Next Book

My next book is going to be more of a booklet.

Early in the general manager part of my hospitality career I was told about a room inspection program by my boss, the director of operations, Kent White. This program worked extremely well.

Over the years I modified the program to a form that worked best for me. I quickly developed the reputation of having a clean hotel wherever I was managing.

The booklet I am working on is a description of that program.

It is my hope that this inspection program will help more hotels improve their service to the guests.

Stay tuned. This book should be available within the next few weeks.

Horrible Service Story

My very good friend, Eugene, experienced what could be described as one of the worst service attitudes ever. He took his car to the local dealership to arrange for an oil change. He walks into, what was called, the service department only to find an empty room with a counter. Eugene stood at the counter for a few minutes when a mechanic walks in from the shop area behind the counter. The mechanic stopped, looked, then turned to pick up a clipboard from the desk and walked back into the shop. Didn’t say a word or acknowledge that anybody was standing at the counter. A few moments later another man came through the door from the shop area and stood there, looking at Eugene for a few seconds and finally took the three steps to reach the counter. The two looked at each other for an awkward moment and Eugene broke the silence by saying that he wanted to set up an oil change. The other man, wearing the ‘manager’ badge, laughed at him. He actually broke into a laugh. As his laughing subsided he said “today? We are way too busy today.” Then he turned and walked back into the shop area.

This service manager was in dire need for some instruction of what service really is. Not only did he lose a lifetime customer, he also lost the potential business of the twenty people Eugene told about the situation. The dealership lost future car sales from Eugene, the type who buys a new car every two years, and those twenty people with whom he shared the story. Was this so called service manager showing any hospitality at all? No, he wasn’t. Eugene didn’t say he wanted to get the oil change that day; he just wanted to make the arrangements, set up an appointment to get the oil change done. The manager was not cordial; he was not generous in his disposition and treatment of his guest at that particular instance.

We all have a story similar to Eugene’s story. The problem is that we all have a story similar to Eugene’s story. Bad service attitudes are so common we almost expect it every time we walk into a place of business. The guests who walk in our hotels often feel the same way. Since we are in the hospitality industry we need to fully understand what hospitality really is. As hospitality professionals it is important that we project the right hospitality attitude toward all our guests. Hospitality managers have the responsibility to teach the entire hotel staff the importance of a proper hospitality attitude.

Joe Vitale

One of his most powerful talks ever.

Now on Amazon.com

My book is now available on Amazon.com

This is so cool. :)

X-cellent Guest Service on Amazon.com

The Book Is Ready

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, is now available.


This book contains all the information I presented at my X-cellent Guest Service seminars. It covers the information about Generation X as it applies to the hospitality industry and it gives suggestions and advice for improving guest service at your hotel or restaurant.

It even includes my secret three rules for any situation. These three rules will give anybody at your hotel or restaurant the guidelines and power to handle any situation that comes up in a way that will keep a happy customer without causing damage to the business. It was these three rules that helped me take a 30 year old hotel and restaurant from the mid 50% brand ranking to the top 5%, beating out many newly opened hotels of the same brand.

Follow the link below to order a copy of X-cellent Guest Service.
https://www.createspace.com/3331991

Change The Beliefs to Change The Behavior

To effect change, whether it is in business or in life, one of the key elements is to change a behavior. You want your staff to deliver better service to your customers you need to see to it that they behave in a manner that will be appreciated and desired by your current and potential customers. Your staff needs to act the right way, they need to speak the right way, they need to conduct themselves the right way, they need to present themselves the right way. It is all about their behavior when in contact with the customer.

What drives behavior? It is the beliefs a person have in their mind that influences their actions and the things in their world. Everything we see, touch, smell, and hear are all filtered through out brain by our beliefs and result in the actions and behaviors we manifest. Change the beliefs and the behavior will change along with it.

One of the best ways to train or teach is by repetition. Think of any new “thing” you had to learn at some point in your life. Riding a bike, or driving a car, you may have made a few mistakes along the learning process. But, as you found ways to complete the process, without the mistakes, you eventually achieved success. It took practice; it took repeated attempts before you finally did it. Then after doing it more and more it eventually became a habit. You could do it without thinking about all the little details involved, the details that you once made mistakes on when first learning how to do it.

We create our world based on the way we interpret the information coming into our brain. How be believe a thing to be true is how it will be for us. The law of attraction says that what we are mentally, and vibrationally, (consciously or unconsciously) in alignment with is what will manifest in our life. If you want to improve the customer service in your business, then your staff needs to be in alignment with that desire.

Now let’s put these together. Repetition and consistency in training your employees, or in dealing with colleagues is important because you want to change their beliefs. Once the belief system is changed and they are acting, or behaving, in alignment with this new belief, then all the desired goals connected to the new belief will be achieved.

So, consistency in training, or in dealing with employees or colleagues, is important because you want to change their belief systems. Once the belief is changed then all the goals will be achieved by virtue of the law of attraction.

Book Hit a Snag

The publishing of my book, X-cellent Guest Service, hit a little bit of a snag.

It might take a little longer then anticipated, but it will come out as soon as I can get it out.

Please be patient.

X-cellent Guest Service Coming Soon

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, is getting closer to reality.

The cover design is being worked on and it should be available in a couple of month.

Keep checking back for details as I post them.

She Couldn't be Bothered

Well it happened again, just as it does every six months or so. The screen in my electric razor got a hole in it. So, it is time to go to the nearest major superstore to buy new screens and blades for my razor.

The store I went to has a name that starts with a W and ends with a T. I went to the department with the razors and found the package I needed. It was in a locked case. I guess they need to keep the small packages that sell for nearly $30 locked up to prevent shoplifting. Anyway, I needed it so I could shave the next morning so I started to look for somebody in uniform to help me.

Luck seemed to be on my side that day because there was an employee in the very next aisle and she was just around the corner from the locked case. Wonderful, I must have a horseshoe in my pocket.

I politely excused myself for interrupting her shelf stocking and explained that I needed a package out of the razor case. Her reply was “This is pharmacy, that is health & beauty. You’ll need to find somebody else, somebody from health & beauty. Try by the back wall.” And she went back to her shelf stocking.

Well, I sort of lost my politeness after the way she treated me, the customer, with an attitude of indifference. She couldn’t care one way or the other if I got what I needed or not. Apparently it wasn’t her job to help customers find what they are shopping for. Her job was to stock the shelf and not be concerned about customers.

As I walked away, toward the back wall as I was instructed, I repeated the directions she provided to the friend who went to the store with me. I repeated the directions a bit louder than I needed to. I was actually upset and felt that my business with that store was not important. It was a 45 minute drive to get to the store, I really needed the razor parts, so I was not willing to just leave and shop elsewhere.

I did find a very nice lady who even asked about my health as she walked with me to unlock the case. After spending a minute with her I felt much better. The first woman, as part of her service to a customer, should have said she was sorry and she does not have the key for that case. It would have been better had she offered to find the person who does have the key. It would have taken her one and a half minutes at the most to find the nice lady and go back to stocking the shelf. And think how much better I would have felt about shopping at that store.

Customer service is doing small things that make a big difference to the customer. It doesn’t have to be extravagant displays of going out of your way to provide outstanding feats of service. All it takes to provide excellent customer service is kindness and showing you care about the customer. Just do a small thing that will make life just a tiny bit better for the customer. That’s it. Do that and you will be a service champion.

Screen Captures of the Toolbox

I added some screen captures of three items from the Hotel Manager's Toolbox.
- Daily Sales with F&B
- Daily Tracking
- Declining Balance

Now you can see what some of the spreadsheets look like.

Check out the screen caps.


Also, on my Free Goodies page, there is one item from the Toolbox you can download and use right now.
- Forward To GM

This is intended to be used at the front desk, or any location with direct guest contact, when a guest has a comment or an issue. Sometimes the guest wants to feel that their comment, or complaint, is going to be heard. This form has "Forward To General Manager" placed boldly across the top. The guest knows his comment will reach the GM.

