Overcoming 4 Challenges of Hotel Ownership

There are amazing benefits in being a hotel owner, but there’s also a robust list of challenges that come with the role. By addressing the challenges in a smart, proactive manner, you can put yourself in a position to better enjoy the perks.

4 Pressing Challenges You Face

It’s a good time to be in the hospitality industry – and the hotel niche in particular. Demand for new hotels is at an all-time high, with more than 5,500 new hotels currently in the development pipeline in the United States. But in order to maximize the benefits of working in this industry, hotel owners must be willing to address the big challenges that have emerged over the past few months. As we explore them in detail, we’ll provide you with some powerful tips for transforming these trials into opportunities. Take a look:

1. The Rise of Airbnb

The rise of Airbnb – and, to a lesser extent, platforms like HomeAway – has been swift and impressive. It’s revolutionized a centuries-old industry and essentially democratized the lodging market. But what’s a positive trend for guests and entrepreneurial-minded individuals is something far more threatening for hoteliers.

It’s not that people are consistently choosing Airbnb listings over hotels. Though there are people who now exclusively book Airbnb listings, they are few and far between. It’s mostly an opportunistic or experiential thing. The problem for hotels is that they’ve traditionally earned their largest margins when rooms were scarce – thus allowing them to charge higher rates to a captive audience. But now, when rooms are scarce, Airbnb listings expand to cover the gap.

“Consumers don’t always pay a lower price,” says Chiara Farronato, co-author of a study on Airbnb market share. “What changes is the quality of the listings. You might find a Fifth Avenue apartment or a place by the beach at a more reasonable price than you would if Airbnb wasn’t an option. Or a listing might have additional amenities, like a kitchen. And if you still prefer a hotel room, competition from Airbnb means you’ll pay a lower price for it.”

While multiple lodging groups are currently fighting back against Airbnb (trying to claim hosts are illegally acting as commercial operators), this will be a long, drawn-out battle. The better solution for hotel owners is to focus on the experience of staying at a hotel. Simplifying the experience, offering more amenities, including complimentary meals, and more are all things that guests are willing to pay for. This is what hoteliers should be focused on.

2. Operational Complexities

Owning and operating a hotel can be very resource-intensive and draining (physically, emotionally, and financially). In fact, operational complexities often force owners out and lead to serious declines in customer service. But there are solutions for hotel owners who feel unreasonably taxed.

Many hoteliers find it helpful to hire a hotel management company to assume all operational responsibilities, including: running all departments; recruiting, training, and managing employees; managing revenues and finances; developing budgets; maintaining compliance with laws and industry regulations; and delivering excellent guest experiences.

The management space has become pretty competitive over the past few years. A quick look at the top ranked hotel management companies reveals a variety of price points and styles. If nothing else, this is something hotel owners should consider moving forward.

3. Labor Issues

For hotel owners and managers that decide not to use management companies, the hours can be long and irregular. There are no nights, weekends, or holidays off.

“This isn’t anything new in the hardworking hospitality industry. Due to ongoing demands and the nature of the hotel business, responsible individuals need to be on-site nearly 24/7. Even if those duties are divided among several people, as they usually are, a manager’s hours are often long and irregular,” Gourmet Marketing explains. “Managers must manage stress and burnout if they are to be successful in their role over the long haul.”

Then there’s the issue of finding dependable workers. Hotel labor – particularly housekeeping and maintenance – is hard to keep. The turnover is high and the collective labor pool is unreliable. Without a proper hiring and retention strategy in place, it’s easy to end up short-staffed for weeks or months at a time.

The key is to keep the talent pipeline tapped. It’s also important to treat employees right. Better hours, higher pay, and opportunities to move up in the company all send the right signals to hotel workers. In response, they’re less likely to jump ship.

4. Growing Demand for Personalization

The standard guest experience is no longer enough to keep people satisfied and returning to a hotel over and over again. Today’s guests want personalized experiences that match up with the same level of detail that they get in other areas of their lives.

Guests expect to be able to book rooms online, access in-room video streaming services, order room service on a mobile app, etc. For hotels to keep up, there has to be a constant focus on innovation.

