Published byBeyond Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.H. Always Happy House, L2

Asrafee Magu20034 Male’

Republic of Maldiveswww.bynd.co.uk

Managing EditorDavid Kotthoff

editor@hosmal.com

AdvertisingHassan Hisham

ads@hosmal.com

Design & LayoutHawwa Sithna

info@bynd.co.uk

PrintNovelty Printers & Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

ContributorsAlila Hotels & Resorts

Bert Van WalbeekBob Selden

Daydots Doug KennedyHilton MaldivesJorely Mathew

Kuramathi Island ResortNeil Salerno

Rick JohnsonRichard ChangRon Kaufman

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Simma LiebermanS.M. Mahinda Senevirathne

Steve CurtinVincent Baby

W Retreat & Spa Maldiveswww.ehotelier.com

CoverAsia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, will open

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives, the first luxury resort south of the equator

in the Maldives, on 26 July 2009. The resort will offer guests a stylish experience in a

spacious, boutique-style environment. Located on Addu Atoll, the resort will encompass over

six kilometres of coastline and nearly two kilometres of breathtaking white sandy beach.

Read more on page 50...

Photograph (c) Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

DisclaimerNo parts of this magazine or its content (photographs, articles or parts thereof,

design, layout) may be reproduced without the consent of the respective owner. Beyond

Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. or any of its associates cannot be held responsible for the misuse

of the information and intellectual property provided in this magazine. Opinions expressed

in this magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by the publisher.

Dear friends and colleagues,

Welcome to the 25th edition of Hospitality Maldives.

When I first started thinking about publishing this magazine, it was nothing more than a

mere dream, a thought and an idea that I was determined to turn into a reality. Starting

out from my desk at home, I conceptualized and tried to design what was to become

Hospitality Maldives. Here we are today, more than four years and 25 editions later,

celebrating the silver jubilee of what is still the only professional industry publication in

the country.

Looking back over the past years, it is certain that all this would have not been possible

without the hard work and dedication of our team, who deserve heaps of praise for a job

done well. A special note of appreciation goes out to Ms. Hawwa Sithna, who has been in

charge of the design and layout of Hospitality Maldives for the last 10 editions, and who is

leaving us in order to pursue higher studies abroad. Another big word of thanks goes out

to all of our sponsors and advertisers, especially those who have been supporting us from

day one until today, and without whom Hospitality Maldives never would have happened

to begin with.

I would also like to seize this opportunity to thank you, our reader, for continuously

sending us your feedback and suggestions, which have always helped and motivated us

to keep on improving what we do. Thank you all for your support over the years, we are

looking forward to many more ahead and wish you Happy Reading!

Yours in hospitality,

David Kotthoff

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The body language of employees in the hospitality industry is an important element of impressing our guests, as all humans show some sort of non-verbal communication or unspoken language in their daily routines.

Let us tap our enthusiasm and interest to serve our guests by focusing on the following factors which mainly constitute the body language:

• Posture and gestures• Eye contact• Orientation• Proximity• Looks• Expression of emotions Posture And Gestures

The way we present ourselves to guests really matters; the movements of our body and the courtesy we show while interacting with guests are intangible features which will be remembered. Hence our steady body postures and gestures in every guest interaction are an important part of determining the level of quality of our service.

Eye Contact

A general saying is that “Eyes are windows to the soul”. Apparently it is true. Someone may say that if you do not look at me I do not trust you. It may or may not be right. In our context, all our guests do expect trust and care from us and also answers for all their questions. Hence a steady eye contact is important to show our customers that we are paying attention to their needs.

Orientation

How we face our guests with our body and head is another factor which shows we are interested to talk to the guests and that want to help them. Hence our body orientation in guest service is an important factor to be taken into account.

Proximity

How close should we stand to our guests when interacting? Are we invading their personal space? It is wise to avoid using an ‘intimate zone’ (0-45cm) and advisable to be within the ‘business zone’ (45-120cm) as in some cultures and traditions, proximity matters to great extent.

Looks

We represent the image of our organization and hence we should follow the set grooming standards of that respective organization. All employees must remember that as soon as they get into their place of work they are at the limelight and that someone is watching them, none other than our guests. In short we must be well groomed and wear company uniforms with pride.

Expression Of Emotions

With careful observation we may notice non-verbal signs such as happiness, sadness, fear and anger among our guests from time to time. Employees must be aware of this form of non-verbal communication in order to effectively deal with guests and to provide services of highest standards of excellence.

To sum it all up, careful attention to our body language will greatly support creating memorable experience to our valued guests, which in turn bring us more satisfied and loyal guests, higher job satisfaction and increased returns for the stakeholders of the organization.

Vincent Baby CHT MIH, HRD Manager, Diva Maldives / Naiade Resorts, T: + 960 7928040, E: vincent@hrdgateway.org

Impress Customers

With Your Body Language

A small careful attention in our body language will greatly cater

memorable experience to our valued guests

I well remember the first time I was “corrected” by a manager. I was a young bank clerk and had received a transaction that was incorrect, from a much more senior person (a manager) in another branch of the bank. I sent the transaction back with a note asking for it to be corrected. Next thing I hear was my own manager shouting at me from his office.

Apparently, I had upset his “good colleague” and I must now go and apologise in person! There was no discussion as to whether I was right or wrong about either the transaction or what I did – just “Go immediately and apologise!” I decided then and there that when I got to be a manager, I would treat my staff differently. Do you have some horror stories about being managed? Here are five that have been related to me by colleagues and friends and for those of you who are managers, some suggestions on how to avoid similar mistakes.

Mistake 1

Jane worked as a waitress in a classy café. Her boss would not allow her or any of the other staff to talk to one another unless it was directly related to work. In fact if they did, they were often chastised in front of customers. As a further measure, he installed cameras supposedly for security, but which were used to monitor staff interaction. When Jane and her colleagues picked up their pay, they were always lectured about what they had done wrong during the week – there was never any praise. As you might expect, staff turnover was very high.

What’s the management principle that is being abused here? Well, there are many, but the key one is “Treat Staff As Entire People, Not Just Work Resources”. Worklife and life outside of work cannot be separated – the person is the same person, no matter where they are. As a manager, you employ the entire person, not just their mind and body during working hours. In fact, it is probably because of who they are as an entire person that

they were originally hired. It’s often amazing what people can become if they are allowed to. Chances are, that the most memorable restaurant experience you have ever had was in a restaurant where Jane and her colleagues were allowed to be themselves, i.e. the full person.

Mistake 2

Rob worked as a qualified, but junior physiotherapist in a busy hospital. He along with three of his colleagues were asked by their manager to discuss amongst themselves how they would like their rosters to be organised (i.e. who would do what shifts etc.) and put forward their proposal. Rob and his colleagues were very happy with their final choices as they had considered all of their personal and professional needs and felt that their decision was the best for all. A day before the new rosters were to start, Rob found out by rumour during his lunch break that their roster recommendations were not to be implemented. Worse still, the rosters decided on by their manager did not

Five Of The Worst Mistakes Managers Can Make And How To Avoid Them

suit any of the four. This decision by their manager resulted in a severe lowering of morale within the team and created a culture of mistrust with management. In future, they would be very wary of any suggestion from management.

“Give People Responsibility for Managing Their Own Work” is the key management principle that Rob’s manager needed to apply. Obviously, the manager started out this way, but took back the responsibility very quickly. One of the five intrinsic motivators that all people have is “Responsibility” (these motivators are covered in detail in my article “Are Happy Employees Motivated Employees” (http://www.nationallearninginstitute.com/index_files/EmployeeFeedbackandMotivation.htm ). Once performance expectations have been set and agreed, giving people the responsibility as to how they will achieve these expectations can be highly motivating.

Mistake 3

Can the “Responsibility” principle be taken too far? Take the case of Emma, another professional person who worked in a team with a very relaxed boss. Emma’s manager gave everyone a lot of freedom in how they managed themselves. For example, the manager introduced an informal “time in lieu” system that allowed people to take time off when they had worked extra hours without claiming overtime. On the surface, this sounded like a great idea and was popular with all the staff. However, one of Emma’s colleagues started to abuse the system to the extent that she actually did private work within work hours that enabled her to build up her “time in lieu”. Emma became very agitated and demotivated by the actions of her colleague. What could Emma’s manager have done to prevent this?

The key to ensuring a scheme like this works, is to cover all the bases at the start. For example, when setting the groundrules for the scheme, ask the staff to consider and recommend “What should happen if one of our colleagues abuses the system? What will we do? What will we say (to our colleague and our manager)? What action should the manager take?” Using this approach, the

manager still holds true to the “Responsibility” principle, because he/she is ensuring that the staff take responsibility for both their actions and the consequences of their actions.

Mistake 4

Andrew was a long term (10 years) professional in a team of highly qualified people who were given the responsibility of managing their own work. People enjoyed their work, they enjoyed the freedom, they enjoyed the challenges their roles brought. Andrew and his colleagues were highly motivated. They were highly respected by management. Andrew’s manager was obviously good at managing the “Responsibility” principle – it was in another area of management that she suddenly (and unexpectedly) fell down. Because of the challenging nature of the work and the range of experiences that were available within Andrew’s team, management decided to send all the new graduates to Andrew’s manager for training and development. The manager grasped the opportunity and immediately started to give all the new recruits the most interesting and challenging work. The old timers (such as Andrew) were relegated to the mundane. Within five months, six of the very experienced people had resigned.

What went wrong within this highly motivated team? Andrew’s manager lost sight of one of the other five intrinsic motivators – “The Opportunity for Growth and Development” (see “Are Happy Employees Motivated Employees” (http://www.nationallearninginstitute.com/index_files/EmployeeFeedbackandMotivation.htm ). No matter how long a person has been in the role, they still look for opportunities to expand their self knowledge, skills and competencies – they need to be challenged. Andrew’s manager certainly applied this to the new recruits, but forgot to keep applying it with her long term staff.

Mistake 5

To finish, here’s another restaurant case. Margaret was one of a team of five people employed in a restaurant where all tips were shared amongst the staff at the end of each

shift. Staff members took it in turn to count and distribute the tips. Sometimes, mistakes were made which made the others annoyed. Instead of trying to correct the mistakes, management decided to take over the responsibility for calculating and distributing tips. Suddenly, the amount of tips went down (considerably). Apart from dishonesty on the part of management, what is the management principle that is being abused here?

“Tips” are a form of recognition from customers that they have received good service. I appreciate that in some countries, tips are part of the service fee. However, even where this is the case, the amount of tips depends on how well customers perceive the service they have received. “Recognition for Achievement” is a further one of the five intrinsic motivators. If this is taken away, people tend to only perform to a certain standard (that enables them to keep their job), not above and beyond what one would normally expect. You can find out more about “Recognition” and its impact by visiting my article “Have You Been Appreciated Lately?” (http://www.nationallearninginstitute.com/index_files/EmployeeFeedbackandMotivationLeadership.htm)

I trust that these five cases have been useful for you in clarifying some of the key management principles that help people remain motivated. If you are a manager and would like to discuss how you can further implement some of these, please email me via www.nationallearninginstitute.com.au or have a rant on Bob’s Blog.

Bob Selden is the author of the newly published “What To Do When You Become The Boss” – a self help book for new managers. He is currently researching topics for his new book on teams. Please email your suggestions for inclusion to Bob via http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com

Hilton Hotels Corporation announced its first Waldorf Astoria Collection property in Asia Pacific - The Beach House. Located at the northern tip of the Maldives, The Beach House is scheduled to join the Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 November, 2009. Owned by the Maldivian company, Sun Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd, The Beach House has been in operation as a luxurious and private resort for the past year, during which time it has won several accolades, including being

featured on the Condé Nast Traveler Hot List, as well as named one of the World’s Best New Hotels by the Daily Telegraph UK.

The Waldorf Astoria Collection is a distinctive selection of some of the most extraordinary hotels in the world. Each hotel celebrates its own individual character, timeless architecture and special history, while forming part of this prestigious global collection. The Beach House will join other world-renowned hotels and resorts in The Waldorf Astoria Collection,

such as the Trianon Palace Versailles in France, the Rome Cavalieri in Italy, the Qasr Al Sharq in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in the United States. Martin Rinck, President - Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels Corporation, commented, “The Maldives is well-known as one of the most desirable archipelagoes in the world and the success of our Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is testament to both the allure of this

Hilton Hotels Corporation Announces Its First Waldorf Astoria Collection Resort In Asia Pacific

location and the uniqueness of the resort. In addition to welcoming The Beach House to the Waldorf Astoria Collection, we are delighted to have also signed an agreement with Sun Hotels & Resorts to manage a Hilton property in the Maldives, which will already open in July this year.”

The Beach House, The Waldorf Astoria Collection, is located on the pristine, lagoon-ringed Haa Alifu Atoll which is fringed by powder-white beaches and complemented

with an unspoilt jungle-filled interior. The 35-acre resort comprises 83 Maldivian-style villas, three restaurants, four bars and a luxurious spa. Each villa comes complete with a private pool and butler.

Guests can choose to indulge in a romantic over-water Asian fusion meal at Saffron, enjoy succulent seafood and steaks from the central open kitchen at Medium Rare or dine at Four Corners on cuisine from around the world. In addition, there are options aplenty

to watch the famous Maldivian sunsets from the resort’s spectacular bars.

Shui, an exquisite spa nestled among virgin forest and streams, offers traditional health and wellness treatments.

Paul Brown, President, Global Brands and Commercial Services, Hilton Hotels Corporation, said: “We are delighted to welcome The Beach House to the Waldorf Astoria Collection furthering its unique signature experiences around the world. The Waldorf Astoria Collection brings authentic, luxurious experiences to travelers, providing the ultimate opportunity for discovery amongst the natural beauty of this destination”.

