Palapas Recent Media

Attention Firefox users

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:22:50 MST

For those of you who use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer as your browser, you might have noticed that some sites do not display properly. I have read that this is a somewhat common problem. Smarty pants web geeks will go into a long spiel about why this happens. All I know is sometimes websites look one way on one computer with one browser, and on another, well, you know. So the original point was, if you are using Firefox and some pages look funny, copy and paste the following link into your address bar and you can download a free add-on that will fix the problem. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419 Once you download it, you'll see a little Firefox button at the bottom of the browser. Click on it when a page looks wrong, and you can toggle to view the page properly. It works great!

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES HELP BOOST THE BOTTOM LINE

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:11:43 MST

Those people who say soft skills and employee involvement programs cannot be measured, need to read this. An ISR study shows employers with an engaged workforce help their businesses make more money. The study gathered surveys from over 664,000 employees globally. The 12-month study analyzed three traditional financial performance measures including net income growth, operating income, and earnings per share growth (EPS). Results showed: Net income growth: High engagement companies had a 13.2 percent improvement while low engagement companies had a 3.8 percent decline. Operating Income: High engagement companies showed a 52 percent performance gap. These companies improved 19.2 percent while low engagement companies declined 32.7 percent during the 12-month period. EPS growth: Companies with high employee engagement had a 27.8 percent improvement, while low employee engagement companies experienced an 11.2 percent decline in EPS over the same period. One of the easiest ways to engage your employees is by having a suggestion program in place. When people have the ability to submit and implement their ideas and suggestions--you have engagement. There are several types of suggestion systems; everything from the old fashioned suggestion box to more advanced idea campaigns. For more information on the idea campaign please copy and paste this link into your browser to see more on our website. http://www.chartcourse.com/bright-ideas-employee-suggestion-program.html

Back from ARDA Southwest

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:46:19 MST

I just returned from Scottsdale Arizona where we attended the ARDA Southwest regional meeting. Jerry Sikes and friends put on the usual good show to the usual full house. Our thanks to everyone for their assistance and participation in the askmando.com coverage of the event. We gleaned some very useful information which I will begin to post over the next few days (I’m still a little wrinkled). We already have video from our interviews on MandoTV, so click over and check it out. We were able to attend most of the sessions and everyone I spoke with gave good grades to the quality of content and the speakers. Topics included recruiting and retaining good employees, information from five vacation exchange brands, using the internet for rental marketing, understanding the resale market, details on Arizona’s new non-judicial foreclosure law and more. If you attended, let me know what you thought about the meeting. If you didn’t make it, I encourage you to go next year and get your “dry heat” fix.

2nd GreenLink

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:51:46 MST

greenlink 5 Rauni Kew

Off to ARDA Arizona

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:08:49 MST

Brian is packing the camera and we are almost ready to trek to Scottsdale for the annual meeting. They have the details on recently passed legislation in Arizona regarding non-judicial foreclosure, and with the number of Resort operators around the country lobbying their own states for similar laws, I think a lot of eyes and ears will be on this model. We will get you the lowdown as soon as we can. Jerry Sikes (Chairman of ARDA Arizona), spoke with us a couple of days ago and is really excited about this year's sessions and has some cool meeting formats in store for attendees. Get the details by watching his video on MandoTV. The title of the video is ChatRoom 3 and you will find it among the Most Recent videos at the bottom of the page. A number of suppliers are also going to be attending a seminar for the new Supplier Certification. These companies are really trying to learn to speak our language and discover the differences in working with our industry as opposed to the general hospitality world. Also, you can expect feedback from the Exchange providers and a lot of HR related information aimed at helping with the number one expense for most resort operators. It is not too late to get in on this according to Jerry, so pack a bag and join us. Get the details at arda.org and we will see you there.