Closing Thoughts

Whether you’re in the business of selling hot dogs at a ballpark or running a luxury hotel in the middle of a major city, the same business principles apply. At the end of the day, you’re trying to overcome customer hesitancies, convey value, and keep people coming back for more.

As a hotel owner, your success over the next five-plus years will be highly dependent on how you address the challenges discussed in this article. With a proper strategy in place, you can counteract the bad with exciting new initiatives that propel you to the forefront of your industry. What are you waiting for?

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business-process/overcoming-4-challenges-of-hotel-ownership/

3 Things That Make Eating Disorders in Adolescence Different

Most of the most well-known eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, first show signs at an average age of 18 – 21 years old. While the need for eating disorder counseling may not appear until adulthood, the symptoms of most eating disorders normally appear much earlier. A sad fact is, the beginnings of most eating disorders in adolescence appear much earlier than 18 – some cases of anorexia nervosa have been reported as early as age 6.

There are many approaches to eating disorder counseling available, which can vary considerably depending on the age, gender, medical history, type of disorder, and the specialty of the center for eating disorders. Specialization is key – every program should be tailored for the individual receiving the treatment. For example, a program designed around making a person with anorexia nervosa more comfortable with eating larger portions will not be effective in helping a person with binge eating disorder.

For these reasons, age-appropriate eating disorder counseling is urgent when addressing various eating disorders in adolescence. The years when a child becomes an adult are crucial developmental times, bring with them special needs that cannot be ignored.

Nutritional Needs

As an adolescent’s body undergoes rapid changes in size and shape, there are many necessary nutrients. Without nutrients like calcium, a variety of vitamins and low-fat proteins, teenagers can begin to experience distorted or stunted growth. If denied the proper nutritional balance for their age, teenagers can experience a shortfall in the development of muscle mass, bone density, and body fat.

These deficiencies can cause complications in later life and adulthood, including anemia, diabetes, and osteoporosis. To prevent later nutritional deficiencies and the complications that come along with them, adolescent centers for eating disorders normally include both planned nutritional meals and training for how to prepare them. The latter aspect helps alumni continue to ensure proper nutrition after they have completed formal eating disorder treatment.

Medical Complications

The onset of eating disorders in adolescence is not always gradual; sometimes severe symptoms and their attendant health complications arise very quickly. These symptoms can cause medical conditions requiring emergency care as well as long-term complications. Any disorder which reduces the amount of nutrition taken in, whether due to food restrictions or because of purging (a la bulimia nervosa), can cause the delay of puberty or even its arrest. These complications, if left untreated, can take years to correct.

Depending on the type of eating disorder, other complications can occur, which vary in severity. Teens with anorexia nervosa may face the growth affects mentioned above as well as symptoms of malnutrition such as losing hair, dry and brittle skin, anemia, and low body temperatures. Those with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder may show the signs of obesity such as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and diabetes.

Psychosocial Considerations

Most teens that enter a center for eating disorder treatment have a distorted or negative self-esteem and self-image. In many cases, their body dissatisfaction leads to the kinds of self-harming behaviors that define their eating disorder. The flawed perception that they are “too fat” is the main self-identity dissatisfaction behind the caloric restriction of anorexia nervosa. In a similar vein, poor or warped self-image often leads to extreme fad diets, which perpetuate a cycle of binge eating and purging.

The adolescent years are when people begin to compare themselves to their peers (and far too often) the photoshopped, idealized images in the media. The negative thoughts and feelings that can arise from these may become solidified as a central part of an adult’s identity if eating disorder counseling is ignored during these formative years. Because teenagers’ identities are so malleable, early intervention is crucial to healthier psychosocial development.

Getting Help Early Counts

The factors above should outline what a critical time adolescence is in both natural development and the onset of disordered eating behaviors. The upshot of this is clear; if you have suspicions that your daughter is experiencing an eating disorder, it’s better to get started here sooner rather than later. This lets the professionals design an appropriate treatment plan and nip a developing disorder in the bud.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/health-and-wellness/3-things-that-make-eating-disorders-in-adolescence-different/

Is the Need for Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Underplayed?

