10.31.17

Modern Luxury CS – November 2017

A Grand Time

By Sarah Ryan

New luxury villas at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa provide a crazy oasis that is perfect for a fall long-weekend escape from city life.

When fall sets in, long-weekend jaunts outside the city to experience the colors of the season are a must, and the charming Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis. – situated merely 110 minutes from the city – offers more than its share of festive activities as the weather cools (everything from horseback riding to scenic hiking to that last round of golf before temperatures dip). While the historic property has long been a mainstay for fans of the region, a multi-million-dollar renovation, providing 29 lavishly appointed villas, has added to the resort’s appeal.

The new villas – which range from suite-like studios to expansive three-bedroom properties – have a luxurious home-away-from-home setup and cozy ambiance. Private outdoor patios, gas fireplaces, large kitchens with stone countertops and full-size stainless steel appliances (the resort’s grocery delivery service will certainly come in handy), and outdoor strange for clubs and skis make the spacious accommodations as practical as they are luxurious.

Separate from the main resort, the villas offer welcome privacy, through resort restaurants and the Geneva Club (an exclusive amenities lounge) are a short drive away. Revel in the seclusion and opt to indulge in services from the resort’s celebrated WELL Spa + Salon in your villa. Exclusive to villa clients, the North Shore package ($260) is a 75-minute service including dry brush exfoliation and a massage or facial, and the Day on the Lake package ($210) includes a blowout and makeup application, perfect for if you feel like venturing out. But with these villas, you are likely to sign up for a relaxing nights in. Studio villas form $339, one bedroom-villas from $429, two-bedroom villas from $509, three-bedroom villas from $639, 7036 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva, Wis., grandgeneva.com

10.24.17

Brian Frakes Honored with Salute to Excellence Award

Brian Frakes, Executive Chef at the Pfister Hotel/Marcus Hotels and Resorts in Milwaukee, will receive the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s (WRA EF) Salute to Excellence Mentor Award at the industry’s Celebration of Excellence dinner taking place on October 22nd at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. He is honored for his dedication to excellence in foodservice and his passion for educating and training the future leaders of the industry.

“Brian Frakes spends countless hours sharing his expertise to help students learn and grow their culinary skills and hospitality knowledge,” said Connie Fedor, Executive Director of the WRA EF. “His involvement as a ProStart^® mentor at Greendale High School has made a positive and meaningful impact on students.”

Frakes is currently a member of the WRA EF board of directors and was honored with the WRA EF Salute to Excellence Chef award in 2014.

He has earned many other awards including Fort Lauderdale/Sun Sentinel’s Top 10 Best New Chef in 2000, a Milwaukee Business Journal Forty Under 40 in 2007 and the American Liver Foundation Silver Cleaver in 2015.

Frakes also volunteers for several charitable causes including the American Liver Foundation – Great Lakes Division, Wisconsin March of Dimes, the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, Hope House, Hunger Task Force, the Catholic Archdiocese and others.

He is a volunteer advisor for Milwaukee Area Technical College, Culinary Institute of America, Le Cordon Bleu, Johnson and Wales University and Kendall College.

Passionate about sustainability and the use of local Wisconsin products, he is a recognized public spokesperson on these topics. 

The WRA EF recognizes six individuals and one company for dedication and commitment to education in the restaurant industry as Salute to Excellence honorees. Other 2017 Salute to Excellence honorees include: RC Schroeder, Jr. (Fox Valley Technical College), Glee Brechler (James Madison Memorial High School), Trey Hester (Rocky Rococo Restaurants), Chris Roderique (Piggy’s Restaurant), Tom Surwillo (Milwaukee Area Technical College) and Gordon Food Service.

Each honoree creates opportunities for people interested in foodservice industry careers. While they have worked in a variety of roles and in different parts of the state, they all share enthusiasm and optimism for the future of the restaurant industry.

