By John O'Ceallaigh: Gone are the days when luxury hotels could assume guests would be satisfied with a smile from the receptionist and some insider advice from a long-serving concierge. As major brands battle for business, they’re promoting increasingly niche services and employing staff with highly specialised – or peculiar – skills to set their properties apart and create a loyal customer base.

By feature writer Gordon James Gorman: Now that the Bradley Manning whistleblower case seems to have reached its conclusion, and with Edwards Snowden’s whistle temporarily silenced by the Russians, I thought it might be an ideal time to raise the issue of whistle blowing within the Hospitality industry to find out whether anyone out there might be willing to share their broad and non specific experiences of a practice deemed by various concerned parties as either nefarious, disloyal, treasonous, unpatriotic or on the flip side, perhaps even democratic and brave.

By Santiago Melián-González: The popular view of online hotel reviews is that many are unfairly negative, but a new study published in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) finds that as more reviews are posted on a site, the overall tone becomes more balanced.

By feature writer Madigan Pratt: Our recent analysis on the top travel review site showed interesting findings related to 5-star hotels in the Caribbean. While these hotels may not be delivering traditional Michelin 5-star service, they are providing guests with something even more important today – a 5-star vacation experience.

By Anne Edwards, Editor in Chief, ehotelier: In this week’s news, the Four Seasons welcomed new president and CEO Allen Smith; Greek authorities considered out-of-town tourist zones for rowdy British holidaymakers after the murder of 19-year old Tyrell Matthews-Burton in Crete last week and tourists are coming back to Las Vegas in droves, but spending has declined, and most of it appears to have shifted away from gambling to entertainment and dining venues. Spas in New York are offering bird poo facials and there has been an increase in mobile bookings and a decrease in prices paid for cruises over the past 5 years. Catch up on the week’s news here.

By feature writer Alan Fairweather: ‘How do I motivate my staff?’ That’s the question I’m most often asked when I spend time with business owners and managers. They’re looking for some kind of silver bullet, something they can say or do immediately that will give them highly motivated and engaged employees. Well, here’s the good news, and it won’t cost you anything, or very little to implement other than a bit of thought and some of your time.

By Chris Brandon: New York City bar and restaurant owners are backing a boycott on Russian food and drink—most notably, vodka—in response to the country’s tough stance on homosexuality.

By feature writer Noelle E. Ifshin: Everyone has heard the expression: “Location, Location, Location”. A restaurant's site selection is as crucial to its success as great food and service. However, many restaurants that open in “great locations”, fail because they don’t adjust their business model to the particularities of that location.

St Lawrence “Feast Day” is celebrated on 10th August and we would like to raise a glass to all the chefs and cooks of the world. We want to let you know that we recognize your contribution, your hard work, your diligence  and above all, your passion for your profession!