Global krize karşı Rixos reçetesi

Kriz nedeniyle personel kıyımı yapılmamasını isteyen İşadamı Fettah Tamince, kimine göre kabus olan krizin ülke için büyük şans olabileceğini savundu.
Turizm sektörünün mevcut pastayı paylaşım kavgası verdiği süreçte yeni pazarlara yönelerek atağa geçen ve herkesin `Türkiye`de böyle bir yatırım parayı batırmak demektir` diye olumsuz tablolar çizdiği dönemde çok yıldızlı Rixos otelleri ile gücüne güç katan işadamı Fettah Tamince, kimi işadamlarının endişe ile takip ettiği sürecin de eğer gerekli imkanlar sağlanırsa Türkiye için büyük bir fırsata dönüşeceğine dikkat çekiyor.
`Birileri kaybediyorsa birileri kazanıyordur` felsefesi ile hareket ettiğini belirten Tamince, `Ülkenin Türkiye Cumhuriyeti tarihindeki en derin krizin yaşandığı 2001 faciasından dolayı bu krize hazırlıklı yakalandığını belirterek, servetlerin el değiştirdiği bu süreçte ülkemiz işadamlarının elindeki birikim belki dün çok şey ifade etmiyordu ama şu an çok büyük kıymet arzediyor. Eğer bu nakit birikimi iyi kullanılırsa Türk işadamları` krizden büyüme sağlayarak çıkabilir` diye konuştu.
50 YILDA BİR ELE GEÇEBİLECEK ÖNEMLİ BİR FIRSAT
Türkiye`de de 2001 tecrübesi nedeniyle hatırı sayılır bir birikim var. Bu birikim iyi kullanılırsa Türkiye bu krizden kazançlı çıkabilir. Dünya tarihinin en büyük krizinin yaşandığı bu günler Türkiye için `50 yılda bir ele geçirilecek önemli bir fırsat dönemi
Fettah Tamince`ye göre ekonomik krizin yarattığı tahrifatın boyutları tam olarak algılanmış değil. Dünyayı sarsan ekonomik krizin ne kadar tahribat yapacağını, hangi ülkelerde etkisini daha fazla göstereceğini bugün tam olarak göremesek de ilerleyen günlerde tablo net hatlarıyla ortaya çıkacak ``Tsunami denilen ekonomik kriz halen devam ediyor. Krizin derinliğiyle ilgili çok net bilgimiz olmadığı görülüyor ama görünen şu ki kriz Türkiye`yi de şu şa da bu şekilde etkilecek. Bu kriz 3-4 yıl sürebilir. Krizden kimileri az, kimileri çok etkilenecek. Türkiye şimdilik bu krizden nasibini almadı. Türkiye belki de bu krizden en az etkilenen ülke olacak. Ama buna güvenip tedbir almamak da yıkım getirebilir. Ama bu süreçte servetlerin el değiştirecek. Türkiye`de de 2001 tecrübesi nedeniyle hatırı sayılır bir birikim var. Bu birikim iyi kullanılırsa Türkiye bu krizden kazançlı çıkabilir. Dünya tarihinin en büyük krizinin yaşandığı bu günler Türkiye için `50 yılda bir ele geçirilecek önemli bir fırsat dönemi` dedi.
`BİZ BELİRLEYEN ÜLKE OLALIM`
Eskilerin `En büyük müdafaa sürekli taarruzdur.` dediğini hatırlatan Rixos Hotels Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Fettah Tamince, `Ben diyorum ki krizde savunma pozisiyona geçmek yerine taaruz yapalım ve kazançlı çıkalım. Daha önceki krizdeki tecrübelerimle söylüyorum bunu. Devlet, millet elele, fırsatları değerlendirelim. Türkiye 2001 krizindeki tecrübesini müdafaada değil taarruzda kullanmalıyız. `Güç kaybeden rakiplere karşı bir atağa kalkabilir miyiz? bu soruya cevap arayalım. Tam da bunun konuşulması ve tartışılması gereken bir zaman dilimindeyiz. Rollerin yeniden yazıldığı bu dönemde rolü belirlenen değil, rol yazan olalım` şeklinde konuştu. .
KRİZ İÇİN TASARRUF TAKTİKLERİ
Kriz sürecinde kesinlikle personel çıkartmayı düşünmüyoruz. Personelden tasarruf sosyal yıkımlara yol açar...
Kriz dönemlerinde tasarruf tedbirleri alınmasının şart olduğunu ama tedbirlerin önceliğinin iyi belirlenmesi gerektiğini belirten işadamı Fettah Tamince, Türkiye`de malesef akla gelen ilk tedbirin personel kısıtlaması olduğuna dikkat çekti. Personel çıkarmanın en son düşünülmesi gereken tedbir olduğunu belirten Fettah Özince, kendisinin kesinlikle personel çıkartmak gibi bir düşüncesi olmadığının altını çizdi.
Kendi formülünün diğer işadamlarınca da uygulanmasının ekonomiye ve istihdama yara aldırmayacağını belirten Tamince, `750-1,500 YTL arasında çalışan bir elemanı işten çıkarttığınızı düşünün. Bu o kişi kadar, onun ailesi ve geçindirdiği insanlar içinde sosyal bir yıkım olur. Oysa onu çıkarmak yerine üst düzey maaş alan bir elemanınızın maaşından kısmayı düşünmek daha mantıklı. 10 Bin YTL alan bir personeliniz 8 bin TYL alırsa belki zorlanabilir ama bir sosyal yıkım yaşamaz. Bir arkadaşının işsiz kalmasına engel olacağı gibi onun işini de kendisi yapmak zorunda kalmamak için buna razı olur. Böyle bir tedbir bir personilizin işsiz kalmasına da engel olur. Türkiye`de bırakın insanların işinden olmasını, her yıl 500-600 bin insana yeni istihdam açmak mecburiyeti var. Bu yüzden işçi çıkaracağımıza tasarruf yapalım` çağrısında bulundu.
Rixos grubunun kriz sürecinde yöneldiği diğer tasarruf yöntemlenine değinen Tamince, `Yüzde 75 enerji tasarruflu ampulün peşine düşeceğiz. Bu sayede yüzde 30`ların üzerinde tasarruf sağlayabiliriz. Bundan sonra yöneticilerimiz business yerine ekonomik tarifede uçacak. Daha önce 3 saat mesai harcıyorsak 15 saat harcayacağız ama kesinlikle küçülmeyi düşünmeyeceğiz. Yurt dışındaki inşaat ve taahhüt alanında planladığımız yatırımlardan da vazgeçmeyeceğiz` dedi.
KENDİSİNE DE ÖZEL UÇAK VE YATI YASAKLADI
Şahsen ben de personelimden istediğim fedakarlıkları bizzat sergileyeceğim. Bundan sonra özel uçağımı ve yatımı mecbur kalmadıkça kullanmalacağım. Yurt dışına çıktığımda şahsi harcamalarımı kısacağım.

