As a result of our hotel industry blog, many people reach out to me asking for advice on how to start or advance ones career. I notice that many hoteliers and hospitality management students are not sure where to start.

In all honesty, you can start anywhere. Start at the bottom, and work hard. Work your way up by impressing upon your peers and superiors. Find an area of the industry that speaks to you, and roll up your sleeves ...

We have been faced with this challenge many times, and it seems it oftenboils down to the same. It might surprise you that generally the problem is due to a lack of insight in independent hotels on how the travel industry really works. There is also a shortage of understanding in the business in general. As a result hotel assets become distressed and are in dire need to be turned around.

It was exciting to see the end result last week of years of preparations and planning, followed by months of putting in long hours working on the hotel’s pre-opening. And to say the least, the Qbic London City Hotel has come out to be amazing …

Location is one of the top selection criteria for travelers when choosing a hotel. And yes, location has a big impact on the demand your hotel will generate, and therefore will influence the price you can ask in the market for your rooms. Hence when starting a new hotel, the site selection process is a key step that should not be taken too lightly.

No plan is viable without some form of research. Especially if you require outside investment you will need to demonstrate you have done a feasibility study for your new hotel concept. It will also be helpful for yourself to put your ideas on paper and benchmark them against the market to determine the chance of success. Based on our hotel management experience we have put some pointers on paper ...

OK, so you have decided to realize your dream and open your own hotel. You have thought out an amazing concept delivering unparalleled guest service. The next step would be to write a hotel business plan. It’s like a road map to the opening. However this is where most entrepreneurs get stuck.