Sustainability – A Multi-Layered Human Interest Story
At present, business podcasts, industry articles and news bulletins are all about ‘sustainability’. The fact that the topic has established itself as a regular head-line feature across different media outlets is very commendable; yet, conversations appear to be somewhat one-sided. We read about initiatives to ensure economic benefits trickle down to communities which are otherwise left behind, to reduce pollution levels and/or to safeguard the environment. In short, most news coverage is about ‘pre-packaged solutions’ – but jumping to solutions will never get rid of the underlying cause of a problem. Should the conversation therefore be more multi-faceted and deeper?
Read moreConfronting ‘Trickster’ Figures In Market Metrics
Huge faith is placed in data, often blindly. People want to believe the black and white figures in front of them; it feels safe and reassuring. In the hospitality sector alone, data have spawned a whole industry of firms that specialize in collecting, housing, distributing, compiling and helping users to understand data – data related to bookings, food cost, productivity, guest reviews, water usage, market demand, average spend, CRM, etc.
Read moreLeveraging Transformational Technology – Miles Ahead In HR With Artificial Intelligence
One of the biggest pitfalls for organisations is to spend money and set up an AI infrastructure but not be able to use the outputs or insights gained – based on either incorrect avenues pursued that yield in irrelevant or difficult-to-use data points or based on a lack of in-house skills to “make sense” of the AI outputs. Understanding how “digitally mature” an organisation is and how ready its employees and executives are to implement “data science” should, consequently, be one of the first assessments one undertakes when looking at applying AI within an organisation.
Read moreCan We Have Compassionate Leaders In A Dog-Eat-Dog World?
In the end, leadership is as much art as it is science. Constant practice is necessary to keep your leadership capabilities sharp and relevant. Success in leadership today requires thoughtfulness, caring and compassion. Poor leaders may win occasionally, but never in the end. Take a tip from The Dalai Lama, and become the best leader you can possibly be.
Read moreSustainability of Labour in the Cruise Sector
Google ‘cruise industry’ and ‘sustainability’ and you will get approximately 100,000 hits. Those search results focus mostly on the three key pillars of sustainability: (1) economic, (2) environmental and (3) social. Here, we are suggesting that a fourth dimension should be added; namely, labour.
Read moreThree Character Traits That Help Up-And-Coming Industry ‘Movers-and-Shakers’ Gain Visibility
True servant leaders will pause and then decide on a course of action geared by wanting to achieve best outcomes for the greater good of their teams and their perspective company. So, the real million-dollar question that the up-and-coming talent out there should ask itself is: “What impact will this action or response have on my team or company culture?”
Read moreRedefining Hospitality Leadership: Kerten CEO Marloes Knippenberg on Management Philosophy and Delivering Organisational Success
Taking the opportunity to sit down and ‘talk shop’ with Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality, Aethos™ explored some key leadership questions. If the hospitality industry is continuously redefining itself, as well as the boundaries of the areas in which it operates, does the same hold true for leaders and their management styles?
Read moreHotel Food & Beverage – Where to Invest in Talent?
It feels as though hotel food and beverage has received a lot of renewed attention in the industry as of late. Twenty years ago, around the turn of the millennium, we experienced a reinvention of the hotel fine dining model with the introduction of big name ‘celebrity’ chefs into hotels through outsourced, leased and/or licensing deals. One of the most prominent of such deals was that made between Blackstone and Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in London, which spawned a decade of followers as hotel ownership succumbed to the old adage that “hotels can’t do F&B” and instead opted to give the space over to someone who supposedly could.
Read more“Community-Building” Enterprises are Changing Casino-Gaming Landscapes
Studies in consumer marketing theory reveal that, like human beings, products, services, and locations have “personalities.” Indeed, considerable research supports the notions that (i) brands have human-like characteristics that distinguish them from each other, which make them important to consumers, and (ii) consumers become “engaged” with brands, meaning that they can feel special emotional and symbolic connections with certain brands. Along these lines, it could be argued that the casino-gaming industry is evolving in its brand identity and personality, whether by default or design. Further, this apparent evolution is redefining this consumer market in broad and perhaps even unexpected ways. Let’s use Las Vegas as a case study.
Read moreAre a Hotelier’s Expat Days Numbered?
One wonders [...] if the days of the expatriate are numbered and if those entering the business 10, 20 years from now will have the same options open to them. My visit to Singapore also took in the HICAP Update conference. During the ‘Investment Outlook’ panel, when asked to name his number one cost-saving measure in relation to his firm’s hotel portfolio, one of the region’s leading investors half-jokingly replied, “Get rid of the expats.” While this raised a chuckle from the audience (at least 50% expats themselves), there is some seriousness in his statement that reflects an increasing move to localise many management positions in the hotel sector. The fact is that foreign executives are expensive when compared to local hires, often requiring significant additional cost above base pay in terms of allowances and benefits, such as housing, schooling, relocation, insurances, etc. With labour costs typically being one of the heaviest line items on a P&L, it is no wonder that hotel owners are keen to lessen their dependency on imported expertise.
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