Getting Started

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:42:47 MST

I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to have a forum to share ideas for greening hospitality properties, and hope to learn a lot from you as well. I have adopted (and changed slightly!) “people planet profit” as a parameter for creating green programs- and have found that it works!- doing something good for people and the planet can generate profit. (We are in a people business, so the ‘people’ I refer to is staff, local community and visiting guests- and not John Elkington’s original and great concept of social responsibility.) The path to sustainable business practices will be easier for all of us if we share what we learn as we get smarter at making healthier choices for people and the planet- so I do really hope you will share your experiences, good and bad, big and small! My experience at Inn by the Sea has shown that the green path is not only rewarding for staff but appreciated by a growing sector of travelers, both leisure and business. And I can honestly say that having a list of green initiatives in place has attracted corporate meetings and helped to fill beds with leisure travelers. Tourism is the largest industry in the world, and it has a huge carbon footprint- it generates huge amounts of solid waste, and uses up enormous reservoirs of natural resources, water, chemicals and energy- not to mention that most travelers use fossil fuel flying or driving to their destinations. An often referred to California study showed that the average hotel uses about the same amount of energy, waste, chemicals and water as 110 homes- so changing the way even one property conducts business is equal to changing the behavior of an entire neighborhood. Imagine being able to do that! The Tourism industry can have a huge impact on the global environment- good or bad- it’s up to us. Fair warning: I have a marketing and public relations background so that is often the vantage point and start for inspiration for green programs for me! To start this dialogue- Here is what has been successful for me- my favorite “green” program is one that is fun and inspirational, suits the “sense of place” of the property, engages people and adds value to a guest stay- all while doing something good for the planet, and adding to the bottom line. If you come up with such a program it will generate both publicity and demand for your property. And I truly believe any property, in any location can produce creative programs that are a good fit for their location, add to the ‘sense of place’ and generate demand. As time goes on, and I share some successful programs with you-you’ll see the above pattern emerge over and over again- but here’s the first example- how the Inn by the Sea got started on the green path: Seven years ago, head gardener Derrick Daly arrived at Inn by the Sea and looked at the coastal setting with a bird sanctuary and the Atlantic beyond- the Inn is located on Crescent Beach , on three and half miles of unspoiled beach in Maine. He suggested it was terrible for the environment to blanket spray chemicals to keep the previously installed exotic plants on the 5 acre property healthy, and suggested they be exchanged for hardier local plants that require less water, care and chemicals. He replaced exotics with indigenous plants that not only saved water and chemicals but also served to provide habitat and a food source for local wildlife, helping to preserve the local eco system. He installed bird houses and nesting boxes and allowed plants like Solidago and milk weed (necessary to the survival of the monarch butterfly) to self sow- not only did the inn now surround guests with a better and more inviting “sense of place”, but discovered guests enjoyed the concept and were asking for garden tours. The Inn became certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a backyard Wildlife Habitat, and started popular classes on “How to Plant for Wildlife”. We developed a children’s program titled “Bug’s Life” where kids designed and created their own bug costumes and then learned about eco systems from a bug’s view point. The Inn received a lot of attention for the indigenous landscape, planting for wildlife classes and children’s programs- garden clubs, hotels guests, and corporate groups came to the Inn to eat or stay and take a class. We received a great deal of media attention which helped drive demand. (National and local TV and print editorial) And this was the start to a “people, planet, profit formula” for greening programs - · Do something good for the planet (in this case reductions in water and chemical use, habitat and food sources for wildlife, help restore the eco system) · Do something good for people, engage the guest and add value to their stay (healthier environment for staff and guests, less chemicals- better sense of place with local plantings, engage the guest with educational classes, garden tours and whimsical programs for kids that add value to a guest stay and help pass on the environmental message.) · Add profitability- by generating interest in the property, demand was created. We found a partner (certification program) that helped to get the story out- by creating interesting garden classes and children’s programs media attention was generated- which drove demand. We saved on water and chemical costs. I will share more success stories as we go on! If you’ve started down the green path and have already taken advantage of the low hanging fruit- good. If you are just getting started there are a myriad of easy things to do to get going- next time, resources for help and easy things to get you started.

