Hotline v214 The Conference Issue by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

HOTLINE MAGAZINE

The Conference Issue The Rezidor Hotel Group Themagazine Magazine for for Carlson the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

SCOTT GETS INKED

“The Conference Issue”

MAN WITH A PLAN

GLOBE-TROTTING

MASON VS. RAYMAN TRUDY RAUTIO

CARIBBEAN COMRADES

MR. IMAGINATION

OFFICIAL HUGGER

THE MONKEY!

$HELLY PURPLE RAIN MEET DAVID BERG LOUIE ANDERSON

EMBRACE THE SHAKES

TEST KITCHEN

VOLUME 2 2014

TWO THUMBS UP

TRU B LU THE WORLD’S TURNING BLU. THANKS TO YOU. OUR ICONIC BRAND IS NOW BRINGING THE ULTIMATE IN STYLISH AND SOPHISTICATED HOSPITALITY TO OVER 280 KEY DESTINATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE. CHICAGO. LONDON. PARIS. DUBAI. SHANGHAI. SYDNEY. WITH OVER 90 FANTASTIC NEW PROPERTIES IN THE PIPELINE. AN AMAZING SUCCESS STORY. UNIQUELY DRIVEN BY YOUR YES I CAN!SM SPIRIT. RADISSON BLU. IT IS YOU.

HOTELS DESIGNED TO SAY YES! radissonblu.com

RADISSON BLU HOTEL PUDONG, CENTURY PARK

SMILE

EDITOR’SNOTE

Hotline shares insights from the recent Carlson Rezidor conferences in the Americas.

Innovation Leads the Way

Thanks to all who attended either the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference or the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference. Both events offered fascinating insights and exciting glimpses into the futures of our brands. This issue of Hotline is devoted to sharing the best that the conferences had to offer. We introduce David Berg, chief operating officer, Carlson, who joined us in January and shares his first impressions of the conference experience. Then we have an update on plans for a refreshed Yes I Can! SM, the final stages of hotel renovations and new tools and tips for the Radisson brand on page 22. The award winners from the Radisson and Radisson Blu conference are recognized on page 32. Next, we give you the inside scoop on new developments for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group—the unveiling of Radisson Red (page 38) and the

Quorvus Collection (page 44), two new brands that will round out Carlson Rezidor’s global brand portfolio. The highlights from the Country Inns & Suites Conference start on page 48 with the high points from 2013 and the priorities for 2014. We celebrate the Country award winners on page 58. We conclude our conference coverage with a comprehensive look at the Carlson Rezidor Business School sessions that the conferences offered, beginning on page 64. From what the Meetings Success program can offer Radisson properties to the latest updates on Be Our Guest for Country Inns & Suites, there is a lot of great information! As we head into the remainder of the year, keep sending us your bright spots and other ideas to hotline@ carlsonrezidor.com so we can share your inspirational stories and successes with your colleagues.

Molly Biwer Editor-in-Chief

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Freed Photography

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The magazine for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Publisher Trudy Rautio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Editor-in-Chief Molly Biwer, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Carlson

CUSTOMER JOURNEY On Our Way

Pre

Research, Booking, Post-booking Prep

TRIP

Managing Editor Deborah M. Bernstein, Director, Corporate Communications, Carlson Contributors Octavio Abbiati; Marie Barr; Brandy Brinson; Judy Colbert; Spencer Collins; Freed Photography; Gluekit; Staci Graber; Erica Katz; Carmen Kidd; Betty Mack; Tim Marrs; Zoe Murphy; Dale Edwin Murray; Andy Potts; Andrew Rae; Laura Saunders; Peter Slanga; Studio 306/Marc Andrew; Mario Wagner

Staff

Staying In

& CHECK IN

We’re Here

Property, Lobby, Parking

During Stay

Hotline serves as Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s magazine. Hotline is distributed to Carlson Rezidor employees, Carlson’s board of directors, hotel owners and developers, general managers, strategic partners, key clients and other stakeholders.

Let’s Explore

IN ROOM

Production and the Environment Hotline is printed with a satin UV coating. UV (ultraviolet) coatings do not emit volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. They are compatible with standard de-inking processes for recycling of paper.

Pool, Restaurant & Bar

During Stay OUT OF ROOM

Disclaimer | The information contained in Hotline is not a franchise sales offering. Part of the information presented in Hotline reflects data and information provided to Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group by hotels operating under Carlson Rezidor brands, which may be independently owned and operated. While Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data may change prior to publication. Carlson Rezidor provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data. For the most up-to-date information on Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, please visit www.carlsonrezidor.com.

Look, Attitude, Competency

Arrival

Ambiance, Functionality & Comfort

Suggestions and Advertising Please contact Molly Biwer, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Relations, and Editor-in-Chief, Hotline hotline@carlsonrezidor.com +1 (763) 212-2901

Copyright Notice | None of the information provided in this publication may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording or the use of any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

The People

INTERACTION

Moving On

Check Out, Billing & Transportation

Departure

Post TRIP

100+

Until Next Time

Survey, Loyalty, Reviews

TOUCHPOINTS

When guests stay at a Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group property, there are more than 100 ways staff can impact their visit, for the good and the bad. Each one is an opportunity to make the guest’s stay the best possible experience and ensure future loyalty.

breathe in our new world

RadissonÂŽ is a brand that is modern in outlook and confident in itself. At Radisson we go out of our way to alleviate the stresses of modern day travel and deliver value to our guest. Radisson is re-imagining the guest experience with the launch of the new Radisson iConcierge mobile app and mobile check-in choice, connecting with the local and global community through our Spread the Love charitable program, and guests will enjoy the new Rituals amenity line. Meetings and events are delivered through the signature Meetings Success program. Hotels that love to say Yes!

Radisson.com

FRONTDESK

48 TO 6 KEY WINNING

Introducing David Berg, chief operating officer

BUILDS 14 COLLABORATION 28 BLU & CULTURE MOMENTUM Joy Linsday offers ways to build innovation capabilities

Highlights from the Radisson Blu brand meeting

ON 10 STEPS OUR JOURNEY

NEW 20 BOLD DIRECTION

AWARD 32 RADISSON WINNERS

12 ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY

FUTURE 22 OUR IS NOW

34 SHINING STARS

Suzy Riesterer describes a new research project

Steve Brown on innovating the customer experience

Trudy Rautio speaks on Carlson’s evolving strategy

Radisson’s transition to Vision 20/20

Calling out Radisson and Radisson Blu performers

Celebrating the best of the best

ON THE COVER: EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS FROM THE BRAND CONFERENCES. ILLUSTRATION BY: GLUEKIT

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36 ELEGANT EVENT

62 WINNER’S CIRCLE

38 THIS IS RED

64 BUSINESS SCHOOL

44 QUORVUS COLLECTION

& 86 PLAN PREPARE

INNS 52 COUNTRY & SUITES

BRINGS 88 REZIDOR 4D TO LIFE

The final night gala honors all of Radisson

Introducing the new lifestyle select hotel concept

Carlson Rezidor offers a modern take on luxury

A renewed focus on service builds the brand’s legacy

The leading achievers from Country Inns & Suites

Tips from the conferences’ Business School sessions

One hotel makes a bright spot out of an emergency

Review of the Annual Business Conference

AWARD 58 COUNTRY 92 FRONTLINE WINNERS NEWS The best of the brand from this year’s conference

60 BIG NIGHT

The Country Inns & Suites conference ends in style

Events, awards, openings, renovations and more

GORDON 104 Q&A MCKINNON

Four questions on designing winning brands

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GLOBALHOTELS

Differentiation is the Key to Winning David Berg, Carlson’s new chief operating officer, shares the vision for the future. By David Berg

arlier this year, I had the privilege of attending my first Carlson Rezidor Business conferences. As a new person in the organization, one of my early observations since I joined Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in January is that the Carlson Credo is alive and well. This was reinforced by what I saw at the conferences: There is tremendous passion and pride for Carlson Rezidor’s brands that is evident across all of our businesses, as well as a deep caring for our guests. I feel very privileged to have been asked to join this company’s rich heritage and lead the global hotel business. At the conferences, Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson, asked me to talk about our enterprisewide strategy, Vision 20/20, and how it will help us capitalize on key opportunities that exist right now in our business. I will recap some of those thoughts here, but first let me share just a few highlights of Carlson Rezidor’s overall 2013 performance, key accomplishments for each brand and our revenue-generation efforts in the Americas.

2013 Americas highlights Ambition 2015 challenged us to create the capabilities and operating disciplines that were on par with or better than our competitors. Thanks to all of you, we achieved 2013 systemwide revenues of $7.5 billion, and we signed more than 100 hotels last year. Global signings increased by 43 percent from 2012, including an increase of more than 111 percent in the Americas.

Momentum Continues for Radisson Blu® • In 2013, Radisson Blu launched Experience Meetings, a global program developed to improve meeting effectiveness.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Freed

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NEW GLOBAL INITIATIVES

TRENDSETTING BRANDS Radisson Red Lifestyle select Developed to deliver today’s guest the experience of tomorrow, Carlson Rezidor aims to have more than 60 Radisson Red hotels by 2020. For more, see page 38. Quorvus Collection Luxury liberated Carlson Rezidor’s new luxury group will elevate the guest experience with services designed for the contemporary world traveler. For more, see page 44.

• •

In addition, we opened the Radisson Blu Mall of America, where we hosted this year’s Radisson and Radisson Blu Business Conference. We also unveiled the conversion of the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia.

The Radisson® Brand Reinvents Itself • The brand’s revitalization strategy is nearing completion, with 75 percent of hotels renovated since 2010 and the remaining 25 percent on track for completion. • Radisson received the most improved J.D. Power ranking in the upscale segment, gaining 34 points in overall guest satisfaction.

• In the 2013 Business Travel News Hotel Chain Survey, Radisson saw the biggest increase in the upscale tier, and it led in the “Meetings Facility” category.

A New Look for Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM • The Country brand launched, with great success, a new brand identity and hotel prototype. • The first new hotel prototype, featuring a modern interior and exterior design, opened in Springfield, Illinois, and many others are already under development. • In the 2013 Business Travel News survey, Country Inns & Suites also moved up—from the number eight ranking to fourth in the midprice category.

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GLOBALHOTELS

BOOSTING HOTEL REVENUES Last year, we also hit a number of milestones and launched new initiatives in the area of revenue generation. Carlson Rezidor drove 65 percent of room revenue to its brands via direct booking, digital channels and the Global Distribution System (GDS), NEW APPOINTMENT an increase of 4 percent over 2012. In the digital sphere, we led the industry by announcing a partnership with Google to launch pilot programs for its full portfolio of travel applications. We also launched a program to Kirschke assumes the role add TripAdvisor reviews to hotel Web of president, Asia Pacific pages. Global Web revenue increased 4 percent over 2013 and is up 26 percent since the launch of the online Singapore—Thorsten Kirschke has strategy four years ago. been named president, Asia Pacific, Mobile revenue continues its strong Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, in an trajectory with 68 percent growth effort to continue expanding Carlson in 2013 year-over-year (YOY). The Rezidor’s leadership position across the Club CarlsonSM mobile app saw a region. “Thorsten brings an exceptional 171 percent increase in traffic and background of leadership and managea 62 percent growth in revenue YOY. ment success in the hotel industry to this role,” says David Berg, chief Finally, the Club Carlson hotel operating officer, Carlson. rewards program grew to nearly 12 million members in 2013, more than doubling in size in the last four years. Club Carlson was also named the Top Loyalty Campaign at the Mega Awards, which recognizes innovation in the airline and travel business.

WHERE’S THORSTEN?

VIEW TO FURTHER SUCCESS As these achievements indicate, we are clearly on the move. We have put down a strong foundation with Ambition 2015. Now with that in place, we are setting our sights on the future. Let’s ask ourselves: What is our future vision? How do we want to transform? This is Vision 20/20, our strategy that builds on the foundational success of Ambition 2015 and the entrepreneurial and service roots of this company. At the heart of this new Carlson Rezidor hotel strategy is the guest, and the invention and delivery of unique guest

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experiences. Vision 20/20 is a catalyst for rapidly moving Carlson’s business away from the herd and driving profitability through a differentiated guest experience. This aspiration is captured in Vision 20/20 ’s four strategic objectives: delivering great results, developing our talent, being the bright spots for our guests and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

TALENT MAGNET We know the power of our colleagues across the globe who help drive financial results, and it’s crucial that we develop this talent and help our people grow. We need to attract, retain and develop our associates and stand apart from the competition as a great place to work. With our service programs, Carlson Rezidor is also empowering its employees to serve guests. We are inviting our associates to bring their unique capabilities to work and let those capabilities guide their interactions with guests. This is an incredibly powerful way to deliver on our brand promise and provide great hospitality. Would you recommend your hotel to your friends and relatives as a place of employment? That’s what we want our hotels to stand for: great places to work that always invite employees to bring their unique talents into the workplace every day. Remember, we are more than just bricks and mortar or heads in beds. We are in the business of delighting our guests with our secret sauce—our people.

DIFFERENCE MAKERS It’s our people who will create what we call bright spots for our guests. What do we mean by that expression? A bright spot is an overwhelmingly positive experience in a guest’s journey. It’s a differentiation to the guest that creates an experience that is truly unique in hospitality, and we want our guests to encounter them frequently at our hotels. This is an area where we have to move quickly. What we used to think were distinctive service aspects in our business are now becoming the price of admission. Creating bright spots and a valued guest experience is more than an altruistic goal: It actually pays. Consider TripAdvisor, which generates about 75 million reviews by 32 million guests every year. Approximately 40 percent of guests who book on a brand site visit TripAdvisor before they book to see how others have experienced the hotel. The experience matters every single day.

INNOVATING TOGETHER

2013 MAJOR MILESTONES Carlson Rezidor marked a number of accomplishments last year, both in the Americas and globally. Among them, mobile revenue continued its strong growth, Carlson Rezidor increased its room revenue contribution to its brands, Radisson in the Americas significantly boosted J.D. Power guest satisfaction and the company drove a dramatic lift in signings.

MOBILE REVENUE GROWTH

ROOM REVENUE DRIVEN

PTS

68% 65% 34

RADISSON J.D. POWER RANKING

>100 HOTELS SIGNED GLOBALLY

111%

SIGNINGS INCREASE AMERICAS

Vision 20/20 requires more than just slight enhancements to the guest experience, however. Our aspirations are much higher and, candidly, much more challenging. We have to ensure that our new type of guest experience is truly differentiated from the competition and that we can deliver it consistently. That’s a key goal of Vision 20/20 ’s fourth pillar: fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. We are building a culture that accelerates creativity and rewards collaboration. That will lead to the type of unique guest experiences that sustainably drive financial results. The first thing I want to do is demystify the term innovation. You can’t pick up a newspaper or business magazine and not see something about innovation, but for our hotels, what does innovation really mean? First of all, it doesn’t have to be complicated. We already innovate every day: When you and your team look for ways to enhance the guest experience, that is innovation. This can be something as simple as bringing extra whipped cream for guests’ waffles during breakfast. In addition, innovation doesn’t happen in the ivory tower. In fact, each of us has the obligation to be an innovation officer. Most often, great ideas come from the front line, from people who work closest to our guests. (For more on Carlson Rezidor’s innovation strategy, current initiatives underway and how you can create a culture of innovation in your hotel, see “Innovation Agenda,” beginning on page 10.)

CUSTOMERS FIRST As we take these strategies and build on our 2013 success, I look forward to meeting many more of you in your hotels this year. I mentioned earlier that I am new to Carlson Rezidor, and I hope to bring some new perspectives to the hotel business. Over the last 20 years, I have had the fortunate opportunity to experience selling services and products around the globe in a number of different retail and service-oriented organizations. One key tenet has stayed with me throughout my career: We must keep the customer at the center of our decisions. I know that sounds simple, but it is absolutely critical that we keep our guests at our forefront. As we go forward, I want to make sure you understand that you’re part of this, and I thank you for welcoming me into the Carlson family.

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INNOVATIONAGENDA

First Steps on the Customer Journey Carlson Rezidor’s new initiatives kickstart the creation of a unique customer experience. By Zoe Murphy Even as it finishes laying its foundation for future success, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has already begun working on taking the company to the next level. “Together, we have been on a journey,” says Suzy Riesterer, chief commercial officer, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Now we embark on another journey that is perhaps more important.”

As the company’s strategy transitions from Ambition 2015 to Vision 20/20, Carlson Rezidor is on a mission to foster a culture of innovation and leverage technology to create guest experiences that exceed expectations. “We intend to build on our already strong service culture and step out from the crowd—building an exceptional experience centered around our guests,” Riesterer says. “This will, in turn, drive more revenue and profitability for our hotels.” (To learn more about Carlson’s case for innovation, see “Hotels That Are Anything But Ordinary,” page 12.)

strengthened position During the last four years, Carlson Rezidor launched a number of initiatives to make the company more competitive. These included a revamp of the company’s loyalty program as well as new websites, information security tools, and Suzy Riesterer email marketing chief commercial and social media officer, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group campaigns.

ILLUSTRATION BY: Tim Marrs

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Carlson Rezidor’s commercial organization teams continue to add to the company’s competitive capabilities, too. Other programs already announced or in the works include: • A new group module for Carlson Rezidor’s Stay Night Automated Pricing (SNAP) program • TripAdvisor ratings on hotel websites, centralized direct billing for corporate accounts and an expansion of Tableau • Expanded sales efforts through the addition of new sales team members and new segment advisory boards In 2014, the company is making another round of enhancements to its websites with a $3 million investment. This will include the launch of a cardless initiative for the loyalty program that makes the Club CarlsonSM credentials accessible electronically and allows guests to store their digital cards on Apple’s popular Passbook app and Google Wallet.

customer journey project As it strengthens its foundation, Carlson Rezidor teams are already working to create the next generation of customer experience. The process started by getting an “outside-in” view, says Riesterer. “We wanted a solid understanding of our customers, the market and trends. We just completed the first phase of a research project with globally recognized research firm GfK.” The objective was to fully understand the guest experience and map the more than 100 touchpoints—or interactions between a guest and Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group—along the customer journey, from planning

a trip to post-stay. The research also looked outside the hotel industry for trends as well as inspiration and ideas for revolutionary customer experiences. The findings identified a few initial high-level themes. Few hotel companies are doing well with the pre-stay part of the journey. “This could be an area of opportunity for us,” says Riesterer. Embrace the negative. “Things will go wrong,” she says. “It’s the way we respond that has a big impact on the guest experience.” The little things matter most. “Many of the guests in our research spoke about the things that ultimately made their stay memorable and nearly all of them were relatively modest: a name remembered or an unexpected gift of appreciation.” Post-stay interaction should be more than ratings and surveys. “Guests feel the post-stay is too much about the hotel and not about them and their experiences,” says Riesterer. Social media is a powerful bridge between pre- and post-stay. Hotels can use online conversations to connect with guests before their next trip. Finally, millennials demand personalization and truly unique experiences. “The study helped prioritize areas Carlson Rezidor needs to fix to stay competitive, as well as opportunities our brands have to differentiate themselves,” adds Riesterer. “We will use the research in a number of ways, including identifying and correcting any remaining areas where the company lags behind the competition. The good news is that we are already on our way to addressing these key elements.”

SMART START

The Path to New Discoveries

Research Project Key Takeaways Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s recent customer experience research project uncovered some high-level themes that employees should be aware of as they look to enhance the guest experience in their own hotels: • Embrace the negative. • The little things matter most. • Social media is a powerful bridge. • Personalized experiences are key, particularly with millennials.

Carlson Rezidor will also use the research to begin testing new customer experience concepts, says Riesterer. “The magic comes in blending the most important moments along the customer journey with the trends to create an integrated experience that we all deliver together. We will be seeking input across the company, including from frontline hotel team members, and piloting the top concepts that emerge.”

innovations underway Already, Carlson Rezidor is leveraging the research to guide some exciting new initiatives. As online traffic continues shifting to mobile devices, the company is launching new brand websites with flexible content and functions that fit different devices and screen sizes. This includes accommodating common navigation gestures for tablets, smartphones and other touchscreens. Starting with Radisson Blu®, Carlson Rezidor will release the new sites over the next 12 to 15 months, says Riesterer. “These new designs will engage guests with a dynamic user experience.” In another way that Carlson Rezidor is using technology to elevate the guest experience, the company is now the only hotel group using or piloting every Google travel product available. This includes Google Wallet, on all Carlson Rezidor mobile sites, and Google Hotel Finder, which allows a one-stop search, shop and buy experience. Already used for Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson, Hotel Finder will expand to all properties this year. “These are just a few examples of how we are already on the path to a unique guest experience, and there’s a lot more to come,” Riesterer says.

