At 3:26 pm on Friday 22 July news broke of an explosion in the centre of Norway’s capital, Oslo. Within minutes the scene was identified as the government headquarters, severely damaged by the bomb, killing some eight civil servants, injuring a lot more. As “luck” would have it, the explosion took place after business hours, at a time when most of our working force is away on vacation.

Needless to say, we were all deeply shocked. In a heartbeat our capital turned into a battle zone,  but we were soon to learn that all hell had only just begun to break loose. At approximately 5 pm the media brought the heartbreaking reports of a shooting spree taking place at the Labour Party youth camp at Utøya, some 50 kilometres away, killing another 68 teenagers and young adults, with scores of injured (final figures yet to be determined) – all an act of one single, highly disturbed extremist. Text continues below photograph.

Many of us working for HSMAI Europe are Norwegians and absolutely devastated – as most people around the world. As a country of less than 5 million citizens, the proportions are inconceivable. We all know some of the deceased, the injured, their next of kin – or their friends.

This incident has struck us all so hard it may seem meaningless to go on, but giving up would entail a surrender to terrorism and senseless acts of violence. Our response is to continue as planned, with an ambitious schedule throughout the autumn and the winter, while paying our deepest respect to the affected – and in memory of those poor young people, our very finest. A loss so vast that we find it impossible to get our heads around it.

Our hearts go out in sorrow, to the mourning friends and families, in loving memory of the untimely departed.

Ingunn Hofseth
HSMAI Europe
President

Photos: 200,000 mourners congregated outside the Oslo city hall on Monday 25 July 2011. Photo from Wikipedia/Mathias-S
Flowers laid down in front of the Oslo cathedral during the days following the senseless attack. Photo from Wikipedia/Asav

ALTA, Norway—Ten students at the University College of Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost county, have received a head start in the job hunting queue upon completing training in the professional hotel management software suite PMI.

Since 26 October, ten students at the University College of Finnmark managed their own hotel using the online computer programme PMI. Today 65 percent of all hotels in Norway are using PMI, but it’s the first time that an educational programme in Norway offers this training to students. PMI keeps tabs on room bookings, budgeting, forecasting, accounting, staffing, procurement of food and beverages and everything else that the hotel management must keep track of to operate as efficiently as possible.

Impressed with the students

“It has been very educational and informative,” says student Lana Stock (21). She and her fellow students were first trained, then ran their own hotel for two weeks.

“In fact, they managed a real hotel, currently in full operation. We collected data from five hotels in Europe, including Norwegian chains Rica, Thon and two other chain hotels, as well as individual hotels. Students were told which hotel they ran,” says Chief Education Officer at d2o, Mr Kjell Gangdal, whose daily occupation is to educate hotel managers around the world in the use of PMI. He is impressed with the students’ efforts.

“They have been very clever and have operated hotels exceeding all expectations,” he continues. To motivate students to use PMI, the school had a competition where the best “Hotel Manager” among students receive a trip to a big hotel in Brussels to see how PMI is used to organise the operation.

“It has been a close competition and the students have really worked hard,” Gangdal adds. But it was  tourism student Trine Møller (24) from London who drew the longest straw. “It has been incredibly exciting to get an insight into hotel management,” she says. In the months of January–February she is going to Brussels. “It is very exciting,” she adds, looking forward to the journey. Text continued below photograph.

Valuable addition to the resume

“To teach students PMI is a really good initiative from the school,” continues Møller. This spring she finished her bachelor’s degree in tourism. She will be applying for jobs, and has plans to use the course diploma actively in the job application process. The same scenario with Lana Stock, which will receive a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration.

“This course will be added to my resume. I am very proud to know PMI. It is a boost for us that these students entered the programme,” she says. Silje Kjellmo Johansson (24) from Kirkenes currently works at Thon Hotel in Alta, also in Finnmark, at the front desk while studying. She sees only benefits of being able to use and understand PMI, as the hotel industry job competition is extremely tough. “Today there are only two persons at Thon in Alta who know PMI, and now I do, too,” she smiles, thinking it will give her a head start in her career.

