Open the Doors, and They Will Come

If you have been in the hotel business long enough, you probably remember the good ole’ days. You know, the days when we could build a new hotel, open the doors, and just sit back while guests flood in. Now you’re probably thinking, “Aren’t those days gone?” Well, I’m here to tell you they aren’t gone, but they have changed. What has changed are the doors that need to be opened. Today we need to open the doors of the businesses that will supply us with rooms. There is only one thing in our way: the “Gatekeeper.”

Lately, you may have noticed that these protectors of the doors you seek to open are not actually who you thought they were. You make your appointments, pick up a nice gift, meet them at the designated time, and give them every reason in the world that they should stay with you and not that nasty neighbor down the street. They smile, tell you how grateful they are that you stopped in, and sign your lovely piece of paperwork called the LNR. Everything is great, right? Well, maybe not. What you don’t know is that they have done the exact same thing with every other property in town. Now all you have is your beautiful LNR and shrinking market share.

If this story sounds familiar, you are not alone. It is happening to everyone and every property. I can’t tell you that I know how to stop this vicious cycle. I wish I could. I would make millions writing books about it, not writing blogs. What I can do is tell you that if this is happening to you, you may want to ask yourself if you spoke to the right person after all. What I have noticed, especially in these difficult times, is that the Gatekeeper is just that; a Gatekeeper. The gates being kept lead to the doors and those doors to these companies are the ones we are truly trying to open.

By now you are probably thinking that I tipped a bit too much of that sweet nectar know as Kentucky Bourbon. Well, I haven’t. Just ask Dave, GM at the Toledo Staybridge. He spent months trying to crack the door at Johns Manville. Or ask Jessica and Madeleine at the Erie TPS. They spent just as much time trying to land LORD. In both cases, the Gatekeepers weren’t the people they needed to talk to. They needed the financially responsible individuals who stood inside the doors. They needed the people who could force the hotel policy at the company. Once we contact the right people, we are where we want to be. Inside the door, holding a LNR that means something and garnering room nights.

So, the next time you are out making sales calls, ask yourself if you are talking with the right person; because if you open the right door, they really will come.

Can Do!

You don’t have to live in Fargo or near flood waters to be a victim of disaster. I have learned a lot about disaster and about people in this last week.

One kind of people I had the privilege of working with this last week are those with a “can do” attitude. If three million sandbags need to be filled, they “can do.” If twenty five miles of dikes need to be constructed, they “can do.” If we need to add another two feet to the base and foot to the top of every dike, they “can do.” If their cell phones ring at 3:00AM with an emergency call to action, they “can do.”

Unfortunately, although a small minority, there is a group of people that are comfortable with “somebody will do it.” When the call goes out for action, they don’t really worry because “somebody will do it.” When the radio announces that 30 people are needed to shore up levees at the end of their own block, they don’t worry because “somebody will do it.” When engineers and officials announce that levees and dikes look good, they are relieved that “somebody did it.”

I think that we all work with both of these kinds of people. Hopefully the “can do” people are in the great majority as well. When our disaster is the financial markets and declining hotel demand, we go into action. If desk shifts need to be worked to reduce hourly labor, we “can do.” If every call coming into the hotel needs to be converted to a sale, we “can do.” If every room needs to be cleaned a bit faster with the same high standards to reduce spending, we “can do.” If maintenance tasks normally hired out need to be handled internally to save money, we “can do.” If all of these things and more need to happen to ensure the survival of our company, we “can do.”

Imagine if everyone in our company was a “can do” person. What if every person you and I work with considered it their personal responsibility to do whatever it takes to meet the demands of the guests, our teams and our company? Those are the kinds of people we should choose to work with. Those are the kinds of people that make us better.

I hope that when we all look at ourselves we know that either we “have done” or we “will do” because we are “can do” people.

