Tiendas Recent Media

Going viral (on the web) is good.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:56:34 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.

What people say (II)...

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:39:31 MST

What customers say about Triton Timeshare Software

What people say...

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:25:11 MST

Triton Timeshare Software customers talk about us.

How are you found on the Web?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:19:44 MST

If someone is searching for you, how are you found? Is it as simple as typing in your business name in google, or does it take more than that? We all hope that when a potential client or customer types in your name, it appears, but that often is not the case. Even if they type in products, it does not always appear. You need to have valuable things in your web site, such as keywords that are appropriate, a good title, and blogs and links are very helpful for your ratings. This is where SEO research may come in handy. I would recommend that if this is a route you choose to follow that you do ample research if using someone to help you. There are many people that tout SEO service, but in fact can have you banned from Google by using inappropriate, “Blackhat” tactics. If done correctly a great website can help bring in clients and customers for you that might have otherwise not found you. Use this tool to your benefit, as it can be a powerful one!

test blog......Five Questions

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:31:09 MST

Here are five Questions we get a lot. 1. Does Triton allow multi-level reservation types on a single property? Yes. Triton has an easy-to-use and dynamic multi-level reservations module (the only one currently available on the market). Each resort can create their individual reservations types such as Owners, Exchangers, In-house Exchanges and Clubs. Triton was designed to accommodate your business as it changes and grows. 2. Does Triton automate rental distribution? Yes. All revenue can be distributed to the proper accounts after initial set-up of the General Ledger. Rental deposits are tracked and processed throughout Reservations, from the initial deposit to sending a check to the owner. Taxes, FIT, commissions, extra cleans, and much more can be auto-deducted from the rental revenue. Checks can be written to each vendor receiving proceeds. 3. What platform is required for the use of Triton? Depending on the size of your resort, our requirements differ. For small to medium properties, we recommend MS server 2003 with Access. For larger properties and multiple locations, recommendations will vary depending on the needs of the resort. Many larger resorts will need to use SQL Server. An experienced Triton staff member will analyze your particular needs and offer a recommendation. 4. Does Triton have an Accounts Receivable system? Yes. Our full-featured Accounts Receivable module is one of our most well received and our longest-standing products. The AR system handles Owners’ Information, Deed Changes, Maintenance Fees, Reserves, and Property Taxes. AR reports provide the ability to track your Daily, Monthly, and Yearly data. 5. How do you price the software? Triton is known to be the best “value for the buck” software. Pricing is adjusted by the number of units you will be using our software to manage. Our prices include 20 hours dedicated to converting your data from your existing system, and remote installation. On-site training is at a “per trainer per day” charge. All hardware costs are the responsibility of the resort. end test

How to improve your website.

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:12:46 MST

I came across a video and article on the ragan.com community that has some great insight on improving your website. They feature Gerry McGovern the founder of Customer Carewords, widely regarded as the number one authority on managing web content as a business asset. Gerry has spoken, written and consulted extensively on web content management issues since 1994. Gerry's customers include BBC, Tetra Pak, IKEA, Wells Fargo, Schlumbeger, UK Directgov, USA.gov, Pioneer, Rolls-Royce and Microsoft. Copy and paste these links into your browser to see his media. Video... http://www.myragantv.com/video/?d=875 Article... http://www.ragan.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=5AA50C55146B4C8C98F903986BC02C56&tier=4&id=0A74D3E6CDC14ECF853F2CBDA885A391&AudID=3FF14703FD8C4AE98B9B4365B978201A Website... http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/

6-23-08 News

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:08:12 MST

Who Needs To Advertise On The Web?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:07:11 MST

