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.
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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?