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INNOVATIONAGENDA

Hotels That are Anything but Ordinary How Carlson Rezidor is using innovation to create a customer experience like no other. By Zoe Murphy Here’s a disturbing stat for hoteliers: 68 percent of customers think that all of the big hotel chains offer pretty much the same product. It’s a sign of what many in the hospitality industry are seeing as an increased trend toward the commoditization of their business. Customers in a commodity market are not brand loyal, and they tend to make purchasing decisions based on the lowest price.

Driven by Vision 20/20, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is out to separate itself from the herd by deploying its innovation strategy, adding new tools to accelerate collaboration, focusing on mobile, standardizing internal tools and fully harnessing customer data. According to Steve Brown, senior vice president, chief information and innovation officer, Carlson, the innovation and commercial teams at the company are working in concert, striving to help hotels increase profitability by creating a customer experience that resonates with customers. “There is an opportunity to seize this moment and claim it by building upon our service culture,” Brown says. “We can be more nimble than our competitors and deliver experiences that command a higher price.”

innovation strategy The process begins with an innovation strategy. This is based on the Vision

ILLUSTRATION BY: Tim Marrs

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20/20 premise that fostering an innovative culture will lead to value creation for customers and stakeholders. “By fundamentally changing the way we work, building our innovation capability and directing our energies toward differentiation in the guest experience, we can be that bright spot for our customers,” Brown says. As customers recognize and respond to that experience, Carlson Rezidor will gain momentum through the social sphere—including word of mouth and social media. The strategy to achieve this begins by creating a sustainable culture of innovation with a clear vision and a way to enhance internal collaboration as well as modeling and rewarding innovative behavior. Then, this culture needs to be applied so that it becomes a core capability. (For more on building a culture of innovation in your hotel, see “Collaboration, Capability & Culture,” page 14.)

Promoting collaboration is one of the most important elements. Organizations that are creative are inherently more connected and have a means to exchange ideas, Brown says. “Almost all breakthrough ideas come from the collision of smaller ideas and from the ability to take one idea and build on it through collaboration,” he adds. As part of achieving this, Carlson Rezidor has deployed the enterprise social-networking tool Yammer. Now every team member can have a voice in Carlson Rezidor’s journey to build a better customer experience. “It will provide a single place for teammates and subject-matter experts to engage in real-time, online dialogue, from any location, on any device,” Brown says.

mobile first Mobile technology will be a critical platform for Carlson Rezidor as it creates a differentiated customer experience. “Mobile first is how we are thinking when considering new capabilities and experiences,” Brown explains. Across industries, mobile commerce spending is already in the billions of dollars. At Carlson Rezidor, nearly 40 percent of online traffic is now coming from mobile devices. That number is significantly above the rest

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about the items in a hotel room when a guest views the room through a device’s camera.

The Power of Data

of the industry and a positive trend, Brown says. “The opportunity for Carlson Rezidor is with the connected customer, the platform mobile technology offers and the capabilities Carlson Rezidor can integrate with the experiences hotels create.” Carlson Rezidor is already leveraging emerging technology capabilities to create a better customer experience. In 2014, all websites will be enhanced and redesigned, focusing on the mobile experience, with a planned investment of $6 million. (See “First Steps on the Customer Journey,” page 10.)

Brown also suggests that there are other ways Carlson Rezidor can prepare for the digital wave. “The guest networks in some of our hotels are showing their age and are in need of capacity upgrades to support future demands,” he says. Looking ahead, the company is currently researching a number of cutting-edge technologies, including proximity services that could manage preferences and provide customized offers to guest devices depending on their location, along with augmented reality that could overlay information

Steve Brown senior vice president, chief information and innovation officer, Carlson

While personalization will be a key to differentiation, standard processes will help make those experiences happen. Carlson Rezidor is enhancing efficiencies and reducing duplication on tools and platforms like property and customer profile management systems. “Simplifying these processes will free up frontline teams who can then focus on the customers and their experiences,” says Brown. Carlson Rezidor is also working on making better use of all of the data generated by advancing technology. “We cannot compete on the level of differentiated experiences without making sense of all the interactions we have with our customers,” Brown says. To achieve this, Carlson Rezidor first has to empower the customers to create and influence their experiences. This means innovative, customermanaged profiles with easy-to-use options for customers to update and manage their preferences. Next, those preferences have to be captured at internal touchpoints and across the social sphere. “Lastly, we want to understand customers’ influence in the social sphere and willingness to be active promoters of our brands,” Brown says. “Social networks approximate how people make buying decisions. They often rely far more on reviews and word of mouth than on a company’s marketing or advertising.” Like anything worthwhile, reaching all of these goals will take hard work, Brown says. “But, we should ask, ‘Why not us? Why not now?’”

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INNOVATIONAGENDA

The challenge for properties is to make sure that their culture supports the behaviors they want, the service they want delivered and the teams they represent. Linsday focused on fostering a culture of innovation and building innovation capability during her presentation at the Country Inns & Suites Business Conference in Las Vegas. “Creating a culture of innovation at work starts first with a clear vision and message around innovation,” she explains. Joy Linsday, vice president, Human Resources, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

Collaboration, Capability & Culture CARLSON REZIDOR’S Hotels have the power to become innovative NOW. By Zoe Murphy Every hotel has a culture, like a workplace DNA. At Carlson Rezidor, culture leads to value creation for customers when centered on innovation. “This is all about how we sustain our process and approach so that we have repeatable, scalable ways to consider potentially great ideas and leverage our talent to experiment with a new concept or guest experience initiative,” Joy Linsday, vice president, Human Resources, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, explains.

ILLUSTRATION BY: Tim Marrs

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To begin creating a culture of innovation, leaders first have to have a conversation with employees about the topic. From there, Linsday says it is essential to model, reward and encourage the behaviors that underpin what is important about innovation. “You need to think about how you call out and encourage these behaviors, like empowering action, taking good risks and having open conversations,” she says. Consider adding reinforcing messages to every staff interaction. Encourage an open, real-time exchange on what you see that aligns with the behaviors you are encouraging, and ask your team members what they see that aligns or may be in their way. She advises managers to take the time to look at what behaviors are rewarded and ask themselves if the reward and recognition align with the vision around innovation. “We want to catch ourselves modeling the right behaviors, making it clear to those around us that innovative ways of thinking, doing or being is not only OK, it’s encouraged.”

To start to change the culture also requires changing the conversation or having the right conversation with the right people. The right people are those individuals around you who, in aggregate, create the culture at your hotel. “A culture of innovation is tough to build—if not impossible—unless we put our heads together … and our voices, and our thoughts, and our energy, and our ideas,” Linsday says. She adds that collaboration takes courage and a willingness to share, as well as to listen to others. “It is the building upon and at times the collision of completely different ideas that can lead to something new, competitively different and truly innovative.”

SUSTAINING THE PROCESS Once the conversation has gotten underway, Linsday says that is when properties can start building innovation as an organizational capability. What factors influence employees’ decisions about whether they voluntarily introduce or apply new ideas, processes and procedures to their jobs? Linsday cites a 2010 study, “Innovative behavior in the workplace: The role of performance and image outcome expectations,” in the Academy of Management Journal that examined the key variables that help explain why employees engage—or choose not to engage—in innovative behavior. “The study examined how employees decided whether to voluntarily engage in innovative behavior, which was defined as both generating or introducing new ideas as well as implementing them,” she says. The researchers found that individuals’ innovativeness was affected by their expectations that the behavior would

ACHIEVING INNOVATION sound advice

How to Start the Conversation Model, reward and encourage. Think about how to call out and encourage the behaviors that are important to innovation. Look at what behaviors are rewarded. Make it clear that innovative ways of thinking are not only OK, but also encouraged. Have the right conversation with the right people. Collaboration is key, so be willing to share ideas while at the same time listening to others. Be open to other ideas. When different people’s ideas collide is often when the most innovative things come to life.

have a positive impact on performance outcomes. “For example, would their behavior increase productivity, decrease errors or increase their ability to hit a goal, and how would their behavior reflect on their image within the organization?” Linsday asks. Employees in the study were more likely to engage in innovative behavior when they expected it would benefit their work versus when they did not expect such a positive outcome. Similarly, they avoided engaging in innovative behavior when they feared doing so would cause others to view them negatively.

“In terms of creating a culture of innovation and building innovation capability, most of the factors are controllable by the hotels,” Linsday says. To encourage employees to engage in innovative thinking, she urges hotels to incorporate these factors: • Identify “positive performance outcomes” at a hotel. These could include driving positive customer engagement, process accuracy or an efficient check-in process. • Ensure that the management team demonstrates behaviors such as empowering others, taking good risks, having open conversations and collaborating. • Make quality employee relationships a priority. This connection creates the foundation for innovation to take hold. • Ensure individuals’ performance expectations are clear and include engaging in innovative behaviors, such as taking good risks or sharing new ideas. Make sure they know what positive performance outcomes are critical. • Make it “safe” to try new ideas, make suggestions, question assumptions and challenge the status quo. • Celebrate, recognize and reward small improvements in product, process or service, as well as breakthrough innovations. “This work is central to leadership and creates the foundation for great things to happen,” Linsday says. “People love to be part of something bigger than themselves, and culture— particularly innovative culture work—is just that. It’s something big.”

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621 ATTENDEES ARRIVED IN MINNEAPOLIS READY TO LEARN AND CELEBRATE More than 600 key hotel representatives, general managers and Carlson Rezidor executives attended the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference. Held Feb. 18–21 at the Radisson Blu Mall of America, the conference offered a number of businessbuilding opportunities. These included the popular Sales One-on-One appointments, which gave hotels the chance to discuss key accounts and learn how Carlson Rezidor’s strategic partnerships and global sales organization can drive both group and transient business. The strategy sessions were wellattended by 387 general managers and directors of sales.

› 16

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SENSE OF ARRIVAL Attendees on their way to a general session of the Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference held in the Radisson Blu Mall of America.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we change the way we look at things, it opens us up to new opportunities.â&#x20AC;? Phil Hansen artist and guest speaker

IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINENew IMAGINE IMAG Direction IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG T IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG IMAGINE IMAGINE IMAG

BOLD

INNOVATION IS CRITICAL TO DRIVING RESULTS IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE HOTEL INDUSTRY. By Deborah M. Bernstein

he time for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group to innovate is now, says Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson. Rautio spoke at the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference about the company’s evolving strategy as well as the role of innovation in the company and how it will increase hotel profitability. “Imagine where we can take this company and these brands,” Rautio asked of attendees. “Imagine the strength of our foundation helping us transform into a new CarlsonSM, more powerful than ever before.” MAKING CONNECTIONS As the company’s foundational Ambition 2015 strategy evolves to the transformational Vision 20/20, Carlson Rezidor is refining its goals to build on the achievements of the past four years. The new strategy focuses on delivering great results, developing talent, being

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the bright spot for customers and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. “Innovation pays through the creation and delivery of unique customer experiences that connect and resonate strongly with guests,” says Rautio. “That will lead to experiences that truly differentiate us from the competition and drive pricing power.” There are ripe opportunities for innovation in the hotel industry, she says. “While competitors claim to have great innovations, there has been little more than incremental, one-off features that barely resonate with customers as a thoughtful or complete experience. In fact, none of our competitors have solved the customer experience and created an opportunity to claim it as their own.” To win this space, Rautio believes Carlson Rezidor’s secret weapon is its people. “It is through our people that we create bright spots for our customers,” she says.

GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE GINE IMAGINE IMAGINE CARLSON’S LEADING EDGE Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson, says that developing a differentiated customer experience will lead to higher revenues for the company’s hotels.

“These moments express the brand promise and create a unique experience. We are building loyalty with our guests by making strong, personal connections with them.” EXPERIENCE PAYS Creating bright spots is more than professionally and emotionally satisfying. The relationship between valued customer experience and profitability is real. Rautio cites a recent Cornell University study showing the most important factor for a consumer when selecting a hotel is customer experience, not price. Customers will pay more for an experience that is meaningful to them. The same study revealed that a one-point increase in a TripAdvisor review score equates to an 11 percent increase in price while maintaining the same occupancy rate. Rautio wants to see innovation as a sustained organizational capability. This will involve the company’s best talent working together. “We need to do the hard work required to make innovation a capability we can count on. Customers will expect that we deliver these experiences with consistency,” she says. “We need to move with urgency and add to the value of the experience we offer our customers.”

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OUR FUTURE IS NOW WRITTEN BY SPENCER COLLINS

ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT’S NEXT?

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THE MAN WITH THE PLAN Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson, Americas, and executive vice president, Owned and Managed Hotels, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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fter four years of progress that are making Radisson® one of the freshest brands in the hotel business, the road to further success is built on the transition from Ambition 2015 to Vision 20/20. A host of initiatives and plans are on the table, all geared toward driving performance and transforming what could be everyday service interactions with guests into memorable moments that will differentiate Radisson from competitors. “Imagining the future is no longer required,” says Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson, Americas, and executive vice president, Owned and Managed Hotels, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “The future is here, and we are making it a reality.” During the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Business Conference, Rosenberg, along with Richard Flores, vice

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president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, and Susan Mason, vice president, Radisson Franchise Operations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, teamed up to provide the attendees with an update on the progress of Radisson and a look at the brand’s key strategic programs for the year to come. YES I CAN! REFRESHED In one of the biggest events of the conference, Radisson launched a revamp of its acclaimed Yes I Can! SM servicetraining program. Each hotel sent its Yes I Can! trainer to the conference to experience the new program and become certified. The refreshed program includes new training materials and other resources, but the fundamental difference in the new program is its recognition of the power that individuals have to connect with guests. Data from Radisson hotels prove that engaged employees lead to increased guest satisfaction and measurable revenue increases, says Rosenberg. “Engaged staff lead to an eight-point gain in

RGI—this could represent more than half a million dollars for an individual hotel.” BEING THE BRAND While strengthening its product, Radisson has also stepped up its branding programs to ensure that customers associate the upgraded product with a refreshed brand experience. So how should guests view the new Radisson? Employees must stay focused on what the brand represents: traditional yet younghearted hotels, with people who understand modern travel and the complexities of modern life, says Flores. “We want to deliver more: more of what really matters, more of what makes a difference and, most importantly, more of the little things that make a big difference,” he says. measuring success In the year ahead, the focus for Radisson properties will be shifting to brand standards. The brand will give more weight to standards and Radisson Re-Imagined elements on quality performance reviews (QPRs).

THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT Javier Rosenberg and Richard Flores listen as Susan Mason shows off photos of some of Radisson’s newly renovated hotels at the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Business Conference; Susan Mason, vice president, Radisson Franchise Operations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

25%

FRESH NEW LOOKS

It was in 2010 when Carlson Rezidor first set the goal of revitalizing the Radisson brand in the Americas. Building a solid foundational base has been key to that effort. “It all starts with having a great product,” says Rosenberg. “The Radisson portfolio has evolved significantly in the last four years.” At this year’s conference, a whopping 22 hotels won the brand’s Renovation Award. More than 75 percent of the brand’s hotels have renovated since 2010, and the remaining 25 percent are on track for completion as planned. Besides helping lift guest perception of the overall brand, the renovations are helping hotels increase guest satisfaction and enhance profitability.

ON TRACK

PIP

EXECUTION

75% COMPLETE

12.2% 4 INCREASE IN

RevPAR

INCREASE IN

RGI YOY

PIPS PAY OFF

Last year was one of transition for many Radisson properties as they completed property improvement plans (PIPs) while they successfully overcame any inconveniences that come with a renovation. “A lot of hard work has gone into completing these property improvement plans in a timely manner,” says Mason. But these efforts to finish a renovation come with just rewards: The Radisson hotels that completed PIPs were up 12.2 percent in revenue per available room (RevPAR) and up 4 points in revenue generation index (RGI) year-over-year (YOY).

PROTECT YOUR ASSETS

Once properties have invested in a renovation, Radisson offers several new programs to help care for that investment, including the new Asset Inventory Review tool, or AIR. As a basis, AIR uses the industry standards produced by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants and the American Hotel & Lodging Association. “AIR allows hotels to track their current inventory based on industry standards and assist in implementing a good preventive maintenance program,” says Mason. “Managing the current inventory will assist properties in planning future decisions in preparation for further capital expenditures.”

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2013 MARKETING SUCCESS

Last year, the brand saw a 13-to-1 return on investment for online marketing efforts on Radisson.com. Additionally, there were 577 million consumer impressions for a 15 percent YOY increase in digital revenues. 2014 will bring new efforts to drive higher levels of qualified traffic to the brand websites with branded, paid search campaigns and mobile campaigns. The plans also include the launch of a Radisson consumer campaign as well as business-to-business initiatives like targeted GDS marketing campaigns and an aggressive travel agent incentive program.

: 13 1

ROI FOR

ONLINE MARKETING EFFORTS

92%

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

15% 577

100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK

RITUALS AMENITIES

YOY DIGITAL REVENUES MILLION CONSUMER IMPRESSIONS

RAVE REVIEWS

To realize its goals, Radisson recently revised and added a number of dynamic new brand programs for hotels. The impetus for these programs started with and grew from elements tested during last year’s Radisson Re-Imagined initiative, and guests are already giving them wonderful reviews, says Flores. “We asked our focus groups, and an outstanding 92 percent said Spread the Love showed Radisson cares about the global community, and 100 percent gave the new Rituals amenity line a positive review.”

MORE OF WHAT MATTERS › Extra Thoughtful Care

› Spread the Love

Radisson recently expanded its Extra Thoughtful Care (ETC) that focuses on delivering ETC in all aspects of the guest experience.

This donation program provides guests with an opportunity to make a minimum $1 donation toward a charitable partner.

› Check-in Choice

› New Amenities

This new program launched last year and allows guests the ability to check in via their mobile devices.

A new, exclusive line from Rituals offers a luxurious collection of high-quality products that are natural, renewable and organic.

› iConcierge App

› Meetings Success

A new app for Radisson gives guests full access to hotel services easily and instantly on their mobile devices.

This new program launched at the conference and helps hotels deliver successful events, a particular area of focus in 2014.

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Radisson has introduced a new QPR site, with an improved dashboard, faster and more dynamic reporting options, and enhanced management action plan capabilities. There is also an expanded Narrative Reports section, which shares a more detailed guest experience from the eyes of a guest. In addition, improvements to Medallia for 2014 will make the survey experience faster and easier for guests, and it will include other new metrics. One area of change is the adoption of the Net Promoter Score (NPS). It uses a 10-point scale to measure the response to the question “How likely would you be to recommend this hotel to someone else?” Text Analytics is another new Medallia tool that will give hotels the ability to analyze written text within the comment files. “It will provide insight into guests’ likes and concerns with the flexibility to analyze comments,” Mason says. COOL NEW TOOLS Beyond Medallia, the importance of social media cannot be underestimated. To address this, Radisson launched Real Time

THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT Richard Flores, vice president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; Javier Rosenberg, Susan Mason and Richard Flores

Alerts for all hotels participating in Revinate. “Real Time Alerts allow you to be notified the moment a negative review is published on any review site that Revinate captures,” Mason says. Looking further out into 2014, there will be an integration between TripAdvisor and Medallia that will allow guests to post a comment on TripAdvisor after completing a survey. Finally, Radisson has taken input from hotels and team members and used it to enhance the current marketing tool, BrandIt. A pilot program to evaluate moving hotels from a locally based property management system to a centrally hosted Opera property management system is also being launched in Q2 2014. PARTING THOUGHTS As Radisson continues its transformation, Rosenberg says the brand has three focus areas for the coming year. 1. Driving brand performance: Radisson’s tools and systems will continue to evolve, and its teams will continue to offer the

highest level of support in the industry. In addition, the brand will continue to improve hotel profitability, including strategic sourcing contributions that in 2013 represented more than $3 million in direct savings to hotels. 2. Maintaining brand integrity: “We have come a long way and we must build on that,” says Rosenberg. “We have to provide the best service, ensure our product remains fresh and stay consistent with Radisson brand standards.” 3. Pushing for growth: On the heels of 2013’s remarkable development momentum, Carlson Rezidor is continuing to expand with new hotels across all its brands. Achieving the next level of success will require everyone’s commitment and engagement, says Rosenberg. “In 2010, we asked you to dream, and those dreams have become a reality. Now, we ask that you join us again as we embrace Vision 20/20 and embark on the next stage of our journey.”