I know that this sounds silly, but who needs to advertise on the web? It depends on your company’s needs. If you have a vertical market, meaning you have something that has a very specific scope, then you may need to get the word out to that particular market. If you have a general product, then it needs to get to a different market. I know that this sounds simple, but is it really? I have come to see recently that there can be a vertical market, but it can be much bigger than you first realize. You can have the best message in the world about the best product, but is it going to the right people? It is not about how many, but WHERE! Is the place that you are spending the money to market your product giving you the value? It should, not only because you are paying them hard earned cash, but also because you should have optimum results because that is what you are there for. This all goes back to the where. The where should dictate that you are hitting a market that is receptive of the message. When you find that place you will also see a receptive audience, one that is not defensive to anything that sounds like marketing. The difference is like getting a telemarketer to call about joining a book club and going to the library to find an enjoyable read. I am beginning to come around to the fact that everyone should be on the web. It is the place that everyone seems to be researching whatever the item of the minute on their minds may be. I have learned that when you sit back and look from the outside in, then you will realize there are more options out there that haven’t been realized. I think instead of who needs to advertise, it is WHERE…. The where is whatever the best forum for you is to reach the audience that is listening for your message.

GreenLinks

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:42:20 MST

Brian has been working very hard to include a list of poeple that do their part for the "Keeping it Green" for the industry from surveys to products and supplies. If we have missed someone, please let us know ans we will add you, if we have someone that is "greenwashing" let us know, and they can be removed. We hope this is a good ource for more green information, and there will be more things added for your help!

A Wow moment.

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:52:06 MST

Yesterday I watched a video from the Web 2.0 Expo 2008. The Speaker was Clay Shirky, author of "Here Comes Everybody". He makes a statement that explains the frustration of almost everyone with a website that yearns for more traffic. "Media that is targeted at you, but does not include you, may not be worth sitting still for". For those of us from the Industrial Age who spent our spare time as spectators of the boob tube, here is our disconnect with getting our advertising right on the web. We wonder why our print ad from the magazine that did so well gets no attention when we use it on the web. Why does our expensive website, that just happens to resemble our best brochure, fail to light the fire on the web? Why does advertising that resembles classic media generally all get a common reaction of distrust? Everything trusted on the web is useful, entertaining, interactive and worthy of sharing with tools you provide on the site. When it gets shared it becomes credible because it is moving from friend to friend. Word-of-mouth advertising, now there is something we can understand. Keep it real, stop talking like a TV ad and just be you. Engage your visitors with straight up, useful, to the point content and make it easy to share. Paste this link in your browser to see the video. http://blog.vsocial.com/2008/06/clay-shirky-at-web-20-expo-sf-2008/

GreenLink-Ray Sirois

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:52:02 MST

Ray Sirois interview on GreenLink

Introducing GreenLink

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:34:18 MST

Green is on everyone's radar these days and askmando.com is trying to put some resources within easy grasp to help sort through the masses of propaganda marketers are inundating us with. This greenwashing is making it difficult to distinguish truly sustainable efforts and products from clever promotion as everyone tries to cash in on saving our planet. Green makes good sense for most resorts with particular emphasis on energy consumption (big savings), which many times requires little or no capital outlay. There are lots of simple, easy to implement solutions that are really just common sense and require only awareness and a little staff training. You will notice two changes on askmando aimed at giving you some help with identifying ways to green your resort and save some money. First is the GreenLink symbol (you can't miss it, it's bright green) at the top center of the homepage. Click on it to go to a page of links we think may be helpful in sorting out ways to benefit your property. Let us know if you spot a greenwasher in there and we will remove the link. If you have a resource that should be listed here let us know and we will add it to the list. Second, check out Brian's new series called GreenLink on mandoTV. The first video series features Ray Sirois of Wright-Pierce who recently spoke at the ARDA New England conference. Look for more interviews with other green experts in the future as we continue with this new feature. Copy and paste this link into your browser (http://community.askmando.com/mandotv/view/378) to see part I of Ray's interview. I am also posting the video above on my player for a while.

Why should I advertise on the web?

