By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group® Hotel Lawyers: Hotel Lawyer on branding your hotel or running it as an independent. When should you brand your hotel and when should you leave it unbranded? How do you know when the benefits justify the costs? And if you decide to brand, should you go with brand management or an independent operator? What are the considerations? Few decisions are more important. Here is hotel lawyer, Robert Braun to share some insights garnered by our Global Hospitality Group®'s experience in helping clients with more than 1,000 hotel management agreements and franchise agreements.

By Barry Moltz: Conflicts are an inevitable part of running a small business. In fact, effectively resolving conflicts within your company can actually build a strong and diverse team that will keep fresh ideas and creativity flowing. If everyone agrees with the boss's point of view, your company's direction and efforts will get stale fast. That being said, too much conflict isn't desirable either. To achieve the delicate balance, you need to have the skills to intervene when a healthy debate goes awry.

By Rajul: Despite the continuing chill in the air, spring is definitely on its way to London and we can't wait to see the daffodils put out their blooms. It's a time for new beginnings and this season will see refurbishments, special offers and brand new premises joining the boutique hotel scene.

By Samantha Shankman: With millions of these places competing for "Likes," shares, and comments, the organizations that are actually talking to followers are reaping the benefits online.

By John Boe: While you may not have recognized it, the last time you ordered from a fast food restaurant or went to the post office, there is a good chance you experienced some type of cross-selling or up selling. Cross-selling and up selling are well-established and highly effective marketing practices utilized by a wide variety of industries. Shortsighted salespeople are often quick to suggest that customers get irritated by attempts to cross-sell products and perceive cross-selling as an aggressive sales technique. Interestingly enough, consumer research indicates that the reverse is true.

By Are Morch: I love social networking – but the truth is, most of my business comes when I meet someone face-to-face (f2f) or they see me speak. Having just returned from a speaking tour – let me share some of these tips with you…

By Laura Ingle: With the move to mobile in the hotel industry, it is crucial to have the right tools to build better marketing materials. Have you got what it takes?

By Nancy Trejos: Attending a meeting or conference at a hotel used to involve a lot of snacking on cookies and downing cup after cup of coffee to get through the day.

By Jessica Davies: The rapid evolution of mobile technology provides more opportunities for IHG to connect with its guests across their entire journey, according to Menis.