The 4 Most Popular E-commerce Trends

Ecommerce has well and indeed managed to revolutionize consumer shopping.

Unlimited options and the unrivaled ease of shopping have encouraged the modern-day consumer to solicit e-commerce apps in a highly abundant manner.

The e-commerce sales figures are projected to rise to a massive 4.5 trillion US dollars in 2021.

Let’s talk about a few marketing and technology trends that e-commerce providers need to adapt to enhance their customer value.

Personalization

It has become very much apparent in the marketing world that blanket ad and e-mail campaigns are a huge failure when it comes to garnering customer engagement.

Trying to engage your customers with personalized content has proved to be extremely effective, managing to improve customer engagement by six times.

Realizing the potential of personalization, the e-commerce industry has decided to leverage personalization in their own way.

As of now, e-commerce platforms are providing personalization, primarily based on your previous search categories.

These categories are also based on the various filters that you have used on your previous searches, namely your choice of brands, your price ranges, etc.

E-commerce platforms are also heavily leveraging personalized e-mails and push notifications, that generally inform you about the new products that they have specifically chosen for you to glance upon, based on your previous searches.

Choosing E-Commerce Software that provides such features is a good option in this scenario.

Videos

A prevalent behavior that is seen among majority e-commerce shoppers is that they fail to rely entirely on the various images of the offerings shown in website/app.

There is always a speckle of doubt in the mind of the consumer, whether the actual delivered product will turn out to be similar to the one shown in the picture, when it comes to the shape, size, color, etc.

This is the reason many buyers develop a hesitant attitude when it comes to placing the final order.

In order to remove this uncertainty to a significant extent, e-commerce platforms have come up with, Video-based introductions for their products.

For example, a video introduction for a sports shoe would include a model actually wearing the original shoe and performing some physical activities that highlight the purpose and durability of the shoe.

Chatbots

Chatbots are something that has taken customer experience to a whole new level, catering to particular customer queries and replying with personalized solutions.

Even though the e-commerce industry has not abundantly adapted this trend as of now, it seems that chatbots are a solid contender when it comes to offering customized product choices to e-commerce customers.

However, the most important thing to keep in mind is the personalization factor that should be at the core of the bot development strategies of every e-commerce platforms.

Remove the personalization factor, and the chatbot is nothing but a usual search box that can talk.

For example, “An e-commerce chatbot cannot provide me with high priced shoe brands like Nike and UnderArmour, if I have mentioned, previously in the conversation that I am on a tight budget.”

Social Media

E-commerce platforms are gradually realizing the potential social media platforms hold when it comes to things like brand awareness, lead generation lead conversion, etc.

Every potential e-commerce customer spends a significant portion of their daily time browsing on social media.

When it comes to lead generation, creating social posts about certain products belonging to particular categories can be created with a CTA in this description to encourage the customer to visit the website and check out more products belonging to this category.

CTAs, like providing a “BUY” button on facebook and “Checkout” on Instagram, are a few examples of directly converting potential social media lead.

There you go! 4 major eCommerce trends that are going to redefine the future of eCommerce market. I know this is just a tip of the iceberg. There are still more up-and-coming trends that are sure to overhaul the sector like never before. Hop over to our comment section to discuss the same.   

Author Bio

Hi there, I’m Shaun Williams, a content writer with Goodfirms, a research platform for Blockchain Technology and Bot Development companies, among many others. I enjoy communicating ideas and knowledge creatively and also ensure that the readers never suffer from boredom while reading my posts.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/ecommerce/the-4-most-popular-e-commerce-trends/

The Ultimate Checklist For A Hygienic Workplace

All businesses have to ensure they provide a hygienic workplace for their customers, clients, and employees. A clean workplace, however, can be difficult to maintain if you operate a busy office. To make it easier, you need to develop a checklist to work through on a regular basis to ensure cleaning your office is as straight forward as possible.

Here’s the ultimate hygienic workplace checklist to ensure a clean office space.

General Workplace

This checklist is for the general office environment. It can be easy for dust, dirt, and grime to build up in corners and below eye-level, so it’s important to run through this list on a regular basis.