`DEV ŞİRKETLER UCUZA ALINABİLİR, YENİ PAZARLAR AÇILABİLİR`
Borsalardaki düşüşlerin dev yabancı şirketlerin piyasa değerinin üçte bire kadar gerilettiğine dikkat çeken Tamince, isim vermeden bir kaç şirketin ne kadar değer kaybettiğini ifade ettikten sonra, nakit birikime sahip Türk firmalarının birleşip yurtdışında şirket satın almasının tam zamanı olduğunu savundu. Kriz dönemlerinin özellikle turizm sektörünü yeni pazarlara yönelttiğini ve yeni servetler keşfettirdiğini belirten Tamince ` 2001 krizinden sonra Rusya Türkiye`ye en fazla turist gönderen ülkelerden birisi haline geldi. Yaşanan mali kriz nedeniyle Avrupa ve Rus pazarındaki daralma ihtimalini hesaplayarak Körfez ve Uzakdoğu ülkelerine yönelerek, bu ülkelerden gelecek turist sayısını artırabiliriz` dedi.
ANTALYA HAVALİMANI ÇÖZÜM KAPISI OLABİLİR
Turizm sektörünün önde gelen isimleri ve devlet yetkilileri ile bu konularda fikir alışverişleri yaptıklarını ve bunu sürdüreceklerini belirten Tamince, şu açıklamada bulundu: `Kriz sürecinde özel sektör ve devletin işbirliği içinde olması ve her iki kesimin üzerine düşeni yapması gerekiyor. Bu süreçte Avrupa turist pazarı daralır ki zaten bize çok da getirisi olan bir pazar değil. Rus pazarı da mutlaka bu krizden dolayı daralacaktır. Düşünürsek, krizden en az etkilenecek olan pazar Ortadoğu`nun körfez bölgesidir. Biz de hesaplarımızı bunun üzerine kuralabilir ve işe bu pazardan başlayabiliriz.
Krizden en az etkilenecek olan pazar Ortadoğu`nun körfez bölgesi. Biz de turizm hesaplarımızı bunun üzerine kuralabilir ve işe bu pazardan başlayabiliriz. Ancak bunun için önce ulaşım kolaylığı sağlanmalı. Uçak seferleri için sübvansiyon sağlanmalı
Türk Hava Yolları bir şekilde sübvanse edilerek - ki bunun için de kaynak arayışı içindeyiz- zarar etme pahasına Antalya`dan Dubai`ye doğrudan seferler düzenlemeli. Bu aşamadan sonra Turizmciler olarak iş bize düşer ve `potansiyel müşterilere ulaşıp, `Bakın Türkiye`ye doğrudan uçuş yapan uçaklarımız var. Buyurun ülkemizdeki tatil imkanlarını kullanın, otellerimize gelin` diyebiliriz. Antalya Dubai gibi pek çok ortadoğu ve Afrika ülkesine doğrudan uçuş yapılabilen merkezi havalimanını daha verimli kullabilir. Duabi`ye sadece Hindistan`dan her gün 10 uçuş gerçekleşiyor. Havayolu şirketlerinin aktarma merkezi haline gelen Dubai`den direk uçuş konulması halinde Antalya`ya çok geniş cografyalardan turist çekilebilebilir. Bunun için acilen kriz masası oluşturulmalı. Yetkililer üzerine düşeni yapmalı.
`Antalya 10 milyon turist alan, dünyada örneği az olan bir şehir` diyen Fettah Tamince, Antalya`nın mevcut potansiyelini daha yükseklere taşımak için yeni projeler geliştirilmesi gerektiğini savunarak, `Türkiye, turizm sektöründe çok genç bir ülke. Son 20 yılda turizm yapıyoruz. Bulunduğumuz nokta küçümsenmeyecek bir nokta. Altyapımız var, hava alanlarımız ve yollarımız modern bir ülkeyiz. Türkiye havayoluyla 3,5 saat ile gelişmiş 35 ülkeye uzakta olan bir ülke. Bu avantajlara sahip Avrupa`da bana bir ülke sayamazsınız. Bunu iyi değerlendirmeliyiz` ifadesini kullandı.
`ÇİN, TÜRKİYE`NİN PAZARDAKİ EN GÜÇLÜ RAKİBİ`
Biz bir yerde inşaat yaptığımız zaman adamlar bize standartları belirtiyorlar. Nereden alacağımızı ve kimin ürettiğini de söylüyorlar. Biz neden aynısını yapmayalım. Biz de o standartlarda üretimle karşı atağa geçmeliyiz`
Türkiye`nin dünyada güçlenirken rakip ülkelerin hesaplarını dikkate alması ve onlara karşı mücadele modelleri geliştirmesi gerektiğine dikkat çeken Tamince, `Yatırım yapmak isteyenlere Türkiye`nin kapılarını kapatmasının mümkün olmadığını belirtirken rakiplere karşı da strateji belirlemesi gerektiğini söyledi. Çin`in Türkiye`nin hedeflediği pazarlarda karşısındaki en güçlü rakip olduğunu söyleyen Tamince; `Çin`de gelecek dönemde inanılmaz kapasite artışı olacak. Çin ucuz işgücüne sahip olduğu gibi kasasında para da olan bir ülke. Çin Eximbank`ı yatırım yapmak isteyenlere diyecek ki; sana 10 vadeli kredi vereyim ama benim ürünlerimi kullan. Bunu daha agresif hala getirecek. Biz, bunun karşısında hep beraber çalışacağız. Çin`in bu modeline karşı biz de bir model sunmalıyız. Biz bir yerde inşaat yaptığımız zaman adamlar bize standartları belirtiyorlar. Nereden alacağımızı ve kimin ürettiğini de söylüyorlar. Biz neden aynısını yapmayalım. Biz de o standartlarda üretimle karşı atağa geçmeliyiz` dedi.
Dubai`de mart ayında açmayı planladıkları Ottoman Palace Oteli`nin inşatı sırasında benzeri bir açılım gerçekleştirdiklerini söyleyen Tamince, Türkiye`nin sadece inşaat sektörüne değil başka sektörlerine de pazar açtıklarına dikkat çekerek, `Türkiye`den inşaat malzemesi götürdük, Türk hamamı yapılacaksa bunu en iyi kim yapar, biz yaparız, mermer lazım, en uygun mermer nerede var bizde var. Biz götürelim dedik. Türkiye`den gıda maddeleri götürdük, gıda sektörüne katkıda bulunduk, Türkiye`den balık götürdük balıkçılık sektörüne hatırı sayılır katkı sağladık. İşçi götürdük, istihdam sağladık. Bunu biz olduğumuz için bizim ülkemizden götürmeyi başardık: başkası olsa kendi ülkesinden götürecekti. Bu nedenle Türkiye`nin dışarıda iş yapan isimlerinin, kendi ülkesinin başka sektörlerine de katkı sağladığını gözden kaçırmamak lazım. Bu tarz yatırım ve açılımları desteklemek gerekir` dedi.
YENİ OTELLERİN AÇILIŞI
Sorular üzerine devam etmekte olan otel yatırımlarına da değinen Fettah Tamince, dünyadaki ekonomik kriz nedeniyle `bekle, gör` pozisyonuna geçtiklerini belirterek, ``Önce ayakta durmalıyız ki sonra da koşabilelim.`` dedi.
Önümüzdeki günlerde oteller zincirinin yeni halkalarını hizmete açmaya hazırlanan Fettah Tamince mevcut yatırım planlarında revizyona gitmediklerini vurgulayarak, Almaatı ve Dubai`daki otel yatırımlarının açılışını ertelemeyeceklerini belirtti.
Tamince, `Özsermaye ile finansı çözüyoruz. Para için bankalara gitmiyoruz. Zaten turizm sektörü bankacıların elini sıkı tuttuğu ve sıcak bakladığı bir sektör. Mümkün olduğunca onlardan kredi almamaya çalışıyoruz ama tabi mecbur kalırsak da kapılarını çalarız` ifadesini kullandı.
Tamince `Kriz nedeniyle henüz turizm sektöründe çok net yaşanılan bir gerileme yok. Hatta tam tersine bir önceki yıla baktığımızda satışlarımız daha iyi. Doluluk oranı da yüksek. Fiyatlarımız da yüzde 40`lara varan oranlarnda yüksek. Ancak bu şekilde çok iyi gidecek diyemeyiz. Birkaç gün içerisinde krizin etkisini göreceğiz. Umuyoruz ki alınaçcak tedbirlerle fiyatlarımızı geri çekme ihtiyacı hissetmeyelim` şeklinde konuştu.
Ottoman Palace Oteli`nin dışındaki yeni otellerinin belirtilen tarihlerde açılacağını ama kasım ayında açılmasını öngördükleri bu oteli ancak mart ayında açabileceklerini söyleyen Tamince, Lara bölgesine yapılması düşünülen ``Temalı Park`` projesinin yargıda olduğunun hatırlaılması üzerine bu konunun çok tartışıldığını da hatırlatarak, ``Bu konuyu tartışanlar, projeyle ilgili yeterince bilgisi olmayanlar. Biz yeşili koruyan bir oteliz. Yeşili korursak onu turizmde kullanabiliriz. Neden Antalya`da turizm var? Çünkü doğası, denizi, güneşi var. Bunu bilen turizmci oradaki alanda `doğayı yok edeceğim` demez. Temalı parkı ben yaparım veya başkası yapar. Ancak çok önemli bir proje. Çünkü sezonu uzatmak istiyoruz. Sadece yaz sezonu olmasın istiyoruz. Turizmi aylara yaymak istiyoruz. Bu bir zorunluluk. Yapılacak projeyle doğayla ilgili yanlışın olmayacağını çok iyi biliyoruz. Tam tersine Antalya turizmine çok önemli bir değer kazandıracağız. Bu projenin mutlaka yapılması gerekli. Ürün çeşitlendirmeye ihtiyacımız var.`` dedi.
GÖZÜNÜ ENERJİ SEKTÖRÜNE DİKTİ, ORTAK ARIYOR
Geleceğin sektörü olduğu için enerji pazarda yer almayı istiyoruz. Rusya, Asya, Uzakdoğu ve Körfez bölgesinde gerçekleştirilecek işbirliklerine açığız. Öncelikle ilişkilerimizin iyi olduğu ülkelerde şansımızı deneyeceğiz
Fettah Tamince, turizm ve inşaat sektörü dışında büyüyen yeni alanlardaki iş fırsatlarını da takip ettiklerini söyledi ve yeni açılım hedeflerinin enerji sektörü olduğunu açıkladı. ``Enerji sektörü ile ilgili hazırlıklarımız var. Bu alanda sermayesi olan, tecrübeli yerli ve yabancı ortaklar arıyoruz. Paralı ve tecrübeli ortaklarla konsorsiyum oluşturarak enerji sektörüne girmeyi planlıyoruz ama tabi enerji sektörü çok geniş bir alan. Enerji denilince; bunun üretimi var, dağıtımı var, pazarlaması var, boru hattı var... Hangi alanda başarılı olacağımızı iyi hesap etmeliyiz. Ama geleceğin sektörü olduğu için bu pazarda yer almayı istiyoruz. Rusya, Asya, Uzakdoğu ve Körfez bölgesinde gerçekleştirilecek işbirliklerine açığız. Öncelikle ilişkilerimizin iyi olduğu ülkelerde şansımızı deneyeceğiz. Rusya ve Irak`ta büyük fırsatlar olduğunu düşünüyoruz` diye konuştu.

