing groups, says it specializes in developing kid-validated strategic growth platforms around the notion of fun that can be used to provide fact-based guidance on new product development, brand planning and promotions.
This article may be found at:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=68358-just-kid-inc-children-s-marketing-kids
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Food & Beverage - Market Segmentation - Best Practices - By Joe Dunbar
Over time, I have observed many segments of the food and beverage service industry. My observations have included hotels, restaurants, clubs, schools, jails, health care facilities, remote sites, markets, event caterers, and race tracks. Without fail, each operation exhibits a specialty when cost of goods sold and inventory control are the focus.
The best practices I've observed do not represent any scientific study and I have no statistics to support my opinions. These are gut feelings which are the result of many years of observations. I hope you find them useful in your organization. Before adding any of these control features to your operation, make sure the cost justifies the benefit.
Hotels
Hotels are typically adept at inventory control and profit center reports. Most hotels have a central receiving area. Movement of product from central locations is tightly controlled using requisitions and transfers. Some hotels implement an approval system with order limits for each purchase category. They setup strict guidelines for approvals.The best run hotels can tell you how much of each controllable is on hand at a given point in time (by location).Hotels are frequently buffet shops and many have at least 40% of food sales in banquets and buffets. This high level of buffet activity helps keep waste at a minimum in the well run operations.
Restaurants
The best run restaurants have a focused menu and they know their customers well. Some actually create table profiles and they can quote statistics on average check by meal period, average sales per table by meal period and by wait person. A few top level f&b controllers know table profiles and use these in demand forecasts.Restaurants tend to be adept at specials and the best do a fantastic job putting extra profits in the cash register. Today's POS systems have a battery of focused sales reports which help managers price menu items and track usage.
Clubs
Clubs are often hybrid operations with both restaurant style service and banquet service. The best clubs do a great job segmenting the two operations. Purchasing demands a knowledge of the entire operation. The best club managers are aware of upcoming events and seasonal restaurant trends. I'll discuss ordering for events below.The members of any club are the focus and many members are regulars. This fact accounts for a more stable forecast model. Knowing the clients intimately helps to reduce waste caused by over ordering perishables.
Institutional Caterers
At Sodexho, we served clients in remote construction and mining sites, health care, business and industry and education. To a lesser extent, we fed prisoners in a small number of jails. Contract feeders and self-operated institutional accounts are driven by cycle menus. These contract menus specify menu options for each meal period in a four or five week cycle menu. This activity is dominated by firms with highly automated systems for tracking item usage. Brand name items often attract rebate income. Institutional feeders are wizards at setting up rebate programs and monitoring their results.
In my role with Sodexho Canada, I setup rebates for coffee, paper, chemicals and other high volume, rebate sensitive items. These rebates accounted for 2.5% of food purchases.Some savvy self-op shops establish relationships with manufacturers and generate rebate activity. Even though each single account may not have the typical volume required, buying groups allow these single operations to combine their volume to hit a critical mass.
Institutional food service has two huge advantages: menu is fixed and demand is easily estimated. Sometimes, brutal competition for top accounts places a huge demand on the cost control system. The benefit of this tight control is achieved on contracts gained through less stringent conditions. High profits are bagged through implementation of the same tight control systems.
Markets
Take home food is a fast growing area and the super markets have created special areas to promote this high profit activity. Although these venues may help minimize waste of perishables in the produce, deli and meat aisles, many top market operations produce items in separate facilities with ingredients purchased specifically for this purpose. Like any food and beverage operation, they benefit from larger volume purchases and purchase #10 cans instead of the smaller sizes purchased by super market shoppers.These operations often use the new outlet to promote higher quality goods and they charge higher prices.
The best run operations sell their finished goods to the deli, baked goods area and produce managers. In a complete twist, they supply the market more than they "buy" from the market.
Event Caterers
The event caterers know how many are to be served and the exact menu items required. These operators try to buy just enough to produce the menu for the event with a minimum of waste. Event reports highlight the count, menu items to be served and raw ingredients needed to produce the finished products. With tight control of purchases and next to nothing purchased for par, low percentage food costs are the norm. Buffets allow these artists to use small leftovers from previous affairs with common starch items and salads.
Race Tracks
I grew up in Saratoga Springs and I worked for Harry M. Stevens. This company was founded by Mr. Stevens when he went to Yankee Stadium and couldn't buy a hot dog. During my college years, HMS was the top concessionaire for many sports facilities and one of the founder's grandchildren married into the Gulden mustard family.In addition to lots of hot dogs, beer, soda, fries and chips, Saratoga Race Track served an excellent clam chowder, corn on the cob, clams on the half shell and specialty drinks. Concessionaires know their operations well and they plan weeks ahead for major events.
In Saratoga, we have the Travers Stakes race and there are many huge sporting events annually in the country. Now the NASCAR racing circuit produces huge events each weekend. The Triple Crown and Breeders Cup Day are big horse racing events with huge turnouts. Concessionaires in New York ship employees from Aqueduct in Queens, Belmont Park in Long Island and Upstaters from Saratoga to create well trained staffs ready for these major days.
Overview
Each operator tends to focus on the business model of the particular segment. This focus brings certain specialized strengths into play. It has been my privilege to see so many different segments over the years. I often wonder what food cost percentage could be achieved with the best people from all these diverse areas of the food and beverage universe.
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22635.html
The best practices I've observed do not represent any scientific study and I have no statistics to support my opinions. These are gut feelings which are the result of many years of observations. I hope you find them useful in your organization. Before adding any of these control features to your operation, make sure the cost justifies the benefit.
Hotels
Hotels are typically adept at inventory control and profit center reports. Most hotels have a central receiving area. Movement of product from central locations is tightly controlled using requisitions and transfers. Some hotels implement an approval system with order limits for each purchase category. They setup strict guidelines for approvals.The best run hotels can tell you how much of each controllable is on hand at a given point in time (by location).Hotels are frequently buffet shops and many have at least 40% of food sales in banquets and buffets. This high level of buffet activity helps keep waste at a minimum in the well run operations.
Restaurants
The best run restaurants have a focused menu and they know their customers well. Some actually create table profiles and they can quote statistics on average check by meal period, average sales per table by meal period and by wait person. A few top level f&b controllers know table profiles and use these in demand forecasts.Restaurants tend to be adept at specials and the best do a fantastic job putting extra profits in the cash register. Today's POS systems have a battery of focused sales reports which help managers price menu items and track usage.
Clubs
Clubs are often hybrid operations with both restaurant style service and banquet service. The best clubs do a great job segmenting the two operations. Purchasing demands a knowledge of the entire operation. The best club managers are aware of upcoming events and seasonal restaurant trends. I'll discuss ordering for events below.The members of any club are the focus and many members are regulars. This fact accounts for a more stable forecast model. Knowing the clients intimately helps to reduce waste caused by over ordering perishables.
Institutional Caterers
At Sodexho, we served clients in remote construction and mining sites, health care, business and industry and education. To a lesser extent, we fed prisoners in a small number of jails. Contract feeders and self-operated institutional accounts are driven by cycle menus. These contract menus specify menu options for each meal period in a four or five week cycle menu. This activity is dominated by firms with highly automated systems for tracking item usage. Brand name items often attract rebate income. Institutional feeders are wizards at setting up rebate programs and monitoring their results.
In my role with Sodexho Canada, I setup rebates for coffee, paper, chemicals and other high volume, rebate sensitive items. These rebates accounted for 2.5% of food purchases.Some savvy self-op shops establish relationships with manufacturers and generate rebate activity. Even though each single account may not have the typical volume required, buying groups allow these single operations to combine their volume to hit a critical mass.