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:30:01 MST

More now than ever, it is important to be seen and accessed easily on the web. The consumer for any product now is more likely to research a product or service. A website is simply a business card for your company, and how easily can a person find that card? I will be writing a series of BLOGS that will address how important this advertisement is, how it is different from traditional marketing, and the best ways to be found online. It is not always the money that has been spent, but has the website been listed in a way to get the most use and ease out if it? When a person is looking for a particular product or service, they know what they have in mind. It is all too easy to surf the web for what ever is desired. BUT, can they find you? In the process of the research, the provider needs to be found, and easily. Advertising on the web is on of the most important decisions that are made for businesses today. There are many tools that can help this process along. The tools that can help you to be found are search engine optimization, BLOGS, keywords, web publishing, and knowing your audience. I will cover each of these in depth to hopefully provide you with useful information that you can build from. At AskMando we are the first social network for the resort and development industry, as well as established HOA/POA associations for the mature development. We want AskMando to be your home for all current news, information, and sourcing. Let us help you!

Sally Givens-Bolin

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:22:08 MST

Raintree Vacation Club Press Release

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:42:20 MST

Her is a press release about our Sister company(ACI)and a recent project in Mexico; SAN DIEGO, CA (June 3, 2008) - Margit E. Whitlock, AIA, Principal of San Diego-based Architectural Concepts, Inc. (ACI) has initiated a program for Raintree Vacation Clubs’ Club Regina that utilizes the vast talent of Mexican national artisans to bring life to the properties’ identity. Club Regina, a collection of exclusive properties located at some of the best beaches in Mexico, including Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun is undergoing a full renovation starting with Los Cabos and Cancun properties. Construction is anticipated to be complete by summer 2008. Recently, ACI’s work on Club Regina received the “ARDY”, the highest honor presented by American Resort Development Association (ARDA) in the category of Resort Architecture and Interior Design (Refurbishment). The property re-design was born out of a two day workshop on “Consumer Concentric Design” lead by ACI. In this workshop of more than 15 participants from every management division within Raintree Vacation Club (RVC), the needs and goals of the renovation revealed the need to strengthen the Club Regina brand throughout RVC’s membership. The consensus was that because the properties are so unique and embedded with so much history something special needed to be developed to bring the grandeur back to Club. ”Our program brings a gallery of art to each vacation suite. At Club Regina, every property has its own vernacular setting. Each will have its own art collection specific to that environment. During our discussions it became clear that the design of the room would become the backdrop to this exclusive art collection,” says Whitlock. She explains that the concept reminds the guest of the unique culture and location through original art displayed, rather than seeing typical “beauty” photography which often does little to further the cultural nuances of the vacation. Once the art was selected the rest of the interior design centered on supporting the visual experience. Each unit will have an art catalog with a description of the art and a bio on the artist. This is considered a private collection developed specifically for Club Regina. Model units are complete in Los Cabos and Cancun.

Raintree Vacation Club Press Release

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:34:49 MST

Here is a press release on a recent ACI project in Mexico; SAN DIEGO, CA (June 3, 2008) - Margit E. Whitlock, AIA, Principal of San Diego-based Architectural Concepts, Inc. (ACI) has initiated a program for Raintree Vacation Clubs? Club Regina that utilizes the vast talent of Mexican national artisans to bring life to the properties? identity. Club Regina, a collection of exclusive properties located at some of the best beaches in Mexico, including Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun is undergoing a full renovation starting with Los Cabos and Cancun properties. Construction is anticipated to be complete by summer 2008. Recently, ACI?s work on Club Regina received the ?ARDY?, the highest honor presented by American Resort Development Association (ARDA) in the category of Resort Architecture and Interior Design (Refurbishment). The property re-design was born out of a two day workshop on ?Consumer Concentric Design? lead by ACI. In this workshop of more than 15 participants from every management division within Raintree Vacation Club (RVC), the needs and goals of the renovation revealed the need to strengthen the Club Regina brand throughout RVC?s membership. The consensus was that because the properties are so unique and embedded with so much history something special needed to be developed to bring the grandeur back to Club. "Our program brings a gallery of art to each vacation suite. At Club Regina, every property has its own vernacular setting. Each will have its own art collection specific to that environment. During our discussions it became clear that the design of the room would become the backdrop to this exclusive art collection," says Whitlock. She explains that the concept reminds the guest of the unique culture and location through original art displayed, rather than seeing typical ?beauty? photography which often does little to further the cultural nuances of the vacation. Once the art was selected the rest of the interior design centered on supporting the visual experience. Each unit will have an art catalog with a description of the art and a bio on the artist. This is considered a private collection developed specifically for Club Regina. Model units are complete in Los Cabos and Cancun.