Hilton Hotels Corporation is developing Waldorf Astoria Collection hotels in key cities around the world and over the next few years and expects to launch The Dakota Mountain Lodge, Park City, Utah, The Waldorf Astoria Collection (Spring 2009), Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, Florida, The Waldorf Astoria Collection (Spring 2009), The Roosevelt, New Orleans, Louisiana, The Waldorf Astoria Collection (June 2009) and The Palace Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, The Waldorf Astoria Collection (December 2010).

The Beach House will become part of the wider Hilton Family of Hotels, including the Worldwide Reservations Network and the Global Distribution System, making it easier for guests to access reservations information. Each property in the Hilton Family will also participate in Hilton HHonors®, the only guest rewards program that allows members to earn Points & Miles® for the same stay and redeem points for free nights with No Blackout Dates.

About the Waldorf Astoria Collection (TM)

The Waldorf Astoria Collection is a distinctive group of unique luxury hotels from the Hilton Family of Hotels, each indigenous to its destination and situated in key cities around the world. Home to world leaders, royalty and society’s elite, The Collection’s elegant assortment of hotels and resorts aims to provide affluent travelers with authentic, luxury experiences and unlimited opportunities for discovery. The Waldorf Astoria Collection is a member of Hilton’s Luxury and Lifestyle Brands along with Waldorf Astoria® and Conrad® Hotels & Resorts. For more information on the Waldorf Astoria Collection, please visit: www.waldorfastoriacollection.com.

Filippo Abisso is the Executive Sous Chef, Azzurro restaurant at the In Ocean Villas, Angsana Resort & Spa Velavaru

Fan of: Formula 1 Racing

Culinary Technique:Italian

Culinary Thought:‘Let the produce work for itself, do not over complicate’

Favourite Foods: Pasta’s

Passion: Enticing guests with raving food

Chef Filippo conducted his training in Italy at the internationally acclaimed hospitality school ‘Alessandro Manzoni’. He then started his profession as a seasonal chef in Switzerland, St-Moritz where he soon discovered his passion of being in the kitchen and making his guests happy with creative dishes.

“I wanted to learn different styles of cuisine, know different cultures, new ingredients and so on. I believe it is important for a chef to know many different aspects of cuisine in order to improve the quality of dishes. My travels through Switzerland, Greece and Portugal, which all have great quality products, had a huge influence on my culinary style. Now I have ventured beyond the European borders, which is another chance for me to get to

know new ingredients, different cooking techniques and experiences, which demands patience and creativity.

The Azzurro restaurant, at the In Ocean Villas of Angsana Velavaru, is simply fantastic and I enjoy working here. It is a great challenge and my ambition is to make Azzurro the best restaurant in Maldives. I especially like the concept and the style of the restaurant, which is chic and elegant. It has a unique charm as it is the only restaurant in an independent cluster of 34 villas not attached to the main island/resort. Truly a first for the Maldives!”

Filippo Abisso: A Chef’s Profile

Years ago, there was a best-selling business book authored by Philip Crosby titled, Quality is Free.

The premise of the book was that if a company invested in quality, then its product defect rates would be reduced, its processes would produce higher-quality, reliable products and services, and the resulting increases in customer satisfaction and sales and profit margins would more than offset any initial investments in quality-related training, etc.

The same is true of customer service.

When I worked in New York City during the 1990s, I took the train out of Manhattan to Westport, CT to experience a supermarket named Stew Leonard’s. At the time, Stew Leonard’s was receiving a lot of positive attention from Tom Peters and other business authors mostly for its employee and customer-friendly practices.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the store’s entrance was a six thousand pound

rock with the creed “The Customer Is Always Right” chiseled into it. There was a single meandering aisle as opposed to a dozen independent aisles and customers were offered a free ice cream cone (with minimum purchase). There was even a petting zoo!

These were all reasons enough for me to visit the store but the fact that really motivated me to hop a train to Westport that July afternoon was a statistic I read: Stew Leonard’s supermarket, in an industry that averages just over $200 per square foot per year, averaged $3,030 per square foot, per year more than fifteen times the national average!

Want more proof? Consider the findings below from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, J.D. Power and Associates, and PeopleMetrics:

The American Customer Satisfaction • Index (ACSI), out of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business,

reports scores for the causes and consequences of customer satisfaction and their relationships to, among other things, financial performance.

Claes Fornell, Professor of Business • Administration at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, oversees the data collection and analysis of the quarterly ACSI results. He’s close to the data and his insights are compelling. According to Professor Fornell, a 5 percent improvement in customer satisfaction leads to an increase of over 35 percent of future operational cash flow. For public companies, the improvement in cash flow shows up in earnings as well as stock price.

Another customer satisfaction authority, • J.D. Power and Associates, looked at ancillary (or supplemental) per day spending of hotel guests as correlated with overall satisfaction. They found that guests who rated their overall

Customer Service is Free:

Or do You Charge Extra For Smiling?

satisfaction with the hotel a 10 (or Very Satisfied on a 10 point scale) spent, on average $12 per day more on ancillary services such as room service, recreation, spas, mini-bars, and laundry service than guests who rated their overall satisfaction as an 8 or 9 (or Somewhat Satisfied on a 10 point scale). With an average length of stay of 2.5 nights, that can really add up.

In a 2007 study by consumer research • firm PeopleMetrics, 1,250 customers were surveyed on their experiences at restaurants owned by nine publicly traded companies with 300 or more units. Customer engagement was measured by four factors: customer retention; the extra effort a customer was willing to make for a return visit; whether a customer would recommend the restaurant to a friend or family member; and passion whether the customer loved the restaurant.

At the end of the study, the restaurants were divided into two groups: those with low customer engagement scores and those with high scores based on the survey results. When year-to-year financial data for the two groups was then compared, these were the results: Restaurants with high customer engagement scores had an average increase of 29% in gross margin versus a12% decrease for those restaurants with low scores. Those with high scores had an average increase of 39% return on equity (ROE) versus a 17% decrease for those restaurants with low scores. And restaurants with high scores had an average increase of 75% in earnings per share (EPS) versus a 50% decrease for those restaurants with low customer engagement scores.

The reality is that investing in a culture of exceptional customer service, in the end, pays for itself in enhanced loyalty, increased referrals, less price sensitivity, and repeat business among other benefits.

So, even though we know it’s possible for customer-focused practices to produce positive financial returns, most operators concentrate on P&L statements to guide

decisions and determine priorities as opposed to customer satisfaction data (e.g., comment cards, overall satisfaction, problem resolution, intent to return, etc.). These operators seem to believe that business cycles determine customer satisfaction as if reduced customer satisfaction scores are inevitable due to reductions in staffing levels, amenities, and other services related to cost-containment measures.

While business cycles undoubtedly affect the budgets, staffing levels, and services that influence customer satisfaction they don’t determine it. In the end, customer satisfaction is achieved not by dollars and cents but by consistently doing the little things that cost nothing and make a positive impression on customers.

Here are several examples of those little things:

A smile.• Making eye contact.• Adding ‘life’ to one’s voice.• A nice gesture: “Here, let me get that • door for you.”A compliment: “That’s a nice looking • tie!”Unique knowledge/direction: “Sir, if • you’d prefer not to wait, there’s a set of stairs to the mezzanine level just down the hall on the right.” Appreciation: We know you have • options. Thank you very much for choosing us.A nice gesture: “Please allow me to • make the call on your behalf.”A thoughtful gesture: Rather than hold, • may I get your number and call you back in a minute or two?Humor: “Could I interest you in a bottle • of Pellegrino Mineral Water or would you prefer New York City tap?” (You have to be careful with humor. I thought it was funny.)Recognition: “Mr. Yakely, I can see • you’ve flown with us more than 80,000 miles this year, and it’s only September! I have an empty seat in Business Class. Please allow me to upgrade you free of charge.”Partnership: “Mr. Curtin, there’s no •

charge for that flat tire repair. Please just keep us in mind when you’re ready to buy a new set of tires.”Genuine interest: “I noticed you were • looking at the store directory. Is there something I can help you find?”Unique knowledge/recommendation: • “Do you know what goes really well with that?” (I will almost certainly add to my order whatever the waiter suggests.)Follow up: Mr. Levine, it’s Tami from • the Front Desk. I just wanted to verify that you received the extra towels your requested.

While fiscal responsibility is necessary regardless of the economic landscape, the real key to sustained rapid improvement is to focus employees to focus on customers. I once worked for a general manager who was fond of saying, If you close your eyes once (e.g., neglect a guest, ignore a spill in the back aisle, overlook a candy wrapper on the carpet in the pre-function corridor, etc.), you’ve lowered your standards. And he modeled the behavior and held others accountable. Our hotel motto was Absolute Customer Satisfaction and every employee knew it.

Superior service doesn’t cost any more to provide than mediocre service. Superior service is the result of the standard companies set for customer service and the choices that are made at every service touch point that either support or undermine that standard. Companies like Stew Leonard’s, Nordstrom, Disney, and Ritz-Carlton understand this.

When employees execute the little things, it communicates to customers that their business is genuinely appreciated and that employees truly care that they have the best possible experience. It also demonstrates the company’s commitment to customer service while creating more goodwill with customers that will translate into enhanced loyalty, referrals, less price resistance, repeat business, and positive financial returns. And here’s the best part: It doesn’t cost a dime because customer service is free!

Steve Curtin is a customer service, training, and public speaking enthusiast based in Denver, CO. www.stevecurtin.com

Evil Erik has found a new solution and, instead of being a “Hoper “ or a “Floater” in further managing the downslide of his career, he decided to re-launch himself !

Some consultants are like the bottom half of a double boiler, they get all heated up but don’t know what’s cooking.

What Evil Erik forgets, although he started his career as a cook, and a good one at that, is that the word “ consultant “ originates from the Latin “consultare” meaning “ to discuss”.Unfortunately too many consultants hate discussion and, even worse, tell the truth, and consequently are not what they should be, the best servants of the CEO or the Owner, similar to the best valets, which often must whisper unpleasant truths in the master’s ear!

A consultant is someone who saves his client almost enough to pay his fees!

Since Evil Erik’s fees are low, out of desperation to get somebody pay for his expenses, he is now flooding the market with proposals showing the potential purchaser of his consulting services that he will be able to save the client much more than just his small fee.

I’m Not Unemployed

I’m A Consultant

There are, of course, several factors that have contributed to the growth of consulting in the hospitality industry and thus creating opportunities for many, good and bad, consultants.

The trend towards payroll reductions, 1. therefore many companies have found that they lack the internal manpower to complete all necessary tasks.

The complexity of today’s business 2. climate, as a result of innovation, globalization, and new technologies, has outpaced many companies’ level of expertise.

The need of companies to get special 3. projects done without adding employees to the payroll

The necessity to obtain results faster 4. than would be possible with their own resources.

The decision to hire a consultant is not one that a hospitality organization should take lightly.

The CEO, MD and/or Owner should always first consider the nature of the problem, the reasons why internal resources cannot be used to solve it, and the possible advantages a consultant could offer.

Hiring a consultant might be appropriate when the owner needs an objective, frank opinion on a problem but a proprietor should not hire a consultant simply in order to have someone else implement unpopular decisions.

A consultant is someone who takes your watch away to tell you what time it is.

Unprofessional consultants and other “ by-default “ advisors conveniently forget to mention that there are a number of steps the hospitality business owner should take before hiring outside resources.

First and foremost, the company’s managers should characterize the problem they need the consultant to address and go beyond superficial indications to underlying reasons in order to affirm the problem.

Next, they should identify the expected results of the consulting experience which should be clear, realistic, and have measurable goals.

Another important step in preparing for a successful consulting experience is to communicate in advance with the employees concerned. When they feel alarmed, or even worse, in danger they may block the consultant’s efforts by holding back data or providing deceitful input.

Last but not least, it is important to manage the project from the top in order to give it the attentiveness and precedence it deserves, appoint a liaison to assist the consultant in gathering information and insist to receive regular progress reports about the project.

Too many consultants, when asked “How much is 2 and 2 together?” respond “What do you have in mind ?” But potential customers talking to Evil Erik are more than a little concerned that those recently un-employed and “wet behind the ears “ advisors simply increase the number of consultants and, basically, are telling businesses what they already know and not really help to solve their problems !

Selecting the right consultant for the company and the type of problem at hand is a vital part of the process.

The first step is to assemble a list of candidates by getting recommendations from people in the same line of business and the decision should be based upon the company’s particular needs.

The next step is to realize there are 2 types of consultants, advisory and operational ! An advisory consultant analyzes the problem and gives suggestions to the client, but is not involved in implementation of the solution. On the contrary, an operational consultant remains engaged to assist the client in appropriate execution. Of course there are many consultants who claim to be “ jacks of all trades “ and adapt themselves like chameleons to the challenges of the hotel, resort and/or restaurant operators.

Bert “Bow-Thai” van Walbeek has been an Hotelier for 45 years and Marketer of Tourism for 35 years, a Motivator for 20 years, a Master of Disaster for 15 and a Lecturer for 15 years. He can be reached at bert@twe-winningedge.com

It is the court fool, not the foolish courtier, whom the king can least afford to lose!

In closing, MDs, CEOs and/or Owners should avoid the temptation to blindly follow a consultant’s recommendations; instead, they should seek to understand the diagnosis and be prepared to negotiate any necessary changes.

