HR in Hospitality(TM) Attendees Focus on Classic Strategies, Web 2.0 to Build Brighter Future

As the hospitality industry struggles to rebound, it falls on HR's shoulders to make sure employees are engaged because that will drive customer satisfaction and organizational success, Jonathan M. Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, told attendees of the National HR in Hospitality™ Conference & Expo last week in Las Vegas. The annual conference, which drew more than 400 registered attendees Feb. 22-24, is produced by Human Resource Executive Conferences™ in partnership with Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and ILR School.

"Nobody has gotten away from the past 18 months without facing a very, very difficult environment," Tisch said. "The only way we are going to get through these difficult times is by understanding certain relationships and understanding certain partnerships... There has to be buy-in from every level in your organization," he said.

Part of building relationships and partnerships can be done through Web 2.0 and social networking, according to keynote speaker and president and CEO of Travelport, Jeffrey Clarke. "Increasingly, our personal and work lives are intermingling and part of that is this social media phenomenon," he said. Successful social media initiatives will provide transparency to employees, collaboration throughout the organization and the ability for feedback to be given and received, he added.

For the first time in four years, Cornell's prestigious Executive Roundtable was open to all HR in Hospitality™ attendees. More than 200 attendees watched as 28 senior-level HR executives from some of the most well-known hospitality organizations, academics and employment-law attorneys held a lively, two-hour discussion.

"I thought this conference was the most interactive we've had," said Claude J. Werder, Vice President of Human Resource Executive