By feature writer Lily Lin, MBA, Ph.D: Victor Clavell is the Ritz-Carlton Area Vice President, Asia Pacific.  He is responsible for the management of 18 properties with more than one billion dollars of revenue. In addition, there are 20 projects either under construction or in the pipeline in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan. Victor Clavell is a soft-spoken and a gentle man. But one should not let his demureness fool you. He is a hardworking executive and is absolutely determined to do his best.  He has an insatiable desire to learn. In fact, he thinks that all senior level executives should go back to school at one point in their career.

By Dr. Jonathan Barsky, Co-founder & Chief Research Officer of Market Metrix: In part one of this two-part post we discussed how copying competitors and replacing CEOs to improve profitability have fallen short. We explored the competitive advantage that others have discovered — employee crowd sourcing.  This post focuses on the importance of employee engagement programs, and how companies like Tropicana and Joi de Vivre leverage their own employees to find new opportunities for growth.

By Andrea Petersen: Spas, even the most glamorous ones, can elicit their share of cringe-inducing moments. There's the awkward scene in the locker room. The forced "relaxation room" time with other robe-clad clients—some who want to party, others who want to sleep. Not to mention sauna etiquette conundrums (towel or no towel?). Now, hotel companies are designing spas to give privacy-craving guests a spa of their own. These mini "spas within a spa" include their own bathrooms, showers, lounging areas and even Jacuzzis and steam rooms.

By Bernhard Warner: By now it is almost gospel that investing in innovative new products and services helps a company’s long-term success. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. A new study from Accenture, “Why ‘Low Risk’ Innovation Is Costly,” found that fewer than one in five chief executives believes his strategic investments in innovation are paying off, and that this poor track record is starting to discourage companies from taking risks.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide says young millionaires are emerging as an influential segment in the highly competitive global tourism industry. Today, 85% of Starwood's luxury guests are rich travellers from Generation X and Y, so the US hotel chain is positioning itself to cater to this group.

Whether you travel to eat or shop, surf or ski, new adventures await. The New York Times has put together this comprehensive list of THE places to visit this year.

By Frances Cha: It's a tough life, being one of 36 anonymous reporters for Conde Nast Traveler magazine's annual Hot List.Evaluating hundreds of new hotels around the world, testing rooftop pools, drinking signature cocktails and flickering a judgmental eye over superlative properties. Yet again this year, that indefatigable crew managed to get through the job. The magazine's 17th annual Hot List Issue rounding up the best new hotels of 2013 hit newsstands on Tuesday.

By Chadner Navarro: Whether you need a recovery trip on the heels of spring break or a haven from other people's cranky toddlers, some hotels and resorts remove that unpredictable variable of youth and allow for a special kind of exclusivity: adults-only properties.

By Dana McMahan: If you think professional photographers only tail the glitterati, think again. A luxury that wouldn't have occurred to most travelers a few years ago, vacation photography is growing in popularity to capture the trip of a lifetime.