The Salute to Excellence awards will be presented at the 2017 Celebration of Excellence on Sunday, October 22 at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. More information on the event is available at www.wirestaurant.org.

The WRA Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been in existence since 1987 and is one of the nation’s largest state restaurant association foundations. The Foundation’s vision is to advance professionalism through education, scholarships and community involvement to ensure the future success of the foodservice industry.

The ProStart^® program, administered by National Restaurant Association Solutions, LLC and state restaurant associations, is a college-prep, two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the skills needed for careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry.

10.23.17

Inc.com: Try Before You Buy – How Retailers Are Using Hotels For Marketing

10.11.17

FSR Magazine: Chefs are Turning Hotels into Dining Destinations

10.09.17

Hotels Magazine – October 2017

The New Revenue Managers

By Juliana Shallcross

Data analytics may be the new future, but specialized skills – and hefty investment – are required.

Today’s revenue managers have an astounding amount of information at their fingertips to help determine room pricing and to maximize revenue, but combing through all this data in an efficient manner can be a full-time job.

A single data source can have up to 30 attributes. Indeed, that seems to be the common gripe from revenue managers about data — the sheer amount of it is so time-consuming to review that it can ultimately backfire.

“You can spend thousand of hours analyzing the data, but then you pass the time to make the right decision,” says Erick Viera, revenue director of the Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico. A typical day for Viera involves reviewing reports about pricing, forecasting and demand, then making decisions based on those reports, studying the results and finally, communicating those outcomes with his executive team.

More automation?

The need for data analysts is a looming concern for the hospitality industry, especially as pricing becomes increasingly set using analytical models. According to a survey of revenue managers by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, analytical models are expected to be the top-rated approach to determining pricing, followed by segment-based pricing and then CRM.

Additionally, the survey found that 37% of revenue managers believe that the field will become more automated with analytics. To that end, the report found that future revenue managers will need analytical skills more than they will a background in reservations or rooms.

In recent years, hotel giants such as AccorHotels and Marriott International have carved out specific positions for data scientists and analysts to evaluate all the information being collected from their hotels (and from their competitors), as well as to create and implement pricing models based on all that data. Last summer, Bethesda, Maryland-based Host Hotels & Resorts, which owns 96 properties with 54,000 rooms, created its own enterprise analytics division, of which revenue management is a part.

Yet smaller companies and independent hotels without such deep pockets often are stuck relying on software solutions to capture and analyze data, typically from their property management systems or their distribution channels. But even those may not do the job.

Tim Kayser, area director of revenue management at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Wisconsin, says his resort has too many different areas of revenue for one solution to manage.

“You need software, but it’s difficult to find one that does it all for you,” he says.

Finding value

Matt Busch, a partner at Revenue Analytics, which creates revenue management strategies for companies using cloud-based predictive models, says that only large franchisors with 50 properties or more, along with the big hotel chains, can really get the value of an in-house data analyst.

“At the hotel level, it’s really hard to justify that type of expense of a data scientist and to attract that talent,” says Busch, who previously worked as director of global pricing strategy for InterContinental Hotels Group.

As a result, Kayser works with different department heads at the resort to determine strategies for pricing and revenue. The property also is moving toward centralizing revenue management for the various departments, from food and beverage to spa and golf.

“It lets them take care of the customer and do the job they do best,” he says. “And it lets us, people who are more analytical, do the marketing, analysis and strategy.”

Centralizing revenue for the hotel is another shift that’s expected for the future of hospitality — which ultimately means more data for revenue managers to sift through.

What’s necessary?

Whether a hotel hires a data analyst to reel in the different nets of information or whether it keeps data gathering on the list of job responsibilities for a revenue manager, one way to ease the burden is to determine which data is absolutely necessary.

“One guest with one stay can leave over 100 different data points. It can become a sea of unmanageable data,” Busch says. “If you can’t manage it, you can’t model it perfectly.”