Making The Grade

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:54:24 MST

MANDO TV has posted a six (6) part series on "Making The Grade". This video series was taken of the Lakeside Resort and Education Complex. This facility is operated by the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) located on Center Hill lake in middle Tennessee. Tennessee Technological University is the educational partner for the hospitality training center. Take a few moments and go to MANDO TV and watch this fabulous series. http://community.askmando.com/mandotv/

Get the coolers packed already!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:05:20 MST

Hey! Wait for us!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:04:00 MST

A good vintage.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:02:18 MST

Riding shotgun with Grandpa.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:33 MST

My Quote for the Day

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:36:38 MST

Heard this one just the other day from Sally Givens-Bolin. "Common Sense is not so Common" Think about this one for a minute and think how often it applies. Check Sally's BLOGs out on askmando.com

GreenLink #4

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:41:38 MST

GreenLink #3

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:21:49 MST

GreenLink #2

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:13:33 MST

GreenLink #1

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:07:10 MST

GreenLink 7/11/08

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:45:02 MST

greenlink

Are We Telling Our Owners/Guests We Don't Care?

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:44:46 MST

Recently I had a conversation with an owner in a resort property (PUD) that is governed and administrated by a property owner's association (POA). This person told me a story that was relatively disturbing but not really surprising. He told me how he tried to contact the security department of the resort and that cell communication was all that was available. The call kept getting dropped. After the fourth try, he was able to communicate his message only to have the officer respond with rudeness and disgust. The owner then called the POA office and immediately received a recorded message that was very short and impersonal even for an answering machine. The message said "We are closed, call us Monday"; that was it. At the conclusion of his story he conveyed these thoughts: you would think that a property of this size and maturity would provide a better means of communication for its residents/owners. I, to some extent, would understand if it were new; but nearly 40 years of operation!! It's as if the message the POA is sending is "Don't Bother Us, We Don't Care". Like I said, disturbing, but not surprising. Many of you face the challenge of continuous owner/guest service. I know at my four previous properties I had 24 hour public safety and 24 hour phone attendants. We used humans to answer questions all seven days of the week, 24 hours per day. One may say that I had a big budget; I say we shifted our priorities to accommodate our owner and guests needs. I fully suspect that none of the professionals reading this would ever purposely send a message to your owners and guests that your property and staff DIDN'T CARE. I have had the opportunity to visit many resort properties and am happy to say I have had very, very few experiences like the one described in this BLOG. My belief is that none of you would do this by design; if you did you wouldn't be in the important positions you hold. If you have, you should be removed. The vacation ownership industry, membership campgrounds, and multiple use resorts have done a great job in the area of owner/guest satisfaction. A great deal of money is spent to see to it. My friends at Festiva Resorts, Welk Resorts and Crown Resorts spend a great deal of energy on the subject of excellent owner services. My 20 years of exchanging to Southwind Management Corp, managed properties in Hilton Head, SC have been glorious. Peppertree Maggie Valley is relentless in the pursuit of owner service excellence. If you have ever thought about telling a colleague (you don't have to necessarily know them personally) that their service is a little thin, you should. If you don't, it will be a disservice to them, their owners, guests, staff, and the industry.

Finding your purpose in life.

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:57:50 MST

I am a fortunate person. I am happy, satisfied with my life, nd love what I do. I used to think most people were just like me. But the older I get the more I realize there is a minority of us who have actually found our purpose. There is a great majority who are in the middle--content but stagnant; and finally there are those who are unhappy, miserable, lost and misguided. From the time I was a teenager, I knew what I wanted to do with my life--the path to my future was clear. Are you living a purpose driven life? Do you enjoy what you do? Or are you stuck in a place, a position that does not allow you to put your talents to work? If you answered to the positive, this might be a good time to make a change. Someone once said, "A rut is a grave with both ends knocked out." Here is a quick formula I use to help me find purpose and keep my life on course. To find your purpose in life you have to use SOAP. S-Success Most people waste their life chasing after things they never can obtain or possess. Know what makes you successful and pursue it with as much passion and energy as you possibly can. Success is not about job security or money--it is about fulfillment and doing what you enjoy. O-Opportunity Most problems in life are disguised as opportunities. For every problem you encounter there are at least four or five opportunities that come along with it. Don't be afraid to try something new--take a risk. A-Attitude Humans are the only creatures on earth that can choose their attitudes--be it positive or negative. Each morning as you awake, take charge of your attitude and decide to be positive. Quit being miserable and bringing others down. Change your attitude--change your life. P-Plan Write down what you are going to do differently, your goal, or career choice. If you don't write it down—it will probably never happen. Start now. There is a great purpose, a fantastic life waiting for you! Greg Smith Lead Navigator and Captain of the Ship "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain

Who vs. how many, asking the right questions.

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:50:27 MST

I speak to a lot of ad agencies and potential advertisers as a matter of course. I am constantly amazed at some of the questions I get about various subjects during the conversation, but some questions jump out at me and let me know whom I?m dealing with. For example, agencies that surf the internet for websites to affiliate always ask how many visitors our site gets. That tells me they get paid on how many people click through or some other action. I know that I will soon be discussing banner ads or some other type of interruption tool for their client. I get the same question from business owners new to the idea of advertising on the web, because ?more is better? is a common pitch for conventional media like print and TV and they tend to understand the same type of ads. Conversely, if the question is ?who visits your website?, I am soon talking about engaging a customer with viral content, blogs, communities and relationships. This tells me I will find a decent website associated with this business and someone more tuned in to social media marketing. This is a trust first, business later approach (favored by the bulk of web users) and their weapon of choice is likely to be video or a Tienda in the Plaza. These are the conversations I enjoy most, being a believer in social media. What question should you be asking to get the most out of ads on the web? When someone calls you to ask for your ad dollar you really need to know both. How many can help you determine the potential size of the market, but that is about all it will tell you. Asking who is more important for many reasons, but especially critical in deciding if you will be reaching decision-makers, and in determining which ad vehicle you choose for your product or service. If you key only on how many people go to a particular website, you may be ignoring an entire niche market (example: resort Managers that refurbish resorts) with incredible spending potential. The smaller and more intimate the market, the more you should consider adding social marketing vehicles into your ad mix to assure that you start to build a relationship with the audience early on, and they may be harder to interrupt with traditional ads. These users will help spread your message by virally sharing (forward to a friend) your media if they like your content (and the website provides the tools) and it proves to be useful. Copy and paste these URLs into your browser for a couple of other takes on the subject; http://scobleizer.com/2008/06/30/is-getting-more-traffic-your-real-goal/ http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/07/who-vs-how-many.html

My Quote for the Day

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:39:47 MST

When I was the General Manager of Foxwood Hills in Westminster SC at the ripe old age of 27, I met this fellow at the golf course who later became a good friend. He was an educator; a principal of an elementary school (grades 1-4). Mike and I spoke often - on the way to Myrtle Beach one January day for a golf outing, Mike explained this great quote: "Strive for Excellence - for perfection is left only to the Lord" - Mike Bobo, 1988. He told me we often spend our time trying to perfect this or that; which in itself is not possible. He said striving for excellence was a far more achievable and meaningful goal. Therefore, strive for excellence in your work and your life; leave perfection to God.

Follow-up to my June 27 BLOG

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:15:02 MST

I just read a great article that speaks to my Jun 27, 2008 - We are all the same ... and that's the problem...Or is it? Follow this link http://www.resorttrades.com/ to my Resort Trades home page and click on the article "Guests Demands Sky High At Lux Level - By Glenn Haussman" under the Resort Management News tab. This is what you all face every day. Keep checking my RT site and blogs for more information on this and other related Resort Management subjects

Going viral (on the web) is good.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:58:53 MST