The consulting process should not be mystifying or secretive but rather a win-win arrangement between consultant and client.It should not bring the so often damaging results by voracious “consultants by misfortune” like the Evil Erik’s of this world, who think consulting is to undermine a prospective customer’s intellectual capacity with a ready made solution of “ this is how I won the war 15 years ago”

The bottom line and the winning edge:Better a consultant who tap dances, than a consultant who does the moonwalk ! PS : As always, please note that any resemblance of the person(s) described above with any existing person(s) is purely coincidental and unintentional and bears no relationship to any living, ethical, person working in the hospitality industry .....

In my book, The Passion Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering, Developing and Living Your Passion, I defined passion as personal intensity, or the underlying force that fuels our strongest emotions. When you experience passion, you lose track of time and become absorbed in the task at hand. It uplifts you and inspires you. It heightens your performance and enables you to achieve things you may never had dreamed possible.

Just as we can be guided and inspired by our individual passions, so can organizations be driven and defined by their collective passions. In my latest book, The Passion Plan at Work: Building a PassionDriven Organization released in February 2001, I researched and interviewed diverse organizations dedicated to passion, including Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., Disney Institute, Gateway Inc., Earthlink, and Southwest Airlines.

What these companies and others clearly demonstrate is that no matter what type of business you’re in, passion can and should play a vital role. The irony is that it often does not. It might seem obvious that a shoe manufacturer should love fashion or that a publisher be crazy about books, but many times this is simply not the case. Historically businesses have been created to fill a need in the market and deliver a profit to their shareholders. They have been judged by the numbers they deliver — not the spirit they possess.

Why Passion Is Important in Business

Times are changing. Success is no longer as simple as a solid bottom line. While profits are still critical to an organization’s survival, the ways to achieve them are not so straightforward. Consumers expect superior quality and friendly service. Employees expect employers to value them, pay them

well, and provide meaning in their work. Communities expect the businesses that line their streets to contribute time, effort, and money to their improvement.

Fulfilling these expectations and turning a profit is no easy task. Even if an organization finds ways to please each group, it must be quick enough to respond to changes in technology and smart enough to anticipate new directions in the marketplace. The saying “You snooze, you lose,” has become the rule of the day. Those companies that are too slow or too cautious to adapt do not survive. It is the organization that runs on passion that inspires its employees and invigorates its customers that prevails.

Seven Deterrents to Discovering, Developing, and Living Your Passion

If you really want to be the best that you can be, you must become more self-fulfilling,

Putting Passion to Work: Turning Passion into Performance

and live from the heart — break down the barriers that prevent passion from flowing into your life and rely on yourself and your passion to turn your hopes into reality.

When you make decisions based on your heart’s desires, and not on society’s prescriptions, you open the floodgates to a source of energy, commitment, and inspiration. If you want to discover your passion, move beyond the paralysis that grips you and prevents you from heeding your heart. A wide range of emotions can lock you into a state of inaction. To break their grip, first acknowledge and confront them.

Fear • — There is no greater impediment to your personal progress than fear, with the greatest fear being the unknown. Passion is a mystery; often you do not know where it will lead you. You may wonder what life would be like if you followed your heart and changed

careers or took on new challenges, then fear creeps in and you create elaborate scenarios of failure. If you were considering taking up ballroom dancing for fun, which is relatively risk-free, under the influence of fear you might wonder, “What if I don’t like the instructor? What if my partner has two left feet? What if I make an absolute fool of myself?”

Self-doubt• — An extension of fear, self-doubt focuses on your personal inadequacies. It makes you question your abilities and potential. Let’s assume you have a passion for learning and are considering applying for graduate school. If you are battling self-doubt, you might stare at the application for weeks before finally tossing it out, thus nipping your passion in the bud. Self-doubt leads you to imagine yourself becoming a failure rather than a success, miserable rather than happy. Succumb to it and you are powerless to embrace your passion.

Paralysis• — When confused or uncertain, you have a tendency to freeze up and prevent yourself from making a change. Paralysis of the heart afflicts you at times when you need your passion most—when you need the boost of adrenaline and self-confidence it can inspire. I have a colleague who was deeply unhappy in his job and longed to find a new one, but for some reason could not bring himself to look for one. He knew he wanted and needed it, but nothing in his life inspired him or empowered him to take this step. Whatever passion he possessed was trapped in the grip of emotional paralysis.

Numbness • — You may become so accustomed to the demands and stresses of life that you move beyond paralysis into numbness. You no longer know what brings you pleasure or pain; all experiences simply blur together in a continuum of emotional disconnectedness. You might be miserable at work, but unable to identify your job as the source of your unhappiness. Perhaps you’ve felt apathetic for so long that you assume it is the way things are supposed to

be. You are not acutely aware that you are unhappy, but you also are not aware that you are missing the joy that accompanies passion.

Limited scope• — In this age of special interests, you may tend to define yourself by category: male or female; black, white, or brown; white-collar or blue-collar; twentysomething or baby boomer. This may help you identify with others in similar circumstances, but it limits the scope of what you’ve come to expect or hope for. When you label yourself in this fashion, you accept a gamut of characterizations that have nothing to do with who you really are or what is in your heart.

If you really want to be the best that you can be, you must become more self-fulfilling, and live from the heart break down the barriers that prevent passion from flowing into your life and rely on yourself and your passion to turn your hopes into reality.

Richard Chang is CEO of Richard Chang Associates, Inc. (RCA), an international performance improvement consulting, training, and publishing firm. Richard is author or co-author of more than twenty books on business and personal development including his latest releases, The Passion Plan™: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discoveing, Developing, and Living Your Passion, The Passion Plan™ at Work: Bulding a Passion-Driven Organization and Performance Scorecards™: Measuring the Right Things in the Real World. For more information, visit www.thepassionplan.com or www.richardchangassociates.com. Article developed with permission from Richard Chang Associates, Inc. (Copyright 2001).

Procrastination• — How many times have you heard, “I’m going to quit my job as soon as I save enough money” or “I’m going to take up that hobby again as soon as I have more time”? Not surprisingly, these people procrastinate, never finding enough money or enough time to make a change.

Caution • — Even if you do make changes often, you may do so in ways so controlled and calculated that you leave little if any room for passion to enter. You may not want to test the waters of the unknown or push the limits of your abilities to discover or develop your passion. You may never know failure, but you may also never know the success that comes with unleashing your passion.

Don’t Ask Why, Ask Why Not?

You are not trapped unless you choose to be. If you are confronted with challenges or tests of mettle, and you back down and deny your self-knowledge, you make it easy for all the forces that sap and kill passion to enter. Instead of asking yourself why (Why should I take a risk? Why would I be any better than anyone else? Why should I try?), ask why not. With your passion in play, you become super-charged, super-able. You can take risks because it is the only way to reap real rewards. You will be better because you care. You will try because if you don’t, you will always regret your choice.

No matter how trapped you feel, passion can get you out. It can change your life. When you let passion in, the barriers to happiness and excellence seem smaller, and you feel more

motivated and empowered to break them down. You become excited. You have the energy to accomplish more and the courage to doubt yourself less. You make choices that build up your spirit rather than tear it down. You become uplifted and invigorated.

Begin Today!

If you agree that passion is lacking in your life, and you desire to bring it back, live from the heart. As you consider your life where you are now and where you want to go give priority to the promptings of your heart. Trust it. Do not disparage or discredit your feelings. Accept them and then move forward with them. This does not mean you should follow them blindly or ignorantly; simply that you should give credence to them and realize that they are an integral part of you.

Once you acknowledge your passion, shape it. As you incorporate it into your existence, your life will become an accurate reflection of your hopes, desires, sensitivities, and sensibilities. Most importantly, you will self-actualize. You will become the person you want to be the person you know you can be.

Only when people are in touch with their passions do they use their heads to give shape and substance to their dreams

When customers know what to do, how to do it, what to expect and why, they usually follow instructions. When customers are uncertain about what, how or why, they will often hesitate in uncertainty and doubt.

This can be a major problem, especially when customer participation is essential to your success. For example, medicines not taken on time will degrade the quality of a patient’s recovery and healing. Automobiles with oil not changed will wear down before their time. Lawns not watered by owners after fresh fertilization will burn in the sun and die. Data backups not performed on time result in very angry customers when their hard drives unfortunately but inevitably crash.

Since customer performance and participation is so important (it’s called compliance in medical terms), you’d think everyone would put more effort into educating customers about exactly what to do and motivating them to do it. Remarkably, this is often not the case.

Buy an inexpensive alarm clock and you’ll get a 12-page user’s manual on how to set the time, change the battery and work every feature of the alarm. But buy $96 worth of prescription drugs and you might get a little sticker on the bottle saying something cryptic like ‘1C 3X w/meals’.

A pharmacist will explain that ‘1C 3X w/meals’ means ‘Take 1 capsule, 3 times a day, with your meals.’ A doctor may also advise if the medicine is best taken before or after your meals. (The cryptic code gives no clue.) They may even warn you of possible side effects and what you can do about them. (None of this useful information is found on the little sticker.)

How many people receive medication every day, but they are nervous or unwell when their doctor or pharmacist explains it to them? Back home they may forget what was said, and then they are left with only the little sticker reading ‘1C 3X w/meals’.

Under these circumstances, some patients will forget what to do, when to do it and why. They may feel uncertain and hesitate. In medical terms, they may not fully comply. Consider the consequences for the doctor (an unwell patient), for the pharmacy (a dissatisfied customer), for the hospital (a complaint to be answered) and for the patient (a continued illness, discomfort or frustration). In short, a very bad situation.

How easily this could be avoided by making a better effort to inform, educate and motivate the customer! (Every company can find a way to do this better, including yours.)For example:

The drug manufacturer could provide an easy-to-understand flyer or brochure with every medication. The doctor could create a simple list of what to take, what to expect and what to avoid. The pharmacy could design an attractive calendar to hang on the bathroom mirror or refrigerator door. The calendar could include space for you to ‘check the

A Well-Informed Customer is a Better Customer

boxes’ and track your daily participation. The hospital could maintain a website with up-to-date information and helpful FAQs – and print the website address right on the bottle’s little sticker.

A smart computer company could send out an e-mail once a day with a simple reminder: ‘Back up your data now!’ They could send another reminder at the end of the week with a checklist of costs in time and expense to recreate your data from scratch.

A lawn care company could provide a simple notepad with every page reminding you of the next time and date to water your fertilized lawn. They could add two photographs to keep you motivated: one lush, green and beautiful; the other dry, parched and pathetic.

A car maintenance company could put a bright sticker on the cap of your gas tank

asking: ‘Is it time to change your oil?’ They might even include a note like this: ‘Bring your auto in on time and save 10%.’

The bank could send you an e-mail one week before your term deposit matures or when your checking account approaches the minimum required balance. A link in the message could take you to the right web page where you can extend your deposit, increase your balance or transfer funds as required.

Key Learning Point

Customer participation is a key to achieving high levels of loyalty and satisfaction. Earn this participation by giving your customers the information, education and motivation they need. Do it at the right time, in the right amount, at the right place and in the most engagingly effective manner. (Hint to pharmacists and doctors: a little sticker on the bottle isn’t it.)

Action Steps

Improve the quantity, quality, consistency, frequency, accuracy and attractiveness of the information you provide to your customers this month.

Work on improving your handouts, flyers, e-mails, checklists, informative posters and brochures, stickers and decals, manuals, user guides, videos, web pages, guidelines and instructions.

Do a better job of telling customers what to do, bring, prepare, submit, copy, file, track, complete and expect. Tell them more about the time, steps, costs, input, output, problems, indicators and guarantors of success. Make them better informed, better educated and better motivated. In short, make them better customers.

Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed innovator and motivator for partnerships and quality service. He is the author of the “Best of Active Learning!” newsletter (free at www.ronkaufman.com) and the new book “UP Your Service! Strategies and Action Steps to Delight Your Customers NOW!”

Composition of seafood: Scampi, Avocado & Red Snapper Tartare on Keta Caviar, Grilled Zucchini Wrapped Tuna Mousse in Raw Marinated Yellow-fin Tuna Strip

S. M. Mahinda SenevirathneSous Chef (Fine Dining)Veligandu Island Resort

For the Scampi: Scampi - 01nosOlive Oil - 5mlLemon Juice - 10mlSalt & Pepper - to tasteChopped Dill - Sprig of DillGarnish - Spring Onion Bud

For the Avocado & Red Snapper Tartare on Keta Caviar:

Red Snapper - 25gAvocado - 20gBell-Pepper Red - 05gLemon Juice - 1tspChopped Herbs (Dill & Parsley) - 1tspSalt & Pepper - to tasteKeta Caviar - 1tspGarnish - Sprig of Dill

For the Grilled Zucchini Wrapped Tuna Mousse in Raw Marinated Yellow-Fin Tuna Strip:

Long Thin Sliced Green Zucchini - 20gCanned Tuna (Flaked) - 25gFresh Yellow-Fin Tuna Strip - 10gMayonnaise - 2tspLemon Juice - 1tspOlive oil - 1tspSalt & Pepper - to tasteGarnish - Red Pepper Strip

Method:

Blanch the scampi in saffron stock for 1. five minutes and marinate with salt & pepper, chopped dill, olive oil and lemon juiceChop red snapper, season with salt & 2. pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix small diced cut ripped avocado with lemon juice. Dice bell pepper, marinate with olive oil, salt & pepper and grill. Fill into square cut moulds mille-feuille style... bell pepper, avocado, and red snapper, top off with Keta caviarMarinate thin sliced zucchini with salt 3. & pepper and olive oil, grill and keep aside. Mix together the tuna flakes, mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Bind the raw marinated tuna strips with tuna mousse and wrap with grilled zucchini slices.Garnish plate with balsamic reduction, 4. fresh basil pesto and strawberry may-onnaise

The opening of Alila Villas Hadahaa in August 2009 will herald an unparalleled experiencein island living and destination discovery in the Maldives. This Boutique resort will be the first to open in the Gaafu Alifu (North Huvadhoo) Atoll in a previously untouched southern Maldives. It is also the very first property in the Maldives that has been awarded the prestigious Green Globe certification for ‘Building, Planning and Design Standard’.

