Realistically, if your marketing department cannot fill the rooms the remainder of the hotel function is superfluous. Applying this theory, marketing had better fulfill its appointed task and scour agencies, tour operators, local businesses and organizations, for volume traffic; and the operations management, i.e., the general manager, assistants, and service staff should care about maintaining the guests? experience. That has worked for years and numerous extraordinary hotels, with enviable reputations, operate with success employing these identical programs.

I realize the prestige chains of today - Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Relais & Chateau, Mandarin Oriental, et al - have corporate policies for marketing; and in my opinion those policies may handcuff a creative marketing department. Today's marketing must be pro-active, using the web ? SEO, PPC, BLOGS, and social networking - and oriented toward more than just groups and organizations. Realistically, the decision for a group or company to host a function at your hotel is very seldom a group one; more often it is the president/organization head, or even his/her spouse, that will most influence a location and further which hotel to book in that location. Many hotel marketer's are blessed by their properties location ? La Samanna in St Martin, The Ritz Carlton in Naples, and the Ritz Paris all have reputations as 5-Star Hotels ? and their locations have not hurt that perception at all. Conversely, downtown Detroit, Michigan would be a tough sell to almost any group. However, if you are located in a major city the competition to keep your occupancy rate high can be daunting. Even with the many activities, restaurants, and museums located in most major U.S. and European cities, those advantages need emphasized by your own inventive marketing techniques.

Most of the premium properties do not rely on rewards programs such as Marriott and Starwood now tout. These hotels are more oriented to the frequent mid-level business traveler and these programs structured to be an incentive for people's booking on business trips, thereby gaining free advantages when they travel on pleasure, or with the family. However, the premium properties do maintain extensive computer databases on their frequent guests. Unless the arriving guest is a Tom Cruise type celebrity, these acknowledgments fall upon front desk personnel to fulfill. While this is successful in many cases, I believe your marketing should be involved in this aspect of operation. If a hotel executive greets a frequent guest, besides recognition by front desk personnel, you multiply the beneficial effect giving your marketing people an opportunity to meet directly with the guests. That meeting, along with others that may occur during the guests stay, present marketing with an opportunity to seed future visits; or perhaps book a business meeting with multiple room bookings.

My best experience with a 4/5 star hotel occurred in Munchen(Munich), Germany. At the time, this was Hotel Rafael, small and family owned, and operated. I was in Munchen for the first time on business for my client BMW AG. When I arrived by cab from the airport it was only 9:00 am. Since check in was not to later in the afternoon I expected to just drop my luggage and cab-over to the corporate headquarters even though my appointment was not until 2:00 pm. Of course, the previous guest occupied my appointed room; but I was promptly offered a basic room to shower while waiting for my room. When I did come back to the lobby, every employee already knew my name and gave a sincere friendly welcome. I still had some time before my appointment so I inquired into car rental; the concierge suggested I move to the restaurant for their breakfast buffet and he would arrange everything. When done my car was waiting outside, I signed the papers, received map and directions and was off to my appointment. When I returned, my room was ready, my luggage moved, and suits hung in the armoire. That night the bartender greeted me like a long lost comrade; and I realized that he spoke 4 different languages while tending bar.

I traveled to Germany 6-8 times each year for about 4 years ? each time the staff remembered me, down to the bartender remembering my drink and what brand I would drink. There was no way any other hotel in Munchen would ever get my business; I even had six of my staff members stay there when I needed to bring the whole contingent for a strategy seminar. Now the hotel operates as a Mandarin Oriental; and its standards are almost as good. Both the bartender and the concierge have retired and been replaced by your standard friendly employee ? but it is not the same. I am not blaming the employees but I do blame the marketing staff. It is their responsibility to empower the employees to move beyond the standard ? which may be to exceed the guest's expectation ? but will often fall short.

Unfortunately, now it is just a job to most. I still stay there when it is convenient but my inbred loyalty falters at times.

Staff should be friendly, without being familiar, and helpful to an extreme. It's staff that brings guests back to a hotel and it is staff that will get you referrals. Unless you depend on discounting to fill the rooms, you had better take the time to educate, or maybe I should say indoctrinate, each staff member on their part in marketing your hotel. In addition, you better get your marketing staff out of their offices and have them interacting with your guests to better understand, and ultimately fulfill all guests needs and wishes. The day of the basket of fruit, with a thank you note, in the room is long gone for the true Five-Star property.