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The Radisson Blu brand meeting offers a look at last year’s success

esponding to the continued global growth of Radisson Blu®, organizers of the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference created the first Radisson Blu brandspecific meeting in the Americas. In four deep-dive sessions during the daylong meeting, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group representatives reviewed 2013 milestones and provided a look at a number of brand initiatives in the works for the year ahead. SPREADING THE WORD Rose Anderson, vice president, Branding, Radisson Blu, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, provided a brand overview and 2013 highlights, including the brand’s rapid expansion. Radisson Blu now has more than 275 hotels in operation around the world,

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and, with 94 hotels in the pipeline, it is building on its leadership position in many markets. In the Americas, last year saw the successful opening of the conference host hotel, the Radisson Blu Mall of America; the unveiling of the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel Philadelphia; and the ongoing renovation of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis, set to open as a Radisson Blu later this year. These early successes are setting the foundation for continued U.S. growth, and there are plenty of markets for expansion, says Anderson. As online traffic continues shifting to mobile devices, Carlson Rezidor is enhancing its hotel brand websites. The first of Carlson Rezidor’s digital guest experience redesigns is currently

and a sneak peek at upcoming initiatives. —By Spencer Collins

underway and will launch with the Radisson Blu brand later this year. Within the new website, some of the key enhancements include dynamic new designs, dramatic photography and flexible and responsive components that adapt to different devices and screen sizes. The updates will accommodate common gestures and swipe navigation features for ease of use on tablets, smartphones and other touchscreens. “The recent evolution of our brands requires a more unique story and experience,” says Anderson. “Just as the physical properties need to remain fresh and current, so too must the online representation of our brands and properties.” Radisson Blu is also rapidly creating a robust presence in the social media sphere.

For 2014, the brand’s global social media team is deploying a comprehensive social media strategy for the brand. Besides engaging hotels in local content programs, Radisson Blu is completely redesigning the brand’s blog to serve as a content hub. “We have a really strong, dedicated and comprehensive social media strategy this year,” says Anderson. WE ARE BLU The meeting also provided an insider look at the development of a Blu-specific Yes I Can!SM service program. Consultants Martin Firrell and William Maughan of Industrial Clairvoyance, who helped redesign Yes I Can! for Radisson, spoke at the meeting about refreshing the program for Radisson Blu, accounting for differences in the two brands. ›

FROM LEFT Radisson Blu Mall of America; tablet updates are part of Radisson Blu’s fresh digital look; the meeting included samples of new food and beverage concepts: the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia.

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ROSE ANDERSON vice president, Branding, Radisson Blu, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

“Radisson Blu needs to be unequivocal in its unique offering to guests. The brand has many important initiatives in the works this year that are going to help it do just that.”

“We’re looking at a bespoke, refreshed Yes I Can!, specifically for Radisson Blu,” says Maughan. The partners have spent the better part of the last six months interviewing brand leaders and frequent guests as well as working with employees involved in the day-to-day running of Radisson Blu hotels. Set to roll out to hotels globally later this year, the new Yes I Can! program for Blu will include redesigned training workshops around the many successful elements of the current iconic program, but it will also overlay new concepts that will help the brand further differentiate itself. These concepts include the ideas that the brand has an interesting story to tell, and that employees can better serve guests by relying on their unique qualities to help them make personal connections with guests. The new Yes I Can! program will look at ways employees can be more proactive, ABOVE Attendees at the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference at the Radisson Blu Mall of America.

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reaching out to connect with guests before there is a service problem. The program will also create a framework for employees to put their personalities at the heart of the program. “As the program rolls out, we will have a much fuller and richer idea of why it’s fun, meaningful and engaging to be a part of Radisson Blu,” says Firrell. “We can start to own a richer story of who we are.” STRATEGIC APPROACH Heading into the remainder of the year, the brand will focus on four main areas as the key pillars of its 2014 global plans: enhancing customer experiences and developing stronger, more personal customer relationships; strengthening the brand value proposition by growing brand channel contribution and hotel direct revenues; driving global brand awareness; and supporting and driving the brand’s extensive growth. “Radisson Blu needs to be unequivocal in its unique offering to guests,” says Anderson. “The brand has many important initiatives in the works this year that are going to help it do just that.”

colorful hotels At Park Inn by Radisson, we offer our guests a bold, colorful and fresh environment that provides both business and leisure travelers with an uncomplicated and friendly hotel experience. Adding Color to LifeSM

parkinn.com

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RADISSONHONORS

award winnerS President’s Awards: Radisson Hotel Akron/Fairlawn / Radisson Hotel Antofagasta / Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa / Radisson Blu Mall of America / Radisson Royal Bogota Hotel / Radisson Hotel Branson / Radisson Royal Hotel Cali / Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago / Radisson Hotel Corning / Radisson Hotel Colorado Springs Airport / Radisson Hotel Curitiba / Radisson Hotel El Paso Airport / Radisson Hotel Fargo / Radisson Hotel Flamingos / Radisson Fort McDowell Resort / Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Green Bay / Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center / Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Kenosha / Radisson Hotel La Crosse / Radisson Hotel Orlando–Lake Buena Vista / Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel Leon / Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls / Radisson Hotel Manchester Downtown / Radisson on John Deere Commons–Moline / Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview, ON / Radisson Hotel Chicago O’Hare / Radisson Petra Concepción / Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia / Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis / Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport / Radisson Hotel Portland Airport / Radisson Royal Quito Hotel / Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Airport / Radisson Plaza Santiago Hotel / Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina / Radisson Hotel Saskatoon / Radisson Hotel Santa Maria / Radisson

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Top talent from the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference. Blu Resort Marina & Spa, St. Martin / Radisson Hotel San Isidro / Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West / Radisson Hotel Yuma; Renovation Awards: Radisson Hotel Alphaville / Radisson Paper Valley Hotel / Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys, Baltimore / Radisson Hotel Chatsworth / Radisson Royal Hotel Cali / Radisson Hotel Harrisburg / Radisson Hotel Corpus Christi Beach / Radisson Hotel Corning / Radisson Hotel Fargo / Radisson Hotel & Suites Fort McMurray / Radisson Suite Hotel Halifax / Radisson Resort Orlando–Celebration / Radisson Hotel Madison / Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront / Radisson Hotel Nashua / Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia / Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport / Radisson Hotel Portland Airport / Radisson Hotel San Diego– Rancho Bernardo / Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside / Radisson Hotel Sao Paulo Faria Lima / Radisson Hotel Whittier; Responsible Row 1 (left Business Award: Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel Leon to right) Note—not all award winners pictured. | Mark LyttletonFrances, general manager, Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa / Harry Gorstayn, general manager, Radisson Blu Mall of America / Angela Gomez, general manager, Radisson Royal Bogota Hotel / Patrick Campbell, general manager, Radisson Hotel Branson / Adriana Savino, general manager, Radisson Royal Hotel Cali /

Pierre-Louis Giacotto, general manager, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago / Michele Donegan, general manager, Radisson Hotel Corning / Zan Wagner, general manager, Radisson Hotel Colorado Springs Airport / Danielle Ayoub, general manager, Radisson Hotel El Paso Airport / Sandi Adams, general manager, Radisson Hotel Fargo / Rosa Maria Martinez, general manager, Radisson Hotel Flamingos / Bert Parra, general manager, Radisson Fort McDowell Resort / Steve Ninham, general manager, Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Green Bay / Tim Rayman, general manager, Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center; Row 2 (left to right) | Laura Danielewicz, assistant general manager, Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Kenosha / Pete Boese, general manager, Radisson Hotel La Crosse / Angela Santiago, director of sales, Radisson Hotel Orlando–Lake Buena Vista / Eric Bourdales, general manager, Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel Leon / Dan Gaab, general manager, Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls / Kim Roy, general manager, Radisson Hotel Manchester Downtown / David Yordy, general manager, Radisson on John Deere Commons–Moline / Shelley Kemp, general manager, Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview, ON / Kai Chow, general manager, Radisson Hotel Chicago O’Hare / Charles Jacobsthal, general manager, Radisson Petra Concepción / Joanne Cunningham, general manager, Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia; Row 3 (left to right) | Steve Lundberg, general manager, Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis / Ted Trembath, general manager, Radisson Hotel

Phoenix Airport / Becky Fields, general manager, Radisson Hotel Portland Airport / Luis Meneses, general manager, Radisson Royal Quito Hotel / Lisa Knight, general manager, Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Airport / Camilo Navas, general manager, Radisson Plaza Santiago Hotel / Patty Schweighardt, general manager, Radisson Hotel Saskatoon / JeanLuc Garon, general manager, Radisson Hotel Santa Maria / Jean-Marc Jalbert, general manager, Radisson Blu Resort Marina & Spa, St. Martin / Rose Murack, general manager, Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West / Evan Fuller, general manager, Radisson Hotel Yuma / Tom Cook, general manager, Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys, Baltimore / Arthur Boshnakian, general manager, Radisson Hotel Chatsworth / Jeffrey Strupp, general manager, Radisson Hotel Harrisburg; Row 4 (left to right) | David Reasoner, general manager, Radisson Hotel Corpus Christi Beach / Ron Petroski, general manager, Radisson Resort Orlando–Celebration / Jason Salus, general manager, Radisson Hotel Madison / Raed Alshaibi, general manager, Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront / Scott Durkee, general manager, Radisson Hotel Nashua / Michael Marsch, general manager, Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside / Christine Stonebraker, director of sales, Radisson Hotel San Diego–Rancho Bernardo / Jay Schumerth, general manager, Radisson Paper Valley Hotel / Fabiola Rojas, revenue manager, Radisson Hotel San Isidro / Barbara Brown, director of sales, Radisson Hotel Menomonee Falls / Jean-Marc Guillamot, area director, Atlific Hotels

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AWARDSGALA

Elegant Event

An evening of celebration and recognition. As the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference concluded, all gathered at the gala to celebrate the close of another successful conference. Held at the Radisson Blu Mall of America, the special night recognized the best of the best among hotels and employees.

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RADISSONHONORS Hotel of the Year Radisson Tim Rayman, General Manager

Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center Front row, fifth from left

Hotel of the Year Radisson Blu Harry Gorstayn, General Manager Radisson Blu Mall of America Front row, third from left

Sales Team of the Year

John Janco, Director of Sales and Catering Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center Back row, second from left

Employee of the Year Radisson Gabriela Cadena, Sous Chef Radisson Royal Hotel Quito Front row, second from left

Employee of the Year Radisson Blu

Steve Hornstein, Bell Captain

Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia Back row, first from left

General Manager of the Year Radisson

Mark Lyttleton-Frances, General Manager Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa Back row, fourth from left

General Manager of the Year Radisson Blu

Pierre-Louis Giacotto, General Manager Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago Back row, third from left

Yes I Can! SM

Pete Boese, General Manager Radisson Hotel La Crosse Back row, sixth from left

Angela Maria Gomez, General Manager Radisson Royal Bogota Hotel Front row, fourth from left

Responsible Business Award Eric Bourdales, General Manager Back row, fifth from left

Denis Rizo, Responsible Business Coordinator Front row, sixth from left

MalĂş Zarate, Director of Sales Front row, first from left

Radisson Poliforum Plaza Hotel Leon

New Hotel of the Year

Jitesh Darji, Director of Operations Back row, seventh from left

Laura Williamson, Director of Sales Back row, eighth from left

Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre Calgary Airport

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Shining Stars

Radisson and Radisson Blu honor their top performers. The 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference concluded with a celebratory night to honor the best hotels and employees from the previous year. All the winners set an example窶馬ot only for other hotel properties, but also for their communities. Recognizing the five-decade legacy of the Radissonﾂｮ brand, the event was held in the birthplace of Carlson, Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. One of many highlights of the evening was Chair of the Board of Directors Diana Nelson, who spoke on her first year serving in that position. The overall spirit of the night and the conference was one of renewal and commitment, a spirit that sets the tone for the year ahead and the future of both brands.

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THIS IS RED WRITTEN BY SPENCER COLLINS

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CARLSON REZIDOR IS NOT ONLY LAUNCHING A NEW BRAND WITH RADISSON RED, IT’S CREATING A WHOLE NEW INDUSTRY CATEGORY: LIFESTYLE SELECT.

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ello, stylish, tech-savvy, global traveler. Meet your newest friend, Radisson Red.

At its 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference in February, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group introduced audiences to Radisson Red—which, along with the simultaneous launch of luxury brand Quorvus Collection, marks the company’s first development of a completely new hotel brand in more than 25 years. In Radisson Red, Carlson Rezidor is making its foray into the upscale-select segment with a unique concept poised for rapid growth. The brand’s hotels will share a forward-thinking focus on design, the customer experience and recognition of the increasingly important role of technology in everyday life, says Gordon McKinnon, executive vice president and chief branding officer, Carlson. Red represents a winning brand for the future: one that attracts investors, engages with customers and clearly differentiates its offerings from competitors, says McKinnon. “We have a portfolio of brands that are competing; now we need to take them all to the next stage and develop them into a portfolio of brands that can win.”

our eye on this opportunity for a while, and in some ways it was only a matter of time,” says McKinnon. With the lifestyle-select label, Carlson Rezidor is trying to come up with something that both the industry and consumers will understand, he says. “It’s important to be able to communicate quickly that this is not what people might think in traditional terms of a design product that carries a heavy price tag.” There’s more to distinguish it from the comp set than just a name, however. Red’s design aesthetic balances modern style with a practical sensitivity to guest needs. “We are putting the customer experience at the core of everything we do,” says McKinnon. “This is design with a purpose that relates back to effective use of space. People today have a much better understanding of and appreciation for design as well as the higher expectations that come with this knowledge.”

MAKING THE CASE

WIDE-OPEN SPACES

Across the industry, the upscale-select segment— hotels that feature rooms typical of an upscale property but with fewer services like full-service restaurants—is booming. There are many reasons for this, but a key factor is that upscale-select hotels can offer upscale rooms at a lower price point: ideal for guests who don’t require the wider range of services offered by a full-service hotel. “We’re constantly analyzing changing demographics, consumer trends and markets; we’ve had

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At Radisson Red, limited service definitely doesn’t mean low end. Starting with the sense of arrival, the guest experience will be very different from that of most hotels. The modern architectural exterior features a wall of mirrored glass covering the front façade. “How to better give a hotel a sense of place than to mirror the environment around it?” asks McKinnon. An open lobby, which is more like a private art gallery than a traditional reception area, welcomes

Red Convergence a single point for content and a tool for personalization.

Radisson Red’s new website, Radissonred.com, is as forward-thinking as the brand it represents, says Gordon McKinnon, executive vice president and chief branding officer, Carlson. “Radissonred.com right now is a story of where we are at and is focused more on a business development audience,” he says. “As the brand develops, this will evolve into stories around the brand as told through a blog. We’ll begin to build up our customer base, and it will become transactional once the first hotels start to open.” From there, the site will continue to feature unique, rich content that appeals to its audience. “It may talk about technology, design, wine and beer, travel or art. It will become more than just a booking widget, it will be a real go-to, relationship site that provides relevant content and builds two-way loyalty,” McKinnon says. The site will then converge into the Red app that literally acts as the key to the door and where guests can order food, request a taxi from the concierge or manage the in-room environment. “The app will be the center of the Red world,” says McKinnon. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON RADISSON RED, VISIT RADISSONRED.com.

FROM TOP Renderings of a future Radisson Red hotel room with a video projector for displaying movies on the wall; a credenza, inspired by the look of mechanics’ metal toolboxes, may be customized with finishes and patterns that give a nod to the local area.

On Location Radisson red’s plans for growth are a hot topic

Carlson Rezidor has ambitious plans for its new lifestyle select brand, with aims to have more than 60 Radisson Red hotels globally by 2020. In the U.S., Carlson will invest or enter joint ventures to develop the first five to 10 hotels, after which Radisson Red will become more of a franchise model. In Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the brand will pursue a different model where hotels will be predominately all managed. The brand hopes to develop initially in city clusters of three to four hotels, which could share resources for local sales, marketing, development, revenue-management and stafftraining efforts.

FROM LEFT Bathrooms feature custom tile mosaics; a honeycomb wall defines retail space in the gallery.

guests. Check-in will be paperless and keyless, from pre-stay through checkout, most transactions are conducted on guests’ mobile devices. The lobby sets the tone for the entire hotel by embracing technology and combining it with a stylish, eclectic aesthetic that includes frequent nods to the hotel’s local culture and community. There’s no full-service restaurant, but at Radisson Red’s Ouibar, guests can enjoy bottled craft cocktails prepared in small bulk, followed by small plates crafted with high-quality, fresh ingredients. A curated wine and beer list completes the experience. The public space will also feature Redeli, a retail space that makes many of the offerings of Ouibar available 24 hours a day, along with bottled water, soft drinks, oft-forgotten travel essentials and the makings for some excellent snacks with cheeses, fresh bread and charcuterie.

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In all of the hotel’s public spaces, the brand’s design teams incorporated maximum flexibility. Public space can be part of the bar at night and used for work or reading areas during the day. The meeting and events room can turn into a game room or movie theater at night. Visitors to the brand’s hotels will also notice a few design details in public areas that are characteristic of Radisson Red, including the unique, red rock seating and the honeycomb retail divider. There’s also the Potting Shed, a little house attached to the main gallery. “The Potting Shed may be something quite different in each hotel,” says McKinnon. “Hotels may use it to grow herbs for the kitchen or sell ice cream on the terrace or even for installation art.” Radisson Red is also including the type of details that will place each hotel in its individual environment. For each property, the brand will develop a graphic that reflects some part of the local community’s identity and incorporate it into the tiles of some of the bathrooms, a mosaic in the art gallery and even on staff uniforms.

DELIGHT IN THE DETAILS

In guest rooms, Red is challenging the current uniformity in the industry with stylish studios built for flexible functionality and modern comfort and with custom details that provide a unique experience, says McKinnon. “We designed the rooms with careful consideration of how people actually use hotel rooms today.” Recognizing that people want to work, but usually work sitting in bed with a laptop or at a table where they can spread out, led Radisson Red to do away with the standard desk and chair to allow room for a more flexible table and chairs where guests can work or eat. Sofas provide another place to work or relax. The credenza, inspired by mechanics’ toolboxes, serves as another signature room element. “We will customize this to location with finishes and patterns that capture the nuances of the local area,” says McKinnon. “While some will be in the red enamel, a few might be made of timber and others sprayed with a graffiti pattern.”

With bathrooms driving some of the highest expectations from hotel guests today, Radisson Red is responding with spacious, spalike areas that feature luxuries like waterfall showerheads with added hand-held wands and an interesting new take on bathroom amenities. Of course, there’s the incorporation of personal technology into the rooms as well. Guests are able to customize their room environments through the Radisson Red app by controlling sound systems and video projectors for displaying television, movies or the guest’s own digital art or photos on the wall of the room. Still, for all the design detail and whizzy technology, Radisson Red’s employees will be the factor that puts the brand over the top.

POWER OF PEOPLE

Red will invest heavily in pre-opening training and continue to make training an ongoing focus. In addition, Red has an entirely different type of staffing model where every employee will have a special skill but also cross-train to cover any position in the hotel. “We think this will also help us develop the hoteliers for tomorrow because it will create really well-rounded individuals who understand every part of the business,” McKinnon says. It should make things more interesting for employees as well, who will get to work in a variety of areas of the hotel and interact with many different people. Ultimately, Radisson Red’s people will define the brand’s soul as it launches into the wider world. “People are crucial to the success of this brand and indeed to all of Carlson Rezidor,” says McKinnon. “Employees are absolutely going to be the make or break.”