Let's go through the buzz words for marketing; Direct, intercept, relationship, permission, mass media, guerilla, and now viral marketing (I'm leaving out a ton of these). I think that one (viral) disturbs me a little. All these terms are ways to brag about what you sell to an audience that does not want to listen; they just differ on how they are delivered. They don't listen because there are so many of these messages bombarding them every day that they are simply reduced to background noise. Plus they all kind of think that whatever we are trying to promote is not as good as we say because we puff our messages with worn out terms like cutting edge, leading, exclusive, super-fandangled or whatever to try and stand out over the noise. They just don't believe us anymore. As we move out of the TV room, off the radio waves, out of the call centers and convention halls to sell our products on the internet, now we have to give our potential customers a virus? Even though I have a problem with this marketing speak, I understand how they came up with the term. And whoever coined the term just renamed a classic marketing star for the web. It is just plain old word of mouth advertising. Instead of trying to interrupt a few potential customers with a message fired at the masses, customers and friends that already value your goods socially share information about you with their friends. The important characteristic of this sharing between friends is that the transfer carries the trust that is so hard to command with other marketing media. The trust in this transaction is the currency of the web. Study after study has revealed the mistrust web users have of traditional advertising media, and as ads proliferate on the web, mistrust grows and forces us to convert to this currency for our share of the market. You can still interrupt a few people with a message on the web but more and more, they find the spaces to avoid us. You have to go into their communities to find them, make a few friends, earn some trust, and then your channel is established. So how do we get people talking about us and virally spreading our message from friend to friend (assuming you don't want to scrap your website)? Here are some tips to get you started. 1) To get people talking you must give them something truly useful and/or entertaining, and it should be free. This could be anything from a whitepaper with useful statistics to a cool widget if you're a tech company. Make them available on your website for your current visitors. 2) Make a video sharing something people can benefit by using. I am not talking about a commercial, really share something from the inside. It is your employee's execution of a process that makes your company special, not the ideas in the process. So don't be afraid to open up the vault a little. Shoot it yourself if you can (see Brian's blog for tips http://community.askmando.com/palapa/view/brianwelch), and forget the marketing speak, just be yourself and talk to them, not at them. Post it on your website for your current customer friends to share, and figure out where else you can upload it into video sharing sites (I love free video hosting) which are used by potential customers in your market. 3) Start a newsletter or blog. Either, if the content is worthwhile and frequent, will grow an audience of subscribers who may become customers or advocates of your brand. It takes time to grow, so be patient and always make sure to hold the content to a high standard. If the content is web-based, post it in communities like Stumbleupon.com (my favorite, but there are more). Be committed and stick to it. 4) Make your media easy to share. Provide tools on your website or blog for people to share the content. Visitors should be able to subscribe (RSS feed), download, email, forward or bookmark your media. This is usually free code you can have added to your web pages that are worth sharing. If you want people to share your messages, keep it useful and entertaining. 5)No tricks, no spam, and don't sell your email list. Don't make people sign-up for access to your media. Be patient and let them get to know you first. After you have some trust, create new content with a higher value and let those who trust you sign up for the good stuff. Now that you have permission to talk, don't ruin it by spamming them with nothing but sales messages. Never share or sell your email list with a third party. Their trust is in you, don't betray it. OK, now we have a couple of ways to become viral on the web. Remember to experiment a lot and be patient, social media sharing may start slowly. After all it is not you that will decide what gets shared. So keep the content coming and make sharing easy, you will figure out what they like along the way. If you want more information on going viral, click "Send Barry a Message" on this page. If you like this info, click "Send to a friend" and make me viral. See how easy that was.

Mountain bike mania

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:17:47 MST

Mountain bike racing craziness

My Strength

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:14:30 MST

Me and my wife of 27 years. Together since childhood - literally, we both grew up in this wonderful industry. She has inspired excellence in my abilities

My Kids

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:51:21 MST

We are all the same ... and that's the problem...Or is it?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:05:16 MST