Will continue the scheme

Associated professor Arild Røkenes, department head at the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Media Studies, is pleased to hear of the positive feedback from students. “Experiences so far are entirely positive – the students have demonstrated that theoretical knowledge can be translated into practical skills and they have also been tested in their leadership skills. It has been gratifying to observe such high commitment from the students and, but not least, that the we can take pride in the results.”

“Teachers at the course have a clear goal to continue the scheme, which is also an expressed industry demand, to utilise this knowledge. We thank Rica hotels Finnmark, who have made the pilot project possible through financial support,” said Røkenes.

“I hope that the college will continue to provide this service to students. This is one of the most practice-oriented courses I have had over the years I have studied here,” says Lana Stock, from St. Petersburg, Russia. Now she focuses on a career in the hotel industry. “I have already hung my diploma on the wall,” she boasts proudly.

This article was originally published at the Finnmark University College website. Text (later translated) and all photographs by Ms Inger Elin Utsi.

Editorial disclosure: The company d20, appearing in the article, and HSMAI Europe currently maintains a partnership, while the article itself complies with our ethical standards, independently pre-published by the University College of Finnmark.

Top photo: Lana Stock (left) and Silje Kjellmo Johansen are studying for a bachelors degree in Hotel Management. This spring they completed their studies. Now they have learned to use the hotel management tool PMI, providing an advantage in their job search. PMI courses are only offered at the University College of Finnmark.

Middle photo: Kjell R. Gangdal giving lectures in the use of PMI. PMI is the computer programme most hotels in Norway use in the hotel administration.

Bottom photo: For the first time students in Norway received training in the professional hotel management utility of PMI. The students have provided feedback to the college that this is a very good measure.

The HSMAI GM Forum (General Managers’ Forum) in Oslo this Tuesday had a nice turnout, with some 100 attendants, ranging from hotel managers via chain executives to other management professionals, listening in on the approximately ten speakers and the five-member panel, discussing hotel chain measures in order to attract the industry’s future talents, among other subjects, tailored for this target group.

“We are very pleased with the turnout and the benefits yielded in the forum, with so many partakers from the industry’s leading actors, as well as the smaller,” says Ms Ingunn Hofseth (above picture), CEO and president of HSMAI Chapter Norway – and HSMAI Europe. The forum was held at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel (right) in Oslo.  Article to continue under photograph.

Judging by the reports, spirits were high among the attending members (and non-members alike), which comes as no surprise, given the interesting subjects (found on the forum agenda – in Norwegian).

See more pictures

HSMAI Chapter Norway set up a Facebook album from the event in connection with their fan page. Please feel free to “Like” while there.

Photo 1: Ingunn Hofseth, HSMAI Chapter Norway’s CEO and president wishes the attendants welcome to the HSMAI GM Forum 2010.
Foto 2: Toril Flåskjer, manager at the Scandic hotels in Asker and at Høvik, just outside Oslo – and chair of the GM Forum committee – formally opening the forum.

Scandic is continuing to grow in the Nordic region, adding three new franchise hotels and renewing an existing franchise agreement. Three of the hotels are located in the city of Bergen in Norway and the fourth is in Arvika, Sweden.

“As part of our focus on developing and growing in the Nordic countries, we will be opening more new hotels in exciting locations over the next few years. We are extremely pleased that three new hotels in Norway and Sweden have chosen to join Scandic, cementing our reputation as the leading Nordic hotel chain,” states Anders Ehrling, President and CEO of Scandic.

Scandic Bergen City is renewing its franchise agreement. At the same time, two new hotels are being added in the thriving Norwegian city; Bergen Neptun (130 rooms) and Bergen Strand (98 rooms) will both become Scandic hotels around New Year.

In Arvika, Sweden, Scandic is entering into a franchise agreement with Oscar Statt, a central hotel with 88 rooms, a restaurant, bar, spa and conference facilities. The hotel will rebrand itself as a Scandic in 2011.

Photograph: The Bergen Neptun, Bergen, Norway

HSMAI Europe has signed a sponsor agreement with the renowned PMI company d2o (Performance Management Intelligence), who has been extremely successful in the international hospitality industry over the last couple of years, chiefly among the larger chains, but also with independent operations.

