An Historic Night In America

Sometimes by Sheenagh Pugh Sometimes things don't go, after all, from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel faces down frost

The gentleman insinuating that "masses are asses" would do well to remember that the masses have a good history of electing agents of change such as TR, FDR, and yes, even Reagan and Clinton.

Regardless of your view on their policies, these men represented a calculable shift from the political tenor of their respective eras.

They gave the people what they wanted; they "sold the dream".

This is what you must do now as hospitality executives.

We have always reviled; we have always feared newness. Today's reticence over Obama and Card Check legislation hearkens back to the resistance we experienced in giving blacks the vote in the first place; and in establishing the forty-hour work week, Unions and other labor improvements that gave rise to the Middle Class in the first place.

Ironically, this is the same Middle Class upon which hotel luminaries like Conrad Hilton and J.W. Marriott built their businesses.

These icons aren't iconic because they clung to the past, but because they adapted to distinct and highly accurate visions of the future.

What do people dislike about hotels? How can we differentiate ourselves from competitors? What can we do as an industry to adapt to the changing psychographics and demographics of our customers?

In questioning ourselves this way, we will learn far more than we would in questioning the American people (our customers) for their assumed fecklessness.

As advertising icon David Ogilvy said, "The customer is not an idiot."

More than half a century later, he's still right.

I'm with the later correspondants on this one! You are as successful as you allow yourself to imagine...and that includes the hotel industry. We have to re-imagine the hospitality field to encompass the entire world, with an empahsis on what is local in context while universal in appeal. I need tools to communicate and to be comfortable wherever I go, and yet I am curious about the local context, food, people too. The most successful hospitality ventures will encompass all of that and make it efficient and profitable. Good luck! (and remember that President-elect Obama did that with his campaign...take a lesson!).

Wow – that’s a lot of hate going out. The invective makes the writers’ fear apparent. Well I’ve got news for the hate-mongers: get over it or get left behind. It will not be Obama’s policies that bring you down, but your own inability to accept change and use it to your advantage. Get past your disappointment and fears. Tap your ingenuity to influence change and mold your responses to benefit yourselves, your shareholders and employees. If you are content to bitch and moan about how “the man” is holding you back then you will freeze in time and get exactly what you most fear. Chart your own course to success. The hotel industry will have to change but we will have the chance to shape that change and the policies that impact us. I predict significant increases in international travel to the U.S. in the coming years as the result of our new president. This will give us the opportunity to capitalize on the revenues these travelers provide.

The economy is charged by the people. If people travel for the holidays and buy nice TV's for Christmas the economy will start to improve little by little. Any change is going to help; the change of gas prices, the change of the war coming to an end, and most decidedly the change to a president who is a strong speaker who the people of this country and OTHER countries can respect. It's not going to happen overnight, but it is going to happen. I am optimistic for all of our buisnesses. It is an exciting time for America.

Sad to say. Many american hoteliers are still in their ivory tower and living in a long gone world. A decent modern democracy should take care of its people and learn to control their own greed rather than spread gloom and wars around the world. This appears to be the right leader to energize and lift spirits for all. Sure sounds better than a hockey mom from Alaska!

Jeff, I think that you captured the essence of what most people, and especially Americans of all colours, creed and social status elected to say to the entire world. WE WANT CHANGE and we want to be citizens of the world that no longer will allow scare mongers to rule our world. I must say that I am a little taken aback by the first comments that you have received because it appears that Obama's message does not seem to have resonated with them. I hope that more Americans will realise that we citizens of this world must come together for peace, unity and survival of mankind. America has spoken and Obama is just the first of a new kind of politician and a real man that don't need to hold a gun to be called a hero.

I am sad to read that Americans (presumably) don't care about the rest of the world when there is a extremely strong feeling outside the USA that they want to rule the world economically or culturally. I think that the election of Mr. Obama gives the USA and the world the opportunity to re-think itself and look further than the traditional "fish to fry" and "masses are asses", etc Good luck to Obama, the United States and the rest of the world during those challenging but encouraging hard times.

If Obama, Princess Pelosi and Harry Reid get their way, this country will rapidly start to look like the welfare states that predominate in Europe. Business and leisure travel will contract and the lodging industry as we know it will become a thing of the past. Combine all of that with the current credit crisis and nationalization of our finance system and you can only imagine what will evolve over the next four or more years. I am not at all optimistic at this point, and I do not care what the rest of the world thinks. We have bigger fish to fry right here in America.

Jeff, do we care what the Europeans think of our President or do we need the BEST possible person in the White house to take care of OUR country? We had mass hysteria elect a person into office because it was "historic", rather than an American Hero. This is truly staggering to us as a "United States" and Small Business Owners. I am actually overwhelmed by the ramifications that this historic day may bring.

With HOTELS' global circulation, we get the opportunity to speak with hoteliers worldwide, and I think most Europeans are very happy Obama won. You did see the reception he received in Berlin a few months ago? I think that was very representative of how Europe feels right now. At a recent hotel investment conference in Hong Kong, a mock election done on stage showed that an overwhelming majority of attendees preferred Obama. I should have been more clear that I am thinking a bit beyond the hotel business on this one.

Jeff- a fundamental precept of political science is that "the masses are asses" and we may just have seen that play out here. The masses spoke and the rest of us in business will pay dearly for their asininity for the next four years.

Jeff-Stop already with the Obama Kool-Aid. Whether it is a "black" Democrat, or any other tax and tax again Democrat, this election forbodes disaster for our industry. Furthermore, how do you presume to speak for "the world at large" in assuming it was pleased with a portion of America's choice? Let us hope we can ride out the next 4 years without many of us having to close our doors.

Jeff - I assume that you meant to use the word "populace" - the noun for masses, rather than "populous" - the adjective for heavily poplulated On to the substance of your take regarding the Presidential choice. The inappropriately named "Employee Free Choice Act", which Obama supports enthusiastically, has the potential to be the single most negative piece of legislation for hotel profitability and efficiency of our generation... I think your emotional big picture reaction to Mr. Obama's victory misses a very real downside to the hotel business that could result from his policies.