I recently read an article written by Kris Berg titled "We are all the same ... and that's the problem". Kris is a real estate broker associate in San Diego CA, so her article is written to speak to the Real Estate industry. Being a real estate broker myself, I understood the message she was sending; the point Kris seemed to be making was many agents display the exact same persona wherever we seem to go. The same cookie cutter looks and presentations. Having said this, I began thinking; do we in the Resort Industry do the same things as those in the real estate industry? Virtually all properties taught providing great customer service as part of their mission statement and what I think is an over used phrase, "over deliver service". Do I believe exceeding owner/guest expectations is important? Absolutely. But are we all saying and doing the same things the same way? I write this only to stimulate the thoughts of you general managers, resort manager, property managers, and park managers, certainly not to judge. Is the system we are using to provide these great experiences the same ole ideas? The tried and true methods? Or are we looking forward and attempting to stay ahead of the owner/guest expectation curve? I met this wonderful person who is now my friend. Kit Armour, General Manager of Grand Timber Lodge in Breckenridge, CO. I was out there attending an ARDA regional meeting; as the host, Kit's staff put on a skit for the attendees. The theme of the skit was basically about how our owners/guest look to the resort to entertain them; not in the same old ways, but new fun; goofy hats, a cookout thing. Anyway, Kit's staff cut against the conventional grain and demonstrated some new, creative ideas of how to create fun and most importantly a way to "over deliver"-"exceed expectations". I must tell you it was a great outing. At Fontana Village we had "Knights of the Round Table" day. My admin made me dress up as King Arthur and had me riding a horse around the Village while my management staff wore the dress of the day. Silly, put fun. Take the time to reflect on what you have done in the owner/guest satisfaction area, what are currently doing and what you would like to do. Don't be afraid to mix it up a little. Cause my friends ice cream socials and wine cheese parties (however fun) are worn out! Give Kris' article a read at http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/kris-berg/we-are-all-same-and-thats-problem. Perhaps there is something in her piece that will stimulate an idea, thought, change, or reinforce the path you are traveling. Good luck my friends-you have a tough, tough job-but you all do it very well! Go to the free signup tab and open an account. It's safe, confidential and easy; follow this link to learn how (http://community.askmando.com/palapa/view/BarryLBrown). Leave your comments regarding the contents of my blogs-good or bad, agree or disagree, others want to hear what you have to say.

We have some new video segments on Mando TV!!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:52:37 MST

And I was doing so well. Well, maybe not. Yes, it has been an eternity since my last blog. I will try to do better. I wanted to mention that we have some new video segments to tell you about here on Mando TV. Yea, that’s why I haven’t been blogging. That’s it. I’ve been “busy.” Anyway, “GreenLink” is a video segment we hope will help you in your efforts to go green. In the first three segments we’ll talk to Ray Sirois, information technology director at Wright-Pierce, an award-winning New England engineering firm. Ray is one of only 1000 individuals selected worldwide to be trained as presenters by the scientists of The Climate Project, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Future “GreenLink” video segments will feature Rauni Kew with Inn By The Sea. She will tell us why her resort is considered to be one of the “greenest” in the world! Another new video segment is called "Chat Room." In this segment we’ll feature topics of various interests, including a new vacation ownership industry salary survey conducted by Keith Trowbrige, president of Executive Quest. Future guests include Ross Perlmutter with CRDA, or the Canadian Resort Development Association. And finally, a video segment called "Resort Profile" will highlight resorts across the continent. Our first profile will highlight Welk Resorts, and our guest is Sean Coogan, director of operations for Welk. If you know of a resort (maybe your own) that we should profile, email me at brian@askmando.com or call me at 931-484-8819. Thanks!

Under Construction

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:41:29 MST

Under Construction

My Quote for the Day

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:57:16 MST

A very good friend of mine explained this quote in this manner. He said to me: you know when you have a lobby full of tours and a salesperson takes that qualified tour out and shows the property and they leave without a sale – the salesperson says: “I did everything I could, they just weren’t qualified” or “they just don’t understand the value of Timeshare”; then the sales person says: “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. I responded: “yes I have heard that before”. My friend said to me: “Quit spending so much time trying to get them to drink and more time convincing them they are thirsty”. I am certain we can all find a way to apply my good friend’s quote!