Kaynak : Tümgazeteler

En İyi 7 Şirket ve Kriz Yaklaşımları

Hewitt Türkiye’de bu yıl ikincisinidüzenlediği Best Employers araltırmasında ilk 5’e 7 şirket girdi. 43 şirketin katıldığı araştırmada en iyi 7 şirkette çalışan bağlılık oranı %89 çıktı. Bağlılığı en çok arttıran etkenler kariyer olanakları, takdir, insana verilen değer ve ücret olarak bulundu.

Türkiye’nin En İyi İşyerleri araştırmasın sonuçlarının açıklanmasının ardından, en iyi 7 şirketinin genel müdürleri ve insan kaynakları yöneticileri Hürriyet Medya Towers’daki ödül töreni sırasında düzenlenen, ’En İyi İşyerleri Krizde de Farklı’ konulu panelde krize karşı aldıkları tedbirleri anlattılar. En iyi 7 şirketten hiçbirinin gündeminde işten çıkarma yok; onlar kriz tedbirlerini çalışanlarıyla birlikte alıp, onlarıtüm süreçlere dahil ediyorlar. Krizde iletişimin ve çalışanlara etki vermenin önemini biliyorlar. En iyiler çalışan bağlılığını nasıl sağladıklarını ve krizde nasıl bir politika izlediklerini anlatıyorlar.

1- The Ritz Carlton İstanbul İK Direktörü Neşe Tanyolaç;
Türkiye’de krizler eksik olmuyor, biz krizde de çalışanlarımızla birlikte karar veriyoruz. Bizce işi yapan önlem almayı en iyi bilendir. Örneğin odalar ve çamaşırhane bölümü bir araya gelip çamaşırhanenin 2 saat daha az çalışmasına karar verdiler, bu sayede enerji tasarrufu sağlandı, işler de aksamadı.İşi yapana o sorumluluğu verdiğimizde hem bağlılık artıyor hem de işin sürdürülebilirliği artıyor. Krizde işten çıkarma yapmayacağız vede alınacak tedbirlere beraberce karar vereceğiz.

2- Ceva Lojistik İK Direktörü Nihat Çukurkaya;
Krizde çalışanlarla birlikte karar alıyoruz. Çalışanların görüşlerini alıyoruz. Krizi görmemize rağmen Varan Kargo’yu, çalışanların şirketin geleceğine ianamasını sağladı, onları motive etti. En önemli etken motivasyondur.

3- Dhl Türkiye Bölge Koordinatörü Michel Akavi;
Aralık ayına bakıldığında son 20 yıla göre gerideyiz. Gönderilenlerde %10 düşme olacağını öngörüyoruz ve bütçeleri ona göre yeniliyoruz. Krizden önce tedbir almak çok önemli. Mesela gereğinden fazla adam almamak gibi. Önlem almayan şirketler daha kötü yakalanıyor. Devamlı rakamlara bakmak lazım. İşten çıkarma son çare olmalı. Kardan fedakarlık yapmalı. Yukarıyı bilgilendirmeli, yukarıya hayır diyebilmeli.Biz masrafları kısarak krizi atlatmaya çalışıyoruz. Önce çalışanlarımıza verdiğimiz mesaj hizmetini sonra yakınlardaki bir alışveriş merkezine giden servisimizi kestik. Bir şirkette eğer işten çıkarmaya gidilicekse önce emekli olucaklara bakılmalı. Ya da yurtdışında outplacement ( işe yerleştirme) yapılabilir mi diye bakılmalı.

4- Microsoft Türkiye İK direktörü Belgin Ertam;
Kriz hepimizi kapsıyor. BU dönemde çalışanlara senin yanındayım, arkandayım mesajını vermeye çalışıyoruz.Bunun için duvarsız hayat diye bir yapı oluşturduk. Tüm ofislerdeki, taşıyıcı duvarlar hariç, tüm duvarları kaldırdık, genel müdür dahil herkes birbirini görüyor. Krizde farklı düşünmek lazım. Esnek çalışma ciddi maliyet tasarrufu sağlıyor. Teknolojiyi kullanarak bulunduğunuz yerden farklı ülkelerden kişilerle aynı anda toplantı yapabiliyoruz.

5- İntendis İlaç G.M. Şinasi Yörük;
Şirkette tüm duvarları yok ettik, her şey cam, herkes birbirinin yaptığını görebiliyor. Ben çalışanlarım için varım 4 yıldır sekreterim bile yok.

6- Johnson Wax İK Müdürü Azra Bütün;
Birçok kriz geçirdi Türkiye, hiçbir krizde çalışanlarla yollarımızı ayırmadık. Lriz döneminde çalışanların ilk aklına gelen soru ‘Ben ne olacağım?’ oluyor. Onları bir ay önce bir araya topladık, kimseyi işten çıkarmayacağımızı söyledik. Bağlılığı arttırıcı farklı uygulamalarımız var, örneğin kar payı dağatıyoruz, herkes hak elde ediyor. Cumaları da öğleden sonra çalışmıyoruz.

7- Cisco System G.M. Taner Akdemir;
2001’de Türkiye, krizi kötü hissetmiş bir ülke. Biz 4 ay önce kriz yaklaşırken satış ekibiyle toplantılar yaptık, bazı tedbirler aldık ve 2 ay önce de bu tedbirleri uygulamaya geçtik. İşten çıkarma olmayacağını net bir şekilde açıkladık. Panik yapmadık, yapmayacağız da.

Kaynak; Hürrüyet İK. 18.01.2009

Heston Bluemantal

Heston Blumenthal, Chef-Patron of the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, one of just a handful of restaurants worldwide to have three Michelin stars, has been awarded an OBE by The Queen in the New Years Honours List.After a year of accolades culminating in the Fat Duck being voted The Best Restaurant in the World by a poll of over 600 food critics and journalists globally, Blumenthal looks set to begin 2006 on the same prestigious note.The self-taught chef, whose interest in gastronomy has seen the creation of some of the world's most exciting new dishes, continues his research and development of both the menu at the Fat Duck and that of his neighbouring Hinds Head pub, where he has created a menu of classic British dishes.'When I was given news of my OBE I was speechless,' said Blumenthal. 'I believe we are producing some of the best cuisine and gastronomy in the world at the moment in the UK and I am very proud to be British.'Throughout 2006, work continues on the development of the Fat Duck menu with new dishes and changes being implemented on an ongoing basis. A second book, a definitive work of The Fat Duck is also in progress and is due for release in 2007.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Early Life in France
Born and raised on the outskirts of Strasbourg in Alsace, France, Vongerichten’s earliest family memories are about food. The Vongerichten home centered around the kitchen, where each day his mother and grandmother would prepare lunch for the almost 50 employees in their family-owned business. His love for food cemented into his choice for a career at the age of 16, when his parents brought him to the 3-star Michelin-rated Auberge de l’IIl for a birthday dinner.

Culinary Education
Vongerichten began his training soon after in a work-study program at the Auberge de l'III as an apprentice to Chef Paul Haeberlin. He went on to work with the top chefs in France, including Paul Bocuse and Louis Outhier at L’Oasis in the south of France. With this three-star Michelin training, Vongerichten won a position at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. From 1980 to 1985, he opened 10 restaurants around the world, including one at the Meridien Hotel in Singapore and another at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong.

Relocation to America
Vongerichten arrived in the United States in 1985, opening the Lafayette restaurant in Boston. A year later he arrived in New York to take over the executive Chef position at Lafayette in the Drake Swissôtel, generating critical acclaim with his innovative interpretation of classic French cuisine and earning four stars from The New York Times at the age of 29. Vongerichten opened his bistro JoJo in 1991. JoJo was named Best New Restaurant of the Year, and earned three stars from The New York Times, in which Food critic Ruth Reichl claimed: "His food took my breath away".

Vong
His next venture, Vong, paid homage to his passion for the spices and flavors of the East. Using over 150 different herbs and spices to create his take on Thai-inspired French cuisine, the menu at Vong impressed critics, earning another three-star review from The New York Times for his "explosive flavorful food". In an adjacent space to Vong, Vongerichten also opened The Lipstick Cafe, catering to the midtown business crowd and serving breakfast and lunch in a casual, upscale setting. The Lipstick Cafe has since closed.

