Luxury hospitality consortium The Leading Hotels of the World is celebrating 85 years since it launched with 36 hotels in the late 1920s. Today the company has grown to over 430 hotels and here is the story of its beginnings.

By Dr. Jonathan Barsky: Who are my “true” competitors?  This million-dollar question is often a hot topic in boardrooms.  It’s essential information at revenue strategy meetings and crucial when developing property level sales and marketing plans.

If you're flying business class on an Indian jet, it may pay you to check the toilets for hidden gold.

By Feature Writer Todd Lapidus: A loose environment is one where service is customized in the moment. Decisions about what to offer a customer are made in real time. If pricing or your reputation depends on providing a unique experience, you operate in a loose environment. Luxury service brands that sell personalization are part of this variable world. A special kind of leadership is called for in this setting.

By Feature Writer By Jean Francois Mourier, CEO of REVPAR GURU: Before deciding on their action plan for 2014, hoteliers will need to first examine the successes and failures of the year prior, in order to improve future performance. One of the first priorities of a hotel business should be to examine your revenue and distribution strategy from the previous year. Did you earn as much profit as possible from each room, every single day of the year? Or were you leaving money on the table? Did you reach close to 100% occupancy on a regular basis or were you averaging closer to 50% (or even lower)? Chances are, most hoteliers will find that they performed fairly well, but that there was definitely room for improvement. Of course, an important part of earning the most revenue from each room – while increasing occupancy ¬ is your revenue management system. In order to help you determine whether your system is up to par, we are happy to provide you with a checklist that breaks down the key features that all revenue management systems should have in today¹s technologically advanced world.

Hotels are in danger of failing to adapt to a new breed of guest whose needs and demands are entirely different to those of previous generations. This is the conclusion of a new study in the changing nature of hotel guests undertaken by global hotel consultancy HVS London.

By Mary Forgione: The number of affluent travelers has risen in the last few years, and more of those travelers are women, according to a report by MMGY Global and the Harrison Group. And nine in 10 use the Internet to find travel suppliers and information.

By Renee Radia: Last week, Starbucks announced a new service called Tweet-a-coffee. The program is as intuitive as it sounds – it allows Twitter users to give Starbucks Card eGifts to other Twitter users all from within the social network. Businesses within the hospitality industry should be quick to take advantage of this service, as it is low-cost but could have a big impact. Buying a coffee for someone is, after all, quite a hospitable thing to do! Here are a few ways hotels could Tweet-a-coffee and why this might pay off.

TripAdvisor® today announced the winners of its 2013 Travellers’ Choice™ Awards for All-Inclusive Resorts.  The awards recognise a total of 100 properties, including the top 25 in the world, and dedicated lists for seven regions around the globe including Asia, Africa, Europe, Caribbean, Mexico, Spain and Turkey.

By Feature Writer Alan Fairweather: Feedback is one of the Top 3 factors that motivate people at work. The majority of staff wants to know when they’re doing well, and when they could be doing better. There is no doubt, that giving people feedback is absolutely vital to ensure motivated staff who deliver results. Whether you want to reinforce positive behaviour or change unacceptable behaviour, there are certain steps you need to follow to make it effective.