Regularly check all passageways, corridors, exits, doorways, and other high footfall areas. Remember that foot traffic will track dirt and grime on shoes, so check daily.

Ceilings and walls can be a magnet for handprints, smudges, stains, and cobwebs. Be sure the walls are painted with paint that can be wiped with a damp cloth.

Coffee tables, desks, and seating in any waiting areas need to be regularly wiped and vacuumed to prevent dirt and dust build up presenting a negative image to clients.

Storage racks, filing cabinets, shelving, and other items of storage furniture all need to be regularly checked for dust build-up and wiped with a cloth.

The Workstation

Office workstations can be a magnet for dirt and grime – if it’s where an employee spends the majority of their time, it can be easy for mess to build up. Here’s your office workstation cleaning checklist.

Any monitors, keyboards, printers, fax machines, photocopiers, and other equipment needs to be wiped on a regular basis to prevent the build-up of fingerprints and other marks.

Screens issue a slight static field which can consistently attract dust and lint. Be careful to only use screen-friendly wipes to prevent damaging equipment.

Desk space needs to be regularly cleaned to prevent dirt and dust. It makes sense to limit clutter on desks as much as possible to make them easier to clean on a regular basis.

If meals are taken at the desk, check for any crumbs or spills and wipe them up immediately. It’s wise to keep moist hand wipes to prevent greasy fingerprints on equipment.

Welfare Facilities

The office bathroom, and kitchen if it has one, can be magnets for grime if not regularly cleaned. It only takes each employee to conscientiously clean up after themselves, however, to ensure the facilities remain hygienic.

If there is a refrigerator and employees are allowed to bring in food, it needs to be checked regularly as out of date products can turn mouldy and contaminate the rest of the fridge’s contents.

The fridge, microwave, sink, and counters need to be regularly wiped with anti-bacterial spray or wipes, and any items in communal use, namely cutlery, kettles, or crockery need to be thoroughly cleaned.

The toilet and sink need to be cleaned on a daily basis, including the flush and taps. Toilet paper and hand towels need to be regularly supplied, as well as liquid soap for handwashing.

In the kitchen area be sure that all food waste is properly and hygienically disposed of. If not, it could be a magnet for rodents and other pests. Provide proper food bins, and empty daily.

Daily Office Hygiene

It’s much easier to maintain office hygiene when all employees work together as a team. Consider establishing a rota for certain duties, and ensure all employees know the small things they can do every day to keep their work environment as clean as possible.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/at-work/the-ultimate-checklist-for-a-hygienic-workplace/

How to Host an Eco-Friendly Conference

Each year about 18 billion pounds of plastic enters the world’s ocean. Let that sink in…

Our throwaway society is having a serious negative effect on the environment and the only way we can make a change is if individuals and organizations start acting to reduce the amount of plastic and waste that they produce.

Think of the amount of waste that is produced from the thousands of conferences and events that are held every year. That’s a significant amount that could easily be reduced if conferences were designed with sustainability in mind.

Even small changes can make a big difference so when you’re planning your next conference here’s a few ways you make it eco-friendlier.

Choose your venue wisely

The venue where your conference will be held is perhaps one of the most important things to consider.

You need to make sure that it has everything you need to make your conference a success and that it is the right size for the number of attendees.

This doesn’t mean you can’t be conscious when choosing your venue though. Searching for venues that are committed to reducing waste and recycling is a good place to start.

If the venue is devoted to being sustainable already, you will be able to work together seamlessly to create the perfect eco-friendly conference.

The location of the venue should also be thought-out and a local venue that is centrally located should be prioritized.

This means attendees, suppliers, and employees won’t have to travel as far thus reducing carbon footprints. Of course, this will depend very much on the number of attendees and where they are coming from.

Go digital

Conferences and similar events are known for excessive use of paper and materials.

Whether it’s floor maps, programs, name badges, brochures or general marketing materials the industry tends to overdo it on the tangible resources.

With sustainability in mind when planning your next conference things such as reusable name badges, recycling materials from previous events, digital invitations and creating resources from recycled materials will all help in creating a green event.