Still, the future of revenue management may not be completely run by algorithms or machines. Kayser says the data analyst, whether it is a human or a software, gives the information to develop a strategy, but the revenue manager is the one who actually executes it. Viera, of Fairmont Mayakoba, echoes that sentiment.

“I would like a system that gives me the optimal price based on internal and external data but with my daily interaction,” he says. “This is important. Because at the end of the day, it’s just a system.”

10.09.17

Hotels Magazine – October 2017

The New Revenue Managers

By Juliana Shallcross

Data analytics may be the new future, but specialized skills – and hefty investment – are required.

Today’s revenue managers have an astounding amount of information at their fingertips to help determine room pricing and to maximize revenue, but combing through all this data in an efficient manner can be a full-time job.

A single data source can have up to 30 attributes. Indeed, that seems to be the common gripe from revenue managers about data — the sheer amount of it is so time-consuming to review that it can ultimately backfire.

“You can spend thousand of hours analyzing the data, but then you pass the time to make the right decision,” says Erick Viera, revenue director of the Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico. A typical day for Viera involves reviewing reports about pricing, forecasting and demand, then making decisions based on those reports, studying the results and finally, communicating those outcomes with his executive team.

More automation?

The need for data analysts is a looming concern for the hospitality industry, especially as pricing becomes increasingly set using analytical models. According to a survey of revenue managers by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, analytical models are expected to be the top-rated approach to determining pricing, followed by segment-based pricing and then CRM.

Additionally, the survey found that 37% of revenue managers believe that the field will become more automated with analytics. To that end, the report found that future revenue managers will need analytical skills more than they will a background in reservations or rooms.

In recent years, hotel giants such as AccorHotels and Marriott International have carved out specific positions for data scientists and analysts to evaluate all the information being collected from their hotels (and from their competitors), as well as to create and implement pricing models based on all that data. Last summer, Bethesda, Maryland-based Host Hotels & Resorts, which owns 96 properties with 54,000 rooms, created its own enterprise analytics division, of which revenue management is a part.

Yet smaller companies and independent hotels without such deep pockets often are stuck relying on software solutions to capture and analyze data, typically from their property management systems or their distribution channels. But even those may not do the job.

Tim Kayser, area director of revenue management at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Wisconsin, says his resort has too many different areas of revenue for one solution to manage.

“You need software, but it’s difficult to find one that does it all for you,” he says.

Finding value

Matt Busch, a partner at Revenue Analytics, which creates revenue management strategies for companies using cloud-based predictive models, says that only large franchisors with 50 properties or more, along with the big hotel chains, can really get the value of an in-house data analyst.

“At the hotel level, it’s really hard to justify that type of expense of a data scientist and to attract that talent,” says Busch, who previously worked as director of global pricing strategy for InterContinental Hotels Group.

As a result, Kayser works with different department heads at the resort to determine strategies for pricing and revenue. The property also is moving toward centralizing revenue management for the various departments, from food and beverage to spa and golf.

“It lets them take care of the customer and do the job they do best,” he says. “And it lets us, people who are more analytical, do the marketing, analysis and strategy.”

Centralizing revenue for the hotel is another shift that’s expected for the future of hospitality — which ultimately means more data for revenue managers to sift through.

What’s necessary?

Whether a hotel hires a data analyst to reel in the different nets of information or whether it keeps data gathering on the list of job responsibilities for a revenue manager, one way to ease the burden is to determine which data is absolutely necessary.

“One guest with one stay can leave over 100 different data points. It can become a sea of unmanageable data,” Busch says. “If you can’t manage it, you can’t model it perfectly.”

Still, the future of revenue management may not be completely run by algorithms or machines. Kayser says the data analyst, whether it is a human or a software, gives the information to develop a strategy, but the revenue manager is the one who actually executes it. Viera, of Fairmont Mayakoba, echoes that sentiment.

“I would like a system that gives me the optimal price based on internal and external data but with my daily interaction,” he says. “This is important. Because at the end of the day, it’s just a system.”