Shift Happens

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:06 MST

How to get your connecting done on the web.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:20:27 MST

The problem with promoting your company on the web is the sheer size of the internet. Millions and millions of websites conspire to obscure you with massive amounts of information and both White Hat and Black Hat (bad) marketing tactics. Your website has become an expensive business card where most traffic is sent there by your sales staff, and the customer already knows you. Instead of developing leads for sales and expanding your business, it has become the problem someone has to deal with when it breaks. Search Engines have offered hope, however there are still problems. First is the study (Marketing Sherpa) that indicates that 98% of people sourcing on the web start on Google and 75% of websites that searchers visit are in the first 5 or 6 organic listings (sites deemed relevant by the Search Engine). If you are not one of these listings, you can buy clicks to put your ad on the same page, but you are competing with a lot of websites for a small percentage of the total clicks and it can be expensive in competitive markets. The real bad news is that the reason people prefer to visit websites in the organic search listings is that they don't trust ads. How do you get on the first page of Google's organic search listings? Not as easy as it sounds. Consider the following; 1) Fresh, regularly updated information is demanded by searchers and favored by search engines. How often is your site updated with new content? 2) Flash, Java script and other tricked out websites are slow loading and out of favor with searchers who want instant gratification, and the content behind these technologies is not indexed by search engines. 3) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not rocket science, but it takes time and attention and is a constantly moving target as Search technology advances. If you hire a service to perform your SEO, the good ones can cost $1,500 per month for 2 to 6 months and they may not do the heavy lifting of establishing the "inbound links"(links from other trusted sites). These links are favored by Search engines and help assure long term success. 4) Your success in staying on top of organic search listings may require adding staff to pay attention to SEO, run blogs, produce video and webinars to create engagement with web users, build trust, and generate the leads which grow sales. So how do you grow your business on the web? What matters is not how many people visit your website, but who. They need to be in your market, will have to get to know you over time and will distrust your traditional advertising. However, they will then raise their hand and ask for more information once they trust you, and that is a lead sales wants. So now, how do they find you on the vast desert of the internet? The simple answer is you have to be where they go already, in a trusted site on the web, and behave like a citizen of the web to be heard. Behavior is as easy as just being helpful. Searchers want information quick and condensed with no strings attached. If you have an authentic story with helpful info and tips, trust will soon follow. They engage, and then contact you. This is now inbound marketing as opposed to interrupting your market with traditional advertising like print ads, cold calling and trade shows, all important to your business but ineffective on the web. Once you become part of the community, your new friends then market for you by forwarding the useful information you contribute (along with the trust) to their network of friends. This plain old "word of mouth" advertising (called social networking on the web) is of course the best advertising you can get, but it's not for sale. You have to earn it. This may require some changes to the website to become more information friendly. Some basic SEO work (http://www.websitegrader.com/, try this free tool to get started) to improve organic traffic, adding some code to facilitate forwarding and bookmarking, and making sure the site is mentioned in everything you print, publish or email. The last step is being where the market is, a trusted site or community on the web. This could be Google if you optimize your site for search. It could be a blog on Blogger.com or Wordpress.com (these are free but take dedication and time to establish yourself in the blogosphere) to direct your new friends to your website without extensively revamping the site, or it could be a community like askmando.com (if this is your market) which offers paid blogs and other web friendly opportunities to spread your message in an established community. You could choose to buy clicks on Google and stay with interruption style marketing on the web (although it may be difficult to tune in a highly targeted market). So, if you want to grow your business through the web, do something. Do it today and expect it to take time. There are no shortcuts, but the gains can be substantial.

