In Hospitality

The Texas Baptist Men’s Furniture Building Ministry has been at Glorieta since August stirring up large amounts of sawdust as they custom built many needed pieces of furniture for Glorieta. From bunks and dressers to a custom designed oak and Brazilian walnut board table for the new executive board room, each piece is made with love and the utmost attention to detail. One volunteer, Melvin, is 88 years old and has been volunteering since 1986. He is the designated cross maker for this ministry and painstakingly makes hundreds of wooden cross plaques by hand. Some of these plaques are featured on furniture pieces like bunk beds and others are given away as gifts to those who minister on campus. Seeing a cross plaque or the Texas Baptist Men’s stamp on a piece of furniture on campus is an assurance of the quality and love put into that piece. As the Furniture Builders pull out of campus this week, they leave us with many beautiful and needed pieces of furniture and a deep sense of gratitude for all they gave.

The Oklahoma Campers on Mission have been on campus helping us with our renovations in Rooms K, L, M and N. These gentlemen have been working hard on the demolition and reframing of these rooms and having a grand time doing it. And while one of their favorite jokes is about how they never get any work done in the midst of all their fun, their progress is evidenced by dramatic, daily changes in the construction zones. Their skill, work ethic and sense of humor are all impressive. Their efforts are invaluable to us as we seek to upgrade these rooms.

This post was written by Glorieta Intern Mindy Cook.

Today, as I was looking through the books in my office bookcase, I came across a blast from the past. The book is titled Without Reservations - An Uncensored, Unabashed Look At How People Behave In Hotels and is a compilation of guest stories from Holiday Inn hotels during the early 90's.

As I looked at the book, I remembered first reading it when I was the general manager of the Holiday Inn Townlake in downtown Austin, TX. The book was loaned to me by Oscar Sanchez, my front desk manager at the time. After reading I must have set the book aside and forgot to give it back when Oscar left to go to another hotel. So, Oscar, if you read this... I'm sorry man!

From experience, I can tell you that guests really do some strange things when staying in your hotel. I wish I would have been smart enough to right down all the crazy stuff I've seen over my hospitality career. While I don't remember all of them, here are just a few that I'll never forget.

• While helping to open the Crowne Plaza Galleria in Houston I remember I man coming down to the front desk and complaining about the toilet in his room. Not an unusual complaint for most hotels. However this one had a twist. See, we had really rushed the last couple of days of construction in order to get the hotel open in time for the Houston Homebuilder's Show and when you rush construction, some things tend to get missed.  When the desk clerk told him she'd send maintenance right up to fix the toilet he told her the problem was not a 'broken' toilet. No, the problem was he didn't have a toilet at all, only a hole in the floor of the bathroom! Big oops!
• One night, when serving as the Manager on Duty, I got a call on the radio that someone was shooting off a fire extinguisher on the 4th floor. Grabbing two security guards to go with me, we headed up the elevator. When we got off the elevator, we didn't see anyone and it was very quiet. Thinking we must have missed them, we started to head back down to the lobby. However, before we could, we noticed CO2 powder running down the corridor carpet so we followed the trail. The trail led us directly to a room on that floor so we knocked on the door. Imagine our surprise when a young man opens the door with a fire extinguisher in his hand. Talk about finding a smoking gun! Needless to say, he and his buddies had been partying in their room just a little too much. They ended up spending the rest of the night in jail...
• One Saturday afternoon, while working as the F&B Director at Holiday Inn East in Montgomery, AL, I got a call from the front desk saying someone had reported a 'bum' loitering in our Holidome. She asked if I would check it out and if true, politely ask him to leave. I said sure, but before I could walk out of the restaurant, one of my waitresses came running into the restaurant all excited. I asked her what was going on and she breathlessly explained that she had just see Hank Williams, Jr in the Holidome. Turned out he was the 'bum' that had been reported to the front desk. Evidently his tour bus had stopped next door to the hotel and he was just walking around to stretch his legs. Needless to say, I didn't ask him to leave. Even though he did look a bit like a bum...

What about you? Care to share an unusual hotel experience with us?

Recently I was talking with some meeting planners about how confusing "hotel lingo" can be. I agree, the terms we all use in our work may not be recognizable in others.

