By Steve Cokkinias: A veteran of the hospitality industry, Steve has many entertaining stories up his sleeve. Each Wednesday he will share a story on ehotelier.

By Barbara DeLollis: Watch for hotels in 2013 to increasingly cater to guests' every whim when it comes to eating. In an age when time-pressed, health-conscious travellers are used to customizing their options at coffee shops and casual eateries, hotels are tweaking the type of food they prepare and where they serve it.

By Matthew E. May: Savvy innovators have picked up on the desire for people to tune out the noise, and a key strategy is offering less, not more. They know that delivering a memorable and meaningful experience hinges on user engagement, best achieved through a subtractive approach in which anything excessive, confusing, wasteful, unnatural, hazardous, hard to us or ugly is intelligently and cleverly removed.

Water and energy efficiency technologies such as energy management systems, ozone technologies for laundry and LED Lighting all qualify as a capital expense and can dramatically reduce your utility expenses.

By Theodore Koumelis: 2012 was a year of milestone events domestically and internationally that helped set the tone for travel in 2013. New Orleans, New Zealand and Charleston are projected to be among the top destinations this year in part due to new movie releases, national events and new hotel and flight offerings. The Orbitz "Look Back, Look Ahead" Insider Index identifies what got travelers moving in 2012 and projects top destinations and travel trends for the year ahead.

By Jackie Smith: Washington’s hospitality industry is gearing up for more same-sex weddings and receptions, of both in- and out-of-state couples. After a flurry of marriages in early December (immediately after the voter-approved same-sex marriage law went into effect in Washington), many same-sex couples are planning their nuptials for later this year.

By Caroline Sylger Jones: Spa breaks can be deliciously pampering,  but their increasing attraction for many of us in our busy, digitised world is their ability to make us feel better from the inside out.

Alexandra Levit: An important part of long-term success is developing your top talent so they can eventually replace you and other key players. Succession planning doesn’t have to be painful. After all, your organization is evolving, and you don’t want all the great progress you’ve made to be undermined due to an unplanned departure.

By Tatiana Rokou: Here's a rundown on what travellers can expect to see in the new year, as proposed by USA Today.

By Ruth Hill: Travellers with a love of luxury are joining the nation's record number of visitors — 3.5 million in 2012 — to this epicenter of the Holy Land. Hotel investors and developers are answering the heightened demand for rooms with several new upscale hotels which will open this year. Here's a sampling.