Why askmando.com?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:52:35 MST

At AskMando our vision is to provide something that no one else has for this industry, a help source. We are striving to provide a single location for sources and clients alike. We want to be as user friendly as possible, with all relevant information for your benefit. We have a history of service from our parent company, The Trades Publishing Company. The AskMando crew hopes that we can help with all of your needs for the resort industry, from environmental impact studies to get started, to the service providers that the established properties need. We hope to give up to the date news that is relevant to our industry as well. I hope to provide useful information on my BLOGS that can be of benefit for you. I plan to start with Web Advertising 101, and why this is important for today's business. Please feel free to comment and email me with any questions or suggestions.

My new dog and cat

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:47:24 MST

Lathen Vampire

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:46:48 MST

Kenzie Vampire

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:45:55 MST

Animals at the Zoo

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:44:36 MST

TimeShareWare Logo

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:33:22 MST

TimeShareWare Logo

We won an ARDY award!

Mon, 05 May 2008 12:16:27 MST

Here is part of a press release on two awards we won at ARDA this year... SAN DIEGO, CA (May 3, 2008) - Architectural Concepts, Inc. (ACI) a San Diego company regarded as one of the nation’s top hospitality-oriented architectural and interior design firms, has been awarded two coveted awards by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Announced at the trade association’s national convention on April 9 in Las Vegas, Architectural Concepts, Inc. was named as the winner of the “ARDY” for Resort Architecture and Interior Design (Refurbishment). The firm was also the recipient of the prestigious ACE Community Service Award for its benefit for San Diego’s Habitat for Humanity. Selected from a field of international entrants ACI’s award winning efforts for Raintree Vacation Club’s Club Regina (Los Cabos and Cancun) evolved from a workshop utilizing “Concentric Design Processes” lead by Margit Whitlock, AIA, Principal of ACI. The design team created a proprietary Art Program which draws on original artwork by emerging artists from Mexico who paint, sculpt and create metal art. In addition to its acclaim for Raintree’s Vacation Club’s Club Regina, ACI also received ARDA’s top community service honors for its 15th Anniversary “Lemon Drop3” party benefiting San Diego Habitat for Humanity held last May. Architectural Concepts celebrated its 15th Anniversary by hosting a benefit for San Diego Habitat for Humanity at the company’s headquarters in the Point Loma area of San Diego. The “Lemon Drop3 Party”, held on Friday, May 18, 2007 raised $18,000 in cash, with an additional $10,000 via “in-kind” contributions. ...thanks to everyone for the recognition.

What shade of Green are you?

