The first part of this series outlined a number of service management issues I felt would influence the hospitality and tourism industry over the next decade. Recognizing that the hospitality industry in many ways has become a mature industry, that column suggested major areas of research and execution to address those issues in global trends and competitors:
The future is always beginning now.
Mark Strand, Reasons for Moving
Last month I was asked what service management topics I felt would be relevant to focus on to mid-career hospitality and tourism professionals attending a 2-day executive education program devoted to service management. My response was:
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The initial step must be to establish program Objectives. These should include:
1. Providing a series of industry specific programs and courses for professional development
2. Linking University Hospitality program students/graduates to industry professionals with the executive education series and interaction from on campus programs
3. Supporting the mission and vision of University Hospitality programs by expanding this pilot program over an agreed upon period in support of the mission and vision of the University Hospitality program.
4. Increasing interaction between University Hospitality program faculty contact and industry executives to facilitate and student success
Specific service management topics:
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Positioning Competitive Differentiation: Best-in-class hospitality and tourism businesses work and plan to leverage superior guest service to overwhelm competitors. This mindset reflects a strategic understanding that this industry must maintain a sense of personalized attention to keep guest loyalty.
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Addressing the declining profit margins of the traditional product-based hospitality industry through service management via factual data by market and business segments
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Providing interactive group exercises to demonstrate the power of linking service delivery as a pro-active management tool to combat the commoditization of the mature hospitality industry
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Introducing specific service management tools and initiatives aimed to build guests' perception from a neutral level of satisfaction to an attitude of loyalty, preference and passion for the total experience.
Many of my articles and columns have addressed variations of these questions, as it has been an important part of my professional experience. Reader comments and suggestions are welcome for inclusion in future publications.
What are you doing at your hospitality business today?
Feel free to share an idea at johnjhogan@yahoo.com anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops or speaking engagements. Autographed copies of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES can be obtained from THE ROOMS CHRONICLE www.roomschronicle.com and other industry sources.
All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication
John Hogan's professional experience includes over 35 years in hotel operations, food & beverage, sales & marketing, training, management development and asset management on both a single and multi-property basis. He holds a number of industry certifications and is a past recipient of the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Pearson Award for Excellence in Lodging Journalism, as well as operational and marketing awards from international brands. He has served as President of both city and state hotel associations.
John's background includes teaching college level courses as an adjunct professor at three different colleges and universities over a 20 year period, while managing with Sheraton, Hilton, Omni and independent hotels. He was the principal in an independent training & consulting group for more than 12 years serving associations, management groups, convention & visitors' bureaus, academic institutions and as an expert witness. He joined Best Western International in spring of 2000, where over the next 8 years he created and developed a blended learning system as the Director of Education & Cultural Diversity for the world's largest hotel chain.
He has served on several industry boards that deal with education and/or cultural diversity and as brand liaison to the NAACP and the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association with his ongoing involvement in the Certified Hotel Owner program. He has conducted an estimated 3,100 workshops and seminars in his career. He served as senior vice president for a client in a specialty hotel brand for six years.
He has published more than 350 articles & columns on the hotel industry and is co-author (with Howard Feiertag, CHA CMP) of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES, which is available from a range of industry sources and AMAZON.com. He resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is finalizing his 2nd book based on his dissertation - The Top 100 People of All Time Who Most Dramatically Affected the Hotel Industry.
Expertise and Research Interest
• Leadership and Executive Education
• Cultural Diversity
• Operational Management
• Developing Academic Hospitality programs
• Professional Development & Accreditation
• Customer Service