Please view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcMZ_0guIgE


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I Love A Good Quote

The Area Directors in our group already know that I love a good quote. Many profound statements have been made over the years, and it would be irresponsible to ignore the wisdom they hold. I get daily quotes from a couple of websites and often find that they spark ideas and inspire action. I received the following quote on Monday:

“Peak performers start with potential. We all do. Yet history is littered with the bones of people who never converted potential into achievement. Inherent talents turn useful only when you cultivate them. Training can be dull, tedious, and onerous when it is simply tacked onto your everyday routine. But when it serves a passion and follows a mission, it becomes a practice as pleasurable and full of promise as refining a golf swing or making a successful investment. Top performers do not leave training to chance. Regardless of past accomplishments – which in many cases are formidable – they know they use but a small fraction of their capacities and have a long way to go.” - Anon

Sure this quote is a little long, but its message is essential. It acknowledges that when we hire good people, they all have the potential to be great. However, we need to give them the tools and motivation to convert that potential into great actions.

Our first ever blog entry reflects the first step in this process. We have to hire good people to fill the positions we have open and replace those we have on staff who refuse to convert their potential into great action.

I invite everyone to go back to the first-ever posting to this blog and read it again. I would also like everyone to click on the following link and share the video with your management staff. http://www.eagleschoolmovie.com/

Hire… Train… Inspire… Succeed!

The Value of Good People

It is turning out to be a busy week in Fargo. Much of my time is being spent focusing on markets with declining demand, sliding revenues and that are sure to run short on profit for first quarter. The current situation with the economy and the travel industry weighs heavy on the thoughts and actions of the entire regional team.

Our General Managers are working hard to minimize expenses while maximizing sales efforts. They are, in a sense, being pulled from both ends. At the same time, they are expected to provide unprecedented levels of guest satisfaction to ensure every guest is a possible repeat guest. I appreciate the efforts of all those who continue to step up to the plate and give it their all. It is in times like these that we see what we are all made of.

I just spent a little time with our Senior VP of Operations and saw firsthand how he too is having to make difficult decisions in this tough economic environment. He is working day and night to help ensure we all have that right balance that makes the most of our jobs, our hotels and our futures. What I am working to do with 28 hotels right now, he is focused on for over 200 hotels, as well as the support structure of our corporate staff. He celebrates 25 years with Tharaldson tomorrow, and I would hate to think where we would be without him.

All positions across the company carry a value, and the value of each position is greater today than it ever has been. Let’s not forget the value of the position and focus on what it really is. It’s the value of our people. Every person across the company needs to give 110% today in hopes of providing the same kind of results that a 90% effort would have gotten us in 2007.

Never has the value of good people been greater. Thank you to all who continue to give 110%!

What the heck is a WEBINAR?

The pace of technology in today's world is pretty amazing, If you don't stay on top of what is going on it won't take long before you are on the bottom! I am shocked at how kids easily adapt to all this new technology. Growing up for me there were rabbit ears on my TV, I knew someone in school who heard of someone who had an ATARI Game system, and my fingers would hurt trying to "dial" the number to my local radio station to try to win tickets to NKOTB (New Kids on The Block, but most of you knew this already - admit it!). Today there is streaming movies over the internet, not old ones mind you, new releases! We have no less than 10 phone numbers for a family of 4 and everyone has either an XBOX or a PS3! Heck my two year old knows how to use my IPHONE, not just how to press buttons, but she can look at pictures and watch Dora the Explorer via Podcast, I didn't even know that I had Dora on the IPHONE - and what is a PODCAST anyway?

So here we are in this fast pace world of "I got to have it NOW!" and we learn of a new beast called WEBINARS! Sounds spooky, but it was really inevitable with the way technology was headed to not be able to web conference over the internet. And that is really all it is. It allows your company to not have to foot the bill of sending representatives thousands of miles away to attend a meeting or seminar. It saves tons of overhead and therefore keeps everyone's P&L in the black, OK so not everyone. Imagine that as an employee you do not have to leave your family behind and attend a 3 day seminar in some city thousands of miles away! Did I mention I had a 2 year old? It really is a two fold savior: it is cost effective for your employer and it is convenient for you and your family!

My first Webinar was the one for Infotronics payroll system. I spent that morning learning all about the new system in the comfort of my office. I was able to keep my staff on track and handle any concerns and continued the rest of my day when the Webinar was finished. It was wonderful!
It is the way of the future, it is unstoppable, just like my 2 year old. Oh and by the way, this is my first blog. What the heck is a blog anyway?