Jean-Georges at the Trump International Hotel
In March 1997, Vongerichten opened Jean Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, earning a four star review from The New York Times less than three months after opening, and the "Chef of the Year Award" from John Mariani at Esquire magazine. Jean Georges Restaurant remains one of 3 restaurants in the city awarded four stars by the New York Times and three stars by the Michelin Guide.
Frank Bruni of The Times said it offers “accessible elegance,” providing “classic French indulgence with a contemporary flair.” The restaurant trades “the richness of traditional French cooking for a different kind of intensity,” he added — it eliminates “thick sauces and embraces oils and broths, preferring them for their lightness and for the way they release their scents, like the perfume of lemon grass that rose from a bath of Asian herbs and seeds around a delicately baked lobster tartine.”

Expanding the Brand
A year and a half later, Vongerichten opened a second Vong in the Knightsbridge area of London, earning a three-star review and the 1996 vote for the London Evening Standard’s "Newcomer of the Year". In September 1997, he opened Vong in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, which Robb Report awarded "Best Restaurant in the World" award in 1998 . A fourth Vong in Chicago changed its name and format to VTK (Vong's Thai Kitchen) in 2002. The 2nd and 3rd Vongs have since closed.
Vongerichten followed with The Mercer Kitchen, opened in July 1998, in the stylish Mercer Hotel in Soho. This venture features an American-Provincial menu and ‘communal’ style tables in the open kitchen area. Another addition is the Prime Steakhouse in Steve Wynn’s Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, which opened in October 1998.
Vongerichten opened Spice Market (Southeast Asian street food) in 2004 and Perry Street in 2005 (French-American)in NYC, as well as the Chambers Kitchen in Minneapolis in 2007.

Starwood Hotels
Vongerichten and partner Phil Suarez have formed a new company with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Catterton Partners, a consumer-focused private-equity firm which will own, operate, manage and license restaurants in Starwood properties as well as freestanding concepts not attached to the hotel giant's lodging outlets. The deal calls for seven Spice Markets and other concepts world wide. The total number of eating destinations could total 56 with this contract. The first to open will be Spice Markets at new W Hotels in both Atlanta and Istanbul.

Vancouver Restaurant
Vongerichten is opening a restaurant at the Hotel Shangri-La Vancouver, a luxury hotel that Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will open in early 2009. “Market by Jean-Georges” is the first collaboration between Shangri-La and Mr. Vongerichten and is the famous chef's first involvement with Canadian or west coast dining.

Influence
New York Magazine wrote that in the past two decades, no single chef has had more influence on the way New Yorkers dine out—or on the way other chefs cook and other restaurants look. “He invented America’s answer to nouvelle cuisine,” says Mario Batali, who knows something about starting culinary trends. “When I first came to New York, his book Simple Cuisine was the holy grail for young chefs, and JoJo was the hottest ticket in town.”

Controversy
In September, 2008, Vongerichten agreed to settle a lawsuit for $1.7 million filed by staff who claimed tips from several of his restaurants had been redirected to managers.

Books
Simple to Spectacular (co-authored with Mark Bittman) (2000), ISBN 0-7679-0360-9
Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef (co-authored with Mark Bittman) (1998), ISBN 0-7679-0155-X
Simple Cuisine: The Easy, New Approach to Four-Star Cooking (1991), ISBN 0-13-195059-2
Asian Flavorings of Jean-Georges (October, 2007)

Salvatore Calabrese

The World’s Best Barman at Bar FIFTY

"The Maestro"
Salvatore "The Maestro" Calabrese is one of the world’s leading bartenders whose performance arena is the glamorous Salvatore at FIFTY in London’s St James's. If all the world is a stage, then Salvatore's bar sure is one corner of it that guarantees entertainment and service of the highest level.
The Maestro
The man affectionately called "The Maestro" developed his talent for combining flavours at an early age while working in a bar in Maiori, a small village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. In his 20s, Salvatore came to London to check out the sophisticated hotel bars, and gained a position at the Duke’s Hotel in St James’s. While at the Duke’s he began to develop a niche market for extra-special cognacs. This was the start of a concept he calls Liquid History. Salvatore then moved to the illustrious and luxurious Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge, where he further developed his unique "host with the most" style.
New and old cocktails
From the start, it was a passion for the great classic cocktails that led him to recreate them for his guests. The Maestro also experimented with new liqueurs, both new and old spirits and fresh juices, culminating in exotic cocktails that have themselves become classics. For a fee, he will create a bespoke cocktail for you or a friend as the ultimate gift.
Salvatore Calabrese is the current President of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild, taking over from his good friend Peter Dorelli, who recently retired from the Savoy Hotel. Today, Salvatore Calabrese is active within the International bartenders’ Association (IBA) and on the global stage, encouraging young bartenders to shake it more professionally through the UKBG’s training programs, while also appearing at national and international bartenders competitions as a judge and mentor.
Master Classes, articles and books
The Mastro runs Master Classes for people who want to know more about spirits, and is a very popular guest at many wines and spirits events. Salvatore has worked to establish himself as a leading personality in the beverage world, and promotes his ideals through various newspaper articles and television and radio appearances, his column in GQ magazine, and through his books.
His first book, entitled Classic Cocktails, in print since 1997, has sold over 700,000 copies, and The Complete Home Bartenders’ Guide (2002) has sold over 400,000 copies to date. His other titles include After-Dinner Drinks, Summer Cocktails, Cognac: A Liquid History, Cocktails for Wimps, Sexy Cocktails, Virgin Cocktails, and Hangover Cures.
Awards
In 1992 Salvatore Calabrese was awarded the Chevalier du Champagne, and in 1993 he was awarded the prestigious Chevalie du Cognac. His most recent awards include Class Awards 2005 Best New Bar, Class Awards 2006 Bar of the Year, Class Awards 2006 Best Cocktail Offering.
Theme Magazine presented him with the Outstanding Achievement Award 2006, and the Italian Bartenders Association (AIBES) surprised him with an Outstanding Achievement Award 2006 for his contribution to the bar industry.

Pasha Restaurant

Best Moroccan restaurant in London.

The food at Pasha is both intriguing & unusual, but it's the sophisticated presentation & warm ambience that makes this London Moroccan restaurant such a winner. Nestle back on a pile of plump cushions and feel like a Persian princess as beautifully dressed waiters serve up a variety of tempting Moroccan style dishes, while exotic belly dancers & aromatic sisha pipes keep the atmosphere vibrant & authentic. Enjoy generous portions of djaj zagora (chicken, nutmeg & almonds steamed in saffron broth), & zaalouk (roast aubergine purée, cumin & coriander) or shoulder of lamb cooked with apricots, figs, dates & prunes served with cinnamon couscous as well as a host of other tasty meat, fish & vegetarian dishes. There's even a great choice of Moroccan, Lebanese & Greek wines as well as some delicious & very exotic cocktails. But it's probably the atmosphere at Pasha that will excite you the most. It's electric....great food, beautiful surroundings & lots of happy faces. No wonder it's packed out every night!!

THE BLUE BAR

The Best Bar in London

Cocktails with passion amid the buzz of London’s hottest hangout
Ambience at the heart of the Knightsbridge scene, the Blue Bar is a popular and exclusive London celebrity hangout. But despite the buzz it’s a chilled-out venue where our staff makes everyone welcome.
DesignThe stand-out feature of the Blue Bar is its striking Lutyens Blue colour scheme by designer David Collins. The white onyx bar and black crocodile print leather floor combine with listed features from the original Berkeley of Berkeley Square.
DrinksOur cocktails are made with the finest ingredients, an imaginative twist and a passion for perfection. You can also choose from over 50 different whiskies, a wide range of champagnes, and selected wines by the glass.

MARCUS WAREING AT THE BERKELEY

Fine dining at this exclusive restaurant in Knightsbridge
Marcus Wareing opened his eponymous restaurant at The Berkeley in September 2008.
AmbiencePerfectly suited to Knightsbridge, Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley is the place for sophisticated fine dining in London. Combining style and perfect service, it provides a perfect showcase for the talents of one of Britain's most talented chefs.
For an intimate dining experience amid all the kitchen action, book the Chef’s Table
CuisineMarcus Wareing is known for his theatrical and technically brilliant French cuisine. He serves modern European food, with rich flavours subtly enhanced but never overpowered.
Read more about star chef Marcus Wareing
DesignRich with vivid colours, the restaurant interior is the work of designer David Collins. A bold circle motif is echoed throughout the space. Two large abacuses with blown-glass beads provide a distinctive quirk amid the characteristic opulence.

BOXWOOD CAFÉ

Gordon Ramsay’s take on the upscale New York café scene
AmbienceBoxwood Café's relaxed atmosphere and English garden feel make for a stylish and charming dining experience, a far cry from London’s usual restaurant scene.
CuisineLocally-sourced seasonal ingredients are lovingly prepared by head chef Stuart Gillies. The menu reflects a traditional British market with freshness and quality as its hallmarks. DesignOne of the first UK ventures of acclaimed US designer Barbara Barry, Boxwood Café is a natural space in leaf green and bittersweet brown.