As one of the oldest inhabited regions of the Maldives, the Huvadhoo Atoll is rich in history. However, this history has remained hidden as only very few adventurous divers have traveled here in the past. While the Maldives is a well established and much sought after destination, it is only in its southern atolls that travelers can truly experience the original tranquility and unspoiled conditions of the Maldives which first drew tourists many years ago.

Alila Villas Hadahaa is located in the Huvadhoo Atoll, one of the largest natural atolls in the world and the deepest atoll in the Maldives with a central lagoon plunging about 90 metres down. Despite the size of the Atoll, it encompasses only 250 islands over a lagoon

area covering 2,800 square kilometers, resulting in the sparsest distribution of individual islands in the country.

The magnificence of nature and culture in the resort’s secluded yet strategic location creates an inimitable hideaway. Hadahaa’s proximity to the equator together with its location far away from artificial light sources (the closest inhabited island is more than 10kilometers away) ensures that guests will be dazzled nightly by the stars that shine brightly after sunset. This unforgettable and unique show that features bright constellations from both hemispheres will wow even the most jaded city-slickers.

Deep within the atoll’s turquoise lagoon is a breathtakingly beautiful landscape of unspoilt coral reefs and diverse marine life. The marine life here is abundant and varied, not to mention still delightfully curious and unwary of divers. Alila Villas Hadahaa’s own onproperty luxury PADI dive centre will be able to offer unique diving experiences in the region’s unexplored waters at any time of the year with Western and Eastern dive sites within a reasonable distance. There are 6 spectacular dive sites with pelagic marine life

just 30 minutes away as well as many other stunning dive sites just an hour away by boat. We are also looking forward to uncovering the treasures of the other yet undiscovered dive locations waiting to be found.

In developing the island, Alila kept to Green Globe’s rigorous ‘Building, Planning and Design Standard’ benchmarks for environmental sensitivity and its own long-standing philosophy of luxury living in natural environments, while treading lightly to preserve the essence and splendor of the destination.

Alila Villas Hadahaa features 14 stilted over-the-water Aqua Villas and 36 Island Villas, 20 of which come with a private plunge pool. While environmental considerations took precedence, the appointed architect, Yale-trained and Singapore-based Chan Soo Khian of SCDA Architects integrated a deep respect for Maldivian culture with innovative contemporary design in order to fashion an entirely new style of Maldivian resort. While building a new design vocabulary for the region, the resort also offers guests a peaceful haven in which to appreciate nature and feel totally at ease.

Maldives’ First Boutique Luxury Resort in the Untouched Southern Atolls

All villas are designed to enhance the Maldivian experience. The overwater Aqua Villas offer panoramic views of the tropical sky and sea. Rhythmic waves lap beneath the villas, lulling guests into a state of meditative euphoria. The Island Villas, in contrast, are gently nestled amongst the natural vegetation so that each is a private island enclave with its private deck and a enclosed garden with an outdoor shower and bath.

Alila Villas Hadahaa is also taking great care to provide a meaningful understanding and authentic experience of the Maldives through its carefully crafted, one-of-a-kind series of guest activities, known as Alila Journeys. These comprise Journey to the Environment,Journey to Maldivian Passions, Journey to Self and Journey to the Altar.

Alila Villas Hadahaa is accessible via a 55 min domestic flight from Male to Kaadedhdhoo Domestic Airport, where you commence your Alila Villas experience as you board a 55foot Luxury Azimut Power yacht for a 1 hour 15 min cruise to the resort.

About Alila Villas Hadahaa

Alila Villas Hadahaa is set on the pristine tropical island of Hadahaa in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, southern Maldives, surrounded by a vast expanse of sea, stunning coral reef, abundant fish life, and stands of the native Sea Trumpet and Sea Hearse. Alila Villas Hadahaa features 14 stilted over-the-water Aqua Villas and 36 Island Villas, 20 of which come with a private pool. In-resort facilities and services include a dive centre, Leisure Concierge, Spa by Mandara, a fully-equipped gym, a Maldivian specialty fine dining restaurant, a rooftop lounge and a library with a star-gazing roof.

Alila Villas Hadahaa, which represents Alila Hotels and Resorts’ new generation of high end luxury resorts, captures the authentic Maldivian experience of tranquillity and space so passionately sought after by discerning travellers. Alila Villas Hadahaa is setting newstandards for luxury living in natural environments with unique bespoke Maldivian experiences. Sustainably designed by the award-winning SCDA Architects and then carefully constructed from the ground up,

Alila Villas Hadahaa is the first resort in the Maldives to have achieved the prestigious Green Globe ‘Building, Planning and Design Standard’ Certified status.

About Alila Hotels and Resorts

Alila Hotels and Resorts offers a stylish, relaxing environment with a new level of guest experience which is continuously redefined by the latest developments in design and living. Alila Hotels and Resorts fashions uniquely different lifestyle concepts in creating luxurious destination experiences for its guests. The management company has gained much repute as a niche innovator of exclusive resorts that differentiate themselves by adding that special lifestyle component. The Alila Experiences are centered on building unique emotional “moments of truth” between the guest, the hotel and destination. More information about its current hotels and resorts in Bali, Jakarta, Thailand, and Laos can be found at www.alilahotels.com. Currently, Alila is embarking on its next generation of high end luxury resorts in Bali, China, India, Indochina, Thailand, Maldives, Oman and the Gulf region.

Chloe Li, Corporate Public Relations , Alila Hotels and Resorts, Tel: +65 9191 9950, Fax: +65 6837 0082, Email: ate@alilahotels.comEugene Feklistov, Assistant Director of Sales, Alila Villas Hadahaa, Tel: +960 682 8888, Fax: +960 682 7777, Email: efeklistov@alilahotels.com

Carsten Schieck Promoted To Regional GM Hilton Maldives

Carsten Schieck, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island General Manager and Island Chief has been promoted to the newly created position of Regional General Manager Maldives.

The role will see Schieck responsible for all operations under the Hilton family of brands in the Maldives, which will include the opening of the Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa scheduled for 1 July 2009, the addition of the Beach House to the Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 November 2009 and the launch of Doubletree Hilton Malé, set to open in 2011.

As part of the Hilton expansion, Boris Blobel has been promoted to Resort Manager, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, following a Director of Operations role for the Conrad

Shanghai pre-opening and four months in a Resident Manager role on Rangali Island.

Frederic Lebegue, former Resident Manager at the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, will also play a key role in the project, currently working as Task Force General Manager for the strategic rebranding of the Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa and set to commence as General Manager of the Beach House, Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 July.

As General Manager and Island Chief of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Schieck has helped to establish its position as one of the leading luxury resorts in the world with a wealth of international accolades to its name.

Martin Rinck, President Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels Corporation commented “Since taking over the role of General Manager of the Hilton Maldives in August 2002, Carsten has been instrumental in taking the resort to a truly world-class level, pioneering product innovations such as Ithaa, the award-winning world’s first all-glass under-sea restaurant and guiding his team through a successful re-branding to a Conrad Resort in 2007.

This promotion reflects Carsten’s valued contribution over the years and we are confident that his expertise and leadership skills will position Hilton well to capitalise on our success in the Maldives.”

Press Contact: Faith Thoms, Communications Director – Asia Pacific, Tel: +65 6833 9762 ; Email: faith.thoms@hilton.com

Competitive Analysis: Don’t Take it for Granted

The ability to get a potential customer to switch from your competition depends on

their perceived value of your company, your product and you personally as compared to your

competition.

I still remember the days when I was extremely active in organized sports - I’m talking about baseball, football & yes, I even played soccer. Today, my mind still thinks I could play like I did when I was 25 years old but my body disagrees. Consequently, my total sports activity today is golf and pickleball.

The point I’m getting at is simply how athletes’ prepare for a competition. The very first thing they do is study the competition. I mean really figure out exactly who they are going up against. They know their statistics, their records and most importantly they study both their strengths and their weaknesses.

Doesn’t that make sense? Really, if you plan on being better than your competition, the more you know about them the better chance you have of defeating them. Now, if you agree with this concept, doesn’t it make sense that the very same principles apply in the business environment? Let’s face it, even Tiger Woods studies his competition and golf is much more of an individual sport where the competition is often the course itself.

A Key Component of Your Strategy

When working with companies in the development of their strategic plan it is essential to create a comprehensive competitive analysis. Most companies rarely take this as seriously as they should. Oh, they know who their competition is generally but rarely do they really understand their competitor’s strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, they often just guess at the competitions value propositions.

This can lead to false assumptions or what I call “Cherished Beliefs”. A cherished belief is something that is taken as fact but really has no data or information to validate the accuracy of the assumption. As an example many companies believe they demonstrate or strive for “World Class Service” when in fact compared to the competition it is often just average.

Competitive Analysis Starts with a Comparative Analysis In order to create competitive advantage it is critical that you understand what value propositions your competition offers to your customers. The ability to get a potential customer to switch from your competition depends on their perceived value of your company, your product and you personally as

compared to your competition. It’s a simple concept: “Perceived value drives customer expectations” “Performance value drives customer satisfaction” The higher you raise a customer’s perceived value of you, your company and your products, the closer you come to creating competitive advantage. It’s competitive advantage that will motivate customers to switch vendors and I am not referring to price.Be careful. Raising expectations so high that you can’t perform and you shoot yourself in the foot. Where Do You Start The first place to start is on your competitor’s web site. It often amazes me how much information can be obtained simply by utilizing the Google search engine. Don’t stop with just their web site. Surf the net looking for any and all information you can find. Other good sources of information include both your customers and your vendors. Find out exactly how your services and value propositions stack up against theirs. When taking on this task, think of your customers SODS (Service Output Demands). Knowing exactly what the customers’ expectations are will lead your research into determining exactly what the competition is offering. SODS can include but not be limited to the following:

Terms• Discounts• Rebates• Seasonal buying schedules• Co-op advertising• Packaging• Quality• Service & delivery including fill rates • and on-time deliveriesInside & outside sales expectations on • coverageCustomer service preferences• Product knowledge• Technical support• Warranties• Returned goods polices• Buy back- policy•

Trust but Validate

You cannot build your competitive analysis strictly based on the opinions of your sales

people. You need to know what the reality of the situation is, because THAT’S what you will be actually competing against. Utilize all resources and options to determine the reality of your competitors offerings compared to yours. This can be accomplished by using a variety of tools including:

Customer focus groups• Customer surveys• Voice of the customer – phone • interviewsOutside sales feedback• Inside sales feedback• Internet research• Executive feedback• Historical data• Competing sales person interviews • (This is opportunistic in that it only applies if you are interviewing to fill a sales position and a competitor’s sales person happens to apply.

Most businesses over rate their customer service, without knowing what their competition actually does. This can prove to be a big mistake – especially in today’s challenging economy!

Some ideas to start your competitor analysis

Caution - Be careful with conversations with suppliers. Some conversations with suppliers, who also supply your competitors, can be of minimal value. Also, be extremely careful what you say to anyone who gives you too much information. Remember, they may be talking about you to your competition as well. My Competitive Analysis is Done….. Now What?

After researching your competitors, take a good close look at your own business and highlight both the differences that point out your weaknesses and the differences that point out your strengths. When it comes to your strengths, make sure your sales people and your marketing is emphasizing the right message. As for the weaknesses, make it a priority to address each one of them to not only match your competition but to improve your position against your competition. Once you understand your competitive advantage (strengths) and you have addressed your weaknesses to turn them into strengths, take that message direct to your markets. You now have real competitive advantage and you can gain market share, increase revenue and improve profitability.

Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com.

Kuramathi is celebrating World Environment Day and World Ocean Day with a series of activities from 5th to 8th June 2009. Kuramathi is a firm believer of ‘responsible tourism’ and incorporates economical, social and environmental components of development into the resort strategies. Many of the activities are being conducted in conjunction with Rasdhoo, the neighbouring inhabited island of Kuramathi, and in particular the Alif Alif Atoll Education Centre and its students and teachers. Educating the future generations to think green is the way forward for a brighter future.

Details of some of the activities planned for this year include the following.

One project in exclusive participation with Alif Alif Atoll Education Centre is to make the school free of plastic bags from 5th June onwards. The school is scheduled to carry out the days leading to World Environment Day, campaigning for this worthy cause and raising awareness of the damages done to the environment by plastic bags. According to many sources, plastic bags account for a large percentage of the total waste and is responsible for over 100’000 deaths of marine animals. Kuramathi is supporting this cause by providing professionally designed and printed campaign material for the school. In addition to commemorate World Environment Day and this cause, Kuramathi is donating custom-made cloth bags to every member of the faculty and student body.

The bags proudly and prominently carry this year’s World Environment Day theme ‘Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change’.

Kuramathi will also contribute to the Billion Tree Campaign of UNEP by donating 200 plants to the island of Rasdhoo. Guests and staff of Kuramathi have been invited to participate in this event, along with the residents of Rasdhoo and will be going across to the island on World Environment Day itself to plant these trees. The trees donated are all indigenous trees to the Maldives, consisting of baby coconut palm trees, Hirun’dhu, and Kaani.