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QU OR VUS 44

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Carlson Rezidor introduces the Quorvus Collection, a new luxury experience in hotels. WRITTEN BY OCTAVIO ABBIATI

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here’s a new breed of luxury guest, and they are demanding experiences customized just for them. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is moving quickly to appeal to these customers with its new global luxury hotel brand, Quorvus Collection—an expertly curated group of luxury hotels that celebrate the distinctive culture of each location. “Luxury is beginning to be influenced by shifting trends and demographics, and people’s expectations are changing,” says Gordon McKinnon, executive vice president and chief branding officer, Carlson. SPHERE OF INFLUENCE Carlson Rezidor aims to grow Quorvus to at least 20 hotels in operation and under development by 2020. The company expects to announce its first members in Q2 2014, with an initial focus on Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The portfolio will include historic landmark properties, contemporary residences, classic boutiques and urban retreats, all featuring their own distinctive architecture, ambiance and design. While maintaining their individuality, Quorvus Collection hotels will be able to tap into Carlson Rezidor’s powerful

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branding, marketing, sales and distribution systems and create a unique set of red threads between them. DIFFERENT STANDARD The Quorvus team’s goal was to allow hotels to maintain their individuality while giving guests some common expectations for service and consistency, says McKinnon. “We wanted to make hotels’ experiential parts more meaningful and find the common thread that will connect hotels in the collection.” To become a part of the collection, hotels will need to meet more than just the industry’s variably applied five-star rating. The brand developed its own prerequisites, where it determined what should represent a five-star global brand in the modern world. Many of these prerequisites, or Quorvus PQs, refer to the physical aspects of the hotel and require that hotels feature distinctive offerings, such as an in-house art program. Quorvus will also define what service aspects a hotel must have before it joins the collection through a set of requirements the brand is calling Q24. ESSENTIAL CITY SPIRIT The Quorvus brand development team also took a hard look

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE QUORVUS COLLECTION, VISIT www.quorvuscollection.com.

at what would further set the brand apart. They identified two key areas: the concept of modern luxury and an element of localization that goes much deeper than the norm. The idea of modern luxury grew from what emerging consumers are looking for in a luxury brand. These customers want to participate in new experiences and learn about different cultures, and they have a keen appreciation for detail. The second brand differentiator is the hotels’ reflection of location and culture through the Quorvus Eidos—a level of community integration that gives guests an authentic feel for the city that surrounds each hotel. “This is not just a pastiche of the local culture, but how hotels can act as a catalyst that taps guests into the city in its widest sense,” says McKinnon. “This could range from knowing where to find the best galleries and vinyl shops to getting access to the best—perhaps otherwise hidden—members-only clubs and events.”

TAILORED SERVICES Much of the brand’s experience depends on its effective delivery by staff, says McKinnon. To do this, the brand will deploy its Lux Certification program, where a brand and training team will go to each Quorvus hotel to help employees understand the nuances of modern luxury. At the same time, the team will couple the staff’s local knowledge with the accoutrements of modern luxury and put it all together as a unique customer offering. Once a hotel joins the Quorvus Collection, they will also gain access to the QC Network, an intranet that allows the teams to share best practices, contacts and leads, and service providers. “This will allow hotels to interact and become a community in themselves, as opposed to isolated hotels with no real connections between them,” McKinnon says. All of this culminates in a brand destined to carve out a distinctive place among luxury hotels, he adds. “This is less about a product and more about luxury as a way of life.”

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765 ATTENDEES CAME TO LAS VEGAS TO ENJOY THE COUNTRY INNS & SUITES CONFERENCE

Photo by Peter Slanga

The 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference saw 765 attendees arrive at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas for four days of education and connection with their peers. Held from March 31 to April 3, this conference included Sales One-on-One appointments where 466 directors or managers learned more about corporate key accounts, market segments and RFP tools. The Country Inns & Suites Renovation Lab showed more than 350 attendees how to bring the Country Generation 4 design to life in their hotels. And new to this year’s conference, Brand Marketing offered hotels the opportunity to meet with media experts from the brand’s creative and digital agencies for a local media one-on-one session.

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›

ROOM WITH A VIEW The Las Vegas skyline beckoned to Country Inns & Suites Conference attendees during the 2014 event.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel privileged

and proud to be at Carlson. I look forward to building for the future.â&#x20AC;? David Berg chief operating officer, Carlson

LOVE THIS

COUNTRY As it embraces its new look, Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM sets the stage for the next round of success with its service culture. written by Brandy Brinson

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Scott Meyer senior vice president, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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ountry Inns & Suites had a big 2013, with a year marked by the unveiling of a dramatic new brand identity and the launch of the new Gen 4 prototype designed to appeal to modern travelers. Looking ahead, the brand made it clear during the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference that it’s building on that excitement, with a focus on service standards, powerful brand awareness campaigns, revenue growth and the continued rollout of the new design among other initiatives. Scott Meyer, senior vice president, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, kicked off the conference by focusing on the importance of improving service culture and reinforcing the brand persona and manifesto. On the second day, he joined other brand leaders to review recent accomplishments and highlight what’s new for 2014. A PROMISE TO GUESTS The brand’s persona—Mindful. Genuine. Welcoming.—was the theme of this year’s conference. Meyer set the tone for the event by saying, “Mindful. Genuine. Welcoming.—These three simple words can be our differentiator.” He explains that the persona is “how we deliver the brand’s ‘caring, consistent and comfortable’ brand promise, while that promise is what we deliver.” Meyer adds that the persona meshes perfectly with the brand manifesto. “The manifesto reflects the way our brand makes our guests feel. It’s the foundation for every-

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thing we do at the brand and what you deliver in your hotels,” he says. As Country Inns & Suites turns to reinforcing and adding to its strong service culture, the brand is providing a number of tools and resources, including an updated Be Our Guest service-training program, to help hotels foster an environment of great service. “Let’s get back that attitude that no one can take care of the guest better than we can,” Meyer says. “That is how we will stand out.” expanding reach In another focus area for the brand, increasing brand awareness, Aurora Toth, vice president, Branding and Marketing, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, told attendees that Country Inns & Suites is looking to continue the momentum achieved by last year’s campaigns. Brand awareness tactics are used to stay top of mind with current, loyal customers and to cast a wider net and reach prospective guests. “We realize that it’s important for our brand to begin speaking to younger consumers in addition to driving midweek revenue with business traveler messaging,” Toth says. 2013 was a success due in part to revenue driven by email and the website, and the

growth seen in these channels. Email revenue grew 533 percent between 2009 and 2013, while the brand website’s revenue delivery has grown 60 percent. In 2014, the company is undertaking a template redesign for its email campaigns to reflect the brand positioning, with larger images and fewer words. The 2013 fall brand awareness campaign in airports, print and online generated more than 460 million impressions for hotels. The custom, hotel-specific online banner ads the brand created for the fall campaign exceeded expectations and will be repeated in 2014. In the fourth quarter, the Home for the Holidays campaign added even more exposure for hotels via online marketing, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers. Building on this success, Country will continue revenue generating marketing in core online channels. Digital advertising, paid search, online display and search engine FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Part of Country Inns & Suites new awareness campaign; another new Country advertisement; Aurora Toth, vice president, Branding and Marketing, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; Country is sponsoring PGA TOUR professional golfer Zach Johnson with a three-year agreement that places a logo on his sleeve and his caddy’s hat.

optimization continue to be the core channels for driving revenue, but Country will also test an expansion of paid search investment to reach a wider group of travelers. The brand also has invested in TripAdvisor business listings and meta search for each hotel in the Americas. Country is expanding mobile advertising and email retargeting efforts, too. 2014’s spring and fall brand awareness campaigns include a reprisal of the successful airport advertising campaign, and this year, the brand will test advertising in transit hubs, in-flight video and other digital placements. Country also partnered again with Southwest Airlines for the spring, providing exposure for hotels via video at Southwest gates in over 90 airports. New for 2014, the brand initiated a new partnership with Delta Airlines. The brand is testing advertising with online music-streaming platform Pandora as a new channel to broaden the brand’s reach and capture the attention of millennials. Awareness-building efforts via social media continues, including paid advertising on Facebook and expansion of Country’s presence on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. “But the most exciting partnership is a new sponsorship by Country Inns & Suites of topranked PGA TOUR professional golfer Zach Johnson,” Toth says. The campaign kicked off in April at the 2014 Masters Tournament.

Country Inns & Suites By Carlson: 2014 Focus Priorities, Priorities Country Inns & Suites announced its top six priorities for the year at the 2014 brand conference: • Drive Development • Increase Brand Awareness • Improve Licensee ROI • Grow Hotel RevPAR • Simplify Brand Systems • Improve Brand Quality

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A New Look for Be Our Guest Service Pins Honoring Service At its 2014 conference, Country Inns & Suites announced an update to the Be Our Guest service pins to reflect the new brand identity. Last year, more than 5,600 employees earned the red pin with 10 recognitions; more than 3,500 earned the black pin with 20 recognitions; more than 1,300 earned the blue pin with 50 recognitions; 641 employees earned the silver pin with 100 recognitions; and 105 earned the highest honor of the gold pin with 250 recognitions.

GROWing HOTEL REvenues Shelly Irrgang, vice president, Global Sales, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, led the conference presentation on growing revenue per available room (RevPAR). “I am extremely proud of the brand’s support of the continued growth of the sales organization to support Country hotels and meet RevPAR growth goals,” she says. This year, Carlson Rezidor added five new members to the brand’s dedicated sales team, says Irrgang. “The entire global sales team, based here in the Americas, also has grown over the years, and we now have more than 50 sales professionals focused on driving incremental revenue to hotels.” The sales team’s efforts are producing some big revenue wins for Country, Irrgang says. “Last year, we saw 10 percent revenue growth from the accounts that the Americas Sales Team oversees. Even more impressive was the 34 percent growth realized by the Brand Sales team.” In another effort to increase revenue, Carlson Rezidor has become a preferred partner with a major travel management company based in the U.K.—Country has earned a Red 2 status with HRG; only three other brands in North America have preferred status from this group. Country also signed a Platinum Elite agreement with American Express for 2014, which is already yielding immediate midweek business results. “In the first two months, AMEX’s production for Country was up

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19 percent in revenue delivery,” Irrgang says. 2014 plans include the introduction of centralized direct billing, which will be offered to a select set of qualified corporate accounts. Other updates will make things even easier for hotels by reversing the RFP corporate consideration form process as well as implementing technology to automatically load rates in all of the distribution systems. “Plus, the Revenue Optimization team is working on a new Group Evaluation Module as part of SNAP,” Irrgang says. She adds that the team is working to attach the TravelClick Channel Manager to Curtis-C, allowing the sending of rates and receiving of automated reservations with smaller regional online travel agencies (OTAs) instead of managing multiple extranets. quality comes first “We know that high quality leads to greater quantity,” says Jim Grimshaw, senior director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “More guests, more loyalty, more revenue, more return on investment for the hotel owner.”

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Rendering of one of Country’s Gen 4 lobby design options; Jim Grimshaw, senior director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; the Renovation Lab at the conference; the new breakfast room layout at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Springfield, Illinois.

During his presentation on improving brand quality at the conference, Grimshaw noted that quality is driven by outstanding guest service, and measuring that quality is key. Revinate offers ways to listen and respond to guests’ social media comments, and customer care systems help make it right when things sometimes go wrong, but Medallia has been the backbone of the brand’s quality measurement for many years, he says. “Even here, we can’t stand still. The company has taken steps to streamline the Medallia survey, making it more simple and concise, allowing guests to provide feedback the way they want to.” This year, alongside its Guest Satisfaction Index (GSI), the brand is also revealing a new measure of Net Promoter Score, which repeatedly proves to be a gold standard in identifying guest satisfaction based on the guest’s likelihood to recommend a hotel. Also being debuted is another new enhancement in Medallia called Text Analytics, a tool that constantly scans and summarizes guests’ verbatim comments so hotels can more easily identify positive and negative trends and take appropriate improvement actions.

The implementation of the new identity and Gen 4 design is also impacting Country. “The face of our brand is changing virtually every day,” Grimshaw says. “Our new visual identity is being installed throughout the brand, and it’s very exciting to see it develop.” A new tool, the Renovation Resource Guide, helps illustrate how the Gen 4 design can be brought to life. It helps hotels visualize renovation solutions with design treatments that are appropriate to the hotel’s current conditions and right-sized to the local market. “It’s a great tool to help your hotel jumpstart its renovation plan,” he says. bright future Meyer concludes, “We are seeing significant progress on all of our brand priorities, and we are expecting a great 2014 and beyond.” Over the past couple of years, Country has worked to transform the brands’ image, identity, amenities and design, Meyer says. “Now our journey leads us to our service culture—a culture that has been part of our DNA for more than 25 years. This all adds up to providing unique and memorable experiences that will have guests saying, ‘I love this Country!’”

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COUNTRYHONORS

award winnerS President’s Awards: Albert Lea, MN / Albertville, MN / Anderson, SC / Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill Road, GA / Bel Air East at I-95 Riverside, MD / Bentonville South, AR / Boise West, ID / Buffalo, MN / Chambersburg, PA / Columbus, GA / Conway, AR / Covington, LA / Cortland, NY / College Station, TX / Cuyahoga Falls, OH / Decorah, IA / Dover, OH / Findlay, OH / Freeport, IL / Gainesville, FL / Grand Rapids East, MI / Grand Rapids, MN / Green Bay, WI / Hanover, VA / Harrisonburg, VA / Indianapolis Airport South, IN / Knoxville at Cedar Bluff, TN / Lake City, FL / Lewisburg, PA / Lewisville, TX / Little Falls, MN / Lincoln North, NE / Lexington Park, MD / Marquette, MI / Mankato Hotel and Conference Center, MN / Marion, OH / Marinette, WI / Nevada, MO / Owatonna, MN / Pella, IA / Pineville, LA / Peoria North, IL / Port Orange–Daytona, FL / St. Cloud East, MN / State College, PA / Stone Mountain, GA / Tifton, GA / Toledo, OH / Tuscaloosa, AL / Woodbridge, VA / Winchester, VA; Be Our Guest Awards: Anderson, SC / Asheville West, NC / Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill Road, GA / Barstow, CA / Bel Air East at I-95 Riverside, MD /

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Held March 31–April 3, 2014, at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference celebrated the brand’s best. Big Rapids, MI / Boise West, ID / Buffalo, MN / Chambersburg, PA / Chippewa Falls, WI / Columbus, GA / Conway, AR / Covington, LA / Crystal Lake, IL / Dakota Dunes, SD / Dover, OH / Effingham, IL / Freeport, IL / Grand Rapids East, MI / Green Bay, WI / Hanover, VA / Harrisonburg, VA / Helen, GA / Knoxville at Cedar Bluff, TN / Lake City, FL / Lewisburg, PA / Lexington Park, MD / London South, ON / Marquette, MI / Milwaukee West, WI / Mount Morris, NY / Olean, NY / Pella, IA / Pineville, LA / Portage, IN / Roanoke, VA / Rochester–Henrietta, NY / Salina, KS / St. Cloud East, MN / State College, PA / Tampa East, FL / Tucson City Center, AZ / Tuscaloosa, AL / Washington Dulles International Airport, VA / Wausau, WI / Winchester, VA / Woodbridge, VA; Renovation Awards: Buford at Mall of Georgia, GA / Bloomington–Normal Airport, IL / Champaign North, IL / Charleston South, WV / Dundee, MI / Holland, MI / Houston Intercontinental Airport East, TX / Lawrenceville, GA / Lubbock, TX / Savannah I-95 North, GA / San Carlos, CA / Wichita Northeast, KS; Responsible Business Award: Louisville East, KY

Row 1 (left to right) Note—not all award winners pictured. | Kelly Boomgarden, general manager, Owatonna, MN / Heather Lee, general manager, Albert Lea, MN / Tom Clapsaddle, general manager, Port Orange–Daytona, FL / Lauren Keeler, assistant general manager, Port Orange–Daytona, FL / Joe Freyer, general manager, Anderson, SC / Colette Wear, general manager, Lincoln North, NE / Renie Carroll, general manager, Knoxville at Cedar Bluff, TN / Sandip Patel, general manager, College Station, TX / Jill Crowder, owner representative, Peoria North, IL / Nicole Murphy, general manager, Peoria North, IL / Carrie Parchem, general manager, Buffalo, MN / Cathy Grunwald, general manager, Decorah, IA / Danny Patel, general manager, Conway, AR / Paul Whitson, general manager, Findlay, OH / Dawn Duncan, general manager, Freeport, IL; Row 2 (left to right) | Kataki Patel, general manager, Stone Mountain, GA / Diane D’Amico, general manager, Pineville, LA / Linda Osborne, general manager, Mankato Hotel and Conference Center, MN / Jennifer Novinger, general manager, Lewisburg, PA / Antonio Walker, general manager, Lexington Park, MD / Jill Nelson, general manager, Grand Rapids, MN / Lori Rivetts, general manager, Little Falls, MN / Terri Schelm, general manager, Dakota Dunes, SD / Neil Patel, general manager owner, SANE Hotels LLC / Nilam Patel, general manager, Hanover, VA / Nathan Stambaugh, president, Dutch Corp. Hotel Management / Todd Christian, director hotel operations, Sand Hospitality / Tabatha McNulty, general manager, Boise West, ID / Darcy Ryan, sales manager, Boise West, ID / Samridhi Sharma, general manager,

Woodbridge, VA; Row 3 (left to right) | Nick Patel, owner, Crossroads Hospitality / Muhammad Aslam, general manager, Indianapolis Airport South, IN / Kristin Dunn, general manager, Toledo, OH / Catherine Reller, sales manager, Albertville, MN / Kim VanWinkle, general manager, Albertville, MN / Mike Wendel, owner, Sand Companies Inc. / Lee Feuerstein, general manager, Green Bay, WI / Deb MacFarlane, director operations, Sand Hospitality / Erin Lorberter, general manager, Chippewa Falls, WI / Jesse Rockwell, general manager, Chambersburg, PA / Nick Nerangis, owner, Homestyle Hospitality LLC / Dana Bates, general manager, Helen, GA / Jeff Arman, general manager, Milwaukee West, WI / David Pavlik, general manager, Tucson City Center, AZ / Dipi Sawhney, general manager, State College, PA; Row 4 (left to right) | Hetal Patel, general manager, Rochester–Henrietta, NY / Doug Cope, general manager, Mount Morris, NY / Christy McDanal, general manager, Tuscaloosa, AL / Sanjiv Chauhan, general manager, Covington, LA / Alison Cooper, general manager, Barstow, CA / Tammy Haga VanOrmer, general manager, St. Cloud East, MN / Nick Patel, owner, Dram Hospitality LLC / Vinay Patel, owner, Washington Dulles International Airport, VA / Dan Patel, general manager, Lawrenceville, GA / Mukund Desai, general manager, Buford at Mall of Georgia, GA / Lisa Cliburn, general manager, Holland, MI / Stephanie Bauer, regional manager, Westmont Hospitality Group / Cindy Galyean, general manager, Bloomington–Normal Airport, IL / Julie Irvin, general manager, Champaign North, IL / Roni Strohman, general manager, Louisville East, KY

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COUNTRYGALA

Big Night Out

Closing the conference with a final gala. The 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference bade farewell to all attendees with a dazzling final awards dinner. From recognizing award recipients to the ritual of the Carlson family toast, the dinner at the splendid Red Rocks Resort in Las Vegas was something to behold. The night perfectly capped off a conference replete with learning opportunities.

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COUNTRYHONORS General Manager of the Year Joe Freyer, General Manager

Country Inn & Suites, Anderson, South Carolina

Hotel of the Year

Tom Clapsaddle, General Manager

Country Inn & Suites, Port Orange–Daytona, Florida

Employee of the Year

Marsha McCreary, Breakfast Hostess Country Inn & Suites, Hanover, Virginia

Winner’s Circle

Country Inns & Suites celebrates its leading achievers. Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels understand that what sets them apart are their people. The employees who go the extra mile to make the brand great were acknowledged at the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference. A recipient of a gold Be Our Guest Pin, Marsha McCreary, or simply “Miss Marsha” to the guests who love her, was honored as Employee of the Year. The Country Inn & Suites, Port Orange–Daytona, Florida, was recognized as Hotel of the Year, in part due to its highest year-end guest satisfaction index average for any Carlson Rezidor hotel in both 2012 and 2013. General Manager Joe Freyer earned his award for General Manager of the Year because of his hotel’s great team and exceptional guest service. His property also recently received the prestigious TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award.

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MINDFUL, GENUINE WELCOMING:

Three words that describe you perfectly.

Thanks to you—and all you do—we have an exciting year ahead of us. Because each and every day, your commitment to being mindful, genuine and welcoming reinforces our unique Country Culture. And now, with our brand evolution well under way, our caring, consistent and comfortable hospitality is reflected in bigger and bolder ways. Together, we’re truly positioned for incredible success.