Chocolate Truffes

Recipe

• 700 g (24.5 oz) Noir Gastronomie VALRHONA• 500 g (2 cups) whipping cream•

100 g (7 tablespoons) butter•

powdered cocoa

Chop the chocolate and put it into a bowl. Bring whipping cream to a boil. Pour the boiling hot cream a bit at a time over the chopped chocolate, stirring with a whisk. When the cream is incorporated completely and the mixture is perfectly smooth, add butter to the ganache, bit by bit, while smoothing with an immersion blender.When this mixture is finished, keep it in a covered plastic container in the refrigerator for several hours.To make the truffles, dip a melon-baller in hot water and shake off the excess. Make small balls out of the ganache, then roll them in powdered cocoa—VALRHONA, of course.Keep your truffles in a cool place, or refrigerate them, until you are ready to eat them.

Plateau Restaurant London

Bertrand Pierson

The French-born general manager was at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's London outpost, at the Berkeley hotel, for three years, and at Vongerichten's Market in Paris as operations director, before being recruited by Conran.
He has worked closely with Tolley and Conran to create the right style of service - leather place mats on the Italian marble surfaces in the fine-dining restaurant, David Mellor modern classic cutlery range from 1957, waiting uniforms to reflect the style and flowers by London-based McQueens."
I've been able to have an input into everything you see on the table, to create a feel of quality without distracting from the food," he says. "Conran has allowed Tim and me to make our print here, which is great - it has been a two-way exercise in discovering how we can work in harmony."
Pierson says the style at Plateau will be similar to that of Vong - the modernity and quality - but admits the two restaurants have very different atmospheres."
At Vong we were in the basement, here we are on the top floor. The building feels very dynamic and with the glass you've got the elements and luminosity all around you. It's very inspiring," he says.
Service at Plateau will be "focused but friendly" as Tolley's menu is expected to arouse curiosity. "Tim's menu is going to prompt the diner to ask questions," Pierson says. "The style of service I want here will be interactive, so staff must have good knowledge of the menu and the wine list," he says. "It's not a mysterious menu but it's about triggering interest."
Recruitment has been a challenge. Pierson says the location has been a problem, even though it's only a 20-minute tube ride from Green Park station. Of the 35 front-of-house staff, some are from Vong, some from elsewhere and some from the local area.
Pierson has no doubts about the location, though. There has been a predictable interest in the restaurant from businesses in the area. Canary Wharf has changed from boasting a handful of buildings 10 years ago, to being the richest borough in London so Plateau will fill a much-needed gap."

Tim Tolley

There's a touch of serendipity about Tim Tolley's move to Plateau, Conran Restaurants' first large-scale opening in London in six years, which opened yesterday. When Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge parted company earlier this year (and Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Café concept moved in on the site of what was Vong), American-born Tolley, formerly head chef of Vong, was faced with a few options: not least, should he go home to the USA, or should he stay in England?
Vongerichten and business partner Dan Del Vecchio asked Tolley what he wanted to do next - he had, after all, been a loyal employee for seven-and-a-half years - but Tolley knew the timing was right to sever the tie with his long-standing mentor. "It was time to move on," Tolley says. "I knew I wanted to stay in London, though - I've built a family here, I like the city, I enjoy it."
Within minutes of the news breaking that Vong was moving out of the Berkeley, the offers were coming fast and furious for Tolley. One approach was from the then chef-director of Conran Restaurants, Chris Galvin, who was preparing for the Plateau project. (Galvin has since moved to the Wolseley Restaurant and Café in St James's)."
From day one [of my discussions with Chris], I was really excited about the design. I came to Canary Wharf straightaway and was amazed," Tolley says. "I really loved it. It's clean, bright and it reminds me of a miniature New York, like mini mid-town Manhattan." He has since relocated his home to Limehouse, so has just a five-minute bike ride to work.
On the face of it, his move seems like a strange one. He has been cooking Asian food at Vong for the past three-and-a-half years, while Plateau has hailed itself as a modern French restaurant. Would Tolley's style gel with what Terence Conran wanted?
Absolutely. The fact that Tolley is best known in England for his Asian food is misleading. First, because towards the end of his tenure at the Berkeley he was increasingly introducing modern French dishes to the menu at Vong, and second, because he spent the first four years of his career with Vong in New York cooking modern French food, a style of cuisine for which Vongerichten himself is widely lauded."
At Vong not everything was Asian. From the time I joined Vong in London [in January 1999], through the three-and-a-half years that I was there, the food evolved into something more French," Tolley says.
Indeed, the 2003 AA Restaurant Guide described Tolley's food as "a marriage of French and Thai ingredients made in heaven. Unique and quite ingenious, the myriad of flavours one gets to sample is just eye-popping."
Tolley is struck by the number of similarities between Conran and Vongerichten - they are equally committed to their businesses, he says, and share philosophies. "I'm full of admiration and respect for what he has achieved and done for food," Tolley says of Conran. "He has this amazing ability to pick up the finest detail as soon as he sees something. I like to think that as a chef I'm extremely observant, but it's good to have another perspective on things."
Stunning kitchen Aside from the spectacular views of London and constant reminders of Manhattan, a major draw for Tolley has been the stunning kitchen at Plateau, which is situated in the middle of the restaurant's 9,000sq ft space. It effectively creates a partition between the Plateau (fine-dining) restaurant and the Plateau Bar and Grill. With windows looking on to the dining public, and doors that will be left open during service so that diners can see the pass at all times, Plateau is not going to be without a little theatre.
The equipment is breathtakingly beautiful (even for stainless steel) and includes two bespoke Bonnet island ranges (servicing the Plateau restaurant) and an L-shaped range (for the bar and grill) featuring a Bonnet r“tisserie. Work surfaces around the edge of the kitchen are marble-topped.
Tolley seems thrilled by the extent to which the rôisserie can be used. "I visited Bonnet this summer [prior to taking on his role at Plateau] and was told how simply salmon could be roasted on the rôisserie - just wrap it in créinette - but I'd never seen anything like that before. Then, about three days later, I was in the market in La Rochelle and saw a side of salmon wrapped in créinette. It's that easy." The salmon now appears on the menu in various guises, such as rôisserie salmon, potato, bacon and pickled shallots (£15), and Loch Duart salmon, capers and red onion (£11).
Another dish hot off the rôtisserie is poulet noir, lemon purée, aligot potato (£13). The chicken is stuffed with spinach, roasted on the rôtisserie and served with a baked lemon purée ("acidic, bitter, seasoned very well, but not salty") and puréed potatoes and aligot cheese."
Terence wants the food to be simple," Tolley says, "but I was a little scared as to whether he would like certain things I was doing, such as the baked lemon purée. But when I cooked it for him he loved it. He thought it was wonderful."
The food at Plateau is in keeping with Conran philosophy - that is, it's unpretentious - but that doesn't mean there are any compromises. The produce has been carefully sourced to ensure maximum flavour. Vegetables are from British salad producer Richard Vine, for example, bread is from Poilâne (no bread will be made on site), and most of the meat and fish is indigenous.
Tolley plans to rotate the 22-strong brigade rather than break the team down into separate groups cooking for each part of the restaurant. "It's one unit, one team. I want a team of people excited about all the items of food, whether they're feeding diners in the bar and grill or the main dining room," he says.
With two terraces (one hosting a barbecue), a private dining room and two restaurants to serve, is Tolley not worried about the enormity of the challenge? "I'll try to have it finely balanced and although we've got one kitchen, I'll try to think of it as two different restaurants. I'll certainly have to be on my toes."

The Architect
Plateau is almost dominated by its view. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass frontage, the Manhattan-style skyline of Canary Wharf laid out before you is mesmerising stuff.
Which is a shame, laughs Tina Norden, project architect for Conran Design Associates, who plaintively asks if anyone is going to want to look at the design of the restaurant when they've got that view in front of them.
She needn't worry. Norden, who with Terence Conran has spent most of the past year working on the design of the restaurant, has created an elegant and stimulating environment which mixes 1950s classic design with warm and serene colours, quirky textures and bold splashes of modern art."
It was basically a clean slate," Norden says, of the 9,000sq ft space on the top floor of the year-old building. "It was due to be two restaurants but we took over the whole space. Terence wanted an open kitchen as the focal point of the restaurants, but we also wanted both sides to have a different identity."
Diners enter the restaurant through the bar and grill, an area of fumed oak walls and block flooring, blue and brown leather seating, a zinc bar, and funky raised spotty carpets. Floor-standing lamps add to the understated lighting.
It should create a "hustle, bustle" atmosphere, says Norden, to contrast and complement the fine-dining restaurant on the other side of the central open kitchen and central leather holding bar."
Terence wanted the fine-dining restaurant to be serene and calm while the brasserie should be more gutsy and dynamic," Norden says. "The leather bar forms a border between the two."
Walk through the leather bar that separates the two restaurants and you come across a different animal altogether. The space here is an oasis of calm, muted greens and whites and classic 1950s lines. White tulip Eero Saarinen chairs and Italian marble-top tables are placed against swirling olive green banquettes decorated with McQueens' flowers. Huge glass doors lead to the private 12-seat dining room.
The humidor, or "den" as Norden calls it, is "our bit of modern art". It was the lift foyer previously, now converted with richly coloured leather sofas, resin lamps and a Neil Gilks abstract mural along one wall."Colours are restrained and subtle everywhere else, but we wanted the den to be a riot of colour. It will be a perfect smoking and cocktail room."