Kuramathi Celebrates World Environment & Ocean Day

The 8th of June, World Ocean Day, will be celebrated by an afternoon dedicated to cleaning Kuramathi house reef and lagoon. The already stunning house reef with its magnificent soft corals, and the myriad of colourful fish is a snorkeler’s dream come true. Come 8th June, lead by Rasdhoo Atoll Divers, the reef and lagoon will be host to many divers, a mix of staff and guests, gently removing any drifting rubbish and ensuring that Kuramathi lagoon and house reef is kept in its pristine state.

“Tourism needs to be more than just a holiday for the guests, it needs to be responsible and the best way to move forward in this direction

is by involving the community we are in. Our Bio Station and Environment Committee continuously strive to increase general environmental awareness and endeavour to implement eco-friendly policies throughout the resort.” says Abdul Latheef, the Maldivian General Manager of Kuramathi.

Kuramathi is one of the first resorts to open in the Maldives, and in line with the philosophy of responsible tourism, many parts of Kuramathi island remain untouched, left in its virgin state. The Bio Station plays a key role in the long-term strategies of the resort. Established since 1999, the Bio Station works hard to educate guests about the underwater

world and especially the correct ways of snorkelling to ensure this magnificent yet fragile ecosystem thrives. Additionally, the Bio Station works closely with the Environment Club of Alif Alif Atoll Education Centre and often conducts educational presentations for the students and other awareness campaigns focused around responsible tourism.

About Kuramathi:

Kuramathi was one of the first resorts to open in the Maldives and is part of Universal Resorts of Universal Enterprises Private Ltd, a 100% Maldivian owned company, and the pioneers of tourism in the Maldives.

The island is host to three resorts; Kuramathi Village, Cottage & Spa and Blue Lagoon. From 1 November 2009, a new concept will be introduced, where Kuramathi will operate as one resort. Please find below a brief introduction.

Set on the tiny archipelago of Rasdhoo, Kuramathi is a beautiful island retreat with acres of luxuriant vegetation, surrounded by powder-white beaches including a mile-long sandbank at the tip of the island. All villas feature Maldivian style natural décor and are set on the beach, amongst lush gardens or over water, looking out to the vast Indian Ocean. Four poster beds, open-air bathrooms, rainfall showers or Jacuzzi, large outdoor decks with inviting daybeds or sun loungers, are just some of the creature-comforts enjoyed by our guests. Dining options are innumerous with many restaurants, bars and great-value all inclusive packages, topped off with Maldivian service – welcoming, genuine and friendly.

For any further information, please contact: Asma Rasheed, Business Development Manager, Kuramathi Island Resort, Email: asma@kuramathi.com.mvWebsite: www.kuramathi.com, Phone: +960 6660 527, Fax: +960 6660 556

People at the top of any organization set the tone and culture - whether you have 150,000 employees, 15,000 employees, or 5 employees, stress can be a contagious disease. If you don’t get inoculated yourself, you will spread stress throughout your organization, creating an environment where people get distracted, lose focus and an hour of work can take twelve.

Here is what you can do to help manage stress as a manager and executive:

Manage your own stress response. • Remember that a stressed employees • are not able to do their best work and can lead to loss of revenue. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on • employees because you feel pressure.

That won’t motivate or help people be productive. • Acknowledge employee concerns and • insecurity regarding the economic downturn. Let them know how important they are to the success of your • organization. Don’t delegate this to other people. They need to hear from you because leadership sets the tone. Develop a communication process to • inform employees about the current situation in your organization and apprise them of any changes . In the absence of information, people make things up, and start rumors which can cause low morale, conflict and loss of good employees and productivity.

Be more available to employees. A • common complaint during stressful times is that employees never see senior leaders. Spend more time with your • employees. Don’t invalidate their concerns, do paperwork or answer your phone while in conversation. If you are not going to be available for • a time, and have work that is important to the success of the organization let them know. That way they won’t be disgruntled and angry when they can’t reach you. Inject some humor into your workforce. • People feel more part of a team and less isolated under stress when they can share a laugh with their managers.

ExecutiveStress Management

Simma is often called “The Inclusionist” because of her ability to improve communication amongst people who are different. She is quoted in various national magazines and news sources, including The Economist, Redbook, NY Times, Investor’s Business Daily, First For Women, Human Resources Executive, Black MBA, MSNBC and Fox News. Her clients include McDonalds, Pillsbury, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, AT&T, Monster.com, Diageo, Stanford Court Hotel, and the Women’s Food Service Forum. www.simmalieberman.com simma@simmalieberman.com

Get a “Degree”in Temperature Control

Operating and supervising a food service establishment can be a very fast-paced, highstress job. Between organizing and managing the staff, tending to vendors, and of course, working toward the overall bottom line of making the customers happy, it is sometimes amazing things run as smoothly as they do. Unfortunately, with all the hustle and bustle of everyday business activities, things are bound to be overlooked. Some of these things may be trivial and therefore acceptable to overlook. Food safety is not one of them. More specifically, temperature control is not one of them. Temperature control, one of the most important, fundamental elements of an effective food safety system, is the antithesis of trivial and simply cannot be overlooked. The consequences prove far too dire.

Most health inspectors and food safety experts agree, temperature control, or lack there of, is the leading causes of foodborne illness. Dangerous infections from E.coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter and Salmonella can all be linked to poor temperature control procedures. News reports of temperature abuse and resulting foodborne illnesses clutter our newspapers and serve as reminders of the dangers of time/temperature abuse. Many of these reports also supply testaments to the fact that the effects of improper temperature control methods can be long lasting and costly for both food service establishments and their patrons. In light of these stories, an obvious question arises. If we know poor temperature control threatens the success and safety of operations, why does it continue to make headlines and remain a common cause of foodborne illness?

The answer to that question is much simplerthan the solution to the problem. The commonality of time-temperature abuse is due to the fact it can happen at any phase of the food prep cycle and may be difficult to detect. Food is considered time-temperature abused when it has remained in the temperature danger zone, the temperature range that is ideal for the rapid growth and reproduction of dangerous bacteria, for more than four hours cumulative throughout the flow of food. Food should pass through the temperature danger zone, 41°F to 140°F, as quickly as possible to avoid dangerous levels of harmful bacteria. Creating and following proper temperature control guidelines and procedures that will protect your food from

the moment you receive it until the moment your customers enjoy it, provides the best way to ensure your operation does not fall victim to the effects of poor timetemperature controls.

Your responsibility to protect your food fromtemperature abuse begins before you ever receive it. Ensuring safe food starts with purchasing and receiving food from approved vendors and suppliers who take care to store food in appropriate temperatures before they deliver it to your door. Approved suppliers must meet local, state and federal regulations. They deliver food at proper temperatures, use clean and where appropriate, refrigerated trucks, allow you to inspect delivery trucks, and make all inspection reports available. To guarantee the clock starts ticking on the four hours food is permitted in the temperature danger zone the minute the food reaches your door, and not before then, distributors must ensure food items are stored at safe temperatures while in transit to your establishment. Reputable suppliers should have temperature sensitive delivery trucks to keep cold foods cold. If your suppliers don’t meet these requirements, it would be a good idea to find new ones.

Once food safely reaches your establishment, it is up to you to keep it safe for the duration of its stay in your kitchen. That means you should regulate every step in the flow of food, from storing and prepping to cooking and holding, to ensure food does not exceed its limit in the temperature danger zone.

Storage

The recommended guidelines for storing food at safe temperatures are fairly straight forward. Foods stored in refrigerated units should maintain a temperature of less than 41°F, and freezer temperatures should stay cold enough to keep foods frozen. Keeping your refrigerator and freezer units 2°F lower than the recommended temperature will help ensure unit temperatures remain at or below the required levels. This will also allow for any changes in air temperature that might result from refrigerator doors being opened and closed, unit overload, and hot food entering the unit. It is always a good idea to keep cold storage doors closed as much as possible, and never prop them open. It is also a good idea to avoid putting hot foods in the

If we know poor temperature control threatens the success and safety of operations, why does it continue to make headlines and remain a common cause of foodborne illness?

refrigerator to cool, as it cannot only be an unsafe way to cool food, but large quantities of hot food can raise the temperature in the refrigerator to unsafe levels. Overloading refrigerator units may prevent proper airflow throughout the unit, making it harder for the unit to stay cold. Avoiding these actions is the first step to maintaining proper temperature control of cold storage foods.

It is vital to monitor the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer units regularly to ensure food and environmental temperatures have not entered the temperature danger zone. Many walk in coolers are equipped with internal digital thermometers, making it easy to see and adjust internal temperatures. However, hanging easy-to-read wall cooler thermometers will make it easy to monitor the accuracy of these digital thermometers. When placed throughout the unit, wall thermometers can identify temperature deviances throughout the unit and identify warm areas. Wall thermometers and hanging thermometers are also ideal for reading temperatures of smaller units not equipped with an internal thermometer. Refrigerator and freezer temperatures should be checked with a calibrated thermometer at least onceper shift and should be recorded in a temperature log book.

Temperature control of dry food storage is also important. The atmosphere of dry storage rooms should remain between 50°F and 70°F, and humidity should be kept at 50% to 60% when possible. As with cold storage, it is important to regularly check the temperature of dry storage foods with a calibrated thermometer at least once per shift.

Prep

Food can spend only a limited amount of time in the temperature danger zone before it is considered unsafe. Food should therefore pass through the zone as quickly as possible. This makes it important to keep prep time as brief as possible. An easy way to do this is to take out only as much food from storage as you can prepare at one time. This will decrease the risk of food exceeding its allotted four hours in the danger zone. It is also a good idea to incorporate time and temperature control into your recipes. Doing so will help reduce the time food spends in the temperature danger zone, and will help employees better adhere to temperature control guidelines.

As is true throughout the flow of food, food temperatures should be taken regularly throughout the prep stage. Thermometers should be conveniently located throughout the kitchen to encourage use, and it is a good idea for all employees to know how to correctly use and calibrate each thermometer. Hanging posters with easy-to-read and follow temperature control guidelines and calibrating procedures is a great way to encourage employee adherence to your temperature control procedures.

Cooking

Cooking is the last chance you have to rid your food of any harmful bacteria it may have acquired during receiving, storage and prep. Cooking food to proper temperatures is the one way to ensure all harmful bacteria has been killed, and it is therefore imperative

to maintain proper temperature control guidelines during the cooking phase.

When cooking meats, the internal temperature of the food must reach recommended levels. Food safety guidelines recommend cookingpoultry to an internal temperature of 165°F; pork, pork roasts, beef, steaks, veal, lamb, fish and eggs to 145°F; and ground meats to 155°F, all for at least 15 seconds. Using a properly calibrated thermometer to measure the thickest part of the food is the best way to ensure foods reach proper temperature levels. Two temperature readings should be taken at different locations to ensure accuracy. Many types of thermometers, including digital thermometers and thermocouples are available to ensure proper temperature readings and prevent food damage during temperature checks.

Holding

Holding foods is the final step in the temperature control cycle before serving foods to your guests. The idea that food is safe from temperature abuse after it has been properly cooked is a common and dangerous misconception.

Temperature

controls should be in effect until the food reaches your customers table. When holding foods before service or in salad and food service bars, it is imperative to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Hot-holding equipment must keep foods at 140°F or higher, and foods should be stirred regularly to distribute heat evenly throughout the food. Cold holding foods should be held at 41°F or lower, and should never be stored on ice. Both hot and cold holding foods should be covered, as this will help retain cold and hot temperatures. Products such as Coldmaster® pans and lids are ideal for maintaining proper holding temperatures. Internal temperaturesof hot and cold holding foods should be measured at least every two hours, using a properly calibrated thermometer to ensure proper temperature guidelines are met.

Preventing time-temperature abuse by maintaining temperature control is one of the most important things you can do to prevent a dangerous foodborne illness. Implementing proper temperature control procedures and guidelines throughout the entire flow of food is your best defense against the dangerous bacteria that can grow to hazardous levels in the temperature danger zone. Train your employees to correctly use your temperature control equipment and properly follow your food safety guidelines. This will put you well on your way to winning one of the major food safety battles, the fight against bacteria growth and consequential foodborne illnesses.

the effects of improper temperature control methods can be long lasting and costly for both food service establishments and their patrons.

This article reprinted with permission by Daydots 2009

“Brighten both your look and your mood. Enjoy the moment. Find you glow. Shine.” This is the new mantra for Starwood’s latest endeavour – Shine Spa for Sheraton. Chosen for both beauty and inspiration, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa will premiere a new level of indulgence to the already pristine island setting.

Connected to the Sheraton Maldives by an overwater jetty, the Shine Spa for Sheraton is housed on its own island. There it hosts 6 treatment rooms with Indian Ocean views, Separate Relaxation Pools for male and female guests, stream rooms and a post treatment Relaxation Room.

The new signature treatments are specifically designed with local influences surrounding the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, while also highlighting modalities from locations along the Silk Route. For example, the Ocean Massage mimics the fluid and flowing motion of waves bringing relaxation and rejuvenation to the body and mind. The Silk Route Collection presents treatments from the Orient, Thailand, India, the Middle East and Mediterranean regions.

“We are very proud to open the world’s first Shine Spa for Sheraton in this unspoiled paradise”, says General Manager Brian

Segrave. “From the warm atmosphere to the welcoming people, everything our guests see and feel here was carefully chosen to help them relax, feel pampered and have fun while they are at it.”

To celebrate this significant milestone for Sheraton, Sheraton Maldives invited both valued business partners and local media to the Shine Spa for Sheraton Launch, held May 30th. Over drinks and canapés guests explored the facilities while being enticed by demonstrations of signature treatments. While on property they also visited the new gathering place - Link@Sheraton. This is a branded Sheraton experience with complimentary touch screen computers, Wi-Fi, a mini library guests, a large screen TV to watch a game with friends and more!