Institutional food service has two huge advantages: menu is fixed and demand is easily estimated. Sometimes, brutal competition for top accounts places a huge demand on the cost control system. The benefit of this tight control is achieved on contracts gained through less stringent conditions. High profits are bagged through implementation of the same tight control systems.
Markets
Take home food is a fast growing area and the super markets have created special areas to promote this high profit activity. Although these venues may help minimize waste of perishables in the produce, deli and meat aisles, many top market operations produce items in separate facilities with ingredients purchased specifically for this purpose. Like any food and beverage operation, they benefit from larger volume purchases and purchase #10 cans instead of the smaller sizes purchased by super market shoppers.These operations often use the new outlet to promote higher quality goods and they charge higher prices.
The best run operations sell their finished goods to the deli, baked goods area and produce managers. In a complete twist, they supply the market more than they "buy" from the market.
Event Caterers
The event caterers know how many are to be served and the exact menu items required. These operators try to buy just enough to produce the menu for the event with a minimum of waste. Event reports highlight the count, menu items to be served and raw ingredients needed to produce the finished products. With tight control of purchases and next to nothing purchased for par, low percentage food costs are the norm. Buffets allow these artists to use small leftovers from previous affairs with common starch items and salads.
Race Tracks
I grew up in Saratoga Springs and I worked for Harry M. Stevens. This company was founded by Mr. Stevens when he went to Yankee Stadium and couldn't buy a hot dog. During my college years, HMS was the top concessionaire for many sports facilities and one of the founder's grandchildren married into the Gulden mustard family.In addition to lots of hot dogs, beer, soda, fries and chips, Saratoga Race Track served an excellent clam chowder, corn on the cob, clams on the half shell and specialty drinks. Concessionaires know their operations well and they plan weeks ahead for major events.
In Saratoga, we have the Travers Stakes race and there are many huge sporting events annually in the country. Now the NASCAR racing circuit produces huge events each weekend. The Triple Crown and Breeders Cup Day are big horse racing events with huge turnouts. Concessionaires in New York ship employees from Aqueduct in Queens, Belmont Park in Long Island and Upstaters from Saratoga to create well trained staffs ready for these major days.
Overview
Each operator tends to focus on the business model of the particular segment. This focus brings certain specialized strengths into play. It has been my privilege to see so many different segments over the years. I often wonder what food cost percentage could be achieved with the best people from all these diverse areas of the food and beverage universe.
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22635.html
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Hotel industry eyes extended smoking bans
As more guests ask for smoke-free rooms, smokers are shown the door
First came workplaces, then bars and restaurants. Now the ban on smoking is extending to hotels, as more guests ask for rooms that are free of smoking residue.
If the upcoming smoking ban by the upscale Westin hotel chain succeeds, more hotels are likely to follow suit. But some smokers' rights advocates say the bans will only go so far. As long as people who smoke travel, they’ll be looking for a room where they can relax and light up.
Completely smoke-free hotels aren’t new, but the move by Starwood Hotel’s Westin chain — eliminating smoking in all rooms and public places in all 77 of its hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean — is the widest such ban to date. When the restriction takes effect Jan. 1, smoking will be allowed only in designated outdoor areas. The company said it will tack on a $200 charge to anyone caught violating the policy.
"It's really a cleaning fee," said Westin senior vice president Sue Brush. To go smoke-free, the company is converting 2,400 formerly smoking rooms with an extensive cleaning. "Once you smoke in there, you've violated that entire environment and we have to clean it all over again."
Since California became the first state to outlaw smoking in workplaces over a decade ago, smoking bans have spread like the smell of a cheap cigar. Dozens of states and municipalities have followed suit, extending the bans to restaurants and bars. More than a third of the U.S. population is covered by smoking bans where they work or dine, according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, which has been lobbying for smoking bans for nearly 30 years.
Given the impact of smoking on non-smoking guests and workers, the move to ban smoking in hotels is a logical next step, according to Cynthia Hallett, executive director of non-smokers' group. “The market demand for smoke-free rooms is skyrocketing — both in terms of patron satisfaction and employees’ health,” she said.
Westin said it made the decision based on guest surveys showing that 92 percent asked for non-smoking rooms and 80 percent said they prefer keeping dining and other common areas smoke-free. The company acknowledged that it may lose some business at the outset but said it expects to make it up with new customers who prefer the policy.
Other hotel chains are watching Westin’s move closely. A spokesman for rival Marriott International Inc., John Wolf, said several Marriott hotels and 85 percent of the chain's rooms are smoke-free, but there are no plans to go smoke-free nationwide. As the number of smokers has declined over the years, hotels have been cutting back on the number of rooms set aside for smokers, according to a 2003 study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Some hotels have chosen to eliminate those smoking rooms to cater to the majority of their guests who don’t smoke.
“So often you go to a place and the non-smoking rooms are all taken or the smoking rooms and the non-smoking rooms are mixed up and the smoke spreads,” said Jacque Petterson of San Antonio, Texas, who maintains a Web site listing smoke-free hotels. “You're giving people a place to go without having to worry.”
But smokers' rights groups say hotels like Westin that fail to provide rooms for smokers will lose business in the long run. “They’re making a big mistake,” said Audrey Silk, a smokers’ rights advocate in New York. “They’re in the accommodation business, and it’s not like smokers are about to spend their vacation being unable to relax — which is what you do on a vacation.”
This article may be found at:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10350994/
First came workplaces, then bars and restaurants. Now the ban on smoking is extending to hotels, as more guests ask for rooms that are free of smoking residue.
If the upcoming smoking ban by the upscale Westin hotel chain succeeds, more hotels are likely to follow suit. But some smokers' rights advocates say the bans will only go so far. As long as people who smoke travel, they’ll be looking for a room where they can relax and light up.
Completely smoke-free hotels aren’t new, but the move by Starwood Hotel’s Westin chain — eliminating smoking in all rooms and public places in all 77 of its hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean — is the widest such ban to date. When the restriction takes effect Jan. 1, smoking will be allowed only in designated outdoor areas. The company said it will tack on a $200 charge to anyone caught violating the policy.
"It's really a cleaning fee," said Westin senior vice president Sue Brush. To go smoke-free, the company is converting 2,400 formerly smoking rooms with an extensive cleaning. "Once you smoke in there, you've violated that entire environment and we have to clean it all over again."
Since California became the first state to outlaw smoking in workplaces over a decade ago, smoking bans have spread like the smell of a cheap cigar. Dozens of states and municipalities have followed suit, extending the bans to restaurants and bars. More than a third of the U.S. population is covered by smoking bans where they work or dine, according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, which has been lobbying for smoking bans for nearly 30 years.
Given the impact of smoking on non-smoking guests and workers, the move to ban smoking in hotels is a logical next step, according to Cynthia Hallett, executive director of non-smokers' group. “The market demand for smoke-free rooms is skyrocketing — both in terms of patron satisfaction and employees’ health,” she said.
Westin said it made the decision based on guest surveys showing that 92 percent asked for non-smoking rooms and 80 percent said they prefer keeping dining and other common areas smoke-free. The company acknowledged that it may lose some business at the outset but said it expects to make it up with new customers who prefer the policy.
Other hotel chains are watching Westin’s move closely. A spokesman for rival Marriott International Inc., John Wolf, said several Marriott hotels and 85 percent of the chain's rooms are smoke-free, but there are no plans to go smoke-free nationwide. As the number of smokers has declined over the years, hotels have been cutting back on the number of rooms set aside for smokers, according to a 2003 study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Some hotels have chosen to eliminate those smoking rooms to cater to the majority of their guests who don’t smoke.
“So often you go to a place and the non-smoking rooms are all taken or the smoking rooms and the non-smoking rooms are mixed up and the smoke spreads,” said Jacque Petterson of San Antonio, Texas, who maintains a Web site listing smoke-free hotels. “You're giving people a place to go without having to worry.”