Go to my Free Goodies page to get this free form.

Hotel Manager's Toolbox

The CD "Hotel Manager's Toolbox" is still available.

Save valuable time.
Get out of your office more.
Do what you do best... manage your hotel.

Over 50 professionally prepared tools designed to help make your day go by with ease.

The Hotel Manager's Toolbox - CD

This CD contains many forms and worksheets designed by an experienced hotel manager.
Many major brand hotels use these tools today.

To view a list of contents and to order your copy of the Hotel Manager's Toolbox, while they last... See The Order Page

WOW Service

I had to say “wow” when this happened. I was traveling through Canada when I needed some money wired to me. My sister was kind enough to send the money I needed and she sent it by Western Union. While she was doing that it was my job to fin the nearest location to receive the money. I found one in a small drug store in a small town about 40 minute drive north of Calgary, I was heading that direction anyway.

The lady at the counter had a problem with the computer and printed the check incorrectly. She apologized and called another lady who works there for some help. This second lady was at home on her day off. She drove to the store to help figure out what to do. After about 20 minutes the owner came out to offer some help. They had to call Western Union to void the check and reprint a new one. The owner came over to apologize for the mistake. I told him I understood and then asked where I could cash the check. He looked at his watch and said the bank was closed by that time. He said he would cash it for me even though it was against store policy.

Do you see why I said “wow?” This kind of caring service is very rare these days. I suppose in a small community it is important to care about your customers because everybody needs to get along. Maybe it was because the people working in the store were, how shall I say, mature. They understand the old school standards of customer service. Something most of the younger crowd don’t understand without detailed training. Sadly, that training is not prevalent these days.

I made it a point to return to that store my next time through. They have a lifetime customer in me, too bad I don’t go through that area too often. If I lived there I would only shop at that store because they truly cared about their customer.

Not Ruthy

I looked on the net for a picture of a cat that looks similar to Ruthy. None of the pictures I have of her are digital.

I did find this one:
Ruthy had more white on her face, but the hair looks about right and the breed seems to be the same. The majority of pictures I find of the Maine Coon are mostly striped, Ruthy did not have stripes.













It came from this site:
http://www.osmond-riba.org/lis/journal/2004_02_01_j_archive.htm
Riba, Thank you for posting this picture. It reminds me so much of my Ruthy.

More About Ruthy

A while back I posted about the best cat - ever. Ruthy is no longer with us, but I still miss her. I felt like sharing a little more about her.

Ruthy, the best cat - ever, was my friend for many years. She lived with me in Phoenix, moved with me to Gresham, Oregon, and moved back to Phoenix, Arizona again. She moved just fine because everywhere we went, her favorite place to sleep was always there, my lap.

Ever since I took her home from the humane society shelter, she would curl up in my lap and go to sleep. There were times I had no idea she was in the room. I would look down and there she was, in my lap, sound asleep. She was able to climb into my lap without me noticing.

At night she would sleep between my legs. Other cats I have known would jump off the bed when I started to move my legs. Knowing this I used to pull my legs up, reposition them, then slide them back down around Ruthy and go back to sleep. One night I thought this was ridiculous, going to that much trouble for a cat. I decided if she jumps off the bed she can just as easily jump back on the bed. She surprised me.

When most cats would jump off, while I moved my legs, Ruthy just stayed there and rode the waves. As I moved my legs under the covers while tuning over in my sleep, Ruthy kept her spot in the bedspread until I settled down. Then she would roll over and curl back up to go back to sleep too. Another reason she was the best cat I ever had. It was like she was a perfect match for me, as a pet.

Attitude Makes a Huge Difference

When dealing with the public, as all hotels do, it can be difficult to maintain a good attitude. Yet we have all met somebody who just seems to be positive no matter what, or who, comes along. I think a key element to being positive no matter what, is to fill your mind with positive things. Don’t let negativity take hold of your mind. If your mind is trained to think positive on a regular basis, then when difficulties come around your brain will automatically look for the positive in any situation.

One of my favorite quotes about attitude:

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

Maybe that is one way to stay happy and positive when facing a difficult guest in your hotel. ☺

Getting Old?

I was thinking about a small event that happened to me when I was managing a hotel in Albuquerque.

Two times on the same day I was stopped in my tracks by a realization that I was not as young as I once was. In my office I was looking over an employee file and noticed she was born the year I graduated from high school. I had to stop, lean back in my chair and give in to the thought that it was nearly twenty years since I graduated. After a big sigh I went back to my work and finished the day.

The second time I stopped in my tracks was in my car on the way home after work. It struck me that the reason I was looking at that employee file earlier in the day was because she was taking maternity leave. This time I had to pull over and stop the car for a couple of minutes as I realized that not only was it almost twenty years since I graduated, but I was also old enough to be a grandfather, chronologically speaking.

That was about five years ago.

Amazing, eh?

Classmates

Recently I stopped in at the website classmates.com and took a look at those listed from my high school. It was fun looking at some current pictures of people I knew back in the early 1980's. Good old Generation X.

Today I received an e-mail from one of those classmates. It was fun to hear from her and I just finished sending her an e-mail giving her the extremely condensed version of my life since graduation.

The e-mail was longer than I expected, but it was actually a good exercise to review the successes I have had in my life.

In his book, The Success Principles, Jack Canfield recommends that you "acknowledge your positive past." He points out that we tend to remember our failures more than the successes because the failures in our past usually carry more emotions at the time. That is what programs our subconscious mind, emotions. So, the subconscious tends to keep track of the failures.

Jack Canfield suggests keeping a journal, or a list, of our successes. When things don't go quite right, we can read our list and remember the things we accomplished. Positive reinforcement works very well with our employees, it can work just as well on yourself.

Try an exercise from The Success Principles. Divide your life into three parts. List three major successes for each part of your life. From learning to ride a bike to the big promotion at work. See how good you start to feel about yourself. If you take it to the next level, expand the list to 100 successes.

I am going for the list of 100.

Still Some Toolboxes Left

My CD-ROM, Hotel Manager's Toolbox, is full of useful Excel worksheets, PDF forms, and sample letters for the hotel manager. These are things I have created throughout my career and some of my past hotels still use these tools today.

I have a few of them left.

It has been suggested that I raise the price. I will keep the price the same, for now.

Go to THIS PAGE to place your order.

Rejection is a Myth

I just learned that rejection is a myth. It really doesn’t mean anything and it really has no actual bearing on your life. What it all boils down to is the way you look at it. They way you decide to think about it and how you react to rejection.

This is how I have come to understand it.

Rejection is a part of life. We are rejected all the time throughout the day. The exact rejection doesn’t matter because it did not change anything in you life. Nothing is different after the rejection than it was before.

You ask somebody for something, they say ‘no’. You didn’t have it before you asked, you still don’t have it, and so nothing has changed. The rejection didn’t cause anything to happen in your life, like it never was, like it didn’t exist, like a myth.

Let’s say Frank asked Sara out to dinner. Sara declined he invitation. Frank didn’t have anybody to eat dinner with before he asked her, he didn’t have anybody to eat dinner with after he asked her. Nothing actually changed in Frank’s life.

From now on I am going to work on letting all rejections go. They don’t change my current state of affairs, so they don’t do anything to cause me any harm. My life continues as before and there is no reason to dwell on it, no reason t get all worked up over it, no reason to keep me from asking again.

Rejection is a myth.

Hospitality

Hospitality is defined in one dictionary, Wordnet by Princeton University, in a way that I really like. It says hospitality is “kindness in welcoming guests or strangers.” For most of us, most of the time, the guests who come to our hotels are strangers to us. By using the one simple word, kindness, we find hospitality described in an easy to remember form that all of us can understand. We can approach any guest contact situation with kindness. I find that the word kindness evokes a pleasant and positive feeling for people when they hear it. To apply kindness to hospitality really helps anybody understand what is meant by hospitable service.