Rather than using traditional marketing techniques change your focus to digital marketing to promote your conference.

Social media, a dedicated website, and email marketing works just as effectively as well as being faster and cheaper. A bold move such as going paperless and taking everything online will instantly make your event eco-friendlier.

Choose sustainable catering

Some may say that picking the perfect caterers is just as important as choosing the venue itself and they might be right.

Food production involves a huge amount of materials and waste so it’s important, to make your conference truly green, that you pick a caterer who ethically sources local food and is dedicated to sustainability.

Using biodegradable or reusable plates, bowls, cutlery, cups, and food packaging is also essential. These items are so readily available these days and it doesn’t mean that you have to forgo style or practicality.

Use solar power

Conferences use a huge amount of energy in lighting, sound, and staging but using solar power can be a fantastic way to save energy.

Most sound and lighting equipment can be run on solar power and an increasing amount of organizations are now using solar energy to power their events.

Looking into implementing solar panels will take your eco-friendly conference to the next level.

Recycling bins

It may be the most obvious thing to think about but it’s vital to ensure that you have recycling bins scattered around your conference venue.

Set up clearly labeled recycling stations making them unmissable so that attendees understand that sustainability is an important part of the conference.

It’s all well and good organizing a sustainable event but thinking about the aftermath and how you’re going to recycle the waste after the conference is just as crucial. Make sure you plan to send your waste to be recycled in advance.

Wrapping Up

Creating an eco-friendly conference is the perfect way to make a positive impact and encourage everyone to give back to the environment.

Show your commitment to the cause by making it a dominant theme throughout the marketing for your event and whilst the conference is being hosted.

If your attendees are aware of the sustainability policy they should hopefully turn up willing to help you make your green event a success.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/business/how-to-host-an-eco-friendly-conference/

The 3 Top Industries to Invest In

Investing is vital to success and to produce money in the long term. If you have money to spare or you recently received an inheritance, you should put that money into a business where you could double that amount. 

The thing is, you won’t receive revenue immediately, but if you have the patience and the will to make it work, you can invest in several things. For example, if you’re into technology, you can invest in developing mobile apps. 

So let’s take a look at some industries that are likely to produce money no matter what to secure a great future for you and your family. 

Technology 

Investing in technology is a safe move. It’s well known that technology is evolving every day, and there is always something new on the market. You could invest in developing a mobile app, a website, or an online service. 

Creating an app isn’t difficult at all! Just hire a management team and a tech-savvy, and you’re all set. 

Get into the online dating business, for example. This is something that has grown these last few years, and that part of the industry is thriving. Dating sites like Tinder, Bumble, and W4M Maps started many years ago but now is when people are really starting to use them. 

This means that you may not be successful right away, but in some years, your website could become viral! 

Cryptocurrency 

This industry also started many years ago, but nobody paid attention to it. Now, people are regretting it. Some people that invested in cryptocurrency many years ago, without knowing anything about it, are now millionaires. 

It’s important to open a virtual account where you can buy and trade with virtual currency. Perhaps in the future, there won’t be any physical money, and everything will be handled through virtual money. 

With the advances in technology, this scenario is very possible. So, if you want to invest, the crypto industry is the way to go. Even if you don’t use it in your daily life, you can have it as an emergency fund.

Basic Needs Industry 

If you want to invest safely in something that surely will give you revenue, you should do it in an industry that covers basic needs. 

The food industry is the biggest one in the world, and you can invest in it in many ways. You could buy land and start harvesting vegetables, a farm to produce meat, or just a food processing company. 

The water industry is huge too, especially in those countries that don’t have access to purified water. Investing in developing devices to purify water is a brilliant and thoughtful move. 

In Conclusion

Investing in a growing industry is an excellent business move, even if you’re not a business person. This can help secure your future and even your family’s future. It may not be profitable immediately, but it can be a source of income in the long run. 

Develop an original site, invest in the food or water industry, or buy cryptocurrency! These are a few industries where you can safely invest, but there are many more — do your research and start investing your money. 

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/investing/the-3-top-industries-to-invet-in/