09.20.17

Chicago Tribune: Milwaukee’s ‘Gallery Night and Day’ shows off city’s vibrant art scene

The Chicago Tribune highlighted the Pfister Hotel as the hotel with the largest collection of Victorian art in the world. The article also featured the hotel’s artist-in-residence program with a special video on current artist-in-residence, Margaret Muza. Watch the video and read the article here.

09.14.17

Midwest Living

Fun-ctional Meetings

Bliesure’ travel has become more and more popular over the years. Part of this travel style now often includes bringing family members, significant others, or friends along. Those looking to intermix family fun with business travel enjoy the waterpark concept as a favorite family outing year-round.

“Families” delight in the wide range of activities offered at Timber Ridge,” expressed Mark Fenton, General Manager of Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark. Located in Lake Geneva, WI, this Midwest waterpark resort is impressing bliesure travelers. Its 50,000-sq-ft. indoor/outdoor waterpark, Moose Mountain Falls, is home to multiple pools, slides, a lazy river, several hot tubs, and a new, musically inspired waterslide, Avalanche Falls.

Fenton provided details on this new attractions, “Only the second slide of its kind in the country, kids can get their groove on by jamming out to favorite tunes while swooshing down Avalanche Falls. Fun song themes include kids’ movie songs, pop paradise, country waves, and favorite tunes from Timber Ridges’s mascot, Bruce the Moose. In addition to singing to their favorite songs, kids will love the colored lights on their way down for a fun, concert-like experience. Each theme will rotate three to four songs, which means that every ride down the slide can bring a new experience.”

At Thumper Pond, located in Ottertrail, MN, guests enjoy a 12,000-sq.-ft. center featuring two, three-story waterslides, an activity pool with basketball hoops and volleyball net, and an 18-person whirlpool. The center also offers a zero-entry, activity pool with water features for younger children.

Toddler swim areas have increased throughout waterparks. At Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Falls Indoor Waterpark, in Utica, IL, every age is accommodated. From the Kid’s Ranger Station to the wave pool and lazy river to the tube slide, generations can enjoy respite while traveling with a guest on business.

Be assured, safety and cleanliness are high ranking priorities at all waterpark facilities. As a green-certified hotel, Timber Ridge uses ultraviolet light to help reduce the amount of chemicals used in the water. In addition, the use of large fans help circulate air to eliminate the need for air conditioning and LED lighting is used throughout the waterpark for vast efficiency.

If attendees need to remain dry for a time, many other activities can be found at waterpark resorts. Timber Ridge offers horseback riding, 12 indoor rock walls and access to the Adventure Center, which provides the tools for family mountain biking, disc golf courses, hiking trails, sand volleyball courts, archery, and picnic and recreation areas. And if that isn’t enough, the resort also houses a 3,600-sq.-ft. arcade. Thumper Pond guests can engage in many seasonal activities, including golf, fishing, ice fishing, and cross-country skiing. Those in Illinois, will enjoy Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort’s many family extras, such as Annie’s Little Pots, a ceramic painting studio, family craft times, Grizzly Jack’s & Grand Bear’s Story Time, Canyon Creek Mini Golf, and family movie time.

No matter the season, family getaways help foster work/life balance. Give your attendees the opportunity to gain knowledge and create family memories by utilizing a great Midwest waterpark resort for your next meeting or event.

09.11.17

American Spa: Nine Can’t Miss Bridal Beauty Tips

American Spa featured the Pfister Hotel’s WELL Spa + Salon in an article on bridal beauty tips. Read how every bride should prepare their skin before their big day here.

09.10.17

Hotel Management: Hotel’s art enhances entire brand image

Hotel Management featured the Pfister Hotel’s art program in a recent article on hotel art. The article highlighted the Pfister Hotel’s large collection of Victorian art, which is the largest hotel collection of Victorian artwork in the world, and also showcased its artist-in-residence program. Read more here.