The private club scene has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, shifting its traditional exclusivity to embrace a younger, more diverse membership base.

While in many ways we pride ourselves as a society of excesses, we should ask if there might really be something to the phrase “less is more.” If this healthier lifestyle is something we strive for in our personal lives, how can this transpire in business without compromise to the bottom line?

Hotels don't have to isolate guests in order to optimize revenues. What types of hotels should accommodate children, and what measures should they take to do it well without negative impact to the guest experience?

We exist in a transformative period of change in the hospitality industry with a shift in thought to mindfulness and overall health of our companies, clients and internal customers. To experience hospitality in its truest most honest form, one must be authentic, genuine and embrace each new moment as an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. That is exactly what mindfulness is, tuning into the moment and cultivating awareness in yourself.

Hong Kong is many things to many people. Skyscrapers, crowded streets, heat, humidity, neon lights, sensory overload, a city of cultural exchange, modernity, and opportunity. This art piece by Danny Fang is a Hong Kong butcher lamp with a customized neon light of love - a sign we felt captured the relationship between old and new - something tourists to this country can experience in their own way.

Many of us strive to work while we vacation in a pursuit of work life balance. Can popular lobby workspaces have adverse affects on business and leisure travelers alike, and is there an argument for some hotels to keep 'business centers?' 

The amount of food waste created by the Hospitality industry is shocking. Over the past decade, Craft House has challenged industry leaders to adopt methods to reduce food waste. This Zurich Bakery takes a common practice at home (eating day old bread) and uses it to help reduce food waste and change consumer behavior.  

Is millennial travel all About boutique hotels and coliving, or is there a new breed of travelers - young, professional, reaching their peak of income earning, and dying to experience old school luxury? 

Read our blog: www.HOTELSMag.com, 5/25/16, by Yvette Jong, Craft House Consulting "Greenwashing” continues, and the latest culprit is the unverifiable and overuse of “farm to table” concepts. That’s right - wooden counter tops, rustic furniture, baskets of irregular veg, craft paper placemats, and use of the term in your concept brief don’t define the philosophy, and aren’t serving it any justice.

With international tourism surpassing 1.2 billion and continuing to rise, some top destinations have lost the appeal that made them famous to begin with. Other than finding bargains, there's so much more to gain when traveling in the low season.

Hoteliers have been attacking vacation home rentals for years with a strong emphasis on Airbnb, while travelers embrace the alternative lodging solution. Is there an opportunity for hotels to collaborate with nearby vacation rentals to achieve a win-win situation?

The work-live balance has been a long time struggle but we are seeing less office time and more “me time” specifically when it comes to the Millennial workforce. Is face time a thing of the past? Does the commitment to work take second to living your life on your schedule? What happened to waiting until your boss leaves until you can slyly sneak out of the office?

There is no need to question whether energy use is strategic or not. Any resource that a business cannot operate without and that costs money is by definition strategic, not tactical.

An American Express survey a couple of years ago found that 83% of holidaymakers expect to stay digitally connected during their break, and 64% of those expect to check their work email daily while on vacation. Surely our parents and grandparents would be horrified – as should we be.

You don't have to be worried about liability if you want to do the right thing and donate leftover food to charity. Be responsible, and know the law will be there to protect you. The text below is from FoodtoDonate.com

Great design and programming aren't limited to the luxury 5-star 5-diamond gems found around the world, or the boutique hotels in city centers. Just because hostels are affordable doesn't mean they can't be cool. And these hostels prove it. 

If it's branded, and branded well, there's a good chance your collateral will become a keepsake for some of your customers. And that might not be a bad thing.

Should tipping become the burden of the customer? And should restauranteurs benefit from loose minimum wage laws in the industry? The industry is split, and those who are challenging it are beginning to face some serious pushback. 

I’ve heard the rumor that a hotel guest once asked the concierge for a place with pizza delivery. The concierge provided no results, so he called GoDaddy. The gentleman who answers says, “Well, finding you a local place to deliver pizza isn’t normally what we do, but hey, let me take a look.” And the guest gets his pizza.

For those of you who read the HOTELsMag blog by Craft House Founder and Director, Yvette Jong, you may have read her piece titled, "I heart Airbnb." After both backlash and support from industry colleagues criticizing or supporting her point of view, Craft House distributed a survey to understand what the industry really thinks about Airbnb. The results are here!