Here are a few definitions you should know.

Request For Proposal (RFP):  An RFP is not a contract.  RFPs are considered an invitation for an offer to be made and potentially a contract issued.

Banquet Event Order (BEO): BEOs are the internal document generated to communicate to the hotel staff what the requirements of your meeting are.  BEOs will list your meeting set up, food and beverage, audiovisual and any other specifics about your meeting.

Cutoff Date:  The cutoff date is the date the hotel releases your room block back to the general inventory.

Indemnification:  To indemnify means to guarantee against any loss or damage that another might suffer.  These clauses in contracts are used to protect both parties against the negligent acts.

Force Majeure:  Irresistible Force - the purpose of a force majeure clause is to protect both parties in the event that a part of the contract cannot be performed due to unavoidable causes which are outside of either parties control.

Attrition:  Hotels set a value to your contract.  An amout of money they expect your business to generate.  "Attrition" occurs when a meeting is held but fails to reach expectations, either in number of rooms or the food and beverage revenue to the hotel.

When was the last time you dusted off those old files and gave them another look.  Many of the people you have prospected in the past for business need another call.  In this down economy, many of those old prospects that couldn't use you due to size, budgets, location, etc. just might need you now.

As many companies have reduced their labor forces, meetings that were once to big now are the perfect size.  Just as many companies that used to only take their meeting to resort locations have had their travel budgets cut and need to remain closer to home. So why not give them a call.

Remember that old 10% rule I still believe in - Make 30 calls, Get 3 bookings.  Once a prospect, always a prospect.

When working with volunteers, realize that part of your job is training — not telling people to do things, but training them to do the job. 

• Tell volunteers that they can come to you at any time for help and understanding. Let them know that you are available to them. Be willing to sit down individually and listen to their questions and problems.

• Be sure that volunteers have complete instructions. Don't let them start a job until they know exactly what their duties and limitations are. Where appropriate, develop checklists and job descriptions for key roles.

• Prepare a timeline with details on when every piece of the task should be completed. Then, follow through by monitoring progress.

• Let them know that they have accepted a responsibility, and that it is critical for them to complete that responsibility.

• Be intentional about making the work fun — laugh together and enjoy each other.

• Let them know that God has given them the talents to do this job.

• Set the parameters within which the volunteers must work.

• Maintain the nurturing, caring character of a good parent. If you don't, it's going to be very hard for volunteers to feel that they are a viable, and valuable, part of the team.

• Begin each day with a time for prayer.

 Volunteers are so important to many organizations and it all starts with the basics of good communication and teamwork.

Tomorrow, my daughter and I will board the first of three flights that will eventually take us to Nairobi, Kenya (via Detroit and Amsterdam). Given that I've never been outside North America, I'm both excited and just a little bit nervous.

The primary purpose of our trip is for me to spend time working with the management team at Brackenhurst Conference Centre. Brackenhurst is a Christian conference center located about 30 miles outside Nairobi. I will be learning about their operation while also sharing with them how we operate Ridgecrest and Glorieta.

After spending a week or so at Brackenhurst, we will have the opportunity to go with some of the conference center staff on a weekend mission trip. We'll be working with a local Baptist church in the Homa (no relation to my dad!) Bay District near Lake Victoria. After returning from the mission trip, we will turn right around and head out on a 3 day safari to the largest Kenyan game reserve, located in the Great Rift Valley. Very cool! Actually I'm told that part of the trip will be pretty hot, but you know what I mean...

With only a day left before we leave, I've been checking and double checking all the details. Typically, when we're heading out on vacation, I will usually take a small folder with the confirmations for our plane tickets, rental car and hotel reservations. Heading to Africa has expanded that folder just a tad bit. In addition to those confirmations, I've added passports, a daily agenda, US State Dept info, shot records, travel insurance, anti-malaria meds and a checklist that would make an air force pilot proud. However, I'm sure I'll still be up half the night tonight trying to think of anything I might have missed!

My prayer has been, and continues to be, that God would keep us safe and use this trip to change our lives and those of everyone we come in contact with. I will do my best to keep you updated throughout our trip. Please feel free to check back here, or on my personal blog.

Brackenhurst, ready or not, here we come!!