The HSMAI sponsorships work as a two-way arrangement, mutually benefiting both parties, both financially and professionally, and we believe that d2o have a lot to contribute with regards to the latter, but are convinced that we can provide them with a great deal of industry related feedback, as well as exposure.

The next issue of the HSMAI Europe quarterly, HSMAI Gazette (click here to read the first issue), features an in-depth interview with d2o’s CEO Mr. Young N. Nguyen (above), but until that, we strongly recommend a look at this article. Please visit the company’s website for further details.

There are other partnerships in the pipeline, too, to be announced in due time.

London Business School

The Norwegian HSMAI GM Forum for hotel managers, assisting managers and chain managements is to be held in Oslo on 16 November, with London Business School’s Michael Nowlis as keynote, followed by the Norwegian HSMAI Hospitality and Travel Industry Day on 1 December.

Revenue Management seminars are scheduled for a number of European cities, starting in Dublin. HSMAI Europe’s first Portuguese conference is to take place in Lisbon on Tuesday 7 December. Two days later, Thursday 9 December, it is time for the first HSMAI European Advisory Board meeting in London, setting out to plan next year’s HSMAI European Travel Awards on 5 May, also taking place in London, with a two-hours lecture by Mr. Nowlis, who will act as moderator for the rest of the meeting, making plans for the HSMAI activities in Europe.

The 18^th Norwegian HSMAI Meeting Exchange is held in Oslo on 12 January, at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel. The HSMAI Meeting Exchange is the largest meeting place for buyers and sellers of conference and meeting services. That same night HSMAI’s Norwegian Awards is held at another Oslo venue.

International Expert

Mr. Michael Nowlis may seem a recurring name during the autumn term, and rightfully so. Mr. Nowlis is an American, residing in Paris for a number of years. He headed the Cornell Essec in Paris, and fronted the international hotel organisation, too. We have had the good fortune to use him as lecturer at several earlier occasions, to which members have responded extremely well.

For the last four years Michael has been directing the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School.  LBS has been in the news a lot since it was named the top business school in the world by the Financial Times earlier this year.  He directs their flagship executive education programme for C-suite enterprise leaders at major global corporations.  Harvard is the only other business school that has a programme at this level.

He also continues his consulting and seminar activities.

We would like to use this opportunity to welcome new members from all over Europe, hoping that together we will prosper and thrive as a result of new knowledge, brought about by the industry’s top notch experts.

Sincerely,
Ingunn Hofseth
President & CEO, HSMAI Europe

Top photo: Mr. Young N. Nguyen, d2o’s CEO.

This week’s conferences in Oslo and Stockholm featured an introduction to Revenue management confirmed the need for an international certification within that field – regardless your chain affiliation or nationality. The programme, originally developed in the U.S., is currently adapted and tailored for European needs, to be launched on this website in a couple of weeks.

The global financial recession has brought about challenges we need to address, as tourism and business travels alike have taken a downturn, calling for increased focus on maximising business opportunities and revenue management.

We also need to take a closer look at marketing, and to establish how to get the most out of each penny spent, thereby improving margins. Interestingly, we see how the two Special Interest Groups Revenue management and Travel Internet marketing overlap in that respect, which is why we’ve decided to launch the two first. But we acknowledge national differences, introducing both national and pan European SIG’s.

However, we go even farther:

With seminars and the Certified Revenue Management Executive programme we wish to enable our members to optimise income for just their businesses, and it really doesn’t matter where you are, as webinars will be used extensively, both in this particular area of interest and others. What better way to maximise income, than to save both time and money?

All webinars will be held in English and in a number of European languages.

Thanks a lot to all those who have contributed to a memorable and instructive week – and to HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Bob Gilbert, who toured the Norwegian and Swedish capitals with us this week.

A peaceful and enjoyable weekend to one and all!

Ingunn Hofseth
President and CEO
HSMAI Europe

A conference was held in Oslo this week, focusing on Special Interest Groups and Revenue management, also featuring two sessions on Travel Internet marketing, Resort marketing, an environmentally sustainable hospitality industry, and theme-based adventures. The conference drew an interested crowd from all parts of the industry, eager to set up SIG’s, initially within the fields of Revenue management and Travel Internet marketing.