The overall environment to give our guests the best stay possible is one of kindness, cordial, and generous hospitality. An environment that is welcoming and informative with no problems. To avoid potential problems have information ready if the guest needs it, but don’t force the information on guests who don’t want it.

Generation X likes to gather information and if you can provide the information they are asking for, when they ask for it, then you become a hero to the Gen X guest. You take one more step to proving that you deserve their loyalty. Anticipating needs is the best way to reduce, or eliminate, problems before they occur.

Not too long ago I was in Portland, Oregon, to conduct a seminar at the Holiday Inn Portland Airport. The printer sent out the workbooks for the seminar one day later than I expected. So, at 10:00 o’clock the night before the seminar, I was in desperate need for a FedEx Kinko’s store to print some emergency copies of the seminar workbook. I asked at the front desk where I could find the Kinko’s and the desk clerk knew the location of the store. She then opened a file drawer and pulled out a piece of paper which she handed to me. It had exact, detailed directions to the Kinko’s store. It started with ‘turn left out of the hotel driveway…’ and it included distances between each turn. I drove to the Kinko’s store as if I had made the trip a hundred times before. That hotel anticipated my needs and prepared the information ahead of time to satisfy my need. That was something I did not expect. They exceeded my expectations by preparing for my needs.

For more information about Generation X and their hotel travel patterns, as well as some tips on coaching Gen X, my eBook is available for download.
http://www.freewebs.com/borderlandhosp/xcellentserviceebook.htm

Talk about a long hotel stay

I just read this article about a couple who stayed in a hotel room for 22 years. The elderly couple said it was cheaper than an old-folks home and they get looked after. The article reported that they paid $238,270 over the years. I figure that comes to about $30 a night. Obviously they are getting X-cellent Guest Service.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22402935-5005961,00.html



This reminds me of an idea I had at one time. I heard on the radio where a station made a million dollar guarantee. They said if you pay them one million dollars, they guarantee to play your song on the radio.

I thought why not do that at my hotel? Offer a $50,000 guarantee. Tell people if they want to pay the hotel $50,000 (about $136 per night) we would guarantee to have their room ready for them at any time they dropped in, for one full year.

I never did promote the idea, but I still think it might be a good gimmick. Maybe I will have the chance to try it later in my career.

Thinking of a Past Workmate

When I was FOM at the Hampton Inn I-10 West, Phoenix, I worked with Jeff who was our Sales Director.

Jeff has been on my mind recently for no specific reason. I really don't know why he popped in there. He and I had a great working relationship. The two of us ran the entire hotel at a time when we had no GM, no Executive Housekeeper, and no Maintenance. It was him and me taking care of the whole place for a couple of weeks until our home office hired a new Exec Housekeeper and Maintenance. Our new GM arrived a week or two after that.

But, for those two weeks it was just me and Jeff keeping the place running. We had the Room Attendants and Front Desk (less the full time Night Audit) staff and one breakfast hostess. The way we did it was to set up two roll-a-way beds in the meeting room and he would sleep for a few hours while I was managing the hotel, then I would sleep for a few hours while he did the manager thing. We would go to our respective homes just long enough to take a shower and change clothes.

One day it was time for me to wake him up, we were going to deliver our weekly paperwork to the home office on the other side of town. So, I woke him up and he went into the little bathroom in the meeting room and I heard him say, "Oh man, I've got sheet face." I was punchy from lack of sleep for a few days and his comment just sent me in hysterics. I laughed about that comment the rest of the day. Every time I thought about it I would laugh just as hard as I did at that moment. Jeff kept looking at me saying, "It's not that funny."

I think what made it funny to me was (1) I never heard that term before, and (2) it made me think of a description of somebody being drunk. When they are S*#% Faced.

Anyway, Jeff was on my mind lately and I wanted to post about that fun memory.

Jeff, if you happen to see this... E-mail me. Let's catch up.

Will

Success Principles

I am currently reading The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer. The first chapter gave me insight right from the get-go. Mr. Canfield says that in order for us to make our life better, to get to where we want to be, we need to take 100% responsibility for absolutely everything in our life. Everything we have, whether we like it or don’t like it, it is our responsibility, 100%, no exceptions.

This goes right along with the ancient Hawaiian system Ho’oponopono that Joe Vitale wrote about in his book Zero Limits. So, when I read the part about 100% responsibilities it was not a new concept to me. But, Mr. Canfield included a formula to help clarify the subject.

E + R = O

Event (E) plus our Response (R) = the Outcome (O).

The way we respond to any event will affect the outcome, or final results. How we react to any given event is what has brought us to the place we currently are. If we don’t like the way things have worked out so far… change the way we respond to things. This is the only way to change, or improve, the outcome.

If your habits continually bring about undesired results in your life, then to change the results you must change those habits. Remember the old saying about insanity being defined as continuing the same behavior and expecting a different result.

This also means no more blame. You can’t blame anybody or anything else for anything in your life that you don’t like. 100% responsibility really means 100% responsibility. You aren’t a victim anymore, you can’t demand others to feel sorry for you, you are responsible. I know this can be a tough pill to swallow. This may be a rude wake up call for some people, but it is the truth.

I can see so many ways this attitude will improve things. For example, if you are 100% responsible then there is no need to complain. It’s not anybody else’s responsibility so why complain about it? If you are not complaining, others may like to be around you more, it also helps to raise your own emotional state to a more positive place because you are not dwelling on the negatives by complaining.

Already I find excitement in this book. It will help to improve anybody’s life. I look forward to the changes and improvements in my life with the things I will learn and implement.

Thank you, Jack Canfield, for writing this book.

Service = Action

As I have posted before, Service is doing that which others need but are unable to do for them selves. Or it can be doing what other would rather not do for them selves. Either way, service is still doing something for another.

The key here is action. Service means to do something, and doing something requires action. To do means to act.

In my famous service rule, “Do whatever it takes to make the guest (or customer) happy” the key word is “Do.”

This word implies that action needs to be taken. This action is on the shoulders of the staff member who had the initial contact with the customer.

The idea is to do something so the guest does not need to wait for a manager to be tracked down. If the employee has the ability and knows what the best course of action might be, then let them take that action on their own behalf.

After all, most of the time they know what the manager will do, so let them do it and take care of the guest so the manager can do manager type things.

As long as the guest is happy, then proper service has been rendered. The right thing was done. The correct course of action was taken.

My Fish Story

Service is doing that which others need but are unable to do for them selves. Or it can be doing what other would rather not do for them selves. Either way, service is still doing something for another.

In the hotel industry it is the service that will separate you from the other hotels in your area as well as other hotels in the world. Could your hotel be known around the world for your service? Of course it could. Absolutely.

I mean if a small fish market in Seattle, Washington, could become world famous why not your small hotel? Last year I visited Pike’s Place Fish Market (yeah, the place where they throw the fish) even though I do not like fish. I am the only one in my family who wants to order a burger at Red Lobster. I never really had a liking for any form of seafood.

Anyway, I went to Pike’s Place specifically to see the world famous fish market and to experience the service, if only by association. I was surprised that it was smaller than I expected. All the stories made it sound so much bigger than it actually was.

Yet the stories about the kind of service they provide were no exaggeration. They really do make the customers feel great. They really do have fun in their work and that fun rubs off on the customers. They have a great time at work and the customers (and the observers) have a great time just being there.

If you have not read the book “Fish” I would recommend it. The book is fun, just like the place.