But smokers' rights groups say hotels like Westin that fail to provide rooms for smokers will lose business in the long run. “They’re making a big mistake,” said Audrey Silk, a smokers’ rights advocate in New York. “They’re in the accommodation business, and it’s not like smokers are about to spend their vacation being unable to relax — which is what you do on a vacation.”
This article may be found at:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10350994/
Friday, June 16, 2006
HOTEL STAFF SHORTAGES HURTING TOURISM
The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is putting out a Help Wanted sign.
Association president Tony Pollard says staffing shortages mean hotel rooms are sometimes unavailable in some parts of the country and it doesn't look like the problem will be solved anytime soon.
"There are two major issues that we're confronting right now - the downturn of US visitors to Canada and the second thing is the lack of human resources, particularly in Alberta," Pollard told Canadian Travel Press. One new Alberta hotel was forced to open at half of its actual capacity because it couldn't find enough employees, he says.
Hotel staff shortages are particularly a problem in booming Alberta - where the number of hotel workers has dropped by 15,000 in the past two years -- and British Columbia, but also surface in Ontario and Quebec, where such resort areas as the Muskokas and Mont-Tremblant have to contend with them. The problem also can be found to a lesser degree outside those four provinces. The problem surfaced in the late 1990s but lessened following the downturn in travel after Sept. 11. It returned in 2003 and is "now coming back in a real big way," Pollard said.
Small and large hotels alike are plagued by the problem, which leads to "room shortages in certain locations at certain times" as some hotels are forced to close floors because of staff shortages.
The HAC has been lobbying Ottawa for some years to allow more foreign temporary workers to fill vacant hotel positions, but Pollard says Ottawa has remained non-committal, with government officials citing "rules and regulations" and continually asking for proof that the hotels are making efforts to hire Canadians. There are foreign temporary workers now employed by Canadian hotels but not enough to fill all vacant positions, Pollard said, adding there are many qualified people outside Canada qualified to work in this country's hotels that would if permitted.
Pollard says the hotel industry does pay good salaries and provides attractive benefits, and blames staff shortages on different factors, including people being attracted by other work, very low unemployment in Alberta and people retiring. "We need to get more young people to work in hotels," he says. "We don't do enough to promote it." However, getting more young people to consider the hotel industry for careers won't alleviate immediate shortages, he notes.
Pollard says staffing shortages aren't leading to poorer service but it does sometimes force hotels to close floors. "You can only ask a person to make up so many rooms and serve so many people."
Meanwhile, despite having to cope with employee shortages, this country's hotel trade is doing well, with Pollard reporting that "the first quarter of this year has been very good across the country."
A strong economy means Canadians are travelling, and foreign visitors continue to come to Canada, although the stronger Canadian dollar appears to be curtailing American visits to Canada, a concern for the HAC.
Author: Canadian Travel PressOrganization:
axter Travel Group
Contact: ctp@baxter.net
Association president Tony Pollard says staffing shortages mean hotel rooms are sometimes unavailable in some parts of the country and it doesn't look like the problem will be solved anytime soon.
"There are two major issues that we're confronting right now - the downturn of US visitors to Canada and the second thing is the lack of human resources, particularly in Alberta," Pollard told Canadian Travel Press. One new Alberta hotel was forced to open at half of its actual capacity because it couldn't find enough employees, he says.
Hotel staff shortages are particularly a problem in booming Alberta - where the number of hotel workers has dropped by 15,000 in the past two years -- and British Columbia, but also surface in Ontario and Quebec, where such resort areas as the Muskokas and Mont-Tremblant have to contend with them. The problem also can be found to a lesser degree outside those four provinces. The problem surfaced in the late 1990s but lessened following the downturn in travel after Sept. 11. It returned in 2003 and is "now coming back in a real big way," Pollard said.
Small and large hotels alike are plagued by the problem, which leads to "room shortages in certain locations at certain times" as some hotels are forced to close floors because of staff shortages.
The HAC has been lobbying Ottawa for some years to allow more foreign temporary workers to fill vacant hotel positions, but Pollard says Ottawa has remained non-committal, with government officials citing "rules and regulations" and continually asking for proof that the hotels are making efforts to hire Canadians. There are foreign temporary workers now employed by Canadian hotels but not enough to fill all vacant positions, Pollard said, adding there are many qualified people outside Canada qualified to work in this country's hotels that would if permitted.
Pollard says the hotel industry does pay good salaries and provides attractive benefits, and blames staff shortages on different factors, including people being attracted by other work, very low unemployment in Alberta and people retiring. "We need to get more young people to work in hotels," he says. "We don't do enough to promote it." However, getting more young people to consider the hotel industry for careers won't alleviate immediate shortages, he notes.
Pollard says staffing shortages aren't leading to poorer service but it does sometimes force hotels to close floors. "You can only ask a person to make up so many rooms and serve so many people."
Meanwhile, despite having to cope with employee shortages, this country's hotel trade is doing well, with Pollard reporting that "the first quarter of this year has been very good across the country."
A strong economy means Canadians are travelling, and foreign visitors continue to come to Canada, although the stronger Canadian dollar appears to be curtailing American visits to Canada, a concern for the HAC.
Author: Canadian Travel PressOrganization:
axter Travel Group
Contact: ctp@baxter.net
Get Organized! - By Richard A. Zurburg
If you've ever been given the advice to 'handle every piece of paper only once,' you know how difficult it is to follow. In the real world, some of those papers are more complicated than others.
They might require follow-up calls, or you might need additional information from someone who is out of the office. They might contain information you need for a project that hasn't even started yet.
While most of what's in your 'in' box will need to be handled more than once, you can increase the effectiveness of that first touch by making one of five smart decisions: discard, delegate, take immediate action, file for follow-up or file for reference.
1. Discard. Throwing away what you don't need is one of the best things you can do to eliminate clutter and increase organization - but it's often the most difficult part of the process.Clutter is anything you don't use, need or love having around. Be ruthless about getting rid of out-of-date or irrelevant binders and unnecessary supplies, notebooks and papers.
2. Delegate. When you pick up a piece of paper (or open an email, or listen to a voice mail message) that requires additional action, always ask yourself, 'Who is the best person to handle this assignment?' If it isn't you, then...
• Select the right person for the job.
• Clarify what has to be done and verify that person's understanding.
• Set a completion date and get agreement on that date.
3. Take immediate action. When a task can be completed in 60 seconds or less, complete it immediately. Do not allow yourself to become distracted by tasks that will take longer; file those items for follow-up (see decision #4, next). This will allow you to organize tasks in order of priority.
4. File for follow-up. You have decided to keep this piece of paper (or email, etc.) because you, and only you, must take further action on the item. You cannot discard it or delegate it and the task will take you longer than 60 seconds to complete.Decide when you will work on the item. If it must be completed today, add it to the 'pile' you've created for today's workload, but don't start working on it until you've gone through everything in your inbox. If you won't take care of the item today, file it in a numbered work file (1-31, for each day of the month) for the day you plan to complete the task.Once you've reviewed and filed all items, you can begin prioritizing today's tasks.
5. File for reference. You want to keep this piece of paper, but no further action is required at this time. This file is not in your working file drawer, but rather in a separate area you've established for longer-term storage.By making one of these five decisions at the beginning of every day, you'll eliminate the papers stacked, spread and stuffed into every nook and cranny of your workspace - and you'll ultimately get more done.Ready to get started? Not so fast! As trainers, we know that if we want people to actually use what they've learned in training, we have to have system already in place that will allow them to integrate the information into daily work. The same holds true for organization. So before you attempt to implement a five-decision process in your workplace (or teach managers to do so), be sure to complete the 'pre-work' assignment: Create a 'tickler' file.A 'tickler' file sits right next to where you work, for easy access, and it should contain the following:
• Files numbered 1-31, for each day of the month, and files labeled January-December, for all items that will not be completed this month
• A file for each direct report and/or each person with whom you work closely
• A file for each type of meeting you attend
• A 'waiting for a response' file for calls or emails that you are owed. Note: this file must be emptied at the end of every day.