Ingunn Hofseth, president, HSMAI Europe and HSMAI Chapter Norway.

“I’m thrilled that HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Bob Gilbert took the time to attend, both in Oslo and Stockholm,” HSMAI Europe’s president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth says, adding “There’s little doubt that Revenue management SIG’s are in demand, as we saw in Oslo on Wednesday”.

Huge U.S. success

Marion Hughes, vice president for business development in Intelligent Hotels, gave a lecture – and supervised workshops – on revenue management, supported by HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Robert A. Gilbert, who shared the American experiences with an interested audience, focusing on the financial situation and the importance of establishing acceptance for the ROI (return on investment) pertaining to marketing expenses. He also pointed out that revenue management and travel Internet marketing are closely linked, and, as such, quite often overlap, in terms of special interests and their groups.

Bob Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI Global, reported a huge success with SIG's in the U.S. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

“The SIG concept has been very well received in the Americas region,” Bob told us. “This has been a huge value proposition, with somewhere in-between 700 and 1200 members per special interest group, and you know, HSMAI members are free to opt into all SIG’s for free. Turns out that lots of people want to learn, and we’re only happy to comply”.

“Crucial to the SIG concept are the various groups’ advisory boards, consisting of leading professionals within their respective fields of expertise,” he says. “And the user evaluations have been nothing short of fantastic. We have sponsored whitepapers, strategy conferences, web-based toolboxes and work on numerous platforms, both through the Internet and in more conventional settings”.

Much to gain on unfiltered customer response

When it comes to social media and opening up for member and user dialogue, the HSMAI boss is surprisingly open-minded:

Bob Gilbert spoke to an interested audience in the Oslo Congress Centre on Wednesday 18 November. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

“From a hospitality perspective, I think we’ve only benefited from the unfiltered feedback these new media offer. Whether a company decides to act on that response or not, is entirely up to them, but it provides a whole new set of opportunities. Also, it’s changed the paradigm of marketing completely, although, granted you have to give up some of the control, but gain so much more,” he says.

“We shouldn’t fear criticism. Criticism is good. And you know, sometimes, issuing an apology, if criticism is due, can earn you lots and lots of customer trust”.

When asked about the chief challenges facing the hospitality industry today, Mr. Gilbert replies unhesitatingly:

“The threat of new standards on all levels of travel and hospitality, especially in the corporate market. Travel and conference expenditures have been kept at a minimum throughout the global recession. We see this in all regions of the world, and I think we need to address that challenge, the sooner the better. If the industry allows that level to establish itself as the new normal, we’re all in deep trouble,” the global president and CEO concludes.

European Revenue Management Executive certification on the way

The author of this article also gave a lecture on travel Internet marketing, for an equally interested audience, eager to make use of the opportunities offered through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – and the plethora of social media outlets available today.

“I’m happy to say that a special interest group for travel Internet marketing is en route already,” says Ingunn Hofseth, who, by the way, has become quite the Internet socialite herself over the last couple of months. “But that’s not all,” she says. “In a matter of weeks we’re ready to launch a European certification programme on Revenue management, entitling the graduates to use the CRME (Certified Revenue Management Executive) designation, which has proved a great success in the Americas region, and which fills a void in the European hospitality industry’s follow-up studies,” Ingunn concludes, promising more news on the matter in two weeks.

Top photo: Norwegian HSMAI members from all parts of the industry listened carefully as Marion Hughes and Bob Gilberts shared their experiences with Revenue management in Oslo on Wednesday 18 November. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

HSMAI’s European division faces a busy month with one-day conferences on SIG’s (Special Interest Groups) in the capitals of Poland, Norway and Sweden this November, with a golden opportunity to revive the Swedish chapter, as well as the chartering of a chapter in Poland.

The Hilton Warsaw, venue for the Warsaw SIG conference in November.

In addition to an introduction to the SIG concept, all conferences will offer a walk-through of HSMAI’s Revenue Management programme.

HSMAI global’s president and CEO Mr. Robert A. Gilbert will give an introduction at the Oslo and Stockholm conferences, whereas Mr. Tomasz Janczak gives same at the Warsaw conference, taking place at the Warsaw Hilton.

