IHG Owners Association leaders and members met to discuss present and future initiatives, share priorities and prepare for 2015 at the IHG European Conference in Athens, Greece.
IHG Owners Association chairman Bakulesh Patel and European chair Patrick De Peuter offered members advice for improving business in the new year:
Align communication and strategy – Commit to staying steady, focused and confident. Promote a culture of consistency and stay true to your beliefs.
Work as a team – Success depends on working as a team, taking turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. Work better, faster and more easily than those who try to go it alone.
Build a winning culture – Build a culture that leads to quality hotels, which leads to consistency, guest satisfaction and drives ROI. Recognize success and reward it.
Empower your managers – Agree on the stretch goals and ask managers to be accountable. Make them feel valued and build trust by focusing on strengths, offering immediate feedback.
Plan for the future – Learn from past experiences, experiment with new approaches, seek out best practices, adapt and move forward.
“With owner engagement, our association is able to work closely with the brands to improve hotels’ profits, strengthen the system, and exchange ideas and best practices,” said Patel, who stressed the importance of owners working with IHG, the Emerging Leaders Council, the hotels’ executive teams and staff.