Another Attitude Quote

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” William James (1842 - 1910)

This is so true in my case. I have seen some of my worse situations suddenly turn around simply because I focused on positive thoughts. Look for the positive in every situation, even the devastating ones. I heard an interview with Dr. Joe Vitale and he said that ten years after a major, devastating event in your life, you can look back and see the positive that resulted from that situation when at the time you can’t see the positive. Then he went on to say why not look for the positive when the situation occurred? If you can see it ten years later, why not see it now? Take advantage of the fact that you can alter the attitudes of mind right away and skip over long periods of dread.

A poster one of my teachers had in the classroom in high school had the old saying on it, ‘when life gives you lemons make lemonade.” I remember that poster pretty clearly. It made sense to me at the time, but now it carries even greater meaning to me, now that I have the experience.

Why are they that way?

Why do people do what they do?

Is it all because of their parents? Is it because of society? Is it because of some unknown element floating around them?

When it comes to Generation X, I have studied these questions (well, maybe not the floating elements) and compiled an eBook that talks about the Gen X personality and many of the traits the Gen Xers seem to display as a group. I report on the most accepted reasons for these behavior patterns and point out many of the causes. I also delve into the best way to deal with Gen X from a business stand point as well as from an employer standpoint.

My business is in Hospitality and I wrote the eBook from that frame of reference. However, the information is general and adaptable to any business and specifically to any service related industry.

Get your copy now.
CLICK HERE

Googledom

Tonight I engaged in an activity that many people do from time to time. I Googled my name. In the past when I typed Will Maguire in to Google I found myself way down the list, toward the back 30 or 40 pages. When I would add CHA after my name I popped up sooner.

But tonight, I entered just my name and I was on the first page. Actually, I was on the first page three times.

I was not the first Will Maguire on the list, that honor fell to an article about a Robert Maguire III and whether or not he will disengage as REIT executive. The second was not me either, that was a 16 year old Will Maguire and his blog with some good natured posts by his mates. It seems he and I do share a love of good friends.

The third, the fourth, and the fifth listing on the first page was about me. The first time I popped up on the first page and I was there three times. Wow.

This first of the three was my Hospitality Service blog, the second was an article I wrote and featured on Ezinearticles.com, and the third was a reply post I made on the American Hotel & Lodging Association's forum.

This is a red letter day for me. :)

Thoughts About Attitude

I found this quote about attitude, “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” Martha Washington (1732 - 1802)

The way she points out that it is not the circumstances that determine whether we are feeling happiness or misery; it is disposition that dictates how we feel about the situation. The way we view things and how we decide within ourselves to feel and react to the situation is what makes us happy or sad, angry or elated, good or bad. It is amazing how much our mind, our thoughts, can effect the world around us. Most of the time, the outer world and the way we view it is being created by unconscious thoughts. Once a person can learn to fill the mind with positive thoughts, the rest of the world around them becomes a more positive place.

Martha sounds like she was a pretty smart lady. Just look at what her positive outlook did for her husband’s career.

Business is Booming

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, hotel sales is expected to be up 52% over last year globally, as reported in the Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey from Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. In the first six months of 2007 global hotel transactions is already at $56 billion, compared to the $72.5 billion in the full year of 2006.

I hope the industry doesn't get complacent about business and allow service to lack. Almost sounds like history repeating.

Portable Hotel

Now why didn't I think of that?

Are you going someplace that does not have a hotel? Why not bring one with you?

For a weekend rental for about $8,000 you can have an 11 room hotel arrive by 18-wheeler truck. Detach the cab and press a single button on a hand held remote control and watch a 30 minute transformer like system unfold your hotel. This system can be set up just about anyplace.

A Spanish company is making the HotelMovil. The 11 room unit sells for half a million. I wonder if somebody will buy a dozen of these and have them available for county fairs, hotel construction or remodel sites, or for almost any special event when the local hotels and motels are all sold out.

I think this is a really good idea.

Video on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=c0TlpqP0RU8

My eBook is Now Available

A shortened version of my book, X-cellent Guest Service, is now available through my website, Border Land Hospitality.

This eBook contains the chapters specifically dealing with Generation X, discussing the Gen X personality, the travel trends of Gen X, and some information useful in coaching the Gen Xers working on your staff. This eBook is the result of two years research and written in simple plain language, as if I were talking directly to you.

I am sure this information can be very useful to any hotel manager or anyone in a service related industry.

Generation X is becoming the dominant demographic as the Baby Boomers are slowly fading out. This eBook provides information you should know about Gen X.

Service or service?

A service is an action taken by one person to ease the life of others. That’s the way I look at it. Some services are good and others are not so good. I think the difference between the good and the not so good is the quality of the service we receive.

The other day I was at the gas station filling up the car. At this particular station they serve the customer meaning they pump the gas for you. As I sat in the car waiting for the pump to finish, the attendant picked up the squeegee and proceeded to clean the windshield. He got the window wet and began to scrape it off with the rubber blade. As he went lower and lower he moved very quickly. When he got the bottom h just grazed past the wiper blades, leaving dirty water at the bottom of the glass. He then walked around the car to the other side and just wet the six inches or so where he could not reach during his first attempt. Then he scraped the water off again, but this time in a downward motion. Again, he left dirty water at the bottom of the windshield.

I had streaks on the windshield going across the majority of the glass and streaks going down about six inches from the edge on the passenger side. I also had a concentration of dirt and smudge right against the wiper blades. I think I would have been better off without the windshield cleaning that particular day.

The attendant was providing a service by cleaning the windshield. What he was lacking was the quality of the service. Sure it is nice to have the windshield clean, but if the job can’t be done with a sense of quality, there really is no point in even trying.

When we are providing a service, no matter what that service may be, it is highly important that we have a sense of quality with the service. Without quality the job will be noticed more than if we add quality. Think about it. If the gas station attendant had cleaned the windshield properly, do you think I would have written about it here?

In A Nutshell

From How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Six Ways to Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

Win People to Your Way of Thinking

1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately.
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the taking.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge.

Be a Leader

(A leader’s job often includes changing your people’s attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:)

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your on mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

EZine Articles

An article I submitted to EZineArticles.com was accepted.
Check it out.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Whatever-It-Takes&id=682398

Timeless Classic Still Teaches Today

Recently I have been reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. This book was written in 1936 and was the first of its’ kind. It is still regarded as the best book ever written on the subject of human relations. I am literally astounded by the insights this book teaches and I am surprised I have never been exposed to this book earlier in my career.

This book is a must read for just about anybody, but especially for any one who deals with the public. Well, any one who deals with people at all should read this book. I will add this book to my personal recommendation list of a success library. Any one, who wants to be successful in business, in life or even in the hospitality industry, really should read “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” It truly is a timeless classic that will open your eyes.

How to Truly Change Your World

I recently found this post by Jason Mangrum and thought it was amazing.
He gives full permission to repost it here.

This is Jason Mangrum.

I love you.

I’m sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

Nearly 99.9% of everyone who wrote
a response to my mailing about the
Zeitgeist Movie thanked me for it,
but then asked what they could do
to help literally change the world.

If you didn’t see it yet, it’s at:
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com

From a logical/ego perspective, it
would seem that one person up against
a secret empire of evil controllers
hell-bent on ruling the entire world,
might just seem a bit hopeless…

In fact, you didn’t hear from me for
over a week because of this reason.

I had no clue how to fight it.

I wanted to get together a virtual
“army” of my own to somehow out-power
these forces and turn the tides…

But fear had gripped me and almost
pushed me over the edge. Yes, this
is going to be personal. And real.

The more I thought about it… the
more I researched it… the more I
felt a very real hate stir inside.

They had already won.

I completely forgot the most critical,
yet little-known secret of real change.

And that is why I’m writing to you
right now, with a 100% sure-fire
answer… yes, this will change the
world and bring peace to us all.

This alone WILL put an end to the
Illuminati, government corruption,
wars, violence, hate and crime…

And you have the ability right now
to make this global change. Yes, you.

I don’t care if you believe me, I’m
only concerned with showing you what
above all else, works every singe time.

No other method makes this promise.