The Shine Spa for Sheraton Launch proved to be a memorable evening that continued with dinner at their choice of 5 restaurants and culminated by dancing the night away with the local DJ at Anchorage Bar.

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa opened its newly rebranded doors in December 2008. Significant enhancements to the island include a new welcome pavilion and lobby environment, re-designed guest rooms and a revolutionary health and fitness programme.

About Sheraton & Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide

Helping guests make connections at more than 400 hotels in 75 countries around the world, Sheraton is revitalizing its iconic brand while continuing its aggressive international expansion by adding 54 hotels and 20,000 guestrooms by 2009. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched AloftSM, and ElementSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Contact: Rosemarie Domdom, Director of Marketing, Telephone: + 960 666 2208, Mobile: +960 977 3977, Email: rosemarie.domdom@whotels.com, www.sheraton.com/maldivesfullmoon

Introducing The World’s First Shine Spa For Sheraton

People are talking about a downturn in the economy. Training budgets are getting tighter. In this scenario, trainers need to be smart. More now than ever, we have to justify the expense of training and in some cases, our very existence. How can we demonstrate to the organisation that we can provide solutions to day-to-day problems and help improve the bottom line? Many of us spend a lot of time evaluating the success of our training efforts - ranging from normative and summative evaluation (a la Kirkpatrick etc.) through to attempts at measuring R.O.I. In fact through such evaluations, training was one of the first of the support functions to establish the value of investing organisational resources in people development in order to bolster organisational effectiveness. But all of these efforts (good and all as they might be) are to no avail when the budget starts getting cut

and senior management asks the question “What is training doing to improve the bottom line?” and “If training’s the answer, what’s the question?”

When a manager in the organisation says, “We have a problem. We need to train our people better (or to handle this situation better)”, it’s very tempting for us to provide a training solution. But is training always the answer? Here are three examples from my own experience to illustrate an alternative ...As a young trainer in a major bank, I was asked to develop a training course to solve a problem they were having with their international transfers of money. A new, more updated electronic transfer system had been introduced and there were many mistakes. When they told me they wanted a training course, here are the questions I asked:

Q. “Why are people making mistakes?”A. “Because they’re not following the

procedures”Q. “Why are they not following procedures?”A. “Either they don’t understand them or

they don’t want to”

Now, it was easy to establish that the “don’t want to” was irrelevant - it was costing people time for reworking. The problem was not motivational, rather “understanding”. What was the best solution? To design far simpler procedures that had coloured illustrations (a first for the bank) of how to fill out the forms and complete the procedure. A simple solution that saved the bank a lot of time and money (and me designing and implementing an irrelevant training program).

The second example comes from my time in consulting. As consultants, we were asked to design and implement a training program

If Training’s The Answer, What’s The Question?

Learning is about seeing things from a different perspective. Our role as trainers, is to help people

improve their vision.

to help cattle producers in the grain-fed beef industry introduce a QA system. Now eventually, they did need some training. However, through a series of questions, it was established that the industry leaders’ real immediate need was to make farmers aware of the need for a QA system. Otherwise they would not have a QA system. The solution? We direct-mailed an awareness raising video (using real farmers) to every beef farmer in the country. We now had people interested in establishing a QA system.

The third example is from a government initiative to improve change management practices in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers were offered substantial grants to introduce changed methods of manufacturing that could then be used to demonstrate to others, the benefits of these

new methods. We were asked to train the small teams of joint Industry/Government representatives that would help the organisations implement their changes and monitor their success. Once again, there was eventually a need to perhaps train these teams. However, we found (through asking the right questions) that their immediate need was a set of detailed procedures that everyone could follow to ensure the scheme was implemented successfully. We became procedure writers and communicators rather than trainers.

Trainers are amongst the best placed people in any organisation to have a handle on what’s going on - we can often see the problems before others do. This gives us a great opportunity to help people solve their problems, cut costs and improve the bottom

line, without necessarily providing a training solution. As a former manager of mine once said to me, “Bob, you can do all the evaluating you like. I will not hold you accountable for the number of training programs you run, nor the number of bums on seats. Neither will I hold you accountable for the effectiveness of those programs - that’s a given (in those days I was into Human Asset Accounting). However, I will hold you accountable for the number of times people in the organisation come to you to ask for your help in solving their problems. If I see no-one at your door, I will know that you are not doing your job effectively.”

Learning is about seeing things from a different perspective. Our role as trainers, is to help people improve their vision. “If training’s the answer, what’s the question you need to ask?”

Bob Selden is the author of the newly published “What To Do When You Become The Boss” – a self help book for new managers. He is currently researching topics for his new book on teams. Please email your suggestions for inclusion to Bob via http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort And Spa, MaldivesOpens In July 2009

Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, will open Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives, the first luxury resort south of the equator in the Maldives, on 26 July 2009. The resort will offer guests a stylish experience in a spacious, boutique-style environment. Located on Addu Atoll, the resort will encompass over six kilometres of coastline and nearly two kilometres of breathtaking white sandy beach.

First-time visitors and Maldives aficionados will be rewarded with a distinctive new experience of the archipelago. The natural dense vegetation sets it apart from many other resorts in the Maldives. The three-kilometre-long island features 12 hectares of lush vegetation, 17,000 coconut trees and 45 species of plants. The island has over six kilometres of coastline and three natural freshwater lagoons, naturally tinged red, green or blue. Guests will be able to enjoy walking trails, prodigious wildlife, and a plethora of underwater discoveries.

The unique Shangri-La hospitality envelops guests as they disembark from their international flight at Male airport. Guests are then escorted by the Shangri-La host into the relaxing domestic airport lounge before taking the connecting flight to Addu Atoll. As air-conditioned domestic flights from Male to Gan International Airport operate round the clock, guests no longer need to waste their vacation time due to the limited operation of seaplanes, which are required to access other resorts. The resort is just an eight-minute boat ride away from Gan, and is also accessible by private jet which can land at the newest Gan International Airport.

The resort will comprise 142 spacious stand-alone villas, from private ocean retreats to tropical luxury tree house villas with panoramic views. All villas will feature both an indoor and outdoor shower, a private terrace leading to the beach and either a waterfront or lush garden. Each villa will be equipped with two iPods and docking stations, a DVD player and an espresso machine. The villas will be a minimum of 133 square metres in size, while the two presidential villas will measure up to 957 square metres each.

The resort will feature 16 luxury tree house villas, a first for the Maldives, perched on stilts offering a special three-metre high

perspective of the island through tropical foliage. The tree house villas, with separate bedroom and living room, will measure 218 square metres, each with its own private infinity pool.

Other distinct villa options available to guests will be the water villas with terraces and outdoor showers extending over the clear ocean water; beach villas with separate bedroom and living room, connected by a wooden deck to a private infinity pool; twin beach villas, comprising two bedrooms and an infinity pool; and water pool villas. Two presidential villas will also be available for guests who prefer to indulge in ultimate luxury and exclusivity, one of which is constructed over water and featuring a 96 square metre private pool.

CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La – Shangri-La’s signature spa brand inspired by the legend of Shangri-La in the Lost Horizon novel - will offer treatments, therapies and well-being programmes based on Chinese, Himalayan and Asian healing rituals and traditions from across the region as well as “Kandu Boli” experience, unique indigenous treatments inspired by the cowrie shell and other natural treasures found in the Maldives. CHI will be located in its own spa village in the resort, with spacious individual treatment villas, offering “spa within a spa” privacy and luxury. Ocean views and enchanting gardens will make this secluded sanctuary a haven of healing power and deep calm for guests.

In addition to long stretches of fine white sand beach, the natural lush vegetation of the island features a nature trail for guests who are keen to explore. To discover the fascinating lifestyle and culture of untouched Maldivian villages, guests can simply take a short boat ride to neighbouring islands. International diving enthusiasts are already familiar with the island’s colourful coral reef and the dramatic 140-metre shipwreck of the British ship Loyalty, which is located within a half-hour boat ride from Villingili Island.

To preserve the vegetation, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives has been constructed around large trees, including some towering old banyan trees. Underwater work and detailed marine surveys have been carried out to ensure the preservation of coral.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives will provide a selection of bars and restaurants. The Khazaanaage Restaurant, meaning House of Treasure in Dhivehi, is inspired by Ibn Battuda, will serve cuisine from the regions he travelled to, including the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Dishes with enchanting flavours will be created using spices and herbs from the chef’s organic garden. International culinary experiences at the Javvu Restaurant will provide guests with further variety.

In the heart of the natural island is a 30,000-square-metre Village Centre. The centre will encompass an eco-centre and a water sports centre featuring surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and a variety of non-motorised water activities. The Village Centre will also include a free-form pool, two tennis courts, a dedicated indoor and outdoor area for children, boutiques and an entertainment centre. A medical clinic with international doctors and decompression chamber, fully-equipped to deal with diving-related disorders will provide medical services for guests. The resort’s salon will also offer wedding gowns and wedding ceremonies for couples who are swept off their feet by the natural beauty and mesmerizing experience at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives.

About Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, currently owns and/or manages 62 hotels under the deluxe Shangri-La and mid-market Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. The group has over 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

PRESS CONTACT:Jenny Mak, Director of Corporate Communications, Tel: (852) 2599 3323, E-mail: jenny.mak@shangri-la.comSari Yong, Media Relations Manager, Hong Kong/South East Asia, Tel: (852) 2599 3336, E-mail: sari.yong@shangri-la.comShangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Fax: (852) 2599 3308, Website: www.shangri-la.comFor digitized pictures of the group’s hotels, please go to http://www.shangri-la.com/imagelibrary.

W Retreat & Spa – Maldives Voted Starwood Hotel Of The Year AndBest Sales & Marketing Team In Asia/Pacific Division

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Asia/Pacific Division has announced its “Best of the Best” for 2008 and W Retreat & Spa – Maldives has proven that it has the winning attitude to do Whatever it takes/Whenever it is needed. With over 140 properties in the division, all categories were rated on specific criteria, including production, guest feedback and revenue numbers. Of the 31 awards given out, W Maldives received 5 – the most for 2008:

HOTEL OF THE YEAR – Overall • accomplishment within the Division BEST SALES & MARKETING TEAM • – Based on teamwork, execution of initiatives and bottom line resultsGUEST SATISFACTION INDEX (GSI) – • Results of surveys given to past guests rating their experienceRevPAR IMPROVEMENT (Regional) – • Year-over-Year improvement of revenue per available roomSTARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST (SPG) • RECOGNITION – Starwood’s guest loyalty program and their satisfaction of benefits given on property

“My thanks go out to all who contributed to this enormous achievement. It is a direct result of everyone’s hard work and efforts. We are all very proud.” stated General Manager Brian Segrave.In regards to the Best Sales & Marketing Team Award, the Director of Sales based in London, Sarah Bisa said, “WHATEVER

challenges this industry faces, this team has turned them into opportunities. WHENEVER it was time to prove true passion for the job, this team has put their private lives on hold. WHEREVER we all may be based, true team spirit doesn’t stop at borders or get distracted by different time zones. Who wouldn’t be terribly proud to be part of a fabulous AND award-winning team?”

W Retreat & Spa-Maldives most recent accolades include: The Gold List – Best Overseas Resort (Luxury & Travel Lifestyle, Australia), Best New Hotel/Resort (Travel Weekly Asia), 7 medals in the Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge and the Design Award for Best Hotel (Travel & Leisure).

About W Hotels Worldwide

W Hotels is a global luxury lifestyle brand with 25 properties in the most vibrant destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access. Each hotel offers a unique mix of sophisticated design, chic comfort, and cultural influences from fashion to music, pop culture to art, and everything in between. W Hotels are unique and individual expressions of modern travel and stylish living, featuring world-class cuisine, destination bars and signature spas. In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been announced in Austin, Buckhead Atlanta, Downtown Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, Hollywood, Huntington

Beach, Downtown New York, Santiago, South Beach, and Washington, D.C. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Milan and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the Middle East, W has announced properties in Amman, Doha, Dubai-Festival City, Dubai-The Palm and Marrakech. W has plans to open W Retreat & Spa properties in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques Island and Verbier, the latter of which will serve as W Hotels’ first ski retreat. For more information, visit www.whotels.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residenceswith the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element®. StarwoodHotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com

Contact: Rosemarie Domdom, Director of Marketing, Telephone: + 960 666 2208, Mobile: +960 977 3977, Email: rosemarie.domdom@whotels.com, whotels.com/maldives

Hospitality BitesConrad Maldives Rangali Island has teamed up with local education institute, Salaam School to provide a hospitality-training course for Maldivian students. The three and a half month programme is offered on a complimentary basis per year to 25 students from all over the Maldives, giving them the opportunity to gain nationally certified skills for entry into the hospitality industry and to attain certification of a key personal development programme. Mr Carsten Shieck, General Manager of Conrad Maldives Rangali Island said it is a privilege to be part of such a beautiful region and community. “We are always looking at ways we can give back and invest in the local community. Helping to develop the next generation of tourism and hospitality graduates is one way we can support the backbone of the Maldivian economy and ensure people continue to enjoy this region for years to come.”

Best Western International - The World’s Largest Hotel Chain® - has announced two new key appointments as part of its ongoing drive to become the largest hotel chain in Asia. Mr. Johannes Jahns has been promoted as Director of Operations Asia while Mr. Hartmut Noack has been appointed as General Manager of Best Western Premier Creek Hotel, Dubai. Mr. Jahns was formerly Best Western’s Group General Manager for the United Arab Emirates. Under his new assignment, effective June 1, 2009, he will transfer to the Best Western Asia Head Quarters office in Bangkok, Thailand, and report directly to Mr. Glenn de Souza, Vice President International Operations Asia.