• A reading file, for items of interest that do not apply to a particular project
Once you've created these files (along with any additional files you find necessary), you're well on your way to higher quality, more productive time - and less productivity-killing stress and anxiety. Just remember, the clutter didn't get there in a day, and it will take more than a day to get rid of it. Happing filing!
This article posted at:
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article22725.html
They might require follow-up calls, or you might need additional information from someone who is out of the office. They might contain information you need for a project that hasn't even started yet.
While most of what's in your 'in' box will need to be handled more than once, you can increase the effectiveness of that first touch by making one of five smart decisions: discard, delegate, take immediate action, file for follow-up or file for reference.
1. Discard. Throwing away what you don't need is one of the best things you can do to eliminate clutter and increase organization - but it's often the most difficult part of the process.Clutter is anything you don't use, need or love having around. Be ruthless about getting rid of out-of-date or irrelevant binders and unnecessary supplies, notebooks and papers.
2. Delegate. When you pick up a piece of paper (or open an email, or listen to a voice mail message) that requires additional action, always ask yourself, 'Who is the best person to handle this assignment?' If it isn't you, then...
• Select the right person for the job.
• Clarify what has to be done and verify that person's understanding.
• Set a completion date and get agreement on that date.
3. Take immediate action. When a task can be completed in 60 seconds or less, complete it immediately. Do not allow yourself to become distracted by tasks that will take longer; file those items for follow-up (see decision #4, next). This will allow you to organize tasks in order of priority.
4. File for follow-up. You have decided to keep this piece of paper (or email, etc.) because you, and only you, must take further action on the item. You cannot discard it or delegate it and the task will take you longer than 60 seconds to complete.Decide when you will work on the item. If it must be completed today, add it to the 'pile' you've created for today's workload, but don't start working on it until you've gone through everything in your inbox. If you won't take care of the item today, file it in a numbered work file (1-31, for each day of the month) for the day you plan to complete the task.Once you've reviewed and filed all items, you can begin prioritizing today's tasks.
5. File for reference. You want to keep this piece of paper, but no further action is required at this time. This file is not in your working file drawer, but rather in a separate area you've established for longer-term storage.By making one of these five decisions at the beginning of every day, you'll eliminate the papers stacked, spread and stuffed into every nook and cranny of your workspace - and you'll ultimately get more done.Ready to get started? Not so fast! As trainers, we know that if we want people to actually use what they've learned in training, we have to have system already in place that will allow them to integrate the information into daily work. The same holds true for organization. So before you attempt to implement a five-decision process in your workplace (or teach managers to do so), be sure to complete the 'pre-work' assignment: Create a 'tickler' file.A 'tickler' file sits right next to where you work, for easy access, and it should contain the following:
• Files numbered 1-31, for each day of the month, and files labeled January-December, for all items that will not be completed this month
• A file for each direct report and/or each person with whom you work closely
• A file for each type of meeting you attend
• A 'waiting for a response' file for calls or emails that you are owed. Note: this file must be emptied at the end of every day.
• A reading file, for items of interest that do not apply to a particular project
Once you've created these files (along with any additional files you find necessary), you're well on your way to higher quality, more productive time - and less productivity-killing stress and anxiety. Just remember, the clutter didn't get there in a day, and it will take more than a day to get rid of it. Happing filing!
This article posted at:
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article22725.html
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The X Factor of Leadership - By Dr. Rick Johnson
There is no such thing as a Born Leader. When people talk about born leaders, what they are really referencing is the X factor of leadership. What is the X factor? Simply stated the X factor is the willingness, the desire and the willpower to become an effective leader.
Effective leaders go through a never ending development process that includes education, self study, training, experience and coaching and mentoring from one or several individuals that have a very positive influence on their personal development. Leadership is the ability to influence, inspire and motivate others to accomplish specific objectives. It includes creating a culture that helps direct the organization in such a way that it makes it cohesive and coherent keeping short term tactical goals and objectives in alignment with long term strategic initiatives. The success of leadership in this process is directly influenced by the individual leaders' beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills. Position and title may give you power but power in itself does not make you an effective leader.
To become an effective leader there are specific skill sets that you must understand and master. This does not come naturally. It takes dedication, passion and commitment to the process. That commitment, dedication and passion includes a tireless effort to improve on specific skills and the development of a personal leadership methodology. This is often referred to as your personal leadership model.
If someone were to ask your subordinates to evaluate your leadership abilities, their response to this question would likely not be related to your character, integrity and values. Of course these are important to your success as a leader but people evaluate your leadership skills based on what you do to figure out who you really are. They are looking for that 'X' factor. The 'X' factor is what really determines if you are honest, ethical, fair, trust worthy and not self serving. If the 'X' factor does not exist, employees are likely to obey rather than follow and only do exactly what they are told to do and nothing more. If the 'X' factor does not exist, your success in developing the skills necessary to become an effective leader is likely to be minimal. The 'X' factor shapes what and who you are as a leader. It involves everything you do and it affects the well being of the organization. Employees want to follow a leader they respect, one that gives them a clear sense of direction and a strong vision of the future. Ask your self these questions to determine if you or other managers in your organization have the 'X' factor.
• How well do you know yourself with regard to self improvement and development? • Do you understand, admit and work on personal weaknesses?
• Do you seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions striving to reach new heights.
• When things go wrong do you take the blame instead of looking for others to blame.
• Does problem solving, decision making and planning come natural to you?
• Are you a good role model and do you seek out employees with high potential to coach and mentor?
• Do you truly believe in the value of your employees sincerely caring about their well being without being so compassionate that it clouds your judgment on competence?
So you believe you and your executive team all have the 'X' factor. As effective leaders you must be able to interact with employees, peers, seniors and many other individuals both inside and outside the organization. You must gain the support of many people if you are going to meet or exceed established objectives. This means that you must develop or possess a unique understanding of people. The 'X' factor is the driving force that will help you develop these skills. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. Understand these principles that govern our behavior and success is imminent. Start with the basics by revisiting your college study of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Armed with a refresher of this basic knowledge of human behavior you can now begin to reshape your personal leadership model. This is your manner and approach to providing direction, implementing plans and motivating people. If you have that 'X' factor you can become a very effective leader. But remember, There is no such thing as a 'Born Leader'. Effective leaders go through a never ending development process. We never stop learning and we never stop growing. Keep working on your leadership model and share your knowledge and success with other potential future stars that have the 'X' factor.
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22701.html
Effective leaders go through a never ending development process that includes education, self study, training, experience and coaching and mentoring from one or several individuals that have a very positive influence on their personal development. Leadership is the ability to influence, inspire and motivate others to accomplish specific objectives. It includes creating a culture that helps direct the organization in such a way that it makes it cohesive and coherent keeping short term tactical goals and objectives in alignment with long term strategic initiatives. The success of leadership in this process is directly influenced by the individual leaders' beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills. Position and title may give you power but power in itself does not make you an effective leader.
To become an effective leader there are specific skill sets that you must understand and master. This does not come naturally. It takes dedication, passion and commitment to the process. That commitment, dedication and passion includes a tireless effort to improve on specific skills and the development of a personal leadership methodology. This is often referred to as your personal leadership model.