PAGE

RICHARD FLORES

STEPHANIE LOPATO

STEVE OUTWATER

dean, Carlson Rezidor Business School, and vice president, Human Resources, Americas

After 26 years,Yes I Can! SM is ready to catapult to a new level and reach a broader employee base. The newly updated program is aiming even higher and empowering each employee to ensure guest satisfaction.

CARLSON REZIDOR EXPERTS

vice president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

brand manager, Radisson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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Share Top Tips for Hotel Success PAGE

During the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference and the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference, Carlson Rezidor Business School sessions offered a wealth of valuable learnings and pointers to help hotel team members better serve guests. If you were unable to attend, or simply need a refresher, the nine articles in the following section provide an overview of the crucial information that Carlson Rezidor’s experts shared. From updates on popular programs to how to handle the expectations of different generations in the workforce, and from new ways to grow meeting revenue to the best ways to utilize the Web and social media, the Business School classes offered insight on these topics and more as Carlson Rezidor heads for a bright and successful future.

JEAN KAMPA

Text Analytics gives a

advice for managers

view of what guests verbatim comments so hotels can better understand how they

› 64

CHRIS ARDOLINO

regional vice president, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

can improve.

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director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

are saying based on

ILLUSTRATION BY: Josue Evilla

PAGE

Practical tips and implementing the brand’s Voice of Customer tools, such as new Net Promoter Scores.

PAGE

KAAREN HAMILTON

RAY TAYLOR

vice president, Global Group Sales, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Why a good value proposition is vital to creating and maintaining a successful meetings and events program as well as attracting repeat

director, Reach Beyond

Insights and tips into becoming a better leader and effectively maximizing potential, so managers can recognize and release the potential in their colleagues.

group business.

PAGE

JOY LINSDAY

MICHELLE MASTERS

vice president, Human Resources, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Four generations are now coexisting in today’s workforce. What is the best way to harness the differences that each generation brings and pursue the right path for each property?

regional vice president, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Looking for ways for employees to deliver

PAGE

LYNN MESSMAN

senior director, Franchise Operations-Sales Programs, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

JIM GRIMSHAW

senior director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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brand marketing manager, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

social media manager, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

senior director, Revenue Optimization, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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PAGE

senior director, Global E-business Development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

hotels can better manage their online presence and get the ROI they expect, especially from Carlson Rezidor’s global agreements with third-party OTAs.

senior director, E-commerce, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

director, Revenue Optimization, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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given day.

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BUSINESSSCHOOL

wenty-six years ago, when Yes I Can! SM service training was born, smartphones didn’t exist. There was no World Wide Web, instant messaging or email. And a tablet where you could download information and connect with people around the world? That was the stuff of science fiction. With more than a quarter of a century of history behind it, Yes I Can! is ready to catapult to a new level and reach a broader employee base. The new program is aiming even higher and empowering each and every employee to ensure guest satisfaction.

Personal Service Makes the Difference Radisson training embraces employee individuality. By Deborah M. Bernstein 66

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A FRESH LOOK Steve Outwater, dean of the Carlson Rezidor Business School and vice president, Human Resources, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, says the prior service training Radisson® offered provided less autonomy than the new version. “Demographics are shifting, both with guests and staff,” he explains. “It was time to take a fresh look at how we are delivering our service program. The way we did things with baby boomers may not be the best way for today’s millennial employees.” Yes I Can! was created as a traditional educational program composed of informational modules and videos. It was time to get away from the static videos and printed handouts and reimagine the service training. As baby boomers retire, Generation Xers age and millennials fill the gap, there’s a need to customize training to meet the needs of today’s younger employees. “Yes I Can! is the best connection that we have with line employees,” says Outwater. “Historically, the program has been done in-house. We thought it would be nice to send it out and have fresh eyes take a look. With the focus on Radisson Re-Imagined, we wanted to have a program that would have a strong tie to the branding.”

With help from London-based Industrial Clairvoyance, the company that wrote the Missoni service training, Yes I Can! was born. The company handles both Radisson and the new Radisson Blu® training.

CREATING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS Yes I Can! is one component of Radisson Re-Imagined, and the new service program ties in nicely with the brand’s revitalization. The updated program educates staff about the brand and its history while focusing on Extra Thoughtful Care and Powerful Personal Presence. It’s about interaction, and it’s about people. Radisson’s service philosophy is rooted in Yes I Can!, but by taking it further, the culture can be strengthened. Outwater says it’s a branding plan as well as training. “We want to teach our service approach and use it as an opportunity to educate on the brand,” he says. “We want to provide a way to deliver service that differentiates us from our competitors.” So, what makes the new Yes I Can! so different? It’s the idea of creating personal connections with guests. That human interaction is vital to ensuring guests have a positive experience. Research shows that when a problem is handled to the satisfaction of a guest, the guest is more likely to be loyal than if there was no problem. That’s counterintuitive, but a reality. It’s not because the problem was solved, Outwater says, but because the problem resulted in a personal connection with someone who cared and helped the guest. “Underneath, it’s about building and creating connections,” he says. “Yes I Can! helps understand how to do it.” “In the past, the program was prescriptive,” says Outwater. “Use the guest’s name. Acknowledge them, etc. A video showed staff how to do that. People were sick of hearing how to behave. This new program attempts to bring out the inner person. We use their ‘Powerful Personal Presence.’” Powerful Personal Presence, or PPP, is a phrase that is the essence of the new Yes I Can! Everyone has something unique to offer. Yes I Can! helps employees find out what that is. It helps them use that in their interactions with guests and co-workers. In a recent training session, colleagues described one employee as a rock—always reliable and steady. How could he use that with guests? He could say, “You can count on me.” It’s his own mantra, rather than robotically saying, “I’ll take care of that right away, sir or ma’am.” It’s a subtle but powerful difference. “I think most hotel companies try to standardize service

so it’s consistent,” Outwater explains. “Things like the Ritz Carlton phrase, ‘We are ladies and gentlemen taking care of ladies and gentlemen.’ We are encouraging our employees to bring their personalities. Guests notice they are treated differently. The concept is that they will be more loyal.”

TRAINING THE TRAINERS

QUICK HITS

In January, 20 master trainers completed a program in preparation for the Radisson brand conference. Eighty hotels sent their general managers and directors of sales to Powerful Personal Presence is the become trainers. On the second day of essence of the new Yes I Can! the brand conference, Outwater took trainers for two days to practice the new concept. On Friday, they received their certifications in the new program, and they received materials to take back to their hotels. The materials included a Microsoft Surface, which connects them directly to Learning Link so the learning can continue. “They can download all the material and use it on a projector,” Outwater says. “When we have a change uploaded to Learning Link, we can let them know immediately. The training starts in the hotels right away. We want everything to be done by July.” For more, see page 97 in Frontline News. Regional sessions are being held for those who were unable to attend the brand conference. Frances Gonzalez, senior regional director of operations, Latin America, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, will lead sessions in Latin America, and Harpreet Singh, director, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, will spearhead the new training in the 12 Radisson properties in the Asia Pacific theater. “We want employees to be proud of the brand,” explains Gonzalez. “It’s not about a scripted conversation or answering the phone in the same way,” she adds. “It’s about bringing your own personality into work. Embrace this and bring it back to your hotel. It won’t work if you’re not passionate.”

UNIQUE & INDIVIDUAL

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The Tools to Win Better marketing efforts help hotels put their best faces forward to the world. By Zoe Murphy

D OPPOSITE PAGE Richard Flores, vice president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

one correctly, marketing can be a powerful tool when it comes to spreading the word about a hotel. But how can a property best leverage its marketing efforts to generate the most exposure and interest? During Business School sessions at the recent 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference, Richard Flores, vice president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, shared some tips to help hotels get the most out of their marketing. By reviewing the process of developing a positioning statement through the creation of an effective marketing plan, the session taught attendees how to make the most of their marketing dollars and grow their businesses. KNOW YOURSELF Prior to starting the marketing planning process, Flores recommends that hotels start with the basics. “Before you can start marketing your hotel, you must first know your hotel inside and out,” he says. Knowing your hotel extends beyond just the physical property; it includes a review of your key selling points (KSPs), customers, market and competition. Flores recommends asking the following questions: Who are we (hotel description, location)? Who is our ideal guest (target audience)? What makes us unique? What are our weaknesses? What are the demand generators? It’s also critical that hotels know about their guests. The hotel sales and marketing team should be very familiar with what locations guests typically come from, whether they tend to drive or fly to the hotel, and periods of peak demand. Hotel teams should also have a thorough understanding of their markets. This includes knowing the competition and

H O T L IN E MA G AZINE

what is going on in the city and when. “For example, what big events or conventions are going to be in town?” asks Flores. MAKE A STATEMENT Once a hotel has a thorough knowledge of itself as a business, writing a well-crafted positioning statement is the first step in building an effective marketing campaign. “Every hotel develops a business and marketing plan every year, and every plan has a positioning statement,” he says. “But a common mistake is to ‘cut and paste’ the prior year’s positioning statement. You really need to review it each year and make sure that it still works for you.” When developing a positioning statement, hotels can turn back to the information they gathered during their self-review, including guest information, KSPs and business drivers, performance indicators (KPIs) and the property’s SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. THE COMPETITION Next, hotel marketers should look to the competitive set. “Just knowing what hotels are in your local comp set is not enough in today’s market,” says Flores. A true competitive review will include routine hotel site inspections, he says. “In addition, the online world offers multiple opportunities for competitive research, including

SEE THE PATTERN The next step in the planning process is clearly and concisely defining the business objective and identifying all demand generators. “This is why it’s important to know when big events occur in your area,” says Flores. “Understanding the hotel’s mix of business, feeder markets and how QUICK HITS guests arrive at your hotel are also critical for developing this step.” The final step is understanding business patterns, which include booking windows, seasonality and key events in your local Keys to getting your property the markets that drive demand so you know right attention in your markets. when to deploy your marketing dollars. “You need to know how far in advance people book their travel to your hotel and what key events are drivers in your city Richard Flores, vice president, so you know when to put your advertising Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor initiatives in play,” says Flores. Hotel Group, shares his top tips. DEPLOYING A CAMPAIGN • Check to see that you have quality, Once hotels have a good knowledge of high-resolution photography. Revisit all the metrics and factors that influence your photography every few years. their business, they are ready to start • Review your WebExtra page looking at where to market and advertise. daily to check rates, promotions “But first, take a step back and and functionality. review your objectives, goals and • See that promotions are up-to-date. “There’s nothing worse than to see demand generators,” Flores says. a Valentine’s Day promotion on the “Also keep in mind that some media website in the middle of April,” he says. vehicles drive and reinforce awareness, • Know competitor promotions. “When while others are more geared to driving you review competitors’ websites, dig immediate revenue.” beyond the homepage into the rates Before buying any media, hotels to understand what they are running,” should carefully look at what, exactly, says Flores. they are trying to accomplish. Driving • Establish an “adopt a competitor” awareness would suggest media program at your hotel. Visit your vehicles like billboard, television and assigned hotel at least twice a year print advertising. Driving revenue during and know your assigned hotel inside and out. certain time periods for the hotel would indicate the need for more digital media initiatives, including paid search, display advertising or email marketing. Along with suggesting when your message, initiatives and investment should be in the market, a well-balanced marketing plan will address key goals within multiple segments. “Some hotels need to drive group business or wedding business or summer family business,” says Flores. “A good plan will identify what segments to target, and it should always reinforce objectives and goals.”

TIPS FOR HOTEL MARKETING

visiting competitor websites along with third-party sites such as Expedia, Kayak and TripAdvisor.” Flores notes that developing an “adopt a competitor” program can be an especially effective technique to split up the work of keeping up with the competition. “Within your sales and marketing team, each team member is assigned a competitor, and their task is to know ‘everything’ about that competitor and report back,” he says. Each team member should visit his or her assigned hotel at least twice a year, visit competitors’ websites on a weekly basis and be prepared at any time to report back to the team. “Occasionally, team members can swap hotels to keep things interesting,” Flores says.

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Meetings Success A new program gives hotels tips and tools to help make events a hit. By Zoe Murphy

eetings and events can be big business, but winning in this competitive segment takes work. With the goal of inspiring a stronger meetings and events culture in its hotels, RadissonÂŽ has created a new program to helpâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Meetings Success. Richard Flores, vice president, Branding, Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, explains that Meetings Success provides a framework for how the brand wants Radisson hotels to deliver and execute meetings and events for both corporate and social groups.

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“Meetings Success allows hotels to customize events to the needs of the customer with tips, tools and information.”

ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES Ensuring that groups achieve the objectives of their events is vital to creating and maintaining a successful meetings and events program, says Kaaren Hamilton, vice president, Global Group Sales, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Hotels need a clear, consistent value proposition— meaning the customer wants to see and measure the value,” Hamilton says. “The concept is really that simple.” She adds that realizing this goal also means the hotel has to play a part in guests’ obtaining their desired end result. Whether you are talking about someone holding a business meeting or a bride wanting to house guests for a wedding, hotels have to contribute to the outcome of that event by ensuring the customer feels the hotel is hungry for their business and excited about the execution of details. “Everybody wants to feel their business is valued and appreciated—that is what really drives this segment of the business for a property,” Hamilton adds.

TEAM EFFORT Within Meetings Success, there is a strong focus on the hotel’s team itself. Stephanie Lopato, brand manager, Radisson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, explains that the brand recommends each hotel designate a Radisson meetings and events professional to help facilitate Meetings Success in each location. “We are asking one team member in the sales office to fill this role,” she says. The team member needs to review the Meetings Success program in its entirety and successfully pass an assessment testing his or her knowledge of the program. Lopato says the team member in this role is also advised to look into different associations and certifications, such as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certificate. Among the many variables that determine the success of a meeting or event for a hotel, one of the most important is delivering what the meeting planner has been promised. That is something that all team members can play a part in, says Hamilton. “From the front desk to the server in the restaurant—they are all touching that meetings and events guest and contributing to the overall perception of success.”

NEW TOOLS Meetings Success guidelines and tools provide consistency that is critical in terms of delivering the product. Lopato explains that Meetings Success’s guidelines serve as a how-to for hotels—from the meeting planner’s shopping phase right through to creating a customized offer, executing the meeting or event and finally to the post-event follow-up.

Meetings Success walks hotels through the six-step journey that the meeting planner experiences: planning, arrival, guest room, event, goodbye and follow-up. Lopato stresses the importance of presenting a customized offer to the guest. “You can create collateral in BrandIt and use the brand’s new group promotion and Club Carlson for Planners to enhance QUICK HITS the offer,” she suggests. Also important to a successful meeting or event is staying in contact with the meeting planner. This means verifying that everything is ready for What are the top trends that the meeting or event, being onsite hotels need to be anticipating? to welcome the group, meeting daily throughout the event and then scheduling a follow-up after the entire event.

MEGA MEETING TRENDS

BREAK CONCEPTS

Across the meetings and events

One unique feature of Meetings industry, there are some significant Success is the six Successful Break changes driving the business, says Concepts that provide properties with Kaaren Hamilton, vice president, Global Group Sales, Americas, Carlson fun and different ideas for breaks. Rezidor Hotel Group. These are: • Colorful Breaks—Embrace one color and make it the break’s theme, Interaction Attendees want to from the lights to the food. participate at events • Contests—Offer fun with a competitive edge, from scavenger WiFi Access hunts to giant Sudoku puzzles. Everywhere is the new normal • Giving Back—Work with a local charity of choice. For instance, write Mobile Apps cards and send them to a local military Making planning more accessible base. The goal is to take a few minutes Images to do something for someone else. High-impact graphics are the ruling • Nontraditional Holidays— media on the Web Celebrate the unusual, like Dr. Seuss’s birthday or Cherry Pie Day, by making New Experiences it the theme for an offbeat break. Unique programs, room sets, • Spa & Relaxation—Create a networking opportunities and spaces serene experience for guests by bringing in chair massage therapists or offering herbal tea. • Snapshot—Capture the event through images. Rent a photo booth or encourage guests to snap their own. Provide props or backdrops, then compile the images for a souvenir. These six concepts provide a property with a jumping-off point to get creative in what they can provide delegates, Lopato says. “The overall aim of the program is to provide a platform for hotels to use as a base. Meetings Success is how Radisson will deliver meetings and events.” 2 0 1 4 | TH E C ON FEREN C E ISSU E

BUSINESSSCHOOL

UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDI ING PERCEPTION ERCEPTION

POSSIBILITY POSSIBILI ITY

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RESPONSIBILITY RESPO PO ONSIIBI B LITY

REACTION REACT TION

W Recognizing Potential A common-sense approach to leadership. By Judy Colbert

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hether they know it or not, all leaders in an organization have the opportunity to recognize and release the potential in their colleagues and work situations by keeping their eyes and ears open and, above all, keeping things simple. So says Ray Taylor, the director of U.K.-based people and business development company Reach Beyond, who was a facilitator for the Business School’s “Leadership Challenge: Seeing Potential” session at the Country Inns & Suites Business Conference in Las Vegas in early April. “All too often, we can get in the habit of seeing things the same way and miss opportunities that are right in front of us,” Taylor says. He finds this often happens when someone has been working with the same people for a long time. “Your perception of reality may be different from theirs.” During the conference, Taylor provided insights into becoming a better leader and effectively maximizing

potential and encouraging people to think about their own leadership styles by looking for deeper understanding in three main areas: • Understanding the situation—what is there • Understanding the people—who is involved • Understanding yourself—how you think and act

UNDERSTANDING SITUATIONS As an example of the first—understanding the situation—he says, “You might have a line at the front desk. Is this due to a system failure, bad organization, poor training or poor ability? Or were too few people scheduled to handle the expected check-ins or is it the result of a busload of people arriving early? How you understand the problem determines the solution to it, and there easily could be multiple causes.” Hotels have to know what happened, why it happened and how to prevent it from happening again. For example, if managers assume the line is because the front desk staff are performing poorly and criticize someone, but the actual cause of the problem is a system failure due to poor maintenance, then they are potentially damaging the relationship with their employees.

UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE What if a hotel does have an issue with employee performance? This is where the second element—understanding the people—comes into play. By spending time with people, leaders can understand the reasons behind good and poor performance. However, human nature all too often means people pay attention to the latter and ignore the former. We are all familiar, says Taylor, with the expression “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Effective leadership also requires a careful balancing act to help low performers improve while also recognizing the efforts of high performers. If managers ignore high performers, they risk the potential problem of that person resigning and going to work for someone who will give him or her more responsibility and appreciation. If managers ignore the underperforming employee, however, they have to realize the potential that he or she can demoralize the rest of your staff. General managers may need to pay more attention to “really” listening and truly hearing what their employees are saying. Managers may hear, but are they really listening? “And equally we ‘see’ but do we truly ‘look’ at what is happening?” Taylor asks. Also important, of course, is taking in what guests are saying because they may be able to perceive something the general manager doesn’t see. By reading carefully between the lines of guest comments,

managers may realize guests are recognizing potential in employees that others have missed. The sign of a good leader is when employees are satisfied and know their work is appreciated. By understanding each employee’s situation and encouraging them to live and work to their potential, a good leader will have QUICK HITS melded a team that should work well together. “You improve the business and the employee’s performance, and that’s what we’re after,” says Taylor.

UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF

THE ABCs OF POTENTIAL How to spot and cultivate potential in yourself and others.