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:02:14 MST

Condensed from an article by Kristine Steffan Sustainability is the catchphrase of the decade. Global warming is now a public concern and a fundamental question remains unanswered: what, exactly, are we trying to sustain? And do we want to sustain or improve? A decade ago, the term "eco-friendly accommodation" usually involved camping in the wilderness, organic vegetables and recycling trash. Now it's more compatible with luxury vacations as resorts adopt "green". It has finally caught the attention of the developers of vacation properties. Thanks to Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", we now know we leave behind a carbon footprint. Society is more educated when it comes to the environment and more vacationers want to know that limited resources are not being depleted for their travel leisure. Another motivation driving the greening of the resort industry is the effort to promote a property as socially ethical, differentiating it from a multitude of other resorts. Their premise is that they are doing something good for the environment, and you can too, by "owning a piece of the pie". And finally there is the feasibility and profitability of creating a green resort. Today there are numerous environmental programs, energy-efficient systems, cost-effective products, and government incentives to make sustainability easier than ever. Developers are finally looking at long term benefits versus up front expenses. What shade of green is your property? Green-Lite. Novices to green, they are going for brownie points. They are not hyper-focused on sustainability. They want quick, easy solutions: recycling, energy efficient appliances, and eco-friendly materials. Green-Classic. These properties are trying to sustain the best parts of our current way of life while reinventing the institutions that have led to our current social and environmental crisis. They provide us with ever-rising standards of living while simultaneously healing the planet. Green-Hybrid. This is the most radical approach, not confronting ecological issues on by one, but universally. This means leaving behind the current way of thinking and seeing ourselves as part of an infinitely complex, ever-changing system. It is a cultural approach rather than a goal. If you think you're not "green enough" it probably means you?re on the right track. Just pick a shade, any shade, and get to work. EMS (Environmental Management Systems) Making a profit and doing the right thing doesn't need to be at odds. Becoming environmentally friendly is the adoption of a new culture throughout the entire organization; including property owners, the local community, and everyone you do business with. This is called an environmental management system (EMS). The World Travel and Tourism Council's GREEN GLOBE international certification has developed an EMS standard specifically for the travel and tourism industry. Find it at www.Ec3global.com. An EMS is a comprehensive organizational approach, designed to achieve environmental care in all aspects of operations. An effective EMS can help assure property owners of the commitment to environmental management, making them partners in recycling, linen and towel reuse, etc. It sets specific, realistic performance objectives and allows owners to see that targets are being met. Most importantly, an EMS can improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. In fact, the savings alone should be sufficient for any property to commit to implementing an EMS. Components of an EMS, as defined by GREEN GLOBE, include the following: 1. An environmental policy that clearly communicates the organization's commitment to maintaining the social, cultural and physical environment. 2. An action plan to guide the property's actions and expenditure of resources. 3. Implementation of procedures that encompass all of the property's actions relative to the environment, including awareness and training, staff procedures, incentive programs, and community outreach. 4. Corrective action or monitoring to ensure that the EMS performs as expected. 5. Documented management review of performance against established objectives and targets. Many resorts currently compost organic solid waste or install low flow showerheads in guestrooms. These are called environmental programs. An EMS is just the next step, integrating these programs under a comprehensive organizational system. Start your EMS by assessing what improvements can be made, how much they cost, and the changes in consumption or waste generation. The assessment creates a baseline against which change can be measured. Next, set objectives such as reducing water consumption for the entire property by 10% or cutting energy costs by 30%. Each objective is supported by specific targets, such as introduce towel and linen reuse program by June 31st, or install low-flow showerheads in guest rooms by August 1st. The individuals or department responsible for achieving the targets are identified in an action plan. Remember that the greatest improvements are made through changes in staff procedures. Finally, measure and document results in terms of change from the baseline to determine whether the EMS is working. A good example of a comprehensive environmental program is Canadian-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts (Fairmont Green Partnership). They have literally written the book on sustainable best practices. Initiatives include recycling and organic waste diversion in the kitchens, retrofitting energy efficient lighting, creating rooftop herb gardens, purchasing green power, and redistributing gently used goods and food to those in need. They won the 2006 Global Tourism Business Award from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTCC) and are definitely Green-Hybrid. Condensed from an article by Kristine Steffan http://www.askmando.com/authors/steffen_kristine/what_shade_green (copy and paste in your browser to see full article)

A First; Video Coverage of ARDA 2008

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:59:22 MST

askMANDO.com has just completed the first ever video coverage of the 2008 ARDA Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas. Filmed and produced by our own Brian Welch, shooting during the day and editing and uploading to mandoTV at night. We shot over 30 interviews and features, which are now available to view by clicking on Mando TV at the top of this page. We were fortunate enough to get interviews from almost every senior officer in ARDA as well as the Chairman-Elect (Disney's Jim Lewis), and our old friends from the HOA Outreach, Resort Management and other Committees. Everyone was helpful and gracious as we plowed through something we had never done before and they truly made us look good and delivered some great content. The video will be helpful to Resort Managers and Operators everywhere. A hearty thanks to all our friends at ARDA, you were all great! ARDA was a great experience as usual if you were able to attend. If you weren't, catch it all on mandoTV; we have had almost a thousand views on the videos we shot there in the first week after the Conference. If you haven't seen them yet, we invite you to do so, and then let us know what you think. And don't forget to check in at mandoTV on a regular basis to see mandoNEWS, which is filmed at least once a week now. If you find something helpful, click on "send to a friend" and forward it. That helps us get the word out.

Randy Goodhope-Resort Management

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:40:57 MST

Randy Goodhope

Jerry Sikes-HOA Outreach

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:06:30 MST

Jerry Sikes

Trump Project

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:05:44 MST

Trump