If someone were to ask your subordinates to evaluate your leadership abilities, their response to this question would likely not be related to your character, integrity and values. Of course these are important to your success as a leader but people evaluate your leadership skills based on what you do to figure out who you really are. They are looking for that 'X' factor. The 'X' factor is what really determines if you are honest, ethical, fair, trust worthy and not self serving. If the 'X' factor does not exist, employees are likely to obey rather than follow and only do exactly what they are told to do and nothing more. If the 'X' factor does not exist, your success in developing the skills necessary to become an effective leader is likely to be minimal. The 'X' factor shapes what and who you are as a leader. It involves everything you do and it affects the well being of the organization. Employees want to follow a leader they respect, one that gives them a clear sense of direction and a strong vision of the future. Ask your self these questions to determine if you or other managers in your organization have the 'X' factor.
• How well do you know yourself with regard to self improvement and development? • Do you understand, admit and work on personal weaknesses?
• Do you seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions striving to reach new heights.
• When things go wrong do you take the blame instead of looking for others to blame.
• Does problem solving, decision making and planning come natural to you?
• Are you a good role model and do you seek out employees with high potential to coach and mentor?
• Do you truly believe in the value of your employees sincerely caring about their well being without being so compassionate that it clouds your judgment on competence?
So you believe you and your executive team all have the 'X' factor. As effective leaders you must be able to interact with employees, peers, seniors and many other individuals both inside and outside the organization. You must gain the support of many people if you are going to meet or exceed established objectives. This means that you must develop or possess a unique understanding of people. The 'X' factor is the driving force that will help you develop these skills. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. Understand these principles that govern our behavior and success is imminent. Start with the basics by revisiting your college study of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Armed with a refresher of this basic knowledge of human behavior you can now begin to reshape your personal leadership model. This is your manner and approach to providing direction, implementing plans and motivating people. If you have that 'X' factor you can become a very effective leader. But remember, There is no such thing as a 'Born Leader'. Effective leaders go through a never ending development process. We never stop learning and we never stop growing. Keep working on your leadership model and share your knowledge and success with other potential future stars that have the 'X' factor.
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22701.html
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
It's all about me: Why e-mails are so easily misunderstood
Michael Morris and Jeff Lowenstein wouldn't have recognized each other if they'd met on the street, but that didn't stop them from getting into a shouting match. The professors had been working together on a research study when a technical glitch inconvenienced Mr. Lowenstein. He complained in an e-mail, raising Mr. Morris's ire. Tempers flared.
"It became very embarrassing later," says Morris, when it turned out there had been a miscommunication, "but we realized that we couldn't blame each other for yelling about it because that's what we were studying."
In the MonitorWednesday, 06/14/06
Morris and Lowenstein are among the scholars studying the benefits and dangers of e-mail and other computer-based interactions. In a world where businesses and friends often depend upon e-mail to communicate, scholars want to know if electronic communications convey ideas clearly.
The answer, the professors conclude, is sometimes "no." Though e-mail is a powerful and convenient medium, researchers have identified three major problems. First and foremost, e-mail lacks cues like facial expression and tone of voice. That makes it difficult for recipients to decode meaning well. Second, the prospect of instantaneous communication creates an urgency that pressures e-mailers to think and write quickly, which can lead to carelessness. Finally, the inability to develop personal rapport over e-mail makes relationships fragile in the face of conflict.
In effect, e-mail cannot adequately convey emotion. A recent study by Profs. Justin Kruger of New York University and Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago focused on how well sarcasm is detected in electronic messages. Their conclusion: Not only do e-mail senders overestimate their ability to communicate feelings, but e-mail recipients also overestimate their ability to correctly decode those feelings.
One reason for this, the business-school professors say, is that people are egocentric. They assume others experience stimuli the same way they do. Also, e-mail lacks body language, tone of voice, and other cues - making it difficult to interpret emotion.
"A typical e-mail has this feature of seeming like face-to-face communication," Professor Epley says. "It's informal and it's rapid, so you assume you're getting the same paralinguistic cues you get from spoken communication."
To avoid miscommunication, e-mailers need to look at what they write from the recipient's perspective, Epley says. One strategy: Read it aloud in the opposite way you intend, whether serious or sarcastic. If it makes sense either way, revise. Or, don't rely so heavily on e-mail. Because e-mails can be ambiguous, "criticism, subtle intentions, emotions are better carried over the phone," he says.
E-mail's ambiguity has special implications for minorities and women, because it tends to feed the preconceptions of a recipient. "You sign your e-mail with a name that people can use to make inferences about your ethnicity," says Epley. A misspelling in a black colleague's e-mail may be seen as ignorance, whereas a similar error by a white colleague might be excused as a typo.
If you're vulnerable to this kind of unintentional prejudice, pick up the phone: People are much less likely to prejudge after communicating by phone than they are after receiving an e-mail. Kruger and Epley demonstrated this when they asked 40 women at Cornell to administer a brief interview, 20 by phone and 20 by e-mail. They then asked a third group of 20, the "targets," to answer the phone interviewers' questions. They sent a transcription of the targets' answers to the e-mail interviewers.
The professors then handed each interviewer what they said was a photo of her subject. In reality, each got a picture of either an Asian or an African-American woman (in reality, all were white). E-mail interviewers who thought the sender was Asian considered her social skills to be poor, while those who believed the sender was black considered her social skills to be excellent. In stark contrast, the difference in perceived sociability almost completely disappeared when interviewer and target had talked on the phone.
E-mail tends to be short and to the point. This may arise from the time pressures we feel when writing them: We know e-mail arrives as soon as we send it, so we feel we should write it quickly, too. On the other hand, letters depend on postal timetables. A letter writer feels he has a bigger window of time to think and write.
Psychologists Massimo Bertacco and Antonella Deponte call this characteristic "speed facilitation," and they believe it influences our episodic memory - our ability to recall events. They found that e-mailers wrote shorter messages and were less likely to "ground their communications" in memories of shared experience than letters writers were.
The brevity of e-mail and the absence of audiovisual cues can endanger business and personal relationships unless e-mail is supplemented with the rapport that comes from more personal communication. "Rapport creates a buffer of positive regard," says Professor Morris, "and when it's not there negotiation becomes brittle, vulnerable to falling apart." Morris, who studies negotiation at Columbia, led a study that found that negotiators exchange more than three times the information in face-to-face interactions as they do via e-mail.
Though Morris and his colleagues concluded that e-mail lets negotiators make "more complex, multiple-issue offers," they ultimately built less rapport, thereby increasing tensions and lowering the average economic value of the agreements. Rapport "is an interpersonal resonance of emotional expression," Morris says, "involving synchronous gesture, laughing, and smiling together. Once this rapport exists, it's a buffer against a moment in the negotiation when there's some friction." This buffer is hard to develop without speaking over the phone or in person. Those who negotiated by e-mail in Morris's study trusted each other less and weren't as interested in working together again.
But the pitfalls of e-mail interaction were easily overcome by a single phone call. Morris ran a second round of negotiations, all conducted via e-mail, but made half of the corresponding pairs chat on the phone before negotiating - "just for five or 10 minutes," Morris explains, "and the key thing is we told them, 'Don't get into the issues. It's just an icebreaker.' " The result was dramatically improved agreements.
So if you want to buy something on Craig's List, Morris says, "make a brief phone call, even if it's not practical to do the whole negotiation by phone. You can establish a favorable bias with someone and then proceed in a less rich medium, but it's very hard to just get right into the negotiation on a medium that isn't rich."
This article may be found at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0515/p13s01-stct.html
"It became very embarrassing later," says Morris, when it turned out there had been a miscommunication, "but we realized that we couldn't blame each other for yelling about it because that's what we were studying."
In the MonitorWednesday, 06/14/06
Morris and Lowenstein are among the scholars studying the benefits and dangers of e-mail and other computer-based interactions. In a world where businesses and friends often depend upon e-mail to communicate, scholars want to know if electronic communications convey ideas clearly.