The third part—understanding yourself—involves leaders understanding how they themselves think and act. As leaders, general Ray Taylor, director and owner of managers can decide what their Reach Beyond, says people looking support role or relationship is to to improve leadership skills should their staff. remember the ABCs: assumptions, behavior and consequences. “Leaders, by their own behavior, A is for Assumption have the potential to influence the Look at the situation and determine outcome of any situation,” says Taylor. what the underlying cause is before “Each general manager has to know trying to “fix it.” How you see things or how he or she leads.” people is not how they might really be. One important thing to remember: B is for Behavior Leaders must not just listen to people Your assumptions will definitely affect when they’re talking, but truly hear your behavior. what they are saying. If leaders are C is for Consequences too busy thinking about what has to The reactions you get may be a direct be done later today, they should step result of your behavior. back and refocus to listen and give their full attention with a quiet mind. Employees often give subtle or not-so-subtle suggestions that the person in charge needs to change the way they behave around employees and guests. “It is vital for managers to be open to change and to what these people are saying,” says Taylor. “Every single person in the hotel can be a ‘leader’ if the general manager creates the space and trust with the people they work with.” Taylor urges leaders to challenge their own assumptions and possibly change their reactions to a situation and the people involved. In addition, he says, “Leaders should find ways to spot positive potential and nourish it so it grows in themselves and others.” 2 0 1 4 | TH E C ON FEREN C E ISSU E

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Generations at Work Harnessing the differences in today’s workforce. By Deborah M. Bernstein

DIVERSITY OF APPROACH “Having the ability to harness diverse thoughts, ideas and experiences from individuals who span a number of decades is invaluable,” says Joy Linsday, vice president, Human Resources, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We cannot possibly have all the answers because we represent our own generational frame. The advantage of having four generations in the workforce is that we instantaneously increase our diversity of thought and approach.” For Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in the Americas, employees span four generations: matures, baby boomers, Generation X and Generation Y, or the millennials. While there are some universal traits among the four groups, there are also significant differences that require managers to customize their approach as they work with their colleagues. “Understanding generational differences helps you pursue the right path with your team, with your colleagues, with your neighbor, with your partner,” says Linsday. “When we understand the differences, we ‘get’ each other in a different way. We can be much more effective.”

MATURES AND BOOMERS Generational differences influence how people look at the world, interact with others and function in the workplace.

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Illustration by Andrew Rae

eople management is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, especially in today’s complex world. For the first time in history, four generations are in the workplace simultaneously, and that is causing managers and human resources professionals to examine how to harness the differences that each generation brings to today’s workforce. Understanding generational differences helps managers pursue a work style that fits with each group’s needs. Every 20 years, a new generation is born, with a different set of experiences. While this adds complexity to the working environment, it also provides distinct advantages.

Linsday explains that in order to understand each generation, you need to understand the time that raised them. “This is not about the birth year,” she says. “It’s about the experiences that were occurring in their world while they were growing up, which shape behavior.” Matures, born between 1925 and 1942, are traditionalists. They are frugal, loyal and generous with their time. “These are the folks who are big into reuse, repair, retain,” says Linsday. “And they have time to talk to you. They want to talk to you. And they have time to ask, ‘How are you? How are the kids?’ Think about this with a guest. ‘Where are you traveling to? How’s your day? What do you think of the weather?’ They make time for that conversation.” Matures are incredible team players, Linsday says. World War II and the portrayal of the military influenced many. “It evolved from this idea of ‘I’ve literally got your back,’” she says. “So at work, it’s all for one and one for all.” The mature generation believes in work hierarchy. If matures have issues, they take those to their direct superior. Other generations are more comfortable jumping rank and going to the boss’s boss or higher up. The next group is the baby boomers, born between 1943 and 1960. A powerful group, they hold a majority of the world’s wealth. The Woodstock generation, they grew up with the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the Beatles and the moon landing. They have strong focus and leadership traits, in addition to being outspoken and comfortable stating their opinions. Baby boomers are the originators of the rules and regulations of today’s workplace: the job description, a company’s organizational chart, the employee handbook, operating procedures and brand standards. “Baby boomers are very, very powerful managers and leaders,” says Linsday. “They are comfortable with ‘Here’s the plan, here are the results. Let’s go get it. I can get a team organized to do the work.’”

GENERATION X AND Y Sandwiched between the boomers and millennials is Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981. Also powerful leaders, they are focused on results, personal development and learning. They are the latchkey kids, who let themselves in after school because their mom and dad were still at work. Left to entertain themselves during their early years, today they are creative, independent problem solvers. How does that translate at work? They often prefer to do things individually. While they have the ability to work on a team, their natural inclination is to go and figure things out on their own.

At work, they are results-oriented. They are not interested in having a meeting about a meeting. This group introduced the need for work/life balance. Work is important to Generation X, but so are family and friends. Their personal needs can require scheduling flexibility, like taking off a few hours early for a family activity. GenXers have a need for feedback. QUICK HITS They want to know whether they are doing well. “As leaders we have to give feedback,” Linsday says. “Don’t assume they know they did a good job or need to change.” A guide to understanding the The millennials may be a misundermain strengths of each group. stood generation. Born between 1982 and 2001, they grew up in the age of September 11, technology and the Internet. They have strong personal Matures (1925–1942) beliefs. Given a choice between Key attributes: keeping their smartphone or a car, • Frugal most would opt for the technology. • Loyal • Generous with their time “They are not just tech savvy, they are tech dependent,” says Linsday. Baby Boomers (1943–1960) “When they don’t have the technology Key attributes: or access to use the technology, they • Strong leadership traits are probably feeling ill equipped. Keep • Outspoken that in mind at work.” • Comfortable stating their opinions Millennials are up on the latest technology. With Snapchat, Instagram Generation X (1961–1981) and other visual applications, this Key attributes: generation is good at communicating. • Results oriented “Everything has to be super slick, • Creative, independent thinkers • Able to work in groups, prefer not to super quick and super easy,” says Linsday. “They are inquisitive, love to Millennials (1982–2001) learn and are well known for being Key attributes: able to multitask, so give them chal• Tech savvy lenges. There’s strong intellectual curi• Good communicators osity that you should try to cultivate, • Inquisitive and intellectually curious and feedback is very important. There has to be a constant flow of conversation and communication.” Millennials are social, potent and intense at work, but sometimes have problems focusing. You need to be crystal clear with expectations, timing and priorities, as they tend to jump from one project to another. Why is generational knowledge so important for hotels? One baby boomer retires every eight seconds. “We need the millennials to close the gap,” says Linsday. “Train them, engage them and welcome them to our company.”

GENERATIONS DEMYSTIFIED

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Ahead of the Game The 2014 Be Our Guest refresh emphasizes proactive service and easier tech-driven delivery. By Judy Colbert

Be Our Guest Apps Hotels can access training content via their iPads.

he team behind the Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM Be Our Guest service-training program certainly isn’t resting on past laurels. Following last year’s successful expansion, the popular program is launching another round of new initiatives for 2014. Michelle Masters, regional vice president, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, notes the program previously focused on service recovery and fixing things that were broken, unsatisfactory or otherwise a problem. “We’re always looking for ways for employees to deliver better service,” Masters says. “Service recovery is critical, but there will be more emphasis this year on being proactive.” Lynn Messman, senior director, Franchise Operations-Sales Programs, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, says this year’s updates include six new sessions focused on service recovery, a new Be Our Guest training app and other hightech features that make the program easier to implement. The brand will provide new and updated materials, including checklists to help general managers prepare for each session. Each should take about half an hour to deliver properly, says Messman. “It’s a small amount of time, and if done correctly, they’ll receive a lot of rewards from it. The more engaged the GM is, the better the results will be.” PROACTIVE SERVICE Masters says that many guests have to stay at hotels not because they want to, but because they have to travel for an unexpected family or business event or they are dealing with other unplanned circumstances, such as bad weather and closed airports and highways. “This is where we can be

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proactive and really wow people in those circumstances.” The brand is focused on making sure that the guest has a good experience before it becomes a recovery issue and the hotel has to offer a free room or upgrade or hears about the problem later on a review site like TripAdvisor. As part of this effort, the new Be Our Guest sessions will emphasize the creation of employee “listening posts” and make sure employees hear from those guests who wouldn’t necessarily tell management about a problem right away. “We want employees to share what they hear,” says Messman. “If we have employees engaging with guests in the breakfast room, when a guest mentions something like low water pressure, employees can apologize and let the front desk know right away so the front desk can remedy the problem. A lot of times in the hotel environment, guests think customer service is just a front desk issue or don’t even mention problems to the front desk. We want to reinforce that it’s everybody’s responsibility that guests feel that they have had a good stay.” CUTTING EDGE New to this year’s Be Our Guest training program is the use of iPads, distributed to managers last year.

“We are leveraging technology,” says Masters, “and embracing new generational-style learning. The new teaching brings the younger generation into the program. They think differently and grew up in a time where teachers were facilitators rather than lecturers. We are being proactive in how we deliver our training.” This includes the new Be Our Guest service training app on hotels’ iPads, where hotels can access training materials, view videos and download training presentations, preparation checklists and leader guides. Every hotel also now has an adapter cord to hook up the iPad to a TV. Opening videos that are recorded by brand leaders will provide an overview of the topic and why it’s important that the employees understand it. “We’re trying to go green,” says Messman. The sessions will still require supplies, but those items should already be on the property. One example would be to use old sheets for flags. “We think it will be much easier for the managers and will eliminate extra handling for supplies.” Another new aspect will involve the use of Spanish. Copies of the training presentations will be in English and Spanish, and the videos will be in English with Spanish subtitles.

Rev Opt

Learning Link

Revinate

The meetings also are a good time to celebrate birthdays and other special events, acknowledge achievements and incorporate other events so they are more than just training. NEW SESSIONS The six new sessions will focus on everyday service recovery, says Messman. “They’re all about making sure we’re taking care of our guests and not letting them leave unless they’re 100 percent satisfied. If somebody has a bad experience, such as a lack of hot water, the session will focus on being ready to make things right when a guest feels less than satisfied.” The service activities explore and practice the simple and important steps of A, B, C—apologize, be empathetic and correct the problem. “If we can get all of our employees and leadership working on those three things, it’s going to make a difference,” says Messman. The new sessions also reinforce creating unforgettable guest experiences with low- or no-cost ways to wow guests, adds Messman. “It may be providing something that surprises the guest. It could be delivering cookies and milk to the room after they’ve told you they’ve had a bad day or providing extra coffee packets because they really like coffee. It could be going outside and brushing the snow off all the cars in the parking lot.” Messman encourages hotels to take pictures of these “wow moments” and make a collage to post in the hotel to reinforce and celebrate good ideas. While many things are new, the core part of the program that’s been around for three years is the same, and it continues to stress the Country Inns & Suites brand’s key service values: Caring, Consistent and Comfortable. “That’s what everything is really built around,” Be Our Guest says Messman. “The training helps engage hotel employees, and engaged employees are happy and feel good about coming to work every day.” 2 0 1 4 | TH E C ON FEREN C E ISSU E

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Hearing the Voice of Your Customer New enhancements give guests an easier-to-use platform to share their feedback. By Marie Barr

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or hotel managers focused on delighting guests and increasing revenue, customer feedback is music to their ears. But with all the comment platforms now available—such as TripAdvisor reviews, Tweets, Yelp and Facebook—the melody can get lost. To help tune out peripheral noise, Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM has implemented three new-generation “Voice of the Customer” enhancements. This spring, these tools are giving guests an easier-to-use platform to share their feedback, helping hotels better interpret that feedback and providing insight into how hotels can convert more guests into loyal brand advocates. FEEDBACK ON THE GO Today, guests have plentiful opportunities to provide feedback. “With easy access to social media sites like TripAdvisor and Twitter, guests can really have an online dialogue with us,” says Jim Grimshaw, senior director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Managers value the brand-building opportunities associated with social media conversations, but Grimshaw says Medallia’s structured feedback, resulting from targeted guest surveys, provides higher response rates and greater analytics. “It also helps hotels pinpoint areas for improvement and actively implement strategies to meet guest satisfaction goals.” In a change that better suits guests’ on-the-go lifestyles, the brand crafted a brief survey that, starting in May, will hit guests’ inboxes shortly following their stays. “We’ve found that shorter surveys are more conducive to taking on a mobile device, which improves our overall response rate,” Grimshaw says. “With the shorter survey, we focus on questions highly correlated to guest loyalty. We ask more open-ended questions to get narrative and verbatim comments to better understand guests’ sentiment about their experience.” Since testing a shorter survey late last year, hotels experienced a greater representation of guest segments that completed the survey, reports Jean Kampa, director, Brand Services and Product Development, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Additionally, comments increased by 40 percent, the time to complete the survey was reduced by 40 percent and the survey abandonment rate dropped by 25 percent. TEXT ANALYTICS Shorter surveys with open-ended comments offer hotels richer insight but require detailed analytics to determine relevant and actionable information. “Hotels benefit by

putting tools in place that help them understand the sentiment behind the comments guests make on social media sites,” Kampa says. To interpret open-ended feedback through a scientific lens, Country Inns & Suites recently employed Text Analytics, a tool within the Medallia software that monitors guest comments and, through a set of algorithms, identifies and summarizes positive and negative experiences. “Text Analytics gives hotels a graphic view of what customers are saying based on their verbatim comments, which allows hotels to better understand what they’re doing well and how they can improve,” Kampa says. Guests’ sentiments related to particular aspects of their stays are assigned automatically into five categories that Kampa says hotels can use to conduct a root cause analysis and get to the bottom of real issues rather than speculating. The five categories run the spectrum from Very Satisfied to Very Unsatisfied. If Text Analytics identifies a negative trend, like guest room cleanliness, then the hotel knows where to target its efforts. A NEW SCORING TOOL Identifying the root cause of a negative trend, and then implementing strategies to improve that trend, has a positive impact on guest satisfaction and revenue. In most cases, Grimshaw says the more problems guests report, the more customer remediation is required from hotels. “Poor satisfaction and high incidence rates ultimately cost hotels money,” says Grimshaw. On the other hand, a high Guest Satisfaction Index (GSI) can lead to increased annualized revenue. “If you compare the GSI for our hotels in the top 20 percent to the bottom 20 percent, and then compare their respective Revenue Generation Index scores, for an average 80-room Country Inns & Suites, there’s a difference of more than $232,000 in annualized revenue,” he says. Starting in 2015, Country Inns & Suites will move from the Guest Satisfaction Index to the Net Promoter Score, a measure that focuses on the guest’s “likely to recommend” rating, which automatically places a guest in one of three segments. Guests who rate the hotel a 9 or 10 fall into the “promoter” category. These are the most loyal guests, who believe in the brand, who will return to the brand and who are likely to give a positive referral. The second bucket comprises guests who rate the hotel a 7 or 8. These “passives” are not necessarily dissatisfied, but they are less inclined to refer the brand

and may stay at a competitor hotel when offered a better price. Finally, the “detractors,” who give the hotel a rating of 6 or less, are responsible for most negative word of mouth. “The Net Promoter Score provides the key measure for the hotel to understand what percentage of guests are in each of QUICK HITS the three segments,” says Kampa. “Then the hotels can take product and service action to move more guests into the 9–10 category from the 0–8 categories. We want more Tips for managers implementing guests in the 9–10 segment because Voice of Customer tools. this group reflects the hotel’s most profitable guests.” For now, hotels are able to view their Net Promoter Score, and next Keep employees looped in. year, the brand will provide specific “The Net Promoter Score is a new brand standards so that individual concept for some employees, who can hotels know how to benchmark benefit from knowing who the brand advocates are and what they expect their performance. out of your hotel,” says Chris Ardolino, THE TOTAL PACKAGE regional vice president, Country Inns & When guests complete the openSuites, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. ended section of their surveys, the verbiage they use to express deep Identify “on-the-fence” guests. satisfaction or dissatisfaction on “Your opportunity is to take guests who a particular aspect of their stay is rated the hotel a 7 or an 8 and convert highly correlated with their intent them into promoters,” says Ardolino. to return. Not only does Text Analytics Take action. expose trends in guest sentiment, “Communicate the root cause of negative responses to employees. the tool also can help hotels rank Together, discuss strategies to improve areas they should focus on to your low-scoring attributes,” he says. improve their Net Promoter score. “You can identify the top one or two areas that are the biggest drag on your Net Promoter Score,” Grimshaw says. “That’s important because not every item is created equal. There are certain items that carry a bigger weight, like guest room cleanliness.” Understanding how these three new-generation Voice of Customer enhancements—the shorter survey, Text Analytics and the Net Promoter Score—work together can help managers and employees create an operations strategy for improvement, says Grimshaw. “More loyal guests means repeat guests, and that’s what drives our revenue.”

PUTTING NEW TOOLS TO WORK

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Your Place in the Conversation How to make the most of a changing media landscape. By Staci Graber

ow many advertisements do you think you see every day? 100? 500? According to The New York Times, consumers see anywhere from 3,000 to 20,000 messages a day across a variety of channels that are constantly changing. These messages are generated by brands, but also include consumer conversations. “Brands used to tell the consumer what to think through these messages,” says John Partilla, chief executive officer, Olson, the creative brand agency of record for Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM. “But your brand is not just what you say it is anymore. It is also what people say and share it is.” Partilla provided an introduction to the New Media Business School Session led by Token Reichow, brand marketing manager, Midscale Brands, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, and Sarah Garis, social media

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manager, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, at the 2014 Country Inns & Suites Business Conference. The objective: helping hotels succeed in a rapidly changing media world.

embrace the social sphere With all the emerging media channels, content that guests have created about hotels is widely available in the digital arena and can influence booking decisions. “User-created content is exploding online and now works alongside traditional marketing in shaping guest perception,” Reichow says. “With this type of content, more and more of the marketing of your hotel has essentially been turned over to your guests through their reviews on social channels.” Revinate, the online monitoring and listening tool for Country Inns & Suites, helps hotels manage and keep track

of reviews from TripAdvisor and other social media sources. “It brings together all of the conversations travelers are having online about your hotel in one place for you to manage, listen and respond, and the licensing fees for Revinate are paid for by the brand,” says Garis. When responding to reviews, Reichow and Garis have a number of tips. Hotels must remember to respond to every message in a timely and original way. “It is important to be genuine and transparent,” Garis says. Hotels have the opportunity to turn a negative review into a positive— remaining cordial is key. When responding, state the facts, while highlighting the positive. If needed, offer to speak to the guest one-on-one by providing an email address or a phone number. Whether the comments are positive or negative, they contain valuable information for the hotel. Use the feedback to make improvements and perfect the guest experience. Finally, work as a team to resolve issues. Read new reviews at staff meetings and discuss any issues they raise. “Use positive reviews to recognize employees and boost morale,” says Garis.

TOOLS TO LEVERAGE NOW In addition to Revinate, Country Inns & Suites has made a significant investment in pay per click advertising, which helps push hotels’ Web Extra Sites to the top of online searches. Country Inns & Suites already purchases a set of keywords for each of its hotels, but if hotels participate in the Pay Per Click (PPC) hotel program, the brand will connect hotels with digital agency VML to purchase keywords that are more localized and specific to individual markets. This might include key words for nearby area attractions or terms associated with a hotel package. In addition, the brand will match the hotel’s investment in the PPC hotel program. Reichow and Garis also outlined pathways to get started in social media through Facebook and Foursquare, two platforms they say are great ways to engage guests and share hotel messaging. “If hotels have not entered the social space, and they are ready, the brand provides resources on which channels to focus on that can impact your hotel,” says Reichow. Country Inns & Suites has worked to streamline the process for getting started on Facebook for hotels. The brand supplies artwork for the cover and profile image on Facebook in the ADS tool. The brand also works with hotels to load a customized booking widget free of charge. With this widget, guests can make a reservation directly on the hotel’s Facebook page. Any reservations made

on Facebook will show up on the hotel’s source-of-business report under the code “FB.” In addition, the brand will load two Club CarlsonSM tabs that allow guests to join the program right on Facebook and learn more about the Club Carlson mobile app. Another great channel that fits the hotel industry well is FourQUICK HITS square, which allows users to leave comments and tips on a particular business they have visited. “For your hotel, those tips might be which rooms are the best, where A program to boost your hotel’s the ice machines are and even what social reputation. day you serve bacon for breakfast,” says Reichow. “Whenever guests check in or share a tip, that is shared with all their friends and family on 1. Check Revinate twice a day via Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter, desktop, iPad or smartphone and and it’s essentially free word-ofrespond to all guest reviews. mouth advertising.” 2. Discuss reviews and ways to On behalf of hotels, Country improve at staff meetings. Inns & Suites has already claimed all properties on Foursquare. Country 3. Confirm your hotel information is Inns & Suites recommends that correct and up-to-date on TripAdvisor, hotels review their Foursquare Foursquare and Google+, and claim listings and ensure all of the your hotel’s Facebook Places listing information on the listing is correct. on Facebook. If hotels want to do even more with Foursquare, they should contact the 4. Review Revinate reporting on a brand marketing team and request weekly basis. ownership for their listing. Once a For the complete New Media hotel manages its listing, it can learn Checklist—including information about who is checking in on for hotels interested in doing more Foursquare at the hotel. Hotels can with social media—hotels can refer also post their own photos and tips to the Social Media Folder on Carlson showcasing their property and local Rezidor’s CONNECT. area. A great way to further engage guests on Foursquare is to offer a Foursquare “Check-in Special.” This doesn’t necessarily need to cost the hotel money; it could be late checkout based on availability. Overall, both Garis and Reichow explain that new media provides hotels with a great opportunity because the exposure through these channels doesn’t necessarily cost money and it can carry great credibility. “A positive social reputation has to be earned, but if hotels deliver great guest service with every guest interaction, it is only a matter of time before the reputation will follow,” says Garis.