Conran's tips...
If you're thinking of running your own restaurant, here are Terence Conran's top six tips:
The most important thing of all is to get the food right, and you will only achieve this if you use the best-quality ingredients.
Use classic, modern design styles and comfortable, durable materials that grow old gracefully, gaining a pleasant patina over time.
Keep it simple: you don't need to over-complicate things.
Do your research - an informed restaurateur who is offering something different and doing it with confidence is far more likely to succeed.
Pay even more attention to the back-of-house design than the front-of-house.
Don't try to be fashionable - do what you really believe in. Don't copy somebody who appears to be successful.

Marcus Wareing at Berkeley is the best restaurant in London, says critic

Marcus Wareing at Berkeley is the best restaurant in London, according to Bloomberg’s London food critic Richard Vines.
The two-Michelin-starred restaurant, which changed its name from Pétrus earlier this month after Wareing’s acrimonious split with former mentor, Gordon Ramsay, is “as good as it gets” says Vines.
However, the Evening Standard’s David Sexton is somewhat less impressed by the Mayfair restaurant and complains that the menu “cannot be said to be well-balanced”.
“As a diner here you become part of the drive towards a third Michelin star with all that implies and that’s simply not the way to eat well, as I understand it,” he says.

4 Key Questions Candidates Should Ask Potential Employers

Employer-employee compatibility must be a two-way street for an appointment to be successful over the long-term. To gauge compatibility, candidates should ask potential employers four critical questions during a selection process.
A significantly shrinking talent pool worldwide means that competition is often stiff for organizations trying to identify and retain peak performers. Organizations often invest in testing and assessment programs to ensure that new hires and internal promotions have the right 'fit' with the company culture. However, candidates do not always think about whether a company culture is compatible with their own values and professional needs. Employer-employee compatibility must be a two-way street for an appointment to be successful over the long term. As such, during the selection process candidates should ask potential employers, managers, and peers the following four critical questions:

1. How does this organization listen to employee feedback? Unfortunately many organizations treat employees as nothing more than numbers¬ -- and subservient numbers at that. Consequently, the answer to this question will reveal whether the organization values the wisdom and contributions of its talent pool, engages the employees, and/or instills a sense of company ownership

2. How does your employee performance evaluation process work? It may surprise you to learn that many companies do not have a systematic employee appraisal process in place. Therefore, the answer to this question will reveal whether the organization is structured and consistent in its performance expectations. By understanding how your work will be appraised helps to identify clear expectations, which directly feeds the notion of job security, which is a crucial factor to all employees.

3. What opportunities are there for development? Human resource is a concept that does not always have a succinct definition of renewable. By asking this question you are delving into the culture to understand if employees are viewed as investments or merely as replaceable resources. The answer to this question will help you determine if this company will provide you with the necessary tools to progress along your desired career path.

4. How does this organization reward talent? Believe it or not, some companies reward employees who simply maintain the status quo and penalize employees who show initiative and talent. For example, we know of an episode whereby an employee took much time to provide unsolicited but constructive feedback on a piece of marketing material that was full of factual and grammatical errors. Instead of appreciating the employee's efforts in trying to spare the company considerable embarrassment and potential business, the organization largely reacted defensively and stopped including this employee in key interactions. Therefore, this is a potentially challenging question to an interviewer who is also a manager at the hiring company. You will also be able to ascertain how prevalent recognition is within the organization's culture, for example does recognition occur on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. The answer will reveal whether the organization is organized and committed about employee retention and professional development, as well as how it goes about itIt is also important to note a fifth question for possible consideration: Can employees be themselves at this organization? Sometimes organizations demand that employees conform to management's skewed - or even downright counterproductive - definition of an 'ideal employee.' With this in mind, the answer to this pointed question will help to reveal management's expectations for employee behavior - that is, whether employees are encouraged to act as company 'drones' versus act as individuals with unique personalities and perspectives to be shared and strategically leveragedAgain, issues with skill set and lack of fit with the company culture are among the top reasons organizations disqualify candidates. Likewise, lack of recognition, advancement and fit with a candidate's value system are among the top reasons why candidates disqualify employers. For this reason, we encourage candidates to conduct due diligence on companies just like employers do with applicants during the recruitment phase.Come to think of it, all organizations should contemplate the four questions above if increasing morale, productivity and profitability are top priorities. A shrinking talent pool means that the onus is now often on companies to convince talented individuals why their time, devotion and energies should be invested in their organization versus their competitors.

Jim Houran & Whitney Harper

Reducing Worker Stress in Turbulent Economic Times

These are stressful times, particularly for those who work in restaurants and hospitality establishments. Customer expectations are up, while tips are down. Yet workers must continue to provide exceptional service, even as staffs are sliced and diced. Here is what you need to know in order to significantly reduce the stress level in your workplace.
People have different ways of handling the shaky economy. Some people run around the organization informing everyone the sky is falling, while others hide behind the bar hoping the pink slips will land in someone else's station. Both of these scenarios do nothing to keep your establishment on course, which is exactly what must occur if you are to weather this economic storm. Here are seven tips on what you can do to reduce employee stress in turbulent economic times:

1. Provide your employees with opportunities to share their immediate concerns. You may be thinking, 'But what if I don't have an immediate response to their concern?' That's okay. Let them speak and just listen. The simple act of stating fears out loud is often enough to calm people down so they can be productive again.

2. Keep the lines of communication open. Do not wait for the office grapevine to strangle your company. Instead, be proactive. Let employees know how your organization is doing financially. Seek input on ways to improve revenues and decrease expenses. Empowered employees, who feel like they are making a contribution, are much more productive than those who are waiting around for the ax to fall.

3. Focus on providing value and exceptional service. When the economy gets bumpy, companies tend to react by reducing services. If history repeats itself, there will be plenty of opportunities for customer- focused organizations to pick up new clients who appreciate the attention. By focusing on the positive, you will alleviate the negative thoughts that create a stressful work environment.

4. Give your employees a break. Whenever possible, try to schedule consecutive days off so they have time to rejuvenate their bodies and their minds.

5. Lighten up. The last thing people need in their lives right now is a boss who keeps riding them. Explain what needs to get done and appropriate timelines, provide the resources and allow your employees have some control over their workload.

6. Look for ways to make the rushes go smoother. Can you cross train people so they can help out in a pinch? Is the manager willing and able to fill in when you are down an employee or two?7. Set the example. Take up meditation, yoga or running to blow off some of the steam that is bound to accumulate during this stressful time and encourage your staff to do the same. By following these tips, you will be able to alleviate stress in your workplace, while maintaining a sense of balance during these crazy times.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson - President of Human Resource Solutions