The answer, the professors conclude, is sometimes "no." Though e-mail is a powerful and convenient medium, researchers have identified three major problems. First and foremost, e-mail lacks cues like facial expression and tone of voice. That makes it difficult for recipients to decode meaning well. Second, the prospect of instantaneous communication creates an urgency that pressures e-mailers to think and write quickly, which can lead to carelessness. Finally, the inability to develop personal rapport over e-mail makes relationships fragile in the face of conflict.
In effect, e-mail cannot adequately convey emotion. A recent study by Profs. Justin Kruger of New York University and Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago focused on how well sarcasm is detected in electronic messages. Their conclusion: Not only do e-mail senders overestimate their ability to communicate feelings, but e-mail recipients also overestimate their ability to correctly decode those feelings.
One reason for this, the business-school professors say, is that people are egocentric. They assume others experience stimuli the same way they do. Also, e-mail lacks body language, tone of voice, and other cues - making it difficult to interpret emotion.
"A typical e-mail has this feature of seeming like face-to-face communication," Professor Epley says. "It's informal and it's rapid, so you assume you're getting the same paralinguistic cues you get from spoken communication."
To avoid miscommunication, e-mailers need to look at what they write from the recipient's perspective, Epley says. One strategy: Read it aloud in the opposite way you intend, whether serious or sarcastic. If it makes sense either way, revise. Or, don't rely so heavily on e-mail. Because e-mails can be ambiguous, "criticism, subtle intentions, emotions are better carried over the phone," he says.
E-mail's ambiguity has special implications for minorities and women, because it tends to feed the preconceptions of a recipient. "You sign your e-mail with a name that people can use to make inferences about your ethnicity," says Epley. A misspelling in a black colleague's e-mail may be seen as ignorance, whereas a similar error by a white colleague might be excused as a typo.
If you're vulnerable to this kind of unintentional prejudice, pick up the phone: People are much less likely to prejudge after communicating by phone than they are after receiving an e-mail. Kruger and Epley demonstrated this when they asked 40 women at Cornell to administer a brief interview, 20 by phone and 20 by e-mail. They then asked a third group of 20, the "targets," to answer the phone interviewers' questions. They sent a transcription of the targets' answers to the e-mail interviewers.
The professors then handed each interviewer what they said was a photo of her subject. In reality, each got a picture of either an Asian or an African-American woman (in reality, all were white). E-mail interviewers who thought the sender was Asian considered her social skills to be poor, while those who believed the sender was black considered her social skills to be excellent. In stark contrast, the difference in perceived sociability almost completely disappeared when interviewer and target had talked on the phone.
E-mail tends to be short and to the point. This may arise from the time pressures we feel when writing them: We know e-mail arrives as soon as we send it, so we feel we should write it quickly, too. On the other hand, letters depend on postal timetables. A letter writer feels he has a bigger window of time to think and write.
Psychologists Massimo Bertacco and Antonella Deponte call this characteristic "speed facilitation," and they believe it influences our episodic memory - our ability to recall events. They found that e-mailers wrote shorter messages and were less likely to "ground their communications" in memories of shared experience than letters writers were.
The brevity of e-mail and the absence of audiovisual cues can endanger business and personal relationships unless e-mail is supplemented with the rapport that comes from more personal communication. "Rapport creates a buffer of positive regard," says Professor Morris, "and when it's not there negotiation becomes brittle, vulnerable to falling apart." Morris, who studies negotiation at Columbia, led a study that found that negotiators exchange more than three times the information in face-to-face interactions as they do via e-mail.
Though Morris and his colleagues concluded that e-mail lets negotiators make "more complex, multiple-issue offers," they ultimately built less rapport, thereby increasing tensions and lowering the average economic value of the agreements. Rapport "is an interpersonal resonance of emotional expression," Morris says, "involving synchronous gesture, laughing, and smiling together. Once this rapport exists, it's a buffer against a moment in the negotiation when there's some friction." This buffer is hard to develop without speaking over the phone or in person. Those who negotiated by e-mail in Morris's study trusted each other less and weren't as interested in working together again.
But the pitfalls of e-mail interaction were easily overcome by a single phone call. Morris ran a second round of negotiations, all conducted via e-mail, but made half of the corresponding pairs chat on the phone before negotiating - "just for five or 10 minutes," Morris explains, "and the key thing is we told them, 'Don't get into the issues. It's just an icebreaker.' " The result was dramatically improved agreements.
So if you want to buy something on Craig's List, Morris says, "make a brief phone call, even if it's not practical to do the whole negotiation by phone. You can establish a favorable bias with someone and then proceed in a less rich medium, but it's very hard to just get right into the negotiation on a medium that isn't rich."
This article may be found at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0515/p13s01-stct.html
SmarterTravel.com Releases the Best Destinations for Food Lovers
Report Highlights the Best Culinary Travel Destinations Around the World
SmarterTravel.com, a comprehensive online travel resource, today released a detailed report that offers insight into the best destinations for food lovers, and to inspire culinary vacation planning. From Napa to Bangkok, SmarterTravel outlines the top places for eating, cooking, enjoying food festivals, sampling the best chocolates and more. The report features a series of articles, including "Summers Hottest Food Festivals," "Beyond Napa Valley," "Eight Great Destinations for Dessert," the "Freshest Destinations from Farm to Table" and the "Top Five Destinations for Culinary Travelers."
"Americans love to eat and Americans love to travel, and this report combines the best of both for people seeking destinations to enjoy all types of cuisine and food-related activities," said Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com. "From chocolate to wine, we have listed out destinations that are sure to get anyone excited about food."
In a look at the top five destinations for culinary travelers, SmarterTravel breaks down the places where any traveler who enjoys a meal and has an interest in cooking would find good-value food tours and cooking packages, including:
-- Provence, France. Referred to by the locals as cuisine du soleil et du coeur -- cuisine of sun and heart -- Provence offers a variety of places that teach authentic seasonal cooking amongst the small countryside villages.
-- New York City. While it would be great to experience the culinary offerings of all the city's different ethnic neighborhoods, SmarterTravel advises that it's best to limit your explorations to one or two areas at a time. Several tour companies host in-depth food tours of individual neighborhoods that highlight some of the location's top fresh-food markets, specialty shops, and eateries.
-- Oaxaca, Mexico. Located in the culinary heart of Mexico with thousands of years of indigenous cooking traditions, Oaxaca City and its surrounding villages host to numerous cooking schools run by locals and expat chefs. Many of these places offer extremely affordable classes and programs, easily comparable with those offered in Europe.
-- Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thailand has some of the most diverse and flavorful cuisine in Asia, strongly influenced by its neighbors and resident ethnic minorities from India, China, Malaysia, and other countries. Bangkok, the nation's capital, is a good place to experience cuisine from the country's four distinct food regions, and several of the city's ritziest hotels offer Thai cooking schools that are open to anyone.
-- Tuscany, Italy. The demand for culinary travel in Tuscany is high and even though there are dozens of cooking schools and tour options in the region, spots in popular schools can sell out early and prices are steep. SmarterTravel advises booking a week-long package with a lesser known school or taking a shorter one- to three-day class with a top chef.
OTHER GREAT STOPS FOR "FOODIES
"The report also includes articles on dessert destinations, the hottest food festivals, where to get the freshest food from farm to table and the top five alternative wine trails worldwide:
-- "Eight Great Destinations for Dessert" offers an overview of the cities in North America and Europe that are guaranteed to provide a sugar high. The report includes the usual suspects, such as Paris; Zurich, Switzerland; Brussels and Bruges, Belgium; and Hershey, Pennsylvania; and some new additions like Bologna, Italy; San Francisco Bay Area, California; Oaxaca, Mexico; and Waterbury, Vermont.