NEW MEDIA CHECKLIST

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PERFECT

BALANCE

A healthy revenue system depends on hotels having and maintaining an integrated plan that optimizes their online presence.

rom Brazil’s lush rainforests to small ponds, Earth’s many natural ecosystems require a careful balance to maintain their health. The very interconnectivity of these diverse areas ensures the well-being of our whole planet. Kathleen Mallery, senior director, Revenue Optimization, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, finds inspiration in these environmental analogies. “Just like on Earth, hotels have revenue ecosystems that are integral to their success,” she says. “And just as Earth’s ecosystems can suffer from pollution or drought or over-farming, there are challenges facing the hotel’s revenue ecosystem that can also throw things out of balance.” To maintain their health and to counter outside threats such as new competitors entering the market, Mallery recommends hotels establish a revenue plan. These plans have two key components: optimizing a hotel’s online presence—both across online travel agencies (OTAs) and on the hotel’s individual website—and managing business for high and low demand.

Order on the Web Audrey Murante, senior director, Global E-business Development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, works to negotiate Carlson Rezidor’s global agreements with thirdparty OTAs like Expedia, Priceline and Hotels.com.

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“Part of my job is to make sure we’re getting the right amount of business from these channels,” she explains. “I spend a lot of time educating hotels on how to manage their online presence to get the ROI they expect.” Murante says that because consumers shop over multiple websites for hotels, hotels must manage their presence everywhere. “How are you managing your rates? Your online content?” she asks. “The better—and more consistently—you do those things, the higher page placement you will have on an OTA, and the more likely you will be to turn lookers into bookers.” It is essential for a hotel’s price to remain consistent across OTAs. “That’s called rate parity,” Murante says. “If I’m a hotel and I have a lower price on Priceline than I do on Expedia, then Expedia will drop my hotel in the listings, impacting the business I get from Expedia going forward.” To ensure consistency, Murante recommends hotels appoint someone to manage rates across each channel. “It’s important to have someone’s eye on it, managing rates and seeing how the hotel is appearing to the shopper,” she says. Ideally, the hotel can manage all these OTAs from Carlson Rezidor’s CHWExpress, the rate tool connected to the central reservation system (CRS). “So when a hotel makes a rate change, it’s automatically pushed out to all the OTAs at a single time,” she says. “When a hotel tries to manage the inventory separately, it frequently causes rate

Illustration by Dale Edwin Murray

By Marie Barr

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discrepancies.” The Revenue Optimization and Distribution groups are currently working on a project that will allow automated connectivity with many more OTAs through a CRS-connected channel manager.

Content is King A long-term drought can have detrimental effects on an ecosystem, and likewise, Mallery says, “Bad content on a hotel’s website can linger and dry up your revenue stream.” Regardless of whether consumers shop for a hotel via an OTA or on a brand website, high-quality content—and lots of it—is proven to drive conversions. Great content includes reviews, photographs, highlighted features of the hotel and even information about events or attractions in the area. “When customers shop online and they find your website that’s like walking into your hotel’s online lobby,” says Jackie Astleford, senior director, E-commerce,

The more quality reviews a hotel receives, the higher its conversion rate. And the better score a hotel gets, the more guests are willing to pay a higher price. Travelocity’s transactional data reveals that if a hotel can increase its review scores by one point on a five-point scale, that hotel can increase its price by 11.2 percent and still maintain the same occupancy or market share. To help encourage reviews, Carlson Rezidor has partnered with TripAdvisor to offer guests a forum to share feedback. Starting in May, Medallia surveys will have a TripAdvisor link, making it easy for the guest to create a new review. Because many customers will not book a hotel that doesn’t have reviews on its site—and most satisfied travelers appreciate the opportunity to share a good experience with others—the TripAdvisor partnership also enables those reviews to be added to the hotels’ websites.

“Adopt a holistic approach to build and sustain a healthy revenue ecosystem at your hotel.” Kathleen Mallery

senior director, Revenue Optimization Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Think about how much time you spend on your physical lobby making sure it’s fresh and up-to-date. Make sure you spend that same amount of time refreshing your online lobby.” Remember two points, she says: “Keep your content fresh. Keep your content relevant.” Hotels can submit new content to be added to their websites 150 times a year. “This really gives you an opportunity to tell your hotel’s story and to draw people in,” Astleford says.

Forum for Feedback “People are out there talking about your hotel, and it’s important that you join the conversation,” says Astleford. With review sites like TripAdvisor, a hotel’s ability to engage with its guests online, generate reviews and then respond to those reviews has a direct impact on the hotel’s bottom line. “Guest reviews keep customers on the specific property’s display longer, which increases conversion,” Astleford says.

Here’s how it works: Each hotel’s website now includes a “Reviews” tab. When readers click on that tab, they’re taken to the Reviews page, where a TripAdvisor logo and hyperlink appear. The five most recent reviews are displayed, along with a ratings summary, sort options and management responses when applicable. If they want to read more, guests can easily click a link to TripAdvisor’s site, which displays a full list of reviews. “People crave transparency from hotels,” says Astleford. “Our guests see TripAdvisor as a trusted, unbiased source.”

Start a Dialogue Of course, it’s not enough simply to have more reviews, says Mallery. Hotels have to take a strategic approach in responding to guest feedback, both good and bad. “Proper management can reduce the negative impact of bad guest reviews so they don’t rip into your revenue ecosystem like a tornado, creating damage that takes a long time to repair.” Four- and five-star reviews present an opportunity for hotels not only to offer their thanks, but also to highlight more of their best features. “When you post responses to reviews, those exchanges—all of those words—become part

of your hotel’s searchable content. Remember, reviews are public. You are not just responding to the guest who wrote it but also to future potential guests,” Astleford says. Likewise, negative reviews offer hotels a platform to show that they are committed to guest satisfaction and want to take the necessary steps to ensure loyalty. “For bad reviews, thank guests for their feedback, apologize for the poor experience, and then provide specific feedback on how you’re going to resolve it or how you’ve already resolved it,” Astleford advises. “Don’t just say you’ll look into it; provide details.”

A Smart Sell When it comes to revenue generation, most hoteliers would argue that getting to a perfect sellout—where every room is sold and occupied—is the ultimate goal, says Jeff Wermager, director, Revenue Optimization, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. While Wermager agrees that 100 percent occupancy is ideal, he adds that the true endgame is a long-term strategy that ensures you’re making the most revenue on any given day. “Selling out your hotel is a good goal, but you must be smart about it,” he says. “We ask managers to consider three factors: overbooking, maximizing length of stay and maximizing rates.” As a rule, hotel managers understand certain room types sell better than other room types. According to Wermager, managers should oversell those popular room types when they expect high demand. “We generally know that king rooms are in high demand during the week for the business traveler, and double beds are in higher demand over the weekend,” he says. “You want to be sure your guests are able to buy the same room type throughout their stay.” If a guest is searching for a king room on a three-night stay but the king room is sold out one of those days, they may turn their search to another hotel. If a hotel can accurately predict demand, it can avoid fragmentation. “It doesn’t have to be a guessing game,” Wermager says. “You need to proactively manage your availability. We strongly urge hotels to review our new overbooking module, which is now available in SNAP, to help at the hotel level.” The second consideration for managers as they work toward achieving sellout efficiency is length of stay. “Obviously, we like longer lengths of stays because they reduce operational expenses,” Wermager says. SNAP is a great tool for managing price to demand. But there are

days when unconstrained demand is very high. “In the case of excess demand, you want to close out the low-rated tiers/ codes and apply stay controls,” he adds. At the same time, low-demand QUICK HITS dates might require checking that all closure and stay controls are open and seeing whether a promotion that ran last year is missing. Reviewing Carlson Rezidor’s Tips to maximize hotels’ online new RevOpt reports is a key part of presence and grow revenue. the planning process. The “90-Day Outlook” and “Weekly Booking Pace” reports are especially useful for identifying high- or low-demand dates Encourage guest reviews. TripAdvisor that need special planning over and and Carlson Rezidor have partnered above following SNAP recommendatogether to offer downloadable cards tions. Hotels can learn how to read that staff can share with guests. Avoid repeating negative keywords the reports on Learning Link. when responding to negative feedback. Maximizing revenue comes down You will benefit from these more positive to using all the available tools to terms in search engine queries. make a judgment call that may Know the online travel agencies’ not seem obvious at first. “At times, content guidelines. You need to know it’s necessary for a hotel to shift their requirements so you can maximize its business from one segment to your opportunities to attract potential another,” says Wermager. guests. In addition, some OTAs provide “Maybe you have one segment content report cards for your hotel as that drives most of your revenue, but well as your competition; hotels with it’s low-rated. These segment issues higher content scores will appear higher on page displays and usually convert should be looked at very closely, as higher on the sites. you may want to consciously move Use RevOpt reporting to find revenue from that type of business. In the short opportunities. In CONNECT, go to term, you may lose some occupancy, Hotel Specific Reports and search but ultimately, you’ll open up space for the three RevOpt reports: “90-Day for higher-rated rooms to be booked.” Outlook,” “Weekly Booking Pace” By better managing segment and “Monthly Dashboard.” issues, hotels can avoid relying too heavily on any one segment, says Mallery. “Again, just as heavy rains, if not managed properly, can cause massive flooding and property destruction, so can low-rated contract business.” Considering how all of these elements work together is critical for developing a comprehensive revenue plan, says Mallery. “These strategies will help you adopt a holistic approach for building and sustaining a healthy revenue ecosystem at your hotel.”

HEALTHY REVENUE ECOSYSTEMS

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BRIGHTSPOTS

PLAN PREPARE Emergencies can happen at any moment. The key is knowing how to handle the situation. By Laura Saunders

icole Aune knows all about keeping calm when calamity strikes. The former general manager and director of sales for Country Inn & Suites Eagan, who is now area director of Sales for Country Inn & Suites Minnesota West in Plymouth and Eagan, took the experience she gained through a family tragedy and applied it to a medical emergency at the Eagan hotel. What’s her mantra? Never panic! By staying calm, you are able to think clearly and deal more effectively with any situation, she explains. Aune learned this through a number of code blue emergencies that her daughter experienced before her death. Those daunting moments required her to stay calm even though her child’s life was hanging in the balance. Her painful life lesson may have helped save the life of another child.

Emergency procedures When a 7-year-old girl fell and hit her head at the Eagan hotel, Aune calmly jumped into action, assembling a makeshift triage team. Her focus was the child, whose family had been staying at the hotel for several months. Aune, Ryan Story of guest services, chief engineer Tim Hamar and shuttle driver Robel Bezabhe quickly ran to the child’s aid.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Studio 306

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Ready to perform CPR, Aune confirmed that the child had a pulse and was breathing. She and her team waited with the family until emergency services arrived on the scene. Aune’s team knows when there is a crisis, the key is to stay composed, whether it’s a natural disaster or an illness. It’s a lesson she teaches all of her employees. Jessica Robinette, front office manager, is just one team member who has learned the importance of serenity. “If you panic, everyone around you will panic,” she explains. “Then you won’t get to the cause of what happened and be able to help the person who needs it. You have to know and use your emergency procedures manual. It is there for a reason.” “We hear about the importance of making a strong connection with a guest,” Aune says. “For our brand, being mindful, genuine and welcoming really is in our DNA. Watching our team jump into action to save the life of this child as if she was their own was not only a bright spot in the life of this particular family, but for our own team. We formed a stronger bond by helping another person.” Since the emergency, the family, who will forever have a strong link with the Country Inns & Suites brand, has moved into a new home. We are pleased to report that the young guest recovered from her fall and is doing well.

READY AND ABLE Robel Bezabhe, shuttle driver, and Nicole Aune, former general manager of the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Eagan, MN, assisted a guest during a recent health emergency.

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REZIDORABC

rezidor brings 4d to life

The 2014 Annual Business Conference in Abu Dhabi showcased Rezidor’s successful initiatives for the future. By Renu Snehi

s one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing hotel companies, The Rezidor Hotel Group was right on trend when it chose to host the 2014 Annual Business Conference at Abu Dhabi’s glittering Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit and the stylish Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island in April. This annual event brought together more than 420 senior corporate and regional executives with hotel general managers from the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. At the conference, key Rezidor executives shared the company’s progress in 2013, as well as new initiatives for the next year. Here are some highlights.

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Accelerating 4D Rezidor launched its multidimensional 4D strategy—Develop, Delight, Drive and Deliver—at the 2013 ABC in Riga. This year’s business conference zoomed ahead to focus on accelerating 4D, bringing Rezidor’s strategy vividly to life through dynamic interactive workshops and presentations. Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and chief executive officer, Rezidor, explains the choice of conference destination: “The Middle East is an important growth market, with 50 hotels and 12,500 rooms in operation and under development.” The decision to hold the conference in Abu Dhabi signals the strong

ABOVE Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and chief executive officer, Rezidor LEFT Attendees take a coffee break during the conference.

commitment Rezidor has to grow in this emerging market. Neumann also told delegates he was leading his team on a fast-track mission to achieve the company’s ambitious profitability goals as part of Rezidor’s Route 2015 strategy. Success in the hospitality industry, much like in Formula 1 sports, is all about thinking big, he says. The company is making great progress toward its goal of an EBITDA margin of 12 percent by 2015. Exceeding the 2013 target, the company became profitable after four tough years, raising the share price by 52 percent. The group is now working to reach its next target of 10 percent

by December 2014 and ultimately a 12 percent profit margin by 2015.

ACHIEVING POSITIVE RESULTS Moving forward, a number of key drivers will propel Rezidor toward its goal, starting with revenue growth. Last year saw a great performance, with good progress made through cost asset management, cap utilization, growth and revenue. And the February Sales Wave was a revenue-generating initiative, resulting in a healthy €10 million in booked revenue. In 2013, Rezidor signed 32 hotels with 6,400 rooms and opened 14 hotels with 3,300 rooms, which added to the company’s success.

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REZIDORABC

The cost-optimizing strategy, including intelligent cost optimization, brought positive results and increased GOP margin from 34.8 percent in 2012 to 36.8 percent in 2013. Meanwhile, Rezidor is evolving, building on strong values and foundations, focusing on financial results, and working in cooperation with CarlsonSM. Rezidor is more aligned, stronger and increasingly decentralized, with more focus on the hotels and support. Rezidor’s Central Support Office (CSO) and Area Support Office (ASO) are now strongly aligned in the new Business Leadership Team to truly accelerate 4D.

Formula 1 Wolfgang M. Neumann enjoys a spin around the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit during the 2014 Annual Business Conference in Abu Dhabi.

The best people Rezidor’s mission to develop talent includes many new initiatives designed to create a performance management culture, including the Rezidor Business Leader Profile. The company’s promise is to create a vital new Rezidor tool that defines its unique identity as an employer, ensuring the company attracts, retains and engages the best people. Rezidor is also raising the bar in diversity, aiming to see women filling 30 percent of senior management positions by 2016. Meanwhile, the brand architecture is being enhanced to delight guests even further. Rezidor’s core upperupscale Radisson Blu® brand is expanding and aligning on a global basis, while Park Inn by Radisson is growing fast in the midscale segment.

The road ahead

Award Winners Marius Ursan and Odile De Groot (left to right) Ursan, concierge, Radisson Blu Hotel, Marseille, France; De Groot, director of Food & Drinks and Events Catering, Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait.

new initiatives Also during the conference it was announced that Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is launching two exciting new brands: Quorvus Collection and Radisson Red.

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Moving forward, creating essential bright spots also is a vital part of delighting guests for all brands. Finally, extensive initiatives have been implemented to drive business and deliver results, many in conjunction with Carlson. The Club CarlsonSM hotel loyalty program now has more than 12 million members. Global Web consolidation, mobile and SNAP, plus new Experience Meetings and Smart Meetings initiatives, made great advances. Rezidor is also racing ahead on the digital marketing front, with more partners and connectivity, plus a dynamic new Brand, Marketing & PR Communication team to drive brand loyalty and awareness. Rezidor is gearing up to grow with a focus on the emerging markets and on conversions and aiming to accelerate profitability initiatives through a €60 million rights issue proposal.

Power Session At one of the Power Sessions, attendees learned tips for making their hotels more environmentally conscious and green focused.

Neumann sums up the fast-track journey Rezidor is on. “We’ve had a remarkable year and made great progress. But to get where we need to be, it’s crucial we stay focused,” he says. “We must learn to embrace every challenge. Attitude is altitude, and at Rezidor, the only attitude is Yes I Can! We never, ever give up.” Trudy Rautio, president and chief executive officer, Carlson, and chairman of the Rezidor Board of Directors, says the 2013 results show that Rezidor is right on track as she outlined Carlson Rezidor’s great advances in the Americas and Asia at the event. “We have a huge opportunity to elevate the guest experience and capitalize on new experiences that differentiate ourselves from our competitors,” Rautio says.

YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, YOU SEND, YOU WIN. Turn your leads into rewards for you! Send your friends, family and business leads to any participating Carlson Hotel and receive a financial incentive for qualified business* staying at our hotels.

Leads that qualify for the program include:

It’s simple!

Be on the lookout for leads!

Go to www.carlsonleadstar.com, fill in the information and send it! If the hotel books the lead and the lead stays at the hotel, you receive a financial incentive.

› Groups resulting in 10 room nights or more › Group rooms with meeting space › Meeting space only › Extended-stay business › Local negotiated accounts

Social groups / Weddings / Family reunions / Sports groups / Tournaments / School events / Military groups / Religious outings / Cultural functions / Business contacts / Meetings

Ask your general manager for information on Lead Star or visit www.carlsonleadstar.com to get started.

* Financial incentives based on minimum stay/room night requirements and other restrictions. Financial incentives will not be paid until after the group/lead has checked out and accounting has been processed. Payment subject to payroll tax deductions. Program subject to change or discontinuation at any time. Please see full program details for more information.

H O T L IN E MA G AZINE

EVENTS • WHAT’S NEW • AWARDS • NOTEWORTHY • PORTFOLIO

FRONTLINE

Pinning Challenge David Berg shows his Service Heart.

he new chief operating officer for Carlson, David Berg, needed to fast-track his pinning process. To help facilitate this, and have a little fun during the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu Americas Conference and the Country Inns & Suites Business Conference, Berg performed a bevy of activities to earn his Be Our Guest and Yes I Can! SM pins.

“It was a great opportunity to better understand our service culture.”

Illustration by Gluekit

From getting the proper fluff on the bed pillows to transporting guests in the courtesy shuttle, and from working the line in the kitchen to shoveling snow on the walk, Berg took in all areas of the business, showing enormous enthusiasm along the way. “It was a great opportunity to better understand our service culture and experience what those closest to the customers do so I can try to be more helpful,” Berg says.

LEFT Employees and general managers at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington at Mall of America and the Radisson Blu Mall of America give Carlson’s Chief Operating Officer David Berg the thumbs up during his pinning challenge. Berg earned his pins during this year’s two brand conferences.

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Called Out

Celebrating outstanding performance in Omaha. he 16 top performers at the Omaha Reservations Center were honored recently for their accomplishments in 2013. Combined, the group answered more than a quarter of a million calls, contributed more than $32 million in gross revenue to Carlson hotels and converted nearly 50 percent of all calls into reservations; this includes all calls, from cancellation requests and confirmations to adjustments and sales calls. Additionally, the award winners created more than 51,000 new Club Carlson members. Debbie Gilmore was honored as Sales Representative of the Year. Delighting guests for nearly 19 years, she has booked more than $25 million in room revenue and handled more than 215,000 calls. Paulette Hawkins, director, Global Voice Reservations Sales, says of Gilmore, “Goals are a big part of the success of any job, and when Debbie focuses and puts her mind to it, she not only meets her goals, she exceeds them, year after year.” Hawkins adds that in addition to Gilmore’s outstanding sustained sales performance, she is valued for her passion and experience. “Her work ethic and personal integrity is second to none, and her positivity and confidence helped her earn the respect of all those around her. She embodies the values that Carlson holds dear.”