Over the course of my lengthy hospitality career, I have attended and/or exhibited at more conferences than I can remember. Whether they were big or small, long or short, intense or relaxed, they all pretty much had one thing in common. A group of people, with common interests, coming together in one place to learn and to network.

Thinking back over all of the conferences I've attended got me thinking. Why were some better than others? Why did some seem to fly by, while others felt like I was on that proverbial slow boat to China? Certainly the quality of the speakers and program had something to do with it, but it's really more than that. I've learned the hard way that getting the most out of a conference is really more up to me than anything else. The more I put into the conference or trade show, the more I get out of it.

With that in mind, here are four things you can do to help you get the most out of the next conference you attend.

• Have an objective. Why are you attending the event? Is it to learn new methods? To get new business leads? To make a certain number of new contacts? To relax and work on your golf game? Whatever it may be, make sure your objective is clear in your head before you go. This will help you to focus on the real reason you're there. Otherwise it can be way too easy to get distracted by the busyness of the conference. Before you know it, it's over and you feel like you've just wasted a few days of your life.
• Intentionally and consistently talk to strangers. For some people this is very easy, for others it's pure torture, but it's critical if you want to get the most out of the conference. I find I usually learn as much, or more, from the individuals I meet as from the general sessions and breakouts.
• Arrive early, stay late and be outgoing at any and all networking opportunities. This one is especially important if you are an exhibitor at the conference. This is your opportunity to meet potential clients away from the "sales" atmosphere of a traditional trade show booth. People are usually more open and willing to talk when in a casual, social environment. When meeting new people, try to make it more than exchanging a business card. Take the time to qualify the potential value you each could bring to the other's network.
• Stay in touch. After returning from the conference, be sure to stay in contact with the people you met and want to add to your network. To develop a good network you must invest time in building the relationship. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, email or phone, take the time to get to know each other. Remember, the great thing about building a solid network is that you not only benefit from the knowledge and experience of that person, but also of those they are connected to.

What about you? What do you do to get the most from attending a conference or convention? 

Recently I came across a chart in USA Today that showed the results of a poll that asked adults what bugs they feared the most. Specifically they asked if you would have a great deal of fear if the following bugs (ants, cockroaches, termites, bees/wasps, spiders, bedbugs)showed up in your house.

This got me thinking about my bug phobias. As a homeowner I think termites scare me the most. The rest of the bugs I can deal with and they can't destroy my house. On the other hand, termites are scary because most times you don't even know you have them until it's too late. Fortunately I've never actually had them in any of our houses...yet!

While termites are the ones I fear as a homeowner, as a longtime pro in the hotel business I must say bedbugs are pretty scary. Again, you can't see 'em and you don't know you have 'em until someone complains. By then it's too late and you have to do a lot of pretty radical stuff to get rid of 'em. It's happened to my hotels a couple of times and I can tell you it was not fun. For the guests, or for us!

Here's the list from the USA Today poll:

• Termites - 33%
• Bedbugs - 28%
• Bees/wasps - 27%
• Cockroaches - 27%
• Spiders - 21%
• Ants - 18%

What about you? What bugs in your house scare you?

Growing up, I never had the opportunity to attend a summer camp. At the time it was no big deal because I didn't know what I was missing. However, the longer I've been involved with our summer camps, the more I wish I could have enjoyed the camp experience as a child.

The following is a recently published article detailing a mom's wish to provide that summer camp experience for her kids. I hope you'll enjoy it.

When Heather Murry tried to enroll her children in camp at Ridgecrest, there were no spots open. Camp staff suggested she try their newer sister camp in Glorieta, N.M. The mother of five from Belmont Baptist Church in Conyers, Ga., said that was divine providence.

"Glorieta boys and girls camps are the jewel of the Southwest – it’s an undiscovered treasure," Heather said. "We wouldn’t trade any camp in the world for this one. It has everything from good, old-fashioned archery and canoeing to worship and quiet times all in one of the most beautiful settings you’ll ever experience."

To read the entire story, please click here.

What about you? Did you have a camp experience growing up? What about your kids? A week or two each summer, at a Christian camp, could have a huge impact on their spiritual growth. If you don't believe me, find someone who's had a "good, old fashioned camp experience" and I'm sure they will tell you the same thing!