We tweeted an article from Hotel News Now a couple weeks ago, "Best Practices in Pricing & Price Optimization". If you didn't get a chance to read it then you really missed out on a lot of good information. That being said, as hotel and hospitality professionals at SWHM we always want to do our best to provide you with information that can help you in your day to day business efforts. With that in mind, here are some of the key points from the aforementioned article.

When we talk about pricing the obvious place to start is at the sales level. The question to ask yourself as a sales manager is what are the key factors influencing your desicions and are these desicions made to solve long term or short term issues?

If you're consistently thinking short term then there's probably a lot you can do to improve your pricing strategy. Here are a few tips to consider trying out:


SWHM Team

This Thanksgiving we've realized one sad thing... it's finally upon us, the commercialization of every holiday in America. 

Once upon a time Thanksgiving was about family and friends, it was about being, get this... thankful! But that was a long time ago and now Thanksgiving is more "Thankstaking" than anything else.

If you're following the "twiitersphere" or any media outlet you'll know that "black Friday" is now the biggest priority of the season. And while it's been around for years black Friday has never consumed our attention quite like it does now. Let's put it this way; people we're camping out at retail stores even before Thanksgiving day!

Needless to say at SWHM we're still holiding true to the virtues of loved ones and being thankful. So, we just wanted to remind everyone, even the black Friday enthusiats, that we cannot forget the importance of our families, friends, and the blessing of getting to spend time with loved ones.

So, instead of camping out in front of Wal-Mart to get a 40 inch plasma, why don't you plan a trip with your kids. Perhaps you should come to one of our great SWHM hotel locations to kick back and enjoy time with the people you love.

Happy holidays!

SWHM TEAM

We're right in the middle of yet another holiday season, and for hotel management companies like ourselves this time of the year is always an eventful one. And while the busy scramble does come with the territory, that doesn't mean hotels can't capitalize during the holidays. 


In fact, over the years one of the biggest lessons we've learned is how to leverage and manage the feelings that come along with the holiday season for our guest's benefit and for ours as well. When you break it down, it's really not all that complicated; we believe in taking a humanistic approach to all the festivites ocurring around us and let's face it, booking rooms is usually not an issue during this season.

In fact, by this time, most of that has already been covered, and what really becomes crucial is making sure our hotels are an extension of the good will and community that every single person desires during the holidays. We don't have to tell you how important that is these days especially with all the current economic hardships we find ourselves im.   

At SWHM we happen to deal with a lot of hotels that happen to be in tight knit communities (Our Flagstaff hotels) and we've found a few simple things that can go a long way in terms of making an impression on an individual that might turn them from a bystander into a future customer.

• Partner locally - Local partnerships allow for cross marketing and cross promotion, It makes everyone look good and it makes customers feels as though everyone in the community is looking out for them.
• Deals/discounts beyond the basics - Get creative with your discounts... incorporate your local partners and even think about getting behind a cause.
• Get into the spirit! - Go hyperdrive with your hospitality. There's something about a hotel that makes people feel like they just wallked into Grandma's kitchen. A good example - Have cookies and hot cocoa on tap!

These are three simple tips that can make a big impression on your guests and their friends/families. 

Let's make this the best holiday season yet! 

Your friends at SWHM

We all hold our own interpretation as to what we feel hospitality is. Some see it as a traditional means toward conveying a sincere cordiality, while others perceive it as an opportunity to express the distinct, yet genuine characteristics in themselves. So what causes this differentiation; could it possibly be our geographical culture that instills these traits in us?

Most are familiar with the term Southern Hospitality—a phrase used to describe residents of the Southern United States who tend to be conservatively warm and welcoming towards visitors—but what of Northern, Eastern, or Western Hospitality. No clear definition has been used to describe any of the three coordinates. Why is this?

It seems that today, the term Southern Hospitality has become a broad definition for all genuine acts of true hospitality no matter the location. Whether it is opening doors for others in Manhattan, welcoming residents to the neighborhood in Los Angeles, or showing manners and politeness to strangers in Bozeman, the meaningful implications of genuine Southern Hospitality are clearly attributed.

Maybe a thank you is owed to the revolutionizing innovators of Southern Hospitality for establishing this exemplary foundation. The concepts embedded in the term serve as a platform throughout many aspects of modern life; from corporate customer service to hospitality management services, Southern Hospitality denotes an act of sincere generosity.

For years the hospitality industry has done successful business based on the old model of traditional marketing and word of mouth. But this is the 21st century and things have changed drastically. At the start of the recession and even before it, hotels were finding it more and more difficult to reach consumers. The answer? More and more hotels and management groups have turned to social media and the internet in hopes of revitalizing business. The results have been nothing short of phenomenal and as a result the hospitality industry has become one of the highest benefactors from the rise of social media.

At SWHM, our focus is to be the best hospitality management company, period. We've seen this change in the landscape and we've been doing everything in our power to not only stay up to date, but to provide the best possible services we can. It's always been the way we've done things and social media/internet marketing only strengthens our resolve. If you haven't noticed, we started a twitter page and we're also blogging like our lives depend on it. Why? Well, it's all very simple, we want to help out consumers, both our customers and those who just enjoy traveling. We're here simply to help you out. So we want to know, how can we help you? Take some time to follow us on twitter and I'm sure you'll find out things you never knew, tips that will help you decide where to take that next family vacation, and of course deals galore.

The hospitality businesses is called "hospitality" for a reason and we're going to stick with that.

Cheers and safe travels.

SWHM

Elizabeth Rose, aka as southwestliz on twitter, is a well versed writer who has traveled and written about many places in the western United States. During 4th of July weekend Liz visited Arizona's high country and documented her travels via a blog http://travelwriter-liz.blogspot.com/ and her page http://www.examiner.com/x-2293-Phoenix-Day-Trips-Examiner on Examiner.com. Liz was able to enjoy the culture and festivities of the White Mountains, not to mention she also stayed at a couple SWHM hotels. We will be sharing more about Liz's 4th of July weekend and the joys of Northern Arizona in the next couple of days!!! Be Safe and Happy Holidays!

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Welcome to SWHM's Blog. We will be using this to post information and comments about the hospitality industry.