Final Guest Satisfaction And Interrelationship Among Different Hotel Areas

Guest satisfaction is the ultimate goal of most service strategies within the Hospitality industry. A satisfied guest means profit, as the guest is not only likely to return but his/her positive comments can attract new guests.
The level of satisfaction experienced by the guest is closely related to his/her personal criteria regarding the services provided, therefore, getting to know the guest's needs, requirements and expectations, as well as his/her reaction to and appraisal of the solutions offered in connection with them, will contribute to providing customized services that guarantee total satisfaction.Personalized assistance before, during, and after the guest's stay provides vital information that contributes to ensuring total satisfaction. Within a hotel, all contact areas represent a source of highly useful information. However, we usually don't know what type of information must be gathered, how it must be used to improve service, or which other areas it must be shared with. Every guest sends out messages during his/her stay, it is only a question of learning how to read them. The guest's daily actions and attitudes reflect his/her habits, preferences and inclinations. Sharp observation, personalized contact, and common interests are the basic tools that the different Hotel areas can resort to in order to jointly get to know the guest.
The guests' final level of satisfaction with a certain tourist destination results from a combination of the micro- and macro-environments, so satisfaction must be guaranteed at both. Achieving the same level of satisfaction for the guest's main environments creates a balance that will have an impact on the decision to return in the future.Let's focus on two positions that are highly relevant to customized service and complementary to each other regarding guests' satisfaction in connection with the micro- and macro-environments: the Butler and the Concierge. The butler's job is mainly focused on the guest's micro-environment, i.e., on creating the proper conditions within the Hotel to guarantee guests' satisfaction. Through his daily assistance, the butler is able to gather data that contribute to creating the guest's profile, applying and validating different service strategies as required and establishing a scale for the attributes of each service requested, thus determining different degrees of quality in connection with them. The Concierge is more focused on the guest's macro-environment, i.e., on those activities that take place outside the Hotel: city tours, dining out, theater or movie tickets, meetings, reservation and confirmation of means of transport, and so on. At this level, the guest also provides considerable information for establishing his/her profile, which turns monitoring guest satisfaction in connection with these activities a relevant tool to guarantee guest comfort.The preferences and requirements of guests within their micro-environment will have an effect on their macro-environment, and vice versa. Those guests who are very demanding regarding Hotel services will exhibit the same attitude toward services offered outside the hotel, and vice versa. The services and activities recommended within the guest's macro-environment shall respond to the behavior patterns, preferences, and quality and satisfaction levels of each guest as detected through assistance within the micro-environment.For example, a guest requests the butler to collect a shirt for laundry. The guest tells the butler that there is a red wine stain on the shirt. This is a common situation at a hotel but it is a valuable source of information that is sometimes overlooked.So the butler asks the guest which kind of wine he had had. The guest tells him that he had had some Malbec, and comments that it happens to be his favorite. The butler then transmits this information to the concierge. The following day, the guest asks the concierge to make a reservation for dinner. With the information provided by the butler in mind, the concierge recommends a restaurant that has an excellent wine list. When making the reservation, the concierge informs the restaurant about the guest's preference. Once at the restaurant, the maître suggests the best Malbec on the list.This feedback regarding the information gathered by the butler and the concierge during the guest's stay makes it possible to prepare an increasingly detailed guest profile, which offers the possibility of providing highly personalized assistance that makes all the difference.Cooperation among different hotel areas guided a common goal -to guarantee guest satisfaction- makes it possible to offer the guest a unique experience, generating the desire to repeat it.

5 Top Restaurant Trends for 2009

Restaurants may be facing the toughest New Year in recent memory, but opportunities are still present for operators that know how to focus their efforts where it really counts-on the consumer. The coming year will see even more of a 'buyer's market' than 2008, making it especially essential for restaurants to recognize and respond to consumer preferences.
In particular, food industry consulting and research firm Technomic sees these five trends as looming large in 2009:

1. Experimentation and innovation will flower. An upside of operators' struggles will be innovations resulting from experimentation with new menu items, delivery services, price/bundling schemes and unit designs (including smaller, more efficient footprints).

2. Ethnic flavors continue to star. As one of the most significant ways that operators can signal differentiation, expect to see more regional ethnic cuisine with flavors specific to a certain country or area, such as regional Italian entrees, Jalisco-style Mexican fare, and Korean or Vietnamese instead of just 'Asian.'

3. 'Local' is the magic word. In response to growing consumer interest in all things local, restaurants will make greater use of local food sourcing and regionalized menu offerings. This trend will also generate stronger consumer support for local restaurant operators.

4. Goldilocks serving sizes: big, little and just right. Expect more small-plate, prix-fixe and bar menus, in addition to more family-style entrées that can feed two or more. Operators will also zero in on large-order catering, particularly for business events.

5. Kids' menus will be up-scaled and expanded. Restaurants are moving their kids' menus beyond the mac-and-cheese comfort zone with items that reflect their signatures-for instance, a crab cake on the children's menu of a seafood restaurant-along with more specialty beverages and smoothies.

Contingency Hotel Revenue Management Strategies

Everyone repeat after me: 'I will not cut prices nor panic sell because it does not stimulate incremental demand and only serves to drive down prices.' (Jeff Weinstein, Editor, Hotels Magazine, February 08) Jeff has given us the mantra that all GMs, Revenue Managers and Directors of Sales should repeat every morning.
While most analysts have continued to be bullish on revenue increases of at least 4% in 2008, that was before the employment numbers began to slide. PKF, in its January research article indicated that although the industry was well positioned to weather the storm, there was one caveat. 'What will keep the economy buoyant, as well as the lodging industry, is the continued growth in employment. Historically, we have seen a strong correlation between changes in employment and lodging demand,' Woodworth observed. Unfortunately, the assumption of a continuing employment growth turned out to be short lived as the latest two government indicators showed significantly slippage in this area.The erosion in the economy has been relatively rapid. A survey of over 1600 meeting planners indicated that for only 37% of them were their meeting plans for 08 were unaffected by the economy. (MeetingNews on MiMegasite February 26, 2008)

Okay, disposable income upon which leisure travel is dependent is shaky , the continuing credit crunch is impacting corporate travel and now the meetings market, what is a revenue manager to do to stop the bleeding and stimulate demand if not cut rate?

• Monitor Changes to Market Segment Activity Daily. This should go without saying but many daily flash reports do not carry lines that compare daily activity year over year by market segment or month over month or YTD by market segment. Reports that include percentages of occupancy by market segment are a graphic way to detect downturns. This is an 'early warning' signal that will allow you to take action before the slippage becomes worse.

• Manipulate the Rate Structure - don't lower it! Closely monitor inventory and rate on the OTAs. Open discounts to more room types during periods of low demand. Participate in promotions with the OTAs until you reach the goals of the promotion. Close inventory to lower rated rooms when demand warrants it. Train the reservations staff to close each reservation by skillfully offering room type options at different price points if that's what it takes to convert the call.

• Evaluate Channel Distribution. When the revenue management strategy was first developed last fall, what were some of the distribution channels that were not included due to high commissions, relatively low production, etc? A high commission on some revenue may be better than no commission on unsold rooms. Were the Opaque channels abandoned as requiring too deep a discount? A discount on an opaque channel is not a lower rate structure but a way to expose inventory to markets that you may not have exposed the hotel to in the past. In both of these scenarios, you control the inventory.

• Dynamic Packaging. Packaging options on the hotel website, distribution channels and channels such as TravelZoo provide an opportunity to expose your hotel, generate incremental revenue and 'disguise' the rate within the package. Packaging on the hotel's web site is the cheapest and easiest way to generate incremental business but you have to drive your customers and potential customers to the site through effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and CRM initiatives.

• Monitor the Hotel's Online Presence. Especially in difficult times it I more imperative than ever to monitor the hotel's online presence. Pet peeve, make sure that the links work everywhere you are listed. I logged onto a CVB site recently and four of the seven hotels whose links I clicked didn't work. You can't have an online presence unless you are 'present'. There are tools that can assist you in this that can make this process easy and give you the info to make good decisions. The Avalon Buzz Report among others makes monitoring your online presence and that of the competition easy. These reports can also expose opportunities to fill gaps in demand with ecommerce initiatives.

• Correct Deficiencies. If your hotel presence online monitoring tool uncovers areas where you are not in rate parity, correct immediately. As well, there may be some links on sites that were enabled years ago that no one was aware of and are therefore unattended. These can have erroneous information and rates. I discovered this with a simple search for an independent hotel client. The hotel was offering an NFL special on an obscure site that no one at the property was aware of.

• Respond to Critical Online Reviews. Respond with a measured response to any online review as to how the deficiency has been corrected and or how a situation surrounding a less than optimal guest experience occurred. Ensure that there are no areas of the hotel that you would not like to see in pictures or videos posted on TripAdvisor. One client took the response thing to a whole new level and even responded to positive reviews with a Thank You response!

Jeff Weinstein

Hotelier's 2009 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions

The Travel Industry Association's (TIA) latest survey predicts a drop of at least 1.3% in overall leisure travel in 2009. Corporate travel is already down as a result of massive layoffs and economic contraction. There are visible signs of decline in the corporate and association meetings and group travel business. Unfortunately, these declines are expected to accelerate in 2009. Yet, even with this expected decline in travel, online travel bookings in 2009 are projected to grow by 10.5% and reach $116.1 Billion (eMarketer), primarily as a result of the dramatic shift from the offline to online channel. In 2009 the Hotel's overall competitiveness and even survival will be determined to a great extent by how well it manages its Internet marketing and distribution efforts. In 2009, more than 55% of all travel bookings and up to 40% of all hotel bookings in North America will be generated from the Internet (eMarketer, HeBS), which represents a double-digit growth over 2008. Another third of hotel bookings will be directly influenced by online research, but booked offline. By 2010 the Internet will contribute over 45% of all hotel bookings in North America. Furthermore, a 2008 McKinsey survey of 340 senior marketing executives worldwide reported that despite the decline in economic activity, 91% said they plan to maintain or exceed current levels of online advertising, and 55% were cutting traditional media, 'precisely in order to increase funding for online efforts.' The survey shines a light on what many marketing professionals already know. The intended and relevant audiences are online, at lower cost, and with measurable results. What are hoteliers to do in these dire economic times? How can they avoid discounting pressures and further commoditization of the hotel product? What type of marketing initiatives will produce the highest return-on-investment (ROI) in 2009? What are the best approaches to retain customers in this environment? The '2009 Top Ten New Year's Internet Marketing Strategy Resolutions', presented by Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS) for the ninth year in a row, provides some of these answers and action steps. Whether you are a major hotel brand, hotel management company, independent or franchised hotel or resort, even in this environment you can stay well ahead of your competition and capture new market share with an effective ROI-centric Internet marketing strategy. Smart and proactive hoteliers who utilize best practices in Internet marketing and follow latest trends to their own advantage will define the industry winners and losers in 2009 and in the long term. Here are the Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions your hotel company should consider adopting in 2009:

1. I will turn 2009 into the Year of Outsmarting the Competition. Even though fewer people will be traveling to my hotel's destination, I know there will be more than enough travelers to maintain a healthy occupancy rate if I can 'steal' market share from the competition. I know that my competitors are skeptical about the current economic downturn and are consequently slashing marketing budgets. I will continue to invest in my Internet marketing and do my best to increase market share by being a smarter marketer in 2009.