In fact, no other can…

Please stay glued to every word of this
email, because you’re going to learn
something that will change you forever.

Just be open.

Are you ready?… because I’m going
to share the exact answer you’ve been
searching for inside this very email.

This is how you can fight, overcome
and win. You *can* change the world.

And here’s how…

Get the hell out of the way.

Stick with me. I’ll explain.

It is said there are 3 stages of
awakening…

1) You’re born and raised to acquire
and operate under a “victim” mentality,
where everything happens to you, or
outside of you…

2) You suddenly realize that you do
actually create your own reality and
can control it using various methods
that give you a sense of control –
but something is always missing…

3) You realize what’s missing and
make a conscious choice to align
yourself with it - thereby getting
your egotistical mind out of the way,
and you finally… surrender.

Wha?… Am I saying to just sit back
and surrender to these evil forces?

Absolutely not.

This is how you fight.

You realize the 3rd stage of awakening.

Yes, you create everything you observe
as your reality… BUT, this means that
you *MUST* take 100% total responsibility
for your creation… the good and the bad.

Most people simply are not ready for that.

This doesn’t just mean you’re responsible
for everything you do. It means you are
fully responsible for every problem you
have AND every problem you hear about!

Yes, that includes the corruption.

That’s only the *first* step.

I told you this wouldn’t be easy to swallow.

From the moment it’s on your radar, you created
it in your world. ONLY when you accept total
responsibility for creating it, can you accept
total responsibility for fixing it.

And since you’re reading these words, you
and I are sharing this experience. This is
now a personal message to you, so listen.

I didn’t “get” this, until I read Dr. Joe
Vitale’s newest book, ‘Zero Limits.’

I stayed up all night in bed reading it.

In the book, Dr. Vitale teaches a method
taught to him by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len,
a student of an ancient Hawaiian Healing
System called, “Ho’oponopono.”

Dr. Len actually healed an entire psych
ward of criminally insane patients without
ever seeing them or talking to them.

How did he do it?

He used this very system to petition the
Divine for healing for every aspect within
himself that actualized as the problems
within the patients themselves.

Here’s the biggest secret the Illuminati
hopes you never figure out on your own:

THERE IS NO “OUT THERE” REALITY.

Everything you observe outside of you is
pure illusion. It isn’t real. Even this
email you’re reading right now, is really
an external actualization of some part of
you that is manifesting as these words.

That’s right. The Illuminati. The corrupt
government. The lies. The 911 cover-up.
The lying president and all his officials.
The alphabet-soup agencies. All of it.

I realize this is more than some people
can accept. That’s ok, I’m still learning
myself, otherwise everyone would get it.

Am I going to try to sell you the book
for my own profit or financial gain?

No. But you can see their main site at:
http://www.zerolimits.info

There’s no affiliate link. That is the
official site, and I don’t get paid a
dime to send you there. But I HIGHLY
recommend you get that book. Now.

I promise all of this apparent “craziness”
will make perfect sense to you after you
read it… at least enough to USE it.

I asked The Universe/God for an answer to
how on Earth am I supposed to help fight
all this apparent evil in the world, and
even more — how do I help others too?

Last night into the wee hours of this
morning, I received my answer.

“Heal yourself.”

You see, you cannot see something you
don’t like in someone unless it’s already
within you to begin with. Otherwise, it’d
be impossible for you to recognize it.

Do not hate the Illuminati.

Love them.

Use the energy of LOVE to transmute the
world you experience from one of hate and
sorrow, pain and anguish, secrets and lies,
to one of pure, unconditional LOVE.

There’s great wisdom in those words.

You’ll understand it so much better when
you read Zero Limits. This *IS* the answer.

There is no other way.

All other ways lead to resistance and opposition.

You won’t get anywhere that way.

LOVE THEM.

You may have noticed the 4 phrases I used
at the very top of this email…

I love you.

I’m sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

I *CHALLENGE* you to take this action:

Your only “job” is to get out of the way.

In order to do that, you must eliminate
every single thought, idea or memory that
separates YOU from NOW… the present moment.

The only way to accomplish this, is to
*cleanse* yourself of every thought as
it occurs in your mind and transmute the
energy into a state of pure LOVE.

You do this by saying those 4 statements
over, and over again. Every single day.

Actually, “you” don’t transmute anything.

The ‘bigger’ you does. Call it God.

You’ve heard of “let go and let God” right?

Well… aside from any religious dogma,
this is exactly what that statement means.

Yes, you can control your reality.

But if you want to experience miracles,
let go completely and allow the Divine
to work through you. Be ONE with It.

Joe’s new book seriously has the potential
to help usher in the Age of Enlightenment.

The first step is total responsibility.

The next is to get the hell out of the way.

The final is to let go, and LOVE everything.

Then, your world changes from the inside out.

This is a superior Divine revelation for all
those who are ready to hear it. If you’re not,
then I trust you are not reading this email –
you’re probably doing something “more important.”

Well… this is how you fight.

I cannot stress it enough.

Change yourself. Love everything.

Use the 4 statements at the top of this email
as a “mantra” - say it silently to yourself
over and over again to cleanse every thought
that separates you from God and the NOW.

Only when you cleanse, cleanse, cleanse, can
you reach the Zero State, where literally no-
thing exists and everything is possible.

Yes, even World Peace.

Imagine 100, 1,000 or even 10,000+ people
who read this email saying this mantra over
and over again on a daily basis for Peace!

I’ve been doing the mantra while writing
this entire email. That’s why you can feel
the energy coming from it. Yes, it’s real.

Forward this email to everyone you know.

Everyone can make a change in their world.

I’ve already decided to align myself with
Divinity, let go and send out pure LOVE.

And I trust with every fiber of my being
that as I broadcast the energy of LOVE,
my world is now changing.

From the inside, out.

Forward this to your entire contact list.

Send it to your mailing lists.

Post it on your blog or anywhere else.

Let’s change the world!

I Love You,
Jason Mangrum, Blog at:
http://www.JasonMangrum.com

PS. Get Zero Limits from Amazon or see:
http://www.zerolimits.info

How To Make A Great First Impression

In business and in life we have multiple opportunities to make a first impression, but we never have a second chance to make a first impression.

In the business of hospitality life we must make our first impression hundreds of times each week and in some cases you may have that many in just one day. There is one simple, easy to do activity you can utilize that will ensure the greatest impression you can make the first time as well as the second, third, and even the sixteenth time.

This simple activity is to smile. That’s it, smile. A genuine, sincere, and friendly smile, not one of those painted on cursory smile. Those fake smiles are transparent and could backfire with the opposite affect.

A great first impression is a must in the service industry. A sincere smile is the easiest and the most valuable thing you can do when serving a guest.

As the Chinese proverb says “a man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” In order to be successful you need to smile.

How about a Joke?

Saw a friend of mine today. He seemed to be thinner so I asked him if he was on a diet. He said that he was not on a diet but he was wearing a girdle. I had to ask why he started wearing a girdle. He told me he's been wearing it ever since his wife found it in the car.

☺

Another version of that joke is in the locker room at the gym and the friend is wearing pink panties. "I didn't know you had that kind of a fetish." He said he's been wearing them ever since his wife found them in the car.

☺

Gen X Travel Trends

When it comes to Generation x, the primary concern for us, as hospitality professionals, are the travel characteristics of Generation X. Where are they going, when are they going there, are they going to come to my hotel? Well, they are going everywhere, they are going there now, and yes, they are coming to your hotel. Industry statistics say that in 2005 lodging demand grew 7% among Generation X and only 6% among the Baby Boomers. The Baby Boomers have long been the most dominant customer for hotels, but that trend is clearly changing. Gen X has a larger growth in lodging demand while the Baby Boomers are slowing down.