Centara wins award for most popular hotel website in Thailand. The Thai hotel and resort management company has been presented with the “Most Visited Hotel Site in Thailand” award under the 6th Truehits Web Awards 2008. The award was presented by Dr Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, Minister at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in a ceremony also attended by Dr Sakarindr Bhumiratana, president of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).

SKAL ASIA membership soars. In Skal’s latest report on membership development for the Asian Area, which will be presented to President Hulya Aslantas and the Asian Area board on Thursday 21 May in Incheon, Korea at the 38th Skal Asian Area Congress. It makes for interesting reading and is the only region that is currently showing such strong growth. With membership standing at 2,514 Asia is now 13% of Skal’s worldwide membership of 19,478 (LY 19,409) which includes 318 Young Skal members. Skal Asia is growing 14% compared with last year. In 1999 the Asian Area had 1659 members. Skal Intl anticipate that membership will grow between 14 to 18% in 2009 in the Asian Area dependant on the number of new clubs that are opened.There are plans for 4 new at present : 1. Jakarta ( Restart the oldest Club in Asia.) It is Club no.13 and was the first Skal Club to open in Asia 75 years ago in December (Skal is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year so Jakarta is as old as Skal itself). It is being rejuvenated with the help of a few former members and Skal Intl Bali ; 2. Narita (new) 3. Rodrigues (new) 4. Puerto Princess (new).

RafflesHotels&Resortshasannouncedthe addition of another major capital city in Asia to its ever growing list of destinations around the globe. Raffles Kuala Lumpur is slated to open in 2011 and will offer the largest guestrooms and suites in the city. The hotel will be located in the Central Business District within Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s award-winning lifestyle destination. An iconic integrated development in the heart of the thriving Bukit Bintang commercial district, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur comprises a shopping centre offering the ultimate in fashion, dining and urban leisure, a state-of-the-art office tower and luxury residential apartments.

Kris Lim has joined PATA as Associate Director - Strategic Intelligence Centre. He joins PATA from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines in Kuala Lumpur where he was Assistant Manager of the AAPA Research and Statistics Department. Kris is now based at PATA’s HQ in Bangkok. He is a graduate of Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

Taj Hotels, Palaces & Resorts is opening hotels at the rate of one every fiveweeks, its chief executive has claimed. Speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai, Taj’s managing director and chief executive, Raymond Bickson, said: “The growth strategy of our group is to go to 142 hotels and double our room stock to 200,000 around the world. I am very optimistic about our position.” Bickson was one of 700 senior delegates from the global hotel management, ownership and financing community who attended the event in Dubai. Investment has slowed in the Middle East, but many hoteliers still view the region as a place for long-term growth, Bickson said, adding: “If you are a global player, you can’t afford not to be in this region - it’s as important to be here as it is Manhattan or London.” Bickson said the company’s key aims were to increase turnover from $1.4 billion to $2 billion and to protect the brand in the local Indian market from the 37 other brands anticipated to arrive in the destination in coming years. Taj is about to reopen The Pierre in New York, on June 1, following a $100 million renovation of all guestrooms and the launch of a new restaurant, Le Caprice at The Pierre, the first outpost of the legendary London restaurant. Source: ttglive

Globalization Partners International (GPI), a provider of website, software and documentation translation services in over 100 languages, announced that it has released its new Translation Services Portal www.translationportal.com with customized versions for specific global industries includinghotels and hospitality. “The Hotel and Hospitality Industry is dealing with some fundamental challenges due to the economic slowdown and is focusing sharply on cost containment and the bottom line, leveraging brand name, the Internet, and globalization - entering new emerging markets,” said Martin Spethman, GPI’s Managing Partner. “GPI’s translation portal may help the hospitality industry achieve savings of up to 30% on their global translation costs by consolidating volumes, lowering per word costs, minimizing project coordination times, and ensuring consistency of their brands and content across the globe.”

No rationale for travel restrictions. WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Today, international travel moves rapidly, with large numbers of individuals visiting various parts of the world. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community. Influenza A(H1N1) has already been confirmed in many parts of the world. The focus now is on minimizing the impact of the virus through the rapid identification of cases and providing patients with appropriate medical care, rather than on stopping its spread internationally. Furthermore, although identifying the signs and symptoms of influenza in travellers can be an effective monitoring technique, it is not effective in reducing the spread of influenza as the virus can be transmitted from person to person before the onset of symptoms. Scientific research based on mathematical modelling indicates that restricting travel will be of limited or no benefit in stopping the spread of disease. Historical records of previous influenza pandemics, as well as experience with SARS, have validated this point. Travellers can protect themselves and others by following simple recommendations related to travel aimed at preventing the spread of infection. Individuals who are ill should delay travel plans and returning travellers who fall ill should seek appropriate medical care. These recommendations are prudent measures which can limit the spread of many communicable diseases and not only influenza A(H1N1). Source: WHO

wishWorld’s Largest Hotel Chain® opens first hotel in Maldives - BestWestern Madoogali Resort and Spa, September 2009. The strategic expansion across Asia and the Middle East of Best Western International is set for a new milestone in September with the auspicious opening of its first property in the Maldives, the extensively rebranded Best Western Madoogali Resort and Spa.

Eight Asian visitor bureaus have united to boost the continent’s market share in the growing global business events industry by relaunching the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB). The Association announced today that a new agenda will be implemented and driven by eight convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs) from China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. AACVB Chairperson, Ms Suprabha Moleeratanond of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, said: “At least eight convention and visitor bureaus will put cooperation ahead of competition and raise the level of sophistication of the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition sectors in Asia. Our aim is to increase competitiveness and drive new MICE business to our region.” Ms Suprabha told a press gathering at IMEX in Frankfurt today that the AACVB’s eight voting members had signed up for an aggressive new agenda that will attract intra-regional conventions, especially those that can be rotated among AACVB members.

MaldivestohostAsia’sfirstBeachandWater sports tournament. The Cabinet has decided to hold Asia’s first Beach and Water sports tournament in the Maldives. The tournament is planned to be held in 2010. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. The cabinet made this decision after discussing a paper proposed by the Ministry of Human Recourses, Youth and Sports. The members of the cabinet noted that hosting this event would be an opportunity for the Maldives to promote its tourism as well as to promote sports tourism in the Maldives. A committee was also appointed to organize the tournament. The committee would include State Ministers at the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports; Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture; Ministry of Defense and National Security; Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of Finance and Treasury; and, Ministry of Economic Development.

Intelligent Spas publishes first GlobalSpa Benchmark Report. This inaugural report provides over 1,850 spa industry benchmarks including global statistics and regional breakdowns for the Americas, Europe, Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific. Many items show historical data from 2005 to 2008 and forecast data for 2009 and 2010. The report is available for sale from Intelligent Spas - a 20% launch discount off the price of the report is being offered until Thursday 2nd July 2009. For more details and to read the summary of global survey results - check the following link: http://www.intelligentspas.com/Newsletter/Newsletter_I26090609T.asp

Courtesy of ehotelier.com

Who Were They Designing

It For?

Try it with your stationery right now. Fax a copy of your stationery to a friend, and ask her to fax it back to you. Now you have ‘a fax of a fax’. It happens a lot in business.

Now look closely at your contact information. If you have a 5, 6, 8 or 9 in your telephone number, is that number still easy to read? If the letter ‘i’ or ‘l’ appears in your mailing ad-dress, is it easy to distinguish those letters? Who designed your stationery? Who ap-proved your stationery? Who is your statio-nery really for?

At a new airline lounge in Hong Kong, a parti-tion of colorful glass hangs from the ceiling. My luggage lightly brushed against it as I walked inside. The entire partition shook and several panels came undone.

A staff member hurried over and began care-fully reassembling the panels. (Thank good-ness nothing broke.) I felt embarrassed and apologized profusely.

‘Don’t worry,’ she replied calmly. ‘This hap-pens all the time.’

An airport lounge is a heavy traffic area. Peo-ple are always moving in and out. What were the interior designers thinking? Who were they designing it for?!

I am regularly amazed by brand new facili-ties that are obviously user-unfriendly. Huge investments of time and money...but who are they designing it for?

A new airport in the Middle East is an im-pressive and expensive building. It’s huge, packed with stainless steel and halogen lights and lots of fancy gold.

But it takes six escalators, two moving side-walks and 3,446 steps (I counted) to get from the aircraft door to the taxi door at curbside. And no baggage trolleys are provided.

What were the architects thinking about? Size? Grandeur? Physical exercise? Who were they designing it for?!

A sparkling new hotel opened in a major cap-ital city. There is no clear signage directing guests from the ballrooms to the restrooms. The few signs that do exist are etched in muted gold on dark marble pillars.

More obvious signage was considered inap-propriate for such elegant decor. Very styl-ish, very chic. But who were they designing it for?!

I received a business card with a realtor’s mailing address printed in four-point type. That’s very tiny print (less than half the size of these letters!) Graphic designers love tiny type. It’s so trendy, hip and cool. But it’s cer-tainly not easy to read.

Who – and – what is a business card for?I had to argue with the graphics company to print all the contact information in 14 point type on my stationery. (That’s bigger than these letters.) They said it was ‘too big, not nice, not sophisticated’. I said it had to be big to remain legible, even as ‘a fax of a fax’.

Key Learning Point

It’s easy to get caught up in designing new things that are `cool’ or `elegant’ or `hot’. But if you don’t keep your customer in mind throughout, you could end up with an invest-ment that’s `not’.

Action Steps

Review your physical surroundings, points of customer interaction, your product, packag-ing and procedures.

Find something that could be clearer, more helpful or more `customer-friendly’. And once you find it, fix it.

It’s easy to get caught up in designing new things that are `cool’ or `elegant’ or `hot’. But if you don’t keep your customer in mind throughout, you could end up with an investment that’s `not’.

Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed innovator and motivator for partnerships and quality service. He is the author of the “Best of Active Learning!” newsletter (free at www.ronkaufman.com) and the new book “UP Your Service! Strategies and Action Steps to Delight Your Customers NOW!”

Sometimes the best and most innovative suggestionscome from the frontline staff who are closest to thework itself yet all too often not asked for input.

ProfitOptimizationIs Everyone’s Job

Regardless of whether RevPAR and bottom-line profits are trending upwards or downwards in your hotel’s market, there’s no better time than the precious present to make profit optimization everyone’s job. Unfortunately too many hotels still think of profit optimization as being primarily the job function of a revenue manager, versus a process that virtually every associate can embrace every day. Yet there seems to be plenty of other hotels and resorts that have seen profit optimization evolve from a person into a process and eventually into an underlying operating philosophy for all hotel marketing and operations.

Regardless of how a dollar makes its way down the P&L report from the top-line to the bottom-line, it has the same impact in the end. So besides managing and optimizing revenue streams and distribution channels, profit optimization also involves generating new business and in a broader sense, also controlling costs. Here are some ways that various departments and associates can help increase sales, decrease distribution costs, and maximize efficiency in controlling operating expenses:

Channel conversion. Many visitors • to online travel agencies and third party websites also place a phone call directly to the hotel to double-check that the offer is the best rate; train your staff to convert these callers into direct bookings and save commissions of 18% - 30% or more where your distribution agreement allows. (Note: Where exclusive agreements are in place it is just as important to train your team how to politely explain why rates are available only through third-party partners.) Maintaining rate fences. Make sure your • front desk staff is validating membership in discount programs, affiliation groups, and qualification for special corporate rates at check-in, and that reservation agents are advising callers of this requirement in advance. Create new “fenced-in” rates for target • markets, such as exclusive rates for state-wide teachers, military spouses, or other overlooked affiliation groups.

Securing return reservations. Especially • for hotels catering to frequent business travelers, securing return reservations at departure for your “regulars” can eliminate external reservations booking and distribution costs. Networking with in-house guests. • Train your front desk staff to be on the look-out for guests representing new corporations coming into the market that might be prospects for group/corporate business. Cost out packages to make sure • they create value for the guest while maintaining profit margins for both rooms and food and beverage outlets. Allow flat-rate “upgrade” fees for guests • at special group rates to make higher rated rooms price-out at a reasonable additional rate, or offer special group rates for upgraded room types as well as standard. Offer meeting and event attendees • special promotional rates for arriving early or staying over.Where operationally feasible, offer • early check-ins and late check-outs for an additional, incremental fee that is reasonable compared to the full-day rate. Use GoToMeeting to conduct • personalized hotel tours when travel budgets won’t allow for an on-site sales call. Double-check airfares quoted by your • own corporate travel agency on SideStep and Kayak as well as Orbitz when booking your own business travel. Maximize productivity (and gas costs!) • on client sales calls and visitations by setting multiple appointments and additional cold-calls to use any down-time.Avoid unnecessary express mailing. Use • USPO 2nd Day to send just about as fast and still make a positive impression vs. standard mail. When setting prices for services such • as parking and Internet usage, factor-in rebates into the pricing model to make sure you are netting the expected margins.

Besides sharing these suggestions with your staff, make sure to solicit their own suggestions and input regarding ways to increase sales, minimize distribution fees, and reduce operational expenses. Sometimes the best and most innovative suggestions come from the frontline staff who are closest to the work itself yet all too often not asked for input.

besides managing and optimizing revenue streams and distribution channels, profit optimization also involves generating new business and in a broader sense, also controlling costs.