-- Napa Valley may be the most recognizable wine region in the U.S., but it's not the only option anymore. In "Beyond Napa Valley: Five alternative wine trails worldwide," SmarterTravel lists interesting wine trails in other destinations, and up-and-coming wine regions all over the world worthy of a visit, including Chile's Colchagua Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, Oregon's Willamette Valley, Spain's Rioja region and South Africa's Stellenbosch Wine Route.
-- With the warm summer weather rolling in, food festivals across the country celebrate the season and its summer bounties. "Summer's Hottest Food Festivals," highlights the best of the best food festivals across North America, including:
-- Taste of Chicago, June 30 through July 9
-- Feast of San Gennaro, New York City, September 14 through 24
-- Gilroy Garlic Festival, Gilroy, California, July 28 through 30
-- Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth, Maine, July 21 through 23
-- Bite of Seattle, July 21 through 23
-- The Fisherman's Feast, Boston, August 17 through 20
-- Houston Hot Sauce Festival, September 16 and 17
-- "The Freshest Destinations from Farm to Table" discusses the growing trend of people getting involved with their food by visiting or staying on a working farm, taking outdoor cooking classes, picking produce ripe from a garden or learning about whole food production through tours and hands-on experience. Several destinations offer an abundance of "farm-to-table" getaways and events, including Charlevoix, Quebec; Santa Barbara, California and towns throughout Vermont.SmarterTravel's full culinary report is available at: http://www.smartertravel.com/special-reports/culinary-june-2006/
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22651.html
SmarterTravel.com, a comprehensive online travel resource, today released a detailed report that offers insight into the best destinations for food lovers, and to inspire culinary vacation planning. From Napa to Bangkok, SmarterTravel outlines the top places for eating, cooking, enjoying food festivals, sampling the best chocolates and more. The report features a series of articles, including "Summers Hottest Food Festivals," "Beyond Napa Valley," "Eight Great Destinations for Dessert," the "Freshest Destinations from Farm to Table" and the "Top Five Destinations for Culinary Travelers."
"Americans love to eat and Americans love to travel, and this report combines the best of both for people seeking destinations to enjoy all types of cuisine and food-related activities," said Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com. "From chocolate to wine, we have listed out destinations that are sure to get anyone excited about food."
In a look at the top five destinations for culinary travelers, SmarterTravel breaks down the places where any traveler who enjoys a meal and has an interest in cooking would find good-value food tours and cooking packages, including:
-- Provence, France. Referred to by the locals as cuisine du soleil et du coeur -- cuisine of sun and heart -- Provence offers a variety of places that teach authentic seasonal cooking amongst the small countryside villages.
-- New York City. While it would be great to experience the culinary offerings of all the city's different ethnic neighborhoods, SmarterTravel advises that it's best to limit your explorations to one or two areas at a time. Several tour companies host in-depth food tours of individual neighborhoods that highlight some of the location's top fresh-food markets, specialty shops, and eateries.
-- Oaxaca, Mexico. Located in the culinary heart of Mexico with thousands of years of indigenous cooking traditions, Oaxaca City and its surrounding villages host to numerous cooking schools run by locals and expat chefs. Many of these places offer extremely affordable classes and programs, easily comparable with those offered in Europe.
-- Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thailand has some of the most diverse and flavorful cuisine in Asia, strongly influenced by its neighbors and resident ethnic minorities from India, China, Malaysia, and other countries. Bangkok, the nation's capital, is a good place to experience cuisine from the country's four distinct food regions, and several of the city's ritziest hotels offer Thai cooking schools that are open to anyone.
-- Tuscany, Italy. The demand for culinary travel in Tuscany is high and even though there are dozens of cooking schools and tour options in the region, spots in popular schools can sell out early and prices are steep. SmarterTravel advises booking a week-long package with a lesser known school or taking a shorter one- to three-day class with a top chef.
OTHER GREAT STOPS FOR "FOODIES
"The report also includes articles on dessert destinations, the hottest food festivals, where to get the freshest food from farm to table and the top five alternative wine trails worldwide:
-- "Eight Great Destinations for Dessert" offers an overview of the cities in North America and Europe that are guaranteed to provide a sugar high. The report includes the usual suspects, such as Paris; Zurich, Switzerland; Brussels and Bruges, Belgium; and Hershey, Pennsylvania; and some new additions like Bologna, Italy; San Francisco Bay Area, California; Oaxaca, Mexico; and Waterbury, Vermont.
-- Napa Valley may be the most recognizable wine region in the U.S., but it's not the only option anymore. In "Beyond Napa Valley: Five alternative wine trails worldwide," SmarterTravel lists interesting wine trails in other destinations, and up-and-coming wine regions all over the world worthy of a visit, including Chile's Colchagua Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, Oregon's Willamette Valley, Spain's Rioja region and South Africa's Stellenbosch Wine Route.
-- With the warm summer weather rolling in, food festivals across the country celebrate the season and its summer bounties. "Summer's Hottest Food Festivals," highlights the best of the best food festivals across North America, including:
-- Taste of Chicago, June 30 through July 9
-- Feast of San Gennaro, New York City, September 14 through 24
-- Gilroy Garlic Festival, Gilroy, California, July 28 through 30
-- Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth, Maine, July 21 through 23
-- Bite of Seattle, July 21 through 23
-- The Fisherman's Feast, Boston, August 17 through 20
-- Houston Hot Sauce Festival, September 16 and 17
-- "The Freshest Destinations from Farm to Table" discusses the growing trend of people getting involved with their food by visiting or staying on a working farm, taking outdoor cooking classes, picking produce ripe from a garden or learning about whole food production through tours and hands-on experience. Several destinations offer an abundance of "farm-to-table" getaways and events, including Charlevoix, Quebec; Santa Barbara, California and towns throughout Vermont.SmarterTravel's full culinary report is available at: http://www.smartertravel.com/special-reports/culinary-june-2006/
This article found at:
http://www.restaurantnewsresource.com/article22651.html
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Planning a trip both you and the Earth can afford
Compare Vacation Prices
In recent years, sustainable tourism has been gaining popularity with both travel providers and travelers. Whether it's visiting an up-and-coming "ecodestination;" supporting destinations that employ and give back to the local community; or simply minimizing waste, fuel consumption, or use of local resources, today's traveler has much more to think about than just price. Next time you consider a vacation, also think about its cost on the environment and regional community. With a little careful planning, you can minimize the impact of your travels.
What's the difference between ecotourism and sustainable tourism?
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but there is a distinction. According to the Global Development Research Center, ecotourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people." Sustainable tourism goes one step further, with a series of clearly established benchmarks to reduce environmental damage and increase conservation, improve contributions to local development, use as little non-renewable resources as possible, help the well-being of local communities, support local ownership, and advocate for biodiversity.
What can travelers do to minimize their environmental footprint and support sustainable tourism?
"Don't look just at the price, but ask hard questions about the area's environmental policy," says Katie Maschman, director of membership and communications for The International Ecotourism Society. "What do they do for local projects? How are they empowering local people? Are local people employed [at the hotel, destination, etc.], and is there advancement in the organization? What types of conservation projects are in place? Do this pre-travel."
Joel Makower, founder of Greenbiz.com, recommends checking to see if a given hotel has been certified as "green." "The hotel and motel industry discovered eco-efficiency several years ago," he states. "Many large chains and independents have aggressively reduced energy use and costs through the use of compact-fluorescent light bulbs, water-saving devices, and the like. Such efforts seem to be accelerating." To check if a hotel you're considering is environmentally friendly, Makower suggests checking the Green Hotels Association, Green Seal, or the California Green Lodging Program.
Bruce Beckham, executive director of Tourism Cares for Tomorrow, advocates a commonsense approach. "It goes back to doing the responsible things your parents taught you: Don't throw refuse on the ground, conserve water, shut off lights, don't leave trash around. Be conscious of laundry requirements. Don't leave your TV on to seem like someone is in the room—that's a lot of baloney. Don't be wasteful."