Even though Generation X is around 61 million people and Baby Boomers represent about 81 million, Gen X is using almost the same number of hotel rooms. More Xers are staying in hotels than Boomers, proportionately. And, Gen X tends to spend more money per trip. They are consumers of entertainment, so they plan to do more enjoyable things while traveling. It doesn’t matter if they travel for business or for leisure; they will most likely find some time for a little fun. In fact, Xers are very fond of leisure travel. In the last ten years leisure travel tripled among Generation X. The fact that Gen X is striving to find a balance in life between work and play may be a large contributor to their decision for more leisure trips.

Teach as You Lead

Leaders, or managers, are teachers. I always wanted to get as much accomplished as possible with as little effort as possible. So, as general manager of my hotels, I would empower my department heads to take on more responsibilities and I would encourage them to teach the employees under their guidance how to take care of and monitor progress of these extra responsibilities. They loved the fact that I trusted them to handle these assignments, they enjoyed learning, and they felt more like a part of the overall team. I would spend the required quality time with them to make sure they understood the steps or processes in the projects, and when they had it I would leave it to them. If they had any questions I was quick to be there and help them through. Eventually, my hotel was running with heightened efficiency and my personal workload was less than it was before. This gave me more time to focus on other areas of a general manager’s responsibilities.

Understand that leadership is more of a purpose to guide and teach others and not some lofty position for other to praise. If you lead your people, the praise will come automatically and, more importantly, it will be from their hearts. They will want to do more for you and they will want to complete assignments with the best quality work they can, because they respect you. Since your employees represent you, and every manager is judged by his/her staff, it is far better that they see you as a true leader. Become the purpose, not the position.

Gen X Like Family and Unusual Trips

Studies show that currently Florida seems to be the destination of choice for Generation X, most likely Orlando, while the Baby Boomers are going to Las Vegas. This has a lot to do with the dedication Xers feel toward family. From the latch key kid background, they feel that many of the joys and pleasures of being in a close knit family is some thing they missed out on. Family is very high priority to Xers. The days of the two week road trip once a year for the family vacation are over. Generation X is much more likely to take multiple weekend trips throughout the year instead of one long trip once a year. As a result, this means more hotel stays. Instead of staying one night at a hotel each night of the family vacation, about 12 nights total, we see X families spending two or three nights in one hotel for a weekend trip and taking five, six, or more of these trips throughout the year. And it is good to know that on average Xers spend more money per trip then the previous generation.

One report I read said that Gen Xers like to take unusual vacations. They actually pride themselves on their ingenuity for planning some of the more unusual trips to the exotic or different locations. Something they can brag about to their friends when they get home after the trip. The Ice Hotel in Quebec-Canada is only open about four months out of the year, the rest of the year the hotel melts. They sell out practically every night, every year and the vast majority of guests are all Gen Xers. Taking the kind of tip their parents never dreamed of is the goal. The more unusual the better.

Bad Service, Again

Just the other day I had lunch at a major brand name restaurant chain. Every city I have been to has had one of these restaurants. They are everywhere.

This particular one had some major problems with the service staff, and especially my server. She did fine with the welcome, she took the drink orders, and she took the meal orders just fine and go the orders right. The problem came when the meal was delivered. We sat there for a few minutes without and cutlery or napkins. My friend had a burger and started eating right away. I had a salad as my side dish and didn’t feel like eating it with my fingers. I probably would have if I had a napkin to clean the salad dressing off my fingers.

I finally flagged down another server, not the one assigned to our station; she was very energetic and promised to get us the cutlery. A moment later a third server appeared in the area sort of looking around in a daze like she was searching for something. Just as she reached our table she turned toward the front and literally hollered to ask “where?” After she got the reply she looked at us and said “Oh.” Then she set don one set of cutlery. My friend was more than half way through his meal so I went ahead and used the cutlery and ate my meal. When we finished we had to share the one napkin. I used one end and he used the other end.

The problems were: (1) our server did not come back to the table and check on us after the meal was served, (2) there was a lack of effective communication among the staff, and (3) there was no pride in doing a good job (this was apparent when the empty able next to us was never cleaned the entire time we were there).

This is one of the very few times I have left a tip under 10%. So many things were so bad I just couldn’t justify my normal 18-20%.

It is so easy for servers to increase their tips by implementing some basic, common sense to there routine. One of the best ways is to imagine yourself as the customer. Think of what you would like and do that for your customers.

There is an eBook that I would recommend to restaurant servers. It is one of the best resources I have ever read for tips on increasing tips.

http://www.gratuity-ingenuity.com/

Thank You -

“Every time we remember to say ‘thank you,’ we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.”

Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

Saying ‘Thank You’ really says a great deal. Not only does it demonstrate appreciation for the particular activity it is directed toward, it also is an affirmation of faith that an unseen, or potential, activity will be successfully accomplished.

When asking a friend, relative, acquaintance, or service provider to engage in a particular activity, I don’t say ‘thank you’ until the project is complete, OR if I am absolutely positive, and have total faith, that the project will be completed.

‘Thank Yous’ are sometimes not used when they should be. Showing gratitude for an action or statement is always appreciated by the receiver. Being acknowledged for your efforts is always a nice thing. But, sadly, I don’t see very many people saying ‘thank you’ or sending formal notes of ‘thanks’ for material, spiritual, or physical involvement gifts to another person. When was the last time you received a Thank You note from a friend or business associate?

In hospitality it should be common practice to express appreciation for a guest choosing your hotel or restaurant for their visit. When the guest feels appreciation, they feel good about their choice and will want to feel good again in the future. Make sure you and everybody else at your property always say ‘Thank You’ to your guests at every opportunity.

A ‘thank you’ means you appreciate the efforts, service, or gifts you received fro another person. It also demonstrates a clear faith that an activity will (or already did) take place.

I love you.

I’m sorry.

Please, forgive me.

Thank you.

Please, Forgive Me

“How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.”
Publilius Syrus (~100 BC)

Forgiveness begins within you. You can’t be forgiving of others unless you can forgive yourself. Being able to take a problem or situation that may not turn out as well as we would like, and to put that behind you and keep moving forward is one of the biggest elements to personal healing. Once you can heal you, then you can heal your relationship with others involved. Forgiving is healing.

I often think of what people say when using the word ‘forgive.’ Many times you hear them talk about ‘forgive and forget.’ That is the main key to forgiveness, in my opinion, to actually forget about it. This mean to never let it bother you again, never bring the subject up in future conversations, to move forward in a manner that does not dredge up the forgiven matter. I think the forget part of forgiving is the part that releases negative emotions and actually heals the spirit.

If you truly forgive, then you need to forget. Do this for yourself before you can effectively do it for others.

In Ho’oponopono the ‘please, for give me’ is a statement directed to yourself. This allows you to forgive yourself, opening up your memories for the Divine to transmute them and giving you the ability to live on with that memory forgotten. Once forgotten your mind is at zero. Your body, and emotions, will not be affected by that memory any longer.

To forgive means also to forget.

I love you.

I’m sorry.

Please, forgive me…

I'm sorry -

“The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.”

Sophocles (496 BC - 406 BC)

To say “I’m sorry” is to begin healing. What ever the situation, no matter who is at fault, the fact you are aware it the problem means that you have a responsibility. You need to make things right. A simple apology can make the difference when dealing with an upset guest or any unpleasant situation.

When I worked for Promus (later bought by Hilton Hotels) they taught us to use the service LEAP with angry guests. L- Listen, E- Empathize, A- Apologize, P- Problem solve. They told us that when you apologize you are not accepting blame; you are not saying it is your personal fault, but you are taking responsibility for the problem and you are sorry that it happened in the first place.

Saying that you are sorry and taking responsibility will let the guest know that you care about them, about your hotel, about your service and about yourself. It shows pride in your abilities and your determination to fix it. As another phrase we hear in training says “Don’t fight, make it right.”