Doug Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Training Network, has been a fixture on the hospitality and tourism industry conference circuit since 1989, having presented over 1,000 conference keynote sessions, educational break-out seminars, or customized, on-premise training workshops for diverse audiences representing every segment of the lodging industry. Since 1996 Doug has been a regular contributor to the lodging industry’s number one rated publication, www.hotelmotel.com , where he has been a regular monthly columnist since 2001. Visit www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com for details or e-mail him at: doug@kennedytrainingnetwork.com

360° Evaluation:An Extra One Degree

Dimension For Self Evaluation And HQ

The new age hospitality leaders must learn from an owl that manages 360 degrees of

vision by turning its neck 270 degrees both sides to see around

The 360 degree evaluation is a powerful multi-rater feedback and developmental tool which incorporates upward feedback and the traditional performance appraisal. It consolidates the confidential comments from external sources such as customers, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders. Multiplicity is essentially used to ensure a high level of objectivity and authenticity in evaluation as well as to avoid biases. This procedure is also a functional format to design interview evaluations and post employment evaluation for probation assessments and appraisals.

In addition to the efficacy of deliberation for promotions and pay, this instrument should be used by the individual receiving the feedback to plan training and development initiatives. It can also be used to measure the impact of training on business metrics and is a beneficial tool for the new age manager. Individual evaluation results, if collated, will build an aggregate reporting with other employees in a section or department or organization as a whole which will illustrate significant patterns. This evaluation must be carried out for the best advantage of the organization beyond individual’s gain and used in an acceptable organizational climate. The feedback should be communicated effectively so that the disappointments, if any, don’t overshadow tomorrow’s dreams. Anonymous nature and appropriate format of the report must ensure that ratings and comments are fair as well as skill and behavior based. Many hospitality operations are hesitant to undertake this for to several reasons:

The organizational culture and feedback • is not accepted at all levels. Presence of high emotional and peer • conflict. Key leaders don’t know how to conduct, • access and communicate feedback; especially constructive feedback. Fear that it may worsen the employee • relations and dread subjectivity factors. Unclear about the process and purpose: • Whether they strive to achieve a formative evaluation process (one designed to provide feedback for improvement) or a summative one (designed for promotion or retention purposes).

360° evaluation will help hospitality leaders to:

Seek under-utilized personal potentials 1. and improve productivity as it serves in competency mapping. Make an adept succession planning 2. in this current period of recession; corporate plans of retrenchment; a way forward rather than roll back fearing the worse. Design more efficient coaching and 3. training initiatives. Reduce perceptional gaps that can be 4. plotted against self-perception and evaluation by associates.Force line managers to initiate a focused 5. developmental program. Raise a heightened self awareness and 6. its impact on others - both negative and positive.Observe the “halo-effect” of senior 7. Managers / Management in day light and create the awareness that they too have developmental needs.Reinforce the desired competencies in 8. individuals and business aligning with organizational objectives. Create a work environment of 9. pragmatism and healthy constructive revelation. Improve employee morale and impact 10. the immediate work environment.

An extra degree for Self Assessment

The 360 degree evaluation is completed by individuals or groups with whom the employee being evaluated has direct contact or influence. This is only meaningful if matched with self awareness / perception besides the organization’s code of conduct, core values, best practices and in some cases even the job description. Self awareness is formed through past experiences, beliefs and values. You have a value only if it is valued against the value set by others. Personality factors in the evaluation section if answered honestly and candidly can contrive strengths and possible areas for development. Aptitude tests also can reveal your aptitude to career choice. You owe it to yourself more than the organization to discover your ideal job as well as work environment.

Why Humor Quotient?

Does your boss or subordinates consider you as a humor asset? Can you laugh at your own mistakes and enjoy occasionally being poked at? The ability to crack a joke on oneself is a rare attribute, so is the case with admitting ones follies and the ability to laugh over a poor decision. Most leaders doubt whether this will make them more vulnerable. Admitting a mistake or wrong decision does

Self awareness is formed through past experiences, beliefs and values. You have a value only if that is valued against the value set by others. Personality factors in the evaluation section if answered honestly and candidly can contrive strengths and possible areas for development

Jorely Mathew, BHM, CHE is the Training Manager at Soneva Gili by Six Senses, Republic of Maldives.

not make you weak but strong in the eyes of the subordinates. They will build the admiration and confidence in you not to commit the same mistake in the future.

Often feedbacks are “knock backs” with interesting revelations becoming eye openers and a pivotal point for change and realization. There may be total mismatch with the perception about oneself and also can be a complete morale booster in most cases. This requires a fair and honest self-evaluation system. Creativity authority Edward De Bono said, “Humor is by far the most significant behavior of the human brain”. The Humor Quotient is not about being friendly or approachable. Hospitality leaders should be willing to accommodate and accept shortfalls and lighten their operations with a bit of absurdity. This will brighten the departmental

environment and help build a strong team. Do avoid sarcasm, ethnic or negative humor even at your own cost though!

Humor in hard times is similar to the medication that helps control the psychosis of delusions and hallucinations associated with schizophrenia. It cannot help the person find a job, learn to be effective in social relationships and similarly humor need not necessarily alleviate the problems but it will definitely make you and others feel better. It will increase an individual’s coping skills, help them learn to communicate and work well with others at an unusual level. Humor is infectious and hence you are sure to impact your immediate environment. Real humor hangs on the border of insanity, but certainly requires sufficient acumen to approach insanity. So, be wise enough to tell something funny. Least your boss or colleagues will find it hard to stay mad at you. It is also an innate

talent and anyone who is a former child is a natural humorist! In my experience as a trainer, most trainees do not appreciate complicated instruments of training. Good sense of humor can accelerate the alignment with the trainees and build excellent rapport which certainly reduces the stress and generates greater acceptance, interest level and boosts learning.

New age hospitality leaders must learn from an owl that manages 360 degrees of vision by turning its neck 270 degrees both sides to see around; although it has limited vision of 110 degrees straight compared to a human being with 180 degrees. If you consider yourself as a “smart woodcock” with an amazing 360 degree field of view because the eyes are on the sides of it’s head, please note that, less than 10 degrees of this is binocular!

Finally, most hoteliers would agree that the only way to measure the effectiveness a hotel website is to track the number of reservations being generated from it. For those of you who are still satisfied with simply knowing how many visitors your site gets, you may be missing the big picture. Getting more visitors doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting more reservations.

There are actually two separate issues at hand; one, driving visitors to your site and two, converting lookers into bookers once they visit. Many people are quick to consider search engine optimization, but more people need to concentrate on WSO, website optimization. WSO is your site’s ability to sell your hotel, once users visit the site.

There are many WSO points which contribute to making a productive hotel web site. Contrary to the belief of some site designers, a hotel website is not just an attractive online brochure with moving parts, bells, and whistles; it should be a tool to generate sales; and that takes marketing expertise. Unless one is designing a site for a museum, there are definite marketing principles involved in the design itself.

Perhaps the most difficult undertaking is to make people understand that their attractive web site may be a marketing failure because it lacks the sales tools to produce reservations; such as well-written, keyword rich, sales text, technically acceptable photography, an easily understood navigation scheme, researched and carefully chosen search terms/phrases, workable description and title Meta Tags, and a good link strategy.

Here are nine steps that others are using to help ensure that their site will capture a greater share of online reservations..

Flash Intros and Other Flash Elements

An introduction landing page may look pretty, but they don’t do a thing to help your site’s popularity nor its productivity. I’m sure one of the most frequently clicked links on these web sites is “skip intro”. People aren’t looking to be entertained, they are looking for information. Tell your web designer, no thanks on flash intros.

Search engines only read text. A little flash can be attractive, but too many web designers get carried away with it. Your web designer

needs to spend more time developing text, which is far more important to the success of the site.

There appears to be a growing preference towards developing the entire site in flash. It sure is pretty but it has some huge problems. It’s costly to produce and costly to make changes. Most flash requires navigation links to be double-clicked in order to function. This may sound like no big deal, but many users will assume the link is broken, since we are all so accustomed to single-clicking links. This type of site may be perfect for an art gallery or museum, but dysfunctional for a hotel sales site. Second, flash confuses search spiders and almost always encourages a low site ranking. Third, take a good look at successful booking portals like Expedia, Travelocity, etc...No flash!

Be Careful with Photos and Other Graphics

Photos create interest, but text sells. You can make your photos more interesting and searchable by simply adding text descriptions to every photo. This works especially well for “photo galleries” on your site. Since

Nine Reasons Why Some Hotels Are

Getting More Bookings From The Internet

search engines only read text, your photos will become part of the search process and actually increase the popularity of your site.

Navigation Scheme on your Site

The first rule of hotel site design; don’t make it necessary for visitors to “learn” how to navigate your site. Website designers, who lack hotel marketing expertise, tend to become overly creative when designing and naming navigation elements. Your site’s navigation scheme is among the primary evaluation essentials for search engine spiders when ranking your site.

Drop-down menus are acceptable, but stick to common labels. You can’t go wrong with common labels such as “facilities”, “amenities”, “activities”, etc. Talk about confusing, we even saw one web site that labeled their home page “lobby”. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Navigation elements do not need to jump, twirl, or flash in order to create interest in your site.

Meta Tags and all that Technical Stuff

There is some debate over the importance of Meta Tags, some search engines swear by them, some don’t. It only makes good ‘ole common-sense, however, to make sure that you have the proper tags attached to your site...they are free. Want to see your tags? It’s easy, go to Explorer and find your site, then click view, source.

There are various tags, such as Title Tags, Description Tags, Key Word Tags, etc. If there are tags entered, how well were they researched? How accurate are they? For most search engines, tags help them find your site. By the way, some Meta Tags should be different on each page of your site. There are several web sites which will allow you to see how many searches were performed, during the previous month, for each search term used. They will even suggest search words and phrases you might never have thought of. Don’t guess; you could be wrong.

Text - What Does Your Site Say? (and how does it say it?)

The most common error on hotel web sites is poorly developed text. I can always recognize a site designed by a techie; the text usually looks like an after-thought. Text is the most important element of the site for two reasons; text is the only element that

search engines can see, and second, text is what sells your hotel. Photos create interest, but text sells.

Realizing that most visitors will rarely read your entire site, it’s essential that the text is written in order of importance from top to bottom. The first two to three paragraphs should include as many key words/phrases as possible to facilitate searches. Be careful not to overdo it, you could be accused of spamming.

Home page text is obviously most critical. This is your opportunity to clarify your location, not simply your address and the most important selling features of the hotel. The location description should contain distances to room generators, such as attractions and businesses, etc.

Don’t forget to ask for business; you are writing sales text, not a brochure. The old concept of features and benefits still apply. Write as if you are talking to your visitors; forget ninety-dollar technical terms...talk plainly. Developing text should consume the most time and thought in designing your site.

A Booking Engine Could be your Best Investment

For the life of me, I can’t think of a single reason why every independent hotel site shouldn’t have a booking engine attached. Independent hotels need a booking engine to gain equal footing with franchised hotels. Simple fact is that more and more users are booking reservations in real-time online. Email availability inquiries just don’t do it, anymore.

Not all booking engines are equal. Look for an engine that can be easily maintained; you will have to maintain rates and room inventory. Look for a well-designed engine, which is user-friendly and professionally designed. Look for an engine that charges a flat fee each month with no commissions or booking fees. Look for an engine that has a good technical staff to assist you.

Above all, don’t expect Internet users to be satisfied with email reservations on your site. We can only guess how many reservations you could be missing. For those of you, who think that a booking engine is financially out of reach, think again, the return on this minor investment is huge.

Collect and Use Your Web Site Data

There are many web site data collection software programs and basically they all collect just about the same information. You need to know your primary feeder-markets, primary referral sites, most productive search engines for your site, etc.

Make sure that your web master knows how to use this information to make changes to your site. There is no “perfect” web site; only those we continue to strive to make perfect. Software such as Google’s Analytics can show the popularity of each page on your site, so adjustments can be made. This service collects data from visitors to your web site. Yes, it’s affordable too; for now it’s free.

In the old days of print advertising, my favorite saying was “50% of all advertising is a waste of money; the problem is we don’t know which 50% it is”. This is not true with a web site; we can easily see what is productive and that which is not productive.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

In those good ‘ole days, we had to spend money to advertise our hotels, without knowing what the response would be, if any at all. Pay-per-click advertising is exactly as it appears; you only pay for those users who actually go to your web site.

Check it out; it could be a great investment if you find someone who knows how to use it properly and will maintain it for you. It could help you dominate your competition.

Develop a Link Strategy on your Site

Several search engines also use your site’s popularity to rank your site. They measure in-coming and out-going links. Links to attractions and relevant locations can be very useful. Use some caution, however, it helps to link to those sites that are most popular and never place out-going links on your home page.

Dollar for dollar, Internet website marketing represents the best-value sales tool available to hotels today. It still provides a great return-on-investment and is the great equalizer for Independent hotels. Don’t be satisfied with a site which looks attractive, but produces too few reservations.

Neil Salerno, CHME, CHA, Hotel Marketing Coach, www.hotelmarketingcoach.com, NeilS@hotelmarketingcoach.com

LAST

WORDS

“Thanks David, another great issue. It’s a very professional magazine.”Bob Selden, Managing Director,

National Learning Institute (Australia)

“This Magazine has the most needful articles to work in the Hospitality industry, Thankyou Hospitality Maldives for the effort in providing us everything we need.”

Fazil Naeem, Receptionist, Vilamendhoo Island Resort

Whatever you have to say,we want to hear it!

Email us your feedback today toeditor@hosmal.com