Taking Action

Helping at-risk children and low-income families. group of 11 business and community leaders from Regina, Saskatchewan, visited The Family Place, a social service agency based in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, that aids at-risk children and low-income families. The tour was part of the Seeing is Believing program, an experiential effort created two decades ago by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. The goal of Seeing is Believing is to engage corporate leaders on social issues and challenge them to take action. This was the first Prince’s Seeing is Believing community visit day in Western Canada. After participating in the event, Marla Preston, general manager of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan, went back to her property and shared her experience and what she learned during the event. The hotel then decided to make The Family Place its charity of choice for the year, presenting $2,700 to the agency on Jan. 21, 2014.

Photography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Top Ranked he Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Port Orange–Daytona in Florida recently celebrated its second anniversary. In addition to the anniversary milestone, hotel staff also celebrated two consecutive years of holding the top ranking for guest satisfaction among the Carlson-Rezidor Hotel Group, Americas. The event was attended by community representatives as well as Jorge Falcon, district director, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, and Kristina Rashedi, manager, Global Sales, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s AcaFella singing group performed for guests, who enjoyed food from local restaurants and door prizes.

upcoming webinars new options for 2014 Carlson Rezidor started offering revenue-building webinars in 2010, which have averaged 1,500 attendees each year. But for 2014, the webinars are changing a bit. Susan Cecere, regional director, Revenue Generation, Radisson Franchise Operations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, explains, “We decided we needed to do something a little different this year.” In addition to bimonthly orientation webinars for new Radisson directors of sales, general managers or sales team members, there will be special highlighted topics. These include Lead Star, Lanyon (an electronic tool that is connected to requests for proposals) and how to prepare for 2015. This final topic will cover a review of all sales and marketing tools “to make sure all hotels are heading in the right direction for 2015 to make as much money as possible,” Cecere says. There are also plans for specialty market webinars during the second half of 2014 that will deal with the segments hotels need to focus on to bring business through their doors.

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT Debbie Gilmore, Omaha Reservations Center; Marla Preston (center), Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan; Susan Cecere, regional director, Revenue Generation, Radisson Franchise Operations, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; Kristina Rashedi, manager, Global Sales, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (left); Tom Clapsaddle, general manager (second from left); Jorge Falcon, district director, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (right).

Honor the Troops

Ellen Jimenez, associate director sales, Radisson Suites Tucson, represented the hotel at a recent invitation-only event honoring the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders. The event was held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and was attended by the leadership of the Air Force, their families and a select few supporters.

The group consisted of 80 men who volunteered to fly over Japan in B-25 bombers to drop their bombs before flying on to land in a part of China that was still free on April 18, 1942. They took off from the USS Hornet, led by (then Col.) Jimmy Doolittle. Four of the surviving Raiders attended the event, which ended with a B-25 flyover. 2 0 1 4 | TH E C ON FEREN C E ISSU E

FRONTLINE

Up & Away

New Up-sell tool boosts results.

n innovative, new website tool that allows Carlson Rezidor hotel guests an easy way to upgrade their reservations, Up-sell is showing impressive results in its early days. It has helped propel Carlson Rezidor past its 2013 revenue goal in the Americas. The second phase of the Up-sell product was launched on Oct. 31, 2013. “We are seeing tremendous results,” says Gigi DesLauriers-Knop, senior director, Digital Channels and Consumer Insights, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In the first month of the program, there was increased viewing of Up-sell options. In fact, every customer viewing the room options page now sees the options, a 20 percent increase over pre-launch numbers. As a result, Up-sell bookings have more than doubled, increasing from 4,400 to 9,900 in one month. The share of bookings has also skyrocketed, leaping from 2.5 percent to 6.2 percent. “We surpassed our 2013 revenue goal,” says Chris Mausolf, manager, E-Commerce, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, who is leading the cross-functional Up-sell team. New WebFocus and Tableau reports are available to hotels, and plans for the remainder of 2014 include post-booking Up-sell on confirmation emails and pre-arrival emails. Mobile Up-sell requirements also are in progress. “Up-sell revenue has increased 75 percent,” says Mausolf. “Revenue grew from $224,000 in October to $391,000 in November, and Up-sell share has more than doubled.”

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Yes I Can! The new and improved program further empowers employees. he rollout of the new advanced Yes I Can! SM program happened over two days at the 2014 Radisson and Radisson Blu America Conference. “It was so different from what we were doing before, we felt we had to retrain the current hotel trainers who had been doing it for the previous years,” says Steve Outwater, vice president, Learning and Development, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The trainers enjoyed attending the conference, where they received their recertification in the new program. Outwater says that trainers are typically front office managers or human resources managers, but that the main requirement is a passion for delivering the program. “It is all about helping the hotel improve its guest service delivery,” he says. In all, more than 80 attended the sessions, which started with the trainers first experiencing the new Yes I Can! program as participants. After Outwater’s initial overview, the trainers then broke into teams of 10, with a master trainer to assist them while they went through the learning exercises and to ensure they had a firm grasp of the material. On the second day, the groups practiced teaching the program in their small groups, providing feedback to each other. Additionally, each attendee received a tablet to use to access materials online back at their properties. “Each tablet has a cable that lets them hook it up to a TV, and that is what they will use for training back at the hotel,” Outwater explains. The trainers have until July 1 to retrain their hotel’s staff. One of the major focal points of the program, says Outwater, is helping every employee understand their Powerful Personal Presence. “Everyone has something in them that allows them to make a connection with a guest,” he says. “We think right now that’s the most important aspect of delivering great service—that personal connection that every employee makes with a guest. That is really what drives loyalty back to the hotel.” Excited by the changes, Outwater says that trainers have been sharing their stories on how training is going through their online learning management system. According to the trainers, their fellow staff love the new Yes I Can!, too.

Photography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; illustration by Mario Wagner

New for the Club

Club CarlsonSM has updated its loyalty program benefits and redemptions. Club Carlson members now have a choice of room types when redeeming Award Nights. Part of the update gives members the ability to redeem points for stays in premium rooms at participating hotels. There’s an update to redemption categories as well.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Steve Outwater; a newly certified trainer; an attendee of the program; Javier Rosenberg; Cindy Miller, guest services hotel trainer, Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto-Harbourfront.

Members will continue to enjoy redemption options such as prepaid cards, airline miles and more. Members who stay frequently can earn Elite membership and room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, and Elite Rollover Nights. There also will be the option of earning points on food and beverage purchases charged to the room. 2 0 1 4 | TH E C ON FEREN C E ISSU E

FRONTLINE

Honoring Service leven Carlsonians were finalists in the Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 18th Annual Bloomington Diamond Service Awards. Jeremy Jahn of the Radisson Blu Mall of America was honored for Best Hotel Reservations/Guest Services for a full-service hotel. The annual awards recognize outstanding customer service in the tourism, hospitality and retail industries that promotes repeat business and growth for Bloomington. The awards also celebrate the role the employees play in enhancing Bloomington’s reputation as a friendly, world-class visitor destination. Seven of the other Carlson award finalists were from the Radisson Hotel Bloomington by Mall of America: Robert Cespedes, Michelle Nudsen, Kiaya Pajak, Jonathan Prudoehl, Samantha Spinler, Greg Rousseau and Tami Swanson. There were also three finalists from the Country Inn & Suites at Mall of America: Naino Dookie, Johnathan Jackson and Carrie Poepping.

It Scene Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia honored.

LEFT TO RIGHT Jeremy Jahn, Radisson Blu Mall of America, winner of the Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau Diamond Service Award; room interior at the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia; Austen Bierl, chief operating officer, Pacific West Hotels & Resorts, the management company for Country Inn & Suites Pella, Iowa.

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otelChatter, an online Web magazine that covers all things related to the global hotel industry, recognized Pennsylvania’s largest city as the “Best Hotel Scene.” Philadelphia outranked London, New York, Paris and Sydney.

Rising Star eam leader Austen Bierl, chief operating officer, Pacific West Hotels & Resorts, which manages the Country Inn & Suites Pella, Iowa, was named to “Thirty Under 30” by Hotel Management, the leading hospitality news authority. He will be included in the 2013 class of “Thirty Under 30 Rising Stars” in the hospitality industry and will join the National Focus Group of Young Hoteliers. He also was invited by the magazine to speak at the North American Hotel Convention in Chicago on the innovative technologies and strategies that will drive the hotel industry’s future success.

The publication says, “While the newly opened Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia lived up to the hype, we are most pleased with how the city’s plans are falling into place on a whole.” The Philadelphia property was also featured in the January/February 2014 issue of Boutique Design, an interior design trade publication, along with the Radisson Blu Riverside Hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden. The publication celebrated both properties for their visual and tactile elements and their ability to create a sense of place and memorable experiences that linger long after a guest checks out. The design firm, Graven Images, and its creative director, Jim Hamilton, are responsible for the designs of the two properties.

Photography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

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FRONTLINE

Wicked Weather

Southern hospitality shines during a winter storm.

hen Mother Nature hit the Atlanta area with snow, sleet and freezing rain, many residents and travelers were left stranded. But not even the atypical winter storm could keep the staff at the Radisson Hotel Atlanta Northwest from serving guests with Yes I Can! SM spirit. Peter Bheda, president and chief executive officer of Frontera Hotel Group, the hotel’s management company, contacted authorities to let them know the hotel’s doors were open for stranded travelers. Emergency services and local police brought five families to the hotel, and all were offered complimentary rooms. Additional commuters found their way to the hotel over the next two nights. Bheda’s team was eager to show their caring spirit, too. Staff worked 24 hours straight without any sleep to serve their guests and provide unparalleled service during the winter emergency.

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Guests contacted the local news media to report the kind gestures of the Radisson hotel and how the new ownership has been a “safe haven” for many travelers. “The lobby of the hotel erupted in chants like, ‘Radisson Rocks,’ ‘Go Radisson’ and ‘I will never stay at any other hotel but Radisson during my travels,’” Bheda shared. The hotel, which joined the Radisson® family in late 2013, is about to undergo a major property improvement program (PIP), closing for three months to complete its transformation. “My commitment is to put CarlsonSM and the Radisson Hotel Atlanta Northwest on the map and that Carlson Rezidor leadership will know that we will take care of every guest, every day with our service excellence that will reflect a world-class affiliation with Carlson Rezidor,” Bheda explains. “On behalf of all of us at Radisson, I wish to thank you and congratulate the Radisson Hotel Atlanta Northwest team for a fantastic gesture that showcases the caring spirit of our brand,” says Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson, Americas, and executive vice president, Owned and Managed Hotels, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “It is one more step in the right direction to ensure the community understands the commitment towards service you aim to provide.”

BARBADOS Donation Efforts Staff and management at the Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados, one of the newest members of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group family, showed their caring spirit by helping their local community. They came together to donate items to The Salvation Army Barbados & St. Lucia Divisional Headquarters. This initiative was lauded by Divisional Commander Major Brown of the Salvation Army, who said that the donation would benefit those who are less fortunate. It’s a perfect example of how Radisson® cares and shares with its communities. In continuing the responsible business program, the hotel acknowledges that managing its business in a responsible manner helps foster vital relationships, while reaching out to the community.

Photography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; illustration by Andy Potts

TORONTO service heart Giving back to the community is a core belief at the Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto–Harbourfront. Each year, the team volunteers its time to a local organization that feeds the hungry. This year, team members ran a monthlong food drive and accumulated 150 pounds of nonperishable items for the Scott Mission, a local organization that provides temporary housing for families, daily meals for those in need and a food and clothing bank to those less fortunate.

Green Machine ripAdvisor has rated Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago the number one green hotel in the city. The hotel is now officially a Green Leader on TripAdvisor—one of only 19 hotels in Chicago to be granted this honor. TripAdvisor ranks four categories of Green Leaders: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum; the Radisson Blu is the only hotel in Chicago to achieve Platinum Level. “This designation truly sets us apart as innovators of our industry,” said Pierre Louis Giacotto, general manager. “We are continuously looking for ideas to make our hotel greener. The smallest idea can make a big difference.” Environmental elements of the LEED-certified hotel include systems to reduce water and power usage. Green-minded guests can take advantage of LEED-related amenities such as the hotel’s extensive recycling program and an 80,000-squarefoot green roof with native plants.

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Staff from the Radisson Aquatica Resort Barbados helped out the local Salvation Army; Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago; Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto–Harbourfront staff with some of the food they donated to Scott Mission. OPPOSITE PAGE Peter Bheda, president and chief executive officer of Frontera Hotel Group, owners of the Radisson Hotel Atlanta Northwest.

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FRONTLINE

Hotel Openings Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Phoenix Airport South, AZ

Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Jan. 23, 2014 Cedar Rapids welcomes a new Country Inn & Suites By CarlsonSM. The property offers 82 guest rooms and suites, a brand new fitness center, an indoor pool, a business center and conference rooms.

Phoenix, Arizona | Jan. 2, 2014 Western U.S. fliers now have a comfortable place to touch down in Phoenix’s new Country Inns & Suites airport location. The property, with 106 guest rooms and suites, provides all the comforts of home, including a fitness center, outdoor pool and spa, and two meeting rooms.

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Cookeville, TN Cookeville, Tennessee | Jan. 28, 2014 State park trails and waterfalls, vineyards and Tennessee Tech University are all a quick jaunt from the new Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Cookeville, TN. Centrally located between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, Cookeville’s 99-room property boasts complimentary high-speed Internet access and meeting rooms.

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Springfield, IL

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Frederick, MD

Park Inn by Radisson Bogota

Frederick, Maryland | Feb. 3, 2014 The new Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Frederick, Md., brings new partner Longman Properties to the Carlson brand. The property will be updated with elements of the latest design that appeal to a younger traveler. The guest rooms, corridors and common spaces will be renovated, and there will be an expansion of the dining room and breakfast serving area as well.

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Springfield, Illinois | Jan. 16, 2014 The first Country Inn & Suites to feature the brand’s new exterior architecture and modern interiors, the Springfield, Illinois, location also offers comfortable yet stylish furnishings and spacious guest rooms and suites that feature spalike bathrooms.

Bogota, Colombia | March 31, 2014 Colombia’s bustling capital welcomes the country’s first Park Inn by Radisson location. The new 64-room hotel shows off the brand’s best features, including seven meeting and event spaces, a spa, full fitness center and top-notch Mediterranean cuisine at its El Restaurante Bambú. The property also features more than 25 outdoor terraces and green gardens.

Park Inn by Radisson, OrlandoCelebration, FL Kissimmee, Florida | Jan. 2, 2014 Orlando has more to celebrate with Carlson Rezidor’s newest property, located one mile from Walt Disney World Resort park on six beautifully landscaped acres.

The 437-room property features abundant meeting space, perfect for leisure and business travelers.

Radisson Cartagena Ocean Pavillion Hotel Cartagena, Colombia | Feb. 14, 2014 Cartagena, Colombia, known for unparalleled access to the Caribbean and delicious local fare, boasts a new attraction: the opulent Radisson Cartagena Ocean Pavillion Hotel, nestled on the stunning La Boquilla Beach. The 233-room beachfront resort features a contemporary design with top-notch resort amenities.

Radisson Grenada Beach Resort Grand Anse Beach, St. George | Dec. 16, 2013 Radisson makes its Grenada debut with the opening of the Radisson Grenada

Photography courtesy of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Cedar Rapids North. IA

Beach Resort in St. George. The contemporary in design, four-star resort—set on 20 acres of lush, tropical grounds and the white sugar sands and beachfront of Grand Anse Beach—caters to business and leisure travelers.

Radisson Hotel at The University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio | Dec. 31, 2013 With on-site event facilities, a 24-hour business center and a shuttle with easy access to local destinations, the new Radisson Hotel at The University of Toledo offers travelers convenience and comfort. The hotel boasts a premier location within Toledo and The University of Toledo—one of the most important public universities in Ohio.

Radisson Hotel Hartford Hartford, Connecticut | Jan. 13, 2014 In the heart of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, the newly opened Radisson Hotel Hartford welcomes visitors to its 350 rooms and suites. In addition to more than 8,000 square feet of flexible meeting and function space, the hotel offers onsite dining at the full-service Bistro Z.

Radisson Hotel Trinidad Port of Spain, Trinidad | April 7, 2014 With sweeping views of the Northern Range and the Gulf of Pairia, the Radisson Hotel Trinidad provides convenient access to Port of Spain’s International Financial Center, government ministries and shopping. Guests enjoy the property’s 360 Degrees Restaurant, the only revolving restaurant in Trinidad.

Hotel Signings COUNTRY INN & SUITES by carlson LACKLAND, TEXAS Lackland, Texas | Jan. 3, 2014 Located outside of San Antonio, with 74 guest rooms and suites.

COUNTRY INN & SUITES by carlson Bryant, Arkansas Bryant, Arkansas | Dec. 12, 2013 Located outside of Little Rock, with 63 guest rooms and suites.

Hotel Renovations Radisson Hotel Portland Airport Portland, Oregon | Dec. 17, 2013 All 190 guest rooms, the lobby, business center, fitness center, restaurant, lounge and meeting space received makeovers during the Radisson Hotel Portland Airport’s recent multimillion-dollar renovation. “Our focus has been to enhance the guest experience in all areas of the hotel,” says Becky Fields, general manager.

Radisson Hotel Whittier Whittier, California | Nov. 22, 2013 The newly renovated Radisson Hotel Whittier is ideally located in the historic uptown district. It offers convenient access to the best attractions in California, including Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The upscale property’s rooms feature plush bedding, complimentary Wi-Fi and LCD flat-screen TVs. On-site services include a heated outdoor pool and a bistro restaurant.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Radisson Grenada Beach Resort is a premier, four-star resort; Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Frederick, Md., will be updated with new, more modern interiors; The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Phoenix Airport South is located near Arizona State University, the Cotton Center, Arizona Mills Mall and Diablo Stadium; Close to many local attractions, including the Oregon Zoo and the Portland Rose Garden, the Radisson Hotel Portland Airport has a prime location; Amenities at the Radisson Hotel Whittier include a fitness center, a business center and meeting space for up to 700 guests; Enjoy views of Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Mount Everest® at the newly opened Park Inn By Radisson, Orlando–Celebration.

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ASK

GORDON MCKINNON DESIGNING BRANDS THAT WILL WIN Four questions for Gordon McKinnon, executive vice president and chief branding officer, Carlson How do THE new hotel brands, Radisson red and Quorvus, tie into Vision 20/20? In many ways they are absolutely representative of Vision 20/20. They are all about the customer experience and creating demand, not just relying on supply. What WAS YOUR inspiration FOR RED’s LOOK? We live in a postmodern world so it’s all out there if you keep your eyes open and look in the right places. Overall, it’s design with a purpose—understanding how guests use a hotel, what they expect of it and then creating an experience that satisfies these needs and desires. It’s not being different just to be different. HOW IMPORTANT ARE AESTHETICS TO GUESTS? More and more people around the world today appreciate design. As part of this, guests have much higher expectations. At the same time, we have to look at how that relates back to functionality and the use of space. What’s next for the existing brands? It goes back to strategy. With Ambition 2015, we brought our brands to a stage where they can compete. Now through Vision 20/20, we need to get them to where they can win. Whether it’s the new Blu hotels, Radisson Re-Imagined, Country Gen4, NextGen Park Inn or what’s next for Park Plaza—they all have this visionary finishing line, where we are working every day to improve the guest experience. This will lead our brands to the top positions in their segments.

WRITTEN BY: Spencer Collins PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Freed Photography

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A FASTER WAY TO A FREE NIGHT STAY

Radisson Blu Arlandia Hotel, Stockholm-Arlanda

Enjoy more points, more partners and more places with Club Carlson℠ – the global hotel rewards program from the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Join today to experience a collection of exceptional benefits, services and privileges at more than 1,000 hotels worldwide. Club Carlson offers you:

More Points Earn 20 Gold Points® per U.S. dollar spent on eligible hotel nights, and on meals and beverages charged to your room.

Free Award Nights Enjoy faster free nights - starting at 9,000 Gold Points, with no blackout dates on standard rooms.

clubcarlson.com

Find us on:

Free Internet Stay well connected. Members enjoy free Internet at more than 1,000 Carlson Rezidor hotels worldwide.

Elite Rewards Stay often to earn Elite membership and enjoy access to exclusive benefit options, including: complimentary room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, and Elite Rollover Nights.