So, take responsibility for everything that comes to your attention, the fact you are aware of it automatically makes it your responsibility. Feel the remorse or repentance, say you are sorry this thing has happened then you begin to make it right. Often no further action is required. Just feel it, say it (mostly to yourself). Let that energy flow and watch how your world changes.

I love you.

I’m sorry…

I Love You -

To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.
Karen Sunde, playwright and screenwriter

I am learning, or re-learning, just how powerful love can be. Just to express love can change everything around you. Love can take a tense situation and make it pleasant, love can turn things from bad to good. And, love can heal many pains.

The book by Joe Vitale, ‘zero limits,’ says that saying “I love you” will make the connection between you and the Divine. That connection alone can help make you feel better; it can change things dramatically around you. I am saying this phrase more and more every day. In my mind I repeat “I love you” as I go for my daily walks, as I browse and search the internet, as I write in my blog, as I prepare dinner, as I read. I am finding so many things improving because of it.

You should try this. If you work in the service industries you will come across a customer (or a guest, for hospitality) that is a bit unhappy with a certain situation. The next time you are facing an upset customer or guest, just repeat in your mind “I love you.” It won’t hurt anything, you don’t need to say it out loud (unless you think it will help), and you will be the only person who knows you are doing it. Just try it. See what happens within you and see what happens in the situation. I know everything will be better.

Let me know what happens.

zero limits

I got a copy of Joe Vitale’s new book, “zero limits.” The best way I can describe this book is WoW. Mr. Vitale has discovered something absolutely amazing. What he talks about in this book is an updated version of an ancient Hawaiian teaching called Ho’oponopono; it is a secret system for health, wealth, happiness and peace. There is no end to the possibilities one can achieve, zero limits.

Joe Vitale tells of his search for a Hawaiian psychologist Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len who cured a ward of criminal mentally ill patients at the Hawaii State Hospital. These were dangerous people with very little, mostly no, chance of release from either the hospital or their condition. Yet, Dr. Hew Len was able to heal these people, and he did it without any patient office visits, without seeing the patients professionally. He read their files and practiced Ho’oponopono on them.

What I found most interesting about the system is how simple it is. I thought that something so simple could not work. I have been following the system and I have noticed changes in my life. Things that used to annoy me don’t bother me now, I feel better physically, some of my common aches and pains are gone, and, most importantly, some memories from my past that used to cause me intense emotional pain don’t bother me any more.

The biggest proof that this works for me happened the other day. My sister lives on three acres of mountain property she developed herself with her partner and she raised her daughter there. A few months ago the water pump on their well gave out. It served them well for over 20 years. My sister did not have the money she needed to purchase a new pump. She has been hauling water from town, up the mountain, to her home so she could take a bath and have water to drink. Well, after reading about Ho’oponopono in “zero limits” I tried the system on my sister’s water pump problem. I spoke with her on the phone last night and a workmate, who is saving money for a house, offered to loan the money needed. My sister will get her new pump. She also told me of other factors that seem to be falling in place and she will be paying the loan back within the next month.

These facts have proven to me that Ho’oponopono really does work. As I continue to practice the system as Joe Vitale describes, I look forward to even bigger changes to manifest in my life.

I highly recommend to anyone, buy this book. Read it through (I read it cover to cover in a little over one day, which is amazing for a slow reader like me) and read the appendix C, “Who’s In Charge,” two times. Then go back and read the whole book again. Some of the profound and mind bending concepts didn’t sink in for me the first time through. The second time I read through the book made everything very clear.

It is safe to say I will be commenting on this book and Ho’oponopono on this blog more.

Zero Limits, Ho’oponopono, it works.

Mr. Vitale and Dr. Hew Len, I love you, Thank you.

Wiley books are available at your local bookstore or by calling 1-800-225-5945. In Canada, call 1-800-567-4797

New Set of Wheels

Picked up a new set of wheels today.

Found a used car in pretty good shape at an excellent price. It was on 07/07/07 that we found it and made a deposit on it. We were able to make the rest of the payment today and brought it home. 1991 Plymouth Sundance, maroon outside and in. Drives very nicely.

For what we could afford, this car was a perfect fit. The need was there and we attracted the car at just the right time, on the right day, and at the right price. I love the way the energies of the universe bring things together for us so wonderfully.

Service Inclludes Safety

There was a garage fire down the street last night and it reminded me that safety is something every hospitality professional should be constantly aware of. Part of my three rules for every situation talks about the image of the hotel. Making sure your hotel is as safe as it can be will go a long way in the image your hotel has with your guests as well as the local fire marshal.

If an incident should occur, having the proper safety procedures and practices in place will not only help keep guests and staff safe, but it will also help with insurance claims and the official fire investigation. Keep records of all safety procedures, have your emergency manual updated, perform regular fires drills and document them.

Keeping your hotel safe should be common sense. It is the ultimate service you can provide for your guests.

Some of the causes of hotel fires I have heard about are lint in the dryers in laundry, HVAC units not properly cleaned or maintained, and improper electrical wiring (don't let maintenance use household extension cords).

The fire down the street took out the detached garage, storage room, and travel trailer. The owner is a lawyer and stored his files in the storage room. Yesterday he was getting his trailer ready for a family vacation. Nobody was hurt, even his dogs got out ok. The house suffered exterior damage with the siding melting off.

Unconscious Motives

Recently I read a quote from Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychologist, where he said “It frequently happens that unconscious motives overrule our conscious decisions, especially in matters of vital importance. Indeed, the fate of the individual is largely dependent on unconscious factors.”

I find this very interesting. He basically says that what we call fate is actually our unconscious motives. Fate is not some outer power directing our lives. Fate is not some uncontrollable list of predetermined events that dictate what will happen in our lives. Fate is actually the motives from within our selves, from our unconscious mind, or they are subconscious thoughts, subconscious desires. Even the things we don’t want in our lives, the negative events, are among the things we think about. If we think, worry, about them enough they become part of our unconscious thinking.

Carl Jung said that these unconscious motives overrule our conscious decisions, especially in matters of vital importance. We consciously tell ourselves what we don’t want to happen to us, what we don’t want in our lives. By dwelling on what we don’t want, our unconscious mind is collecting these thoughts and they will overrule our conscious decisions. This is why some people continue to have money problems, or relationship troubles, or issues at work, or…, or…, what ever the reoccurring problems in their life are.

Dr. Jung says that what we call fate is largely dependent on these unconscious factors. Well then, since they are caused by the subconscious we can change things for the better in our life. Focus your mind on the positives, dwell on the good things in your life and on the good things you want in your life. Doing this regularly will slowly replace the negatives in your unconscious with the positives. Make your unconscious a positive mind and the riches in life will come to you.

I am on a personal mission to do this for myself. I am working to build positives in my mind, to focus my thinking on the good things I want to happen to me, to dwell on what I want to become. I am doing my best to put the Law of Attraction to work in my favor. The universe is answering my thoughts, I want to make sure the thoughts the universe is hearing, from both my conscious and my unconscious mind, are in line with my desires.

Happy Independence Day!!

Since it is the Fourth of July I thought I would post with a quote from George Washington.

“It's wonderful what we can do if we're always doing.”
George Washington

To me this quote is telling us we need to keep doing, keep working at being more than we are, keep bettering ourselves. Constantly improve everything you do.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to improve, just pick one thing in your life and make it better by 1%, that’s all, just 1%. If you can improve yourself by 1% every week, by the end of the year you have made yourself 52% better. In less than two years you will be 100% better than you are now in that one thing.

I once heard a speaker give this advice: imagine you are at a funeral five years from now. Actually, it is your funeral. Four people are going to speak about you, one from your family (not spouse, children or parents), one from your work, one from your church (or any place of worship), and one from a civic organization you belong to (Rotary club, volunteer work, etc…). Now, write down what you would like these four people to say about you. After writing it out you have in front of you a description of the kind of person you want to be. Start becoming that person now; you have five years to complete your goals.