Strategies
There are many practices travelers can undertake to make sure they're adhering to sustainable principles. Here are some possibilities:
Minimize air travel, and carpool or use public transportation as much as possible. "Consider taking the train or bus when traveling within 500 miles," suggests Maschman. "We as Americans often jump on a plane and think nothing of it."
Visit a destination committed to sustainable tourism. Beckham recommends Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nicaragua as destinations that offer a multitude of properties and activities that help both the environment and communities. Maschman highlights Alaska; Kerala, India; Micronesia; Peru; St. John, USVI; and Thailand as places where travelers can use their tourism dollars to assist sustainable efforts.
Seek out hotels that have environmentally friendly practices, and then follow their guidelines. "There are those ubiquitous placards in hotel bathrooms allowing us to choose whether and when to have towels laundered, thus cutting costs and emissions," Makower states. Beckham advocates doing the same for bed sheets: "That way you won't waste water and detergent going in to the atmosphere."
Take a volunteer vacation to help rebuild or boost a given region. Tourism Cares recently led a trip to Gulf Coast areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and regularly creates grants to support conservation and preservation efforts for tourism-related nonprofits. Global Volunteers and Transitions Abroad also offer good resources to research such trips.
Watch your disposables—reuse what you can, don't toss something away just because you're on vacation.
Checking the sustainability factor
When starting your travel planning, there are plenty of resources you can check to see if a destination, hotel, tour operator, or other provider is committed to sustainable tourism. Here is a list of some good starting points.
Earthwatch Institute
International Council of Tourism Partners
The Nature Conservancy
Sustainable Travel International, particularly its Eco-directory
Travelers' Philanthropy
You can also use guidebooks to seek out different options. "Lonely Planet is one of the leading ones," advises Maschman. "They're coming out with a Code Green guidebook specifically for responsible travel. Depending on the success of that, they're hoping to do national and regional guidebooks in that series. Rough Guides and the Moon handbooks do a lot for responsible travel."
By using these strategies, you should be able to plan a vacation that takes cost—both literal and environmental—into account. Beckham stresses the importance of being a responsible traveler: "It's really important that we have the things tomorrow that we have today. We're here to preserve the past to ensure the future."
Sustainable destinations
Costa Rica: Costa Rica has long been recognized as one of the world's most committed destinations in the areas of environmental health and preservation, empowering local communities, and conserving resources.
Dominica: This year, Dominica received the Green Globe 21 eco-tourism benchmarking designation, recognizing the country as being committed to sustainable tourism practices. In addition to the national recognition, five area hotels were also awarded this distinction.
South Africa's Phinda Reserve: The Phinda Reserve works as a wildlife preserve, safari, and sustainable destination all in one. The reserve, stocked with native wildlife, works to involve tourists in reducing environmental impact. Proceeds support neighboring communities in the areas of education, health care, and improving living conditions.
This article found at:
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/Planning-trip-Earth-afford.html?id=339200&page=2
In recent years, sustainable tourism has been gaining popularity with both travel providers and travelers. Whether it's visiting an up-and-coming "ecodestination;" supporting destinations that employ and give back to the local community; or simply minimizing waste, fuel consumption, or use of local resources, today's traveler has much more to think about than just price. Next time you consider a vacation, also think about its cost on the environment and regional community. With a little careful planning, you can minimize the impact of your travels.
What's the difference between ecotourism and sustainable tourism?
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but there is a distinction. According to the Global Development Research Center, ecotourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people." Sustainable tourism goes one step further, with a series of clearly established benchmarks to reduce environmental damage and increase conservation, improve contributions to local development, use as little non-renewable resources as possible, help the well-being of local communities, support local ownership, and advocate for biodiversity.
What can travelers do to minimize their environmental footprint and support sustainable tourism?
"Don't look just at the price, but ask hard questions about the area's environmental policy," says Katie Maschman, director of membership and communications for The International Ecotourism Society. "What do they do for local projects? How are they empowering local people? Are local people employed [at the hotel, destination, etc.], and is there advancement in the organization? What types of conservation projects are in place? Do this pre-travel."
Joel Makower, founder of Greenbiz.com, recommends checking to see if a given hotel has been certified as "green." "The hotel and motel industry discovered eco-efficiency several years ago," he states. "Many large chains and independents have aggressively reduced energy use and costs through the use of compact-fluorescent light bulbs, water-saving devices, and the like. Such efforts seem to be accelerating." To check if a hotel you're considering is environmentally friendly, Makower suggests checking the Green Hotels Association, Green Seal, or the California Green Lodging Program.
Bruce Beckham, executive director of Tourism Cares for Tomorrow, advocates a commonsense approach. "It goes back to doing the responsible things your parents taught you: Don't throw refuse on the ground, conserve water, shut off lights, don't leave trash around. Be conscious of laundry requirements. Don't leave your TV on to seem like someone is in the room—that's a lot of baloney. Don't be wasteful."
Strategies
There are many practices travelers can undertake to make sure they're adhering to sustainable principles. Here are some possibilities:
Minimize air travel, and carpool or use public transportation as much as possible. "Consider taking the train or bus when traveling within 500 miles," suggests Maschman. "We as Americans often jump on a plane and think nothing of it."
Visit a destination committed to sustainable tourism. Beckham recommends Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nicaragua as destinations that offer a multitude of properties and activities that help both the environment and communities. Maschman highlights Alaska; Kerala, India; Micronesia; Peru; St. John, USVI; and Thailand as places where travelers can use their tourism dollars to assist sustainable efforts.
Seek out hotels that have environmentally friendly practices, and then follow their guidelines. "There are those ubiquitous placards in hotel bathrooms allowing us to choose whether and when to have towels laundered, thus cutting costs and emissions," Makower states. Beckham advocates doing the same for bed sheets: "That way you won't waste water and detergent going in to the atmosphere."
Take a volunteer vacation to help rebuild or boost a given region. Tourism Cares recently led a trip to Gulf Coast areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and regularly creates grants to support conservation and preservation efforts for tourism-related nonprofits. Global Volunteers and Transitions Abroad also offer good resources to research such trips.
Watch your disposables—reuse what you can, don't toss something away just because you're on vacation.
Checking the sustainability factor
When starting your travel planning, there are plenty of resources you can check to see if a destination, hotel, tour operator, or other provider is committed to sustainable tourism. Here is a list of some good starting points.
Earthwatch Institute
International Council of Tourism Partners
The Nature Conservancy
Sustainable Travel International, particularly its Eco-directory
Travelers' Philanthropy
You can also use guidebooks to seek out different options. "Lonely Planet is one of the leading ones," advises Maschman. "They're coming out with a Code Green guidebook specifically for responsible travel. Depending on the success of that, they're hoping to do national and regional guidebooks in that series. Rough Guides and the Moon handbooks do a lot for responsible travel."
By using these strategies, you should be able to plan a vacation that takes cost—both literal and environmental—into account. Beckham stresses the importance of being a responsible traveler: "It's really important that we have the things tomorrow that we have today. We're here to preserve the past to ensure the future."
Sustainable destinations
Costa Rica: Costa Rica has long been recognized as one of the world's most committed destinations in the areas of environmental health and preservation, empowering local communities, and conserving resources.
Dominica: This year, Dominica received the Green Globe 21 eco-tourism benchmarking designation, recognizing the country as being committed to sustainable tourism practices. In addition to the national recognition, five area hotels were also awarded this distinction.
South Africa's Phinda Reserve: The Phinda Reserve works as a wildlife preserve, safari, and sustainable destination all in one. The reserve, stocked with native wildlife, works to involve tourists in reducing environmental impact. Proceeds support neighboring communities in the areas of education, health care, and improving living conditions.
This article found at:
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/Planning-trip-Earth-afford.html?id=339200&page=2
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