Your Hospitality Doctor's seven predictions for 2002

1. 2002 will be the watershed for the Hospitality Industry and its' use of the Internet. The industry in general will begin to follow the leaders and realize the importance of capturing the names of the people who visit their businesses and their Internet sites.

2. Restaurants in particular will realize, if they collect the names of their customers, they can stay TOM (Top of Mind) with them by clever use the Internet.

3. Hotels and Resorts already capture names of guests. In 2002 they will realize they too can use the Internet to stay TOM with their guests.

4. The Industry will realize staying TOM with their customers will bring them back twice as often and in doing so will double their turnover.

5. The good operators will also learn journalistic skills. Eg. How to write headlines that say "Open Me" for the subject line and how to write pithy e-mails.

6. The operators who capitalize on the Internet, realizing how inexpensive and effective it can be, will be around in 2003. Those who don't will disappear.

So I ask "Where are you and your hospitality business now with your Internet site and skills?" Don't worry if you are not 'full bottle' at this moment. No one can go back to make a new start...but everyone can start NOW to make a new end. But it is up to you to act...NOW. An ancient Chinese proverb that always motivates me states "Person who wait for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait a very long time."

Let's work on making 2002 a FANTASTIC year!

Max Hitchins - The Hospitality Doctor - Marketing and management magician - http://www.HospitalityDoctor.com

PS. Next week I'll tell you about a Super Conference you should attend in early May.