All conferences also feature Ms. Marion Hughes’ insights in Revenue Management. She currently makes her home in New York City as Vice President, Business Development for Intelligent Hotels, a global leader who have developed and deployed intelligent revenue strategies for a wide range of hotel groups, including Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels and Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Loews Hotels, Le Meridien, Relais & Chateaux, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Capella Hotels, Holiday Inns, Ramada Hotels, Choice Hotels, Marriott, Hilton International, and Mexicos Grupo Posadas.

Oslo Congress Centre at Youngstorget in central Oslo. Photographer: Kjetil Ree/Wikimedia Commons

Marion has worked for a European luxury hotel group managing sales and marketing for 6 of their hotels and overseeing 14 sales executives. She has extensive experience from working in online distribution and has held a global marketing role in a key European Travelocity business unit.

The conferences will be opened by HSMAI Europe’s CEO and president Ms. Ingunn Hofseth, also CEO and president of HSMAI Chapter Norway.

The participant fees in Warsaw include one year’s HSMAI membership, with access to the SIG’s in question – as well as future SIG’s and other HSMAI activities and benefits (the article continues below video clip).

The conferences take place in the Warsaw Hilton 17 November, Oslo Conference Centre 18 November and the Clarion Hotel Stockholm 19 November.

The Clarion Hotel Stockholm.

The Oslo conference also features the launch of SIG’s within the following fields of interest:

• Revenue Management
• Resort Marketing
• Travel Internet Marketing
• Environmentally Sustainable Travel-Business

As Norway already has a fully operational chapter, participants are also offered an introduction to theme-based adventures, by Innovation Norway’s travel director Mr. Per-Arne Tuftin. The Travel Internet Marketing session is conducted by journalist and social media specialist Ms. Ingeborg Volan of Sermo Consulting.

Register now!

Please read further details – and register – on these pages:

• The Warsaw conference (PDF)
• The Oslo Conference (web page in Norwegian)
• The Stockholm conference (PDF)

HSMAI Chapter Norway relaunched its website, hsmai.no, yesterday, based on HSMAI Europe’s overall functionality and design, but with a domestic twist.

As opposed to HSMAI Europe, the Norwegian chapter also sports a section for career opportunities, as well as a soon-to-launch password-protected member network, Facebook-style.

Rumour has it the redesign and the new functions have been very well received.

“After preparing the redesigned website throughout summer, we’re very pleased to welcome you to our refurbished site, especially facilitating news and two-way integration with the social media,” says Ingunn Hofseth, president of HSMAI Chapter Norway – and the European division – in a statement, branding the new site a lot more “vital, dynamic, copious and informative”.

Up until recently the chapter’s communications have largely been based on the weekly newsletter, HSMAI Weekly, which is now fully incorporated in the new website.

OSLO, Norway — Thon Hotels and First Hotels sign cooperation agreement for Scandinavia. The agreement includes cooperation in the areas of sales, distribution and marketing. The aim is to increase the total availability for both chains in the Scandinavian and Benelux hotel market.

According to a press release issued today, the cooperation will start 1 January 2010. The two chains will offer over 104 hotels throughout Scandinavia and Benelux.

The two chains are major players on the Scandinavian hotel scene and have their strength in different geographical areas. They have strong brands, extensive coverage, large sales organizations and quality hotel products.

First Hotels has 46 hotels in Scandinavia, of which 31 hotels are in Sweden, nine in Norway and six in Denmark. The annual turnover for First Hotels is NOK 1.2 billion.

Thon Hotels is the third largest hotel chain in Norway, with 53 hotels and two more planned for the autumn 2009. Annual turnover is at NOK 2.4 billion. Thon Hotels also has a number of hotels in the Benelux region, also to be included in the cooperation.

The cooperation will primarily focus on sales, distribution and marketing. This will benefit the customers in terms of a larger range of hotel products in a significantly larger geographical area. There are also plans for cooperation between the two chains’ loyalty programmes, thereby enabling the guests to earn and spend bonus points in both chains.

Both Thon Hotels and First Hotels will maintain full ownership and control over their brands under the agreement.

Photo: Mr. Morten Thorvaldsen, CEO, Thon Hotels.