2. I will overhaul my hotel's marketing budget to achieve the highest return-on-ad-spend (ROAS). Unlike the competition, I will not automatically cut my hotel's marketing spend, but re-evaluate my marketing efforts and advertising budget and focus on proven return-on-investment (ROI)-centric efforts. I will shift funds from offline to online advertising formats. I will shift funds from brand-building to direct-response initiatives. I will track every dollar spent with sophisticated website analytical and campaign tracking technology (Omniture, DART, etc.) to make sure that I achieve respectable return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) from every campaign. I understand that in this economic environment I should not be experimenting with unproven advertising formats. In 2009 I will focus only on proven Internet marketing formats that generate above industry-average returns at the lowest possible cost. I will not spend valuable marketing dollars on traditional and expensive media formats, or on 'sexy' new media initiatives like advertising on popular, but irrelevant to the travel planning and decision process social media sites like YouTube, Facebook.com, MySpace.com, etc. I will not fall prey to the 'Stockholm Syndrome' (advertise on online travel agencies where the advertising cost, in addition to hefty margins, can drive the total cost to my hotel to 30%-40% from booked hotel revenue).

3. I will re-evaluate the importance of my hotel's key customer segments and feeder markets in lieu of the economic downturn. Have my main feeder markets changed lately? Have my traditional key customer segments' contribution changed? I have already noticed a drop in my fly-in guests' share due to airfare hikes, cuts in corporate travel budgets, and reduced airline capacity, and I understand the need to focus more on my drive-in market. I will do a thorough customer segmentation analysis and take a hard look at how my property markets to my key customer segments (e.g. meeting planners, groups, business, leisure), as well as develop a marketing plan to target my most important feeder markets. I will continue building interactive relationships with my customers. In this new online environment I don't just want to provide great service to my guests, I want to 'own' the customer throughout the travel planning and decision making cycle and not allow the third-party online intermediaries to own my customers. I will focus on building customer loyalty via reward programs and other eCRM initiatives.

4. I will become a smarter eMarketer in 2009. I understand how important it is to track conversions on my website and ROIs from my Internet marketing campaigns and figure out what works and what doesn't. In 2009 I will track the post-impression and post-click activity of each campaign and track conversions (bookings, room nights, revenues) from every campaign. I will implement the latest website analytics + campaign tracking technology to track ROI from my online marketing efforts and adjust marketing spend instantaneously based on ROIs. I will know exactly which Internet marketing campaigns-search marketing, email marketing, display advertising, strategic linking, etc.-produce bookings and revenues, how much and at what ROI.I will become ROI-centric. I know that measuring ROI is the last priority for many vendors out there. I will no longer accept excuses from my interactive vendors about how difficult it is to track conversions and ROAS and that the 'technology is simply not there'. I will only work with an Internet marketing vendor that provides a comprehensive Internet marketing strategy and focuses on online marketing formats that generate the highest ROIs. I will demand full transparency in fees and marketing spend, and accountability for results. I will require 24/7 access to state-of-the-art website analytical and campaign tracking tools, utilization of industry's best practices, and marketing spend that can be tracked. If my current vendors cannot accommodate my hotel, I will replace them in a heartbeat.

5. I will re-evaluate my hotel marketing strategy to provide a Unique Value Proposition to my customers. I will create unique hotel offers based on unique product attributes. I will not be competing only on price. I know that I will never be able to attract and retain more sophisticated travel shoppers and more affluent customers if I compete on price alone. I understand that the online travel agencies have been responsible to a great extent for the commoditization of the hotel product and services. I will work hard against any further commoditization of my hotel product and services. I will identify unique aspects of my hotel product and destination, and develop a differentiated approach to reach my key customer segments by creating unique specials and packages, event-related getaways, and seasonal promotions.

6. I will develop my hotel's differentiation strategy to 'stand out' amongst my competitors. I understand that in an economic downturn, when all my competitors are slashing prices and competing on rate alone, I have to distinguish my hotel to attract more discriminating customers, achieve higher ADRs and increase market share. To set my hotel apart from the online travel agencies, I will stay within rate parity, but provide additional value such as resort or dining credits, room/suite upgrades, etc. if guests book on my site. To differentiate my hotel from the comp set, I will offer what my competition does not: a broader selection of specials and packages in a variety that my customers can appreciate: seasonal specials, suite specials, weekend specials, family specials, romantic getaways.

7. In 2009 I will continue making the direct online channel the centerpiece of my Internet strategy because I know it provides my hotel company with immediate results in a very difficult economic environment as well as long-term competitive advantages. I know that the leading hospitality brands already enjoy a very healthy 76:24 direct vs. indirect online distribution ratio, and Direct Online Channel sales will exceed 61% for the industry as a whole in 2009. I will maintain strict rate parity across all marketing channels and maintain a best rate guarantee, while at the same time creating unique product offerings to provide a unique value proposition to my customers. I will employ a comprehensive Direct Online Channel strategy to significantly increase my direct online sales and shift bookings from more expensive distribution channels to the least expensive channel-my hotel website.

8. I will optimize and if needed re-design my hotel website in 2009. I know that hotel Internet marketing starts and ends with the hotel website and my site has become the first, and in many cases, the last point of contact with the travel consumer. I understand that the site is the hotel's most important marketing asset today and enhancing and optimizing the hotel website should be a top priority in 2009. I will aim to enhance my hotel website's user-friendliness, search engine-friendliness, travel booker-friendliness, and interactive relationship-friendliness, which will boost conversion rates, improve search engine rankings, and website revenues. I also know that a well done website optimization and enhancement or re-design will pay for itself within 3-4 months.I realize that if my site is over 12 months old, a website optimization is due in 2009, in order to take full advantage of the much cheaper organic search related visitors my your site. I also know that if my site is over 2-3 years old, a website re-design should be considered, or at least budgeted for late 2009. I know that my website should 'speak' to two distinct audiences: travel consumers to whom the site must comprehensively describe all aspects of the hotel product and services, and the search engines, for which the site must adhere to best practices related to H1 headers, body copy (keyword density), page titles, description tags and keyword tags.

9. I will re-consider my hotel's Web 2.0/Social Media Strategy and implement effective, yet inexpensive, initiatives as part of my comprehensive direct Internet marketing strategy. I want to listen to what my customers are saying. I know that by adopting best practices for monitoring customer review sites I can not only gain unfiltered insights into the customer experience and immediately address any issues and act appropriately, but I can also attract new customers. On the other hand I know that I can establish interactive relationships with my customers via Web 2.0/Social Media initiatives on my website such as expert blogs, consumer experience and photo sharing, contests and sweepstakes, etc.

10. I will take a hard look at how Best Industry Practices are being utilized in my hotel Internet marketing strategies and by my hotel's Internet marketing vendors. I know that now, after almost 14 years since the first online hotel booking, best practices have been established in practically every aspect of hotel Internet marketing. I do not want my Internet marketing vendors to 'learn the business on my dime'. I will make it my mission to acquire new core competencies and adopt best industry practices by partnering with leading hospitality experts in Internet marketing and direct online channel strategies. I like to have a crystal-clear understanding of what the best practices and latest trends are in Internet marketing in hospitality. What works, what doesn't, and why. I recognize I don't have all the answers and that there are thought leaders and other proven professionals who can help me and my hotel stay competitive in these dire times, preserve and increase market share, and generate the highest website revenues and ROIs. I will work with Internet marketing experts to disseminate eKnowledge and best practices, making my team stakeholders in the corporate Internet marketing efforts. I will hire experts who can teach me and my staff best practices and keep us apprised of the latest trends. These Internet marketing practitioners will provide crucial professional development as well as guide our direct Internet marketing strategies, online brand building strategies, e-CRM, website re-design and optimization, search and email marketing, and Web 2.0 initiatives. Note: Mariana Mechoso, Director eMarketing Services at HeBS, also contributed to this article.