By Yoland Perras: Sampling from a guest perspective prior to buying is a critical step for all items on your Hotel Operating Equipment (HOE) list.

Meeting and conferences are key revenue drivers for so much of the hotel industry. Here's a look at the current state of the meetings market and what it now takes to drive bookings success in this segment.

By Stacy Collett: One of Hyatt's most successful ideas emerged from the business side and was put to the test in a lab hotel. Hyatt International's president announced that the company needed to change the way guests check in. The lab trial was so successful that the company decided to expand the mobile solution even further.

Remember your eagerness at the start of your hospitality career to "make your mark"? Your enthusiasm for working in your chosen field was high along with your confidence in all the possibilities of the future. Your drive to succeed was strong. That enthusiasm, confidence and drive were and still are your internal motivators. By Kathleen Hogan

By Nancy Trejos: Major hotel chains are now building two hotels on one property, some in the same building, that target two very different clienteles. The so-called dual-branded hotels are the latest way hotel developers are saving money during tenuous economic times.

"Welcome to Le Mondrian. Enjoy your stay," announced the attendant, giving the revolving door a push. I smiled my thanks but the canned greeting meant he didn't recognize me. Staff at my regular hotels recognized me; Le Mondrian, an upscale hotel on the Sunset Strip, didn't call as often as it should. By Mike Oppenheim, M.D.

By Rochelle Castillejos: Hotels should focus attention on corporate clients that are booking them during off peak seasons, as they can help you when you need them most.

By the JMBM Global Hospitality Group®: Not too long ago, keeping guest information safe was a fairly straightforward process – perhaps the most innovative development was providing an in-room safe for valuables. This approach made sense at the time, when guest security was a matter of securing people and their physical possessions. The industry now recognizes that hotel guests have valuables to protect that go far beyond watches and wallets, or even laptops and iPads – – perhaps the most valuable information a hotel guest has is his or her identity, and unless a hotel actively safeguards it, those valuables are at risk. The ubiquity of credit card, wireless internet and other options, while essential to hotel operations, is also a source of insecurity.

By now, you’ve read all about VoIP’s potential to cut phone service and equipment costs, provide a more efficient converged voice/data network and offer enhanced call routing and management. You’re convinced that the technology is a good fit for your enterprise. All that’s left is to develop and deploy the system. That’s easier said than done, of course. But developing a VoIP system also isn’t as daunting as many potential adopters believe.