Become just a little better each day.

Offer to Fill ALL the Drinks

I joined a friend for lunch today and we ate at Montana's Steak House. Good place with great food. My favorites are the brisket and the roasted chicken. They have a very good country rice side dish.

Anyway, for our drinks I ordered an ice water with lemon (the lemon usually cuts the chlorine taste in city water) and my friend had a beer. Normally he has coffee, which is what made me think of this post. When we have eaten out before the server always checks back to see if he needed more coffee. This is normal practice, keep the coffee cup full as often as possible.

Today our server asked me if I wanted a refill of my ice water. It struck me then that I usually have to ask for more water. It doesn't seem to be automatic for servers to offer water refills as much as they do for coffee, cola, lemonade, or a drink from the bar. They always offer refills for every drink except for those drinking water. The fact she offered made me want to give her a slightly larger than average tip.

So, servers, when you offer to refill drinks remember that the people who choose to drink water will also want a refill. They may decide to have water because they can not drink the other beverages that are available. Keep in mind that water is a drink too. Plus, if you keep up on the water as well as the other beverages, you can increase your tips. Since there is no charge for water, you are making free money if you impress the water drinkers.

Lacking Service

It happened again. Of course it really isn't any big surprise. Service is so bad in so many places that it is what people expect, no matter where they go.

Today I had a small snack and a bottle of water at a nice little place in town. I had a book with me to just sit in a quiet corner and read. That was not a problem, the place was quiet and the chair was quite comfortable. The service, on the other hand, was lacking. I stood there for over five minutes before the girl working even bothered to look at me and say she would be with me in a moment. I know it as five minutes because I have a habit of looking at my watch. Comes from years of watching and timing my own staff. She could see me, I watched her make up three fancy drinks for customers waiting outside the drive through window. If I had a piece of paper to wad up I could have gently tossed it and it would have made contact. I say this without fear of exaggeration. I would never do that, she was that close to me that I could have.

When she did notice me she rang up my purchase and walked away to do some other work. No 'thank you', no 'have a nice day', just turned away.

With service so bad in so many places it really doesn't take very much to stand out. Little, simple, easy things can make all the difference you need to be the best in your guest's (customer's) eyes. So, why not do it?

Will Maguire

Hospitality is Kindness

An online dictionary, Wordnet by Princeton University, gives a definition for hospitality that I like. Hospitality is “kindness in welcoming guests or strangers.” For most of us, most of the time, the guests who come to our hotels are strangers to us. By using the one simple word, kindness, we find hospitality described in an easy to remember form that all of us can understand. We can approach any guest contact situation with kindness. I find that the word kindness evokes a pleasant and positive feeling for people when they hear it. To apply kindness to hospitality really helps anybody understand what is meant by hospitable service.

Extra Special service does not mean elaborate service.

Good service doesn't get you any extra points. Providing good service is simply giving the guest, or customer, exactly what they expected. They are pleased, they are happy, but they got what they feel they should have gotten in terms of the service. Essentially, nothing to write home about.

Bad service will give the guest plenty to write home about. Bad service gives the guest a story to tell, and they will tell the story over and over. Poor service has the same effect, they will tell the story.

To make extra points, with the guest and also on the service scores, you need to give extra special service. You still want the guest to tell the story, but you want it to be a story about how great you are. This extra special service doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just as long as it is special. Give your guest an extra touch that is special for them.

Stephanie is one example. She went across the street to purchase a news paper for a guest. The hotel provided the USA Today for every guest, but this guest wanted the Wall Street Journal. Stephanie ran across the street and bought the Journal for him and delivered it to him in the restaurant while he was having breakfast.

What Stephanie did was nothing elaborate but it as special and it made that guest feel special. What she did wasn't expensive, it didn't break the bank, but it meant a great deal to the reputation of the hotel.

Did we get extra points? We sure did, and some extra business as well from that guest's company.

Book Update

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, What Every Hotel Should Know About Serving Generation X, is currently in the edit process. Because I am very limited on funds, this process will take some time.

A friend told me long ago that you never edit you own work. So I have asked some friends and family to read through my manuscript and give me their thoughts or corrections. I am grateful to them for doing this, since it saves me money, but they do have lives. It will take time for them to get around to my book.

As soon as the book is ready, I will make an announcement here.

Thoughtful Young Man

A young man came to the door yesterday. He introduced himself, handed me a half sheet of paper, and explained the reason for his visit. I thought I was in for a sales pitch of some kind, maybe the local high school is doing a fund raiser, or maybe he wants me to subscribe to magazines, but I was wrong.

The reason for his visit was to let me know he was having a party in a couple of days and said he would do his best to keep the noise level down, but if the party got a little too loud his phone number was on the paper he gave me and he said to call him right away. He just wanted to make sure the neighbors were aware of the party and that he cared about his neighbors.

Well, needless to say, I was impressed with this thoughtful young man. Because of his foresight and his concern for his neighbors, I don't care how loud they get, I will allow him his fun. The fact he took the initiative to type out and print his little notice, and to walk door to door in order to distribute them really tells me a lot about him and the level of responsibility he feels for the community.

If he were to apply for a job with my company, and if I had an opening, I would hire him. He has shown me a very good character. We need more responsible young people like him.

Tanner, I hope you have a wonderful birthday party.

Who ever's Next

One thing to remember when providing service is the choice of words we use. Some words can come across as rude or surly to others, even though we don't realize it when we speak.

My mother was an English teacher and I grew up having y grammar corrected on a regular basis. As I write I can hear her voice in the back of my head correcting me when I use poor English. She left this world six years ago, but I still hear her.

Anyway, today I went to a coffee shop and had to wait in line. As the person in front of me got served the girl at the counter said "I can help who ever's next." My thought was she may be able to, I am sure she 'can' help, but does she want to? And, I am here to spend some money, I am the customer, I don't like being refered to as 'who ever.' (My mother's voice pops into my head when others use poor English as well.)

I don't think the girl at the coffee shop meant to be surly, she probably had no idea how she came across. It would have been better to say "May I help the next person in line, please?"

Managers: create simple scripts for your employees to use. Make them easy to remember and use positive reinforcement to encourage your employees to get in the habit of saying the right thing. I am positive this one step will improve your service scores. it can't hurt, it can only help.

People in Hospitality

I just started a Google Group called People in Hospitality.

The intent is to provide a place where people in the hospitality industry can share thoughts, ideas, and stories as well as help each other improve.

http://groups.google.ca/group/people-in-hospitality

Same People, Different Standards

Had my dinner at another burger joint tonight. Yeah, yeah, I know, not healthy. I wasn’t in the mood to cook and just wanted something quick. Besides, I was in the mood for a burger and fries.

The staff working at this burger place was very good. They were friendly, they smiled, the place was clean (and I mean really clean). What some might find surprising is that the staff was mostly young people. I would guess high school age boys and girls with one woman supervisor, I could not see into the kitchen so I don’t know what they looked like back there.

Other burger places in town, including the very famous one with the golden things on the sign, employ young people as well. But, the service doesn’t quite meet up with one’s expectations for minimum service and the place always seems in need of a bit of cleaning no matter when I walk in. It might be that because of what I do my standards for minimum service may be slightly higher than the average person. I really don’t think that is the case as I observe the reactions of other customers.

Anyway, why are there such differences between these two burger places? Why do the workers, of the same age, seem to be on such opposite ends of the service spectrum? Is it because most young people are lazy workers and don’t really care?

I believe the answer is in the management. The inspiration, the guidance, the support, the training, and the re-enforcement these young people get, or don’t get as the case may be. It is the leadership that makes the difference. As I read in a book by J. Donald Walters, The Art of Leadership, “Too much attention is given to the position rather than the purpose of leadership.” And who is it that gives all this misplaced attention? The leader.

To read more about the purpose of leadership, go to THIS PAGE on my website.