When I began drafting this blog, I ran the idea by a colleague who has been a hotel CSM and sales manager—with a third party—and is now a director of meetings at a major medical association. He laughed with me as I said, “Whatever I predict could have an opposite and equal prediction!" And so it is. Predictions 1. Hotel rates will go up in some markets and down in others.  2. Non-U.S. individuals and entities will continue to buy and own hotels which may cause more brouhaha (like it did when the Sultan of Brunei purchased the Plaza in New York) among some ...

Being an individual who embraces continuing education and further learning—I am continuously fascinated by the human brain. The cognitive ability of the brain to gather and retain knowledge is powerful, as is the cognitive decline of the brain as seen in patients who have Alzheimer's or dementia. The balance between the strength of the brain and the fragility of the brain is potent. Recently I read an article which reflected on a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing a decline in dementia rates from 1994 to 2011 in both the U.S. and Europe. Furthermore, an analysis ...

Home rentals are an increasingly popular choice for meeting attendees. Using an online service such as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, or even Couchsurfing, guests can choose to stay in more spacious accommodations, frequently at lower cost, rather than pay the hotel group rate negotiated by the meeting sponsor. With the rise of home-sharing services, meeting organizers may consider making these arrangements an option for attendees, even listing them in meeting registration materials. These services are even reaching out to gain a share of the meeting business. These may be attractive alternative accommodations. But meeting planners who suggest that their guests consider home stays ...

The biggest and best form of investment you can make is investing in YOU! I was reading an article the other day stating that, on average, women currently make 77 cents to a man's dollar. How does that look in real-life? As an example, if a man earns $100,000; based on this average, women earn $77,000. There is a long way to go to close that gap. Now the disparity in pay amongst the sexes is a conversation that is essential to have—and it is a personal desire of mine that the hospitality industry could lead the way in this societal ...

In my time with Meetings Focus I’ve been able to attend a number of press trips to gain a better perspective on the destinations and properties we cover each month. However, a visit to Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio, this past summer was a little more unusual in that it was the first 100% family-friendly convention resort that I had visited, and I was left to my own devices to explore, as it was not part of a formal press trip and mostly over the weekend. This created an interesting dynamic, in which none of the resort’s staff—outside of the ones ...

In a meetings industry—and world—increasingly focused on mobile devices and techie connectivity, really getting away from it all has become more challenging than ever. The same tools and platforms that once seemed designed to free us from the office can serve us as a double-edged sword, providing planners and attendees with a 24/7 accessibility that makes it impossible to truly escape the office hustle and bustle for even an instant. I recently explored the meetings landscape for a variety of ‘unplugged’ locales that make disconnecting a snap, leaving your attendees free to network, brainstorm or just play in a wireless way ...