I can’t remember being this excited about sharing my thoughts on any one particular topic in a long time. Your life could be on the verge of changing for the good. Fast. Easy. And soon. It all started for me at my kitchen table while reading the morning paper. My wife showed me a book review of One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, written by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.

Since I often remind seminar attendees that Olympic Gold is usually won by thousandths of a second, the concept of taking small steps to achieve goals was not new to me.

The Japanese might have given it its name, Kaizen Read the rest of this entry »

One of the many things us “oldsters” are learning from the younger generation is not only how to text faster and with more dexterity, but how to communicate using only a few letters.

For example: Having seen the letters LOL salted in at the end of a message for some time, I finally learned that they stood for “Laugh Out Loud.” I initially interpreted them to mean “Lots of Luck.” (A subtle, but very important difference.)

The letters FOMO had me flummoxed for quite some time, but soon they began to take on a new meaning in my “happening” alphabetical vernacular: Fear of Missing Out. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s message may very well be a repeat, but it is worth a second pass just the same. It reminds us how important “persistence” is and the logic in continuing to do what works.

Although “do-overs” or mulligans are more closely associated with sports, there is certainly time and rationale for “do-agains” when it comes to business.

Allow me to explain. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Richard Earls had a great column (go ahead…click the link and read…I’ll wait) about problems faced by his various businesses throughout his career. The end result was that they always seemed to come back to him. And he’s good with it. One sentence struck me, “When you blame others, you give up a powerful force for change: yourself.”  13 simple words with some powerful meaning. And then I began to think. Read the rest of this entry »

The question “What do you want?” can sometimes be one of the most difficult to answer. It’s an odd psychological quirk we often find it far easier to say what we don’t want.

So let’s consider this: What do you want for the travel industry?  It’s time to be clear with ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »

Replay: On Wednesday, July 15, at 2PM, we will be joined by a panel from American Cruise Lines. During the webinar, we will hear about what American Cruise Lines offers travelers looking to cruise within the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

Allow me to explain today’s message while keeping my blood pressure down. I remember once flying to Phoenix, and then onto Miami for a couple of speaking assignments.

Departing from Albany Airport is a real pleasure compared to Newark – my old launching pad. It was in Albany Airport’s Starbucks when I was reminded of a common debilitating problem our country faces. Three young workers were carrying on behind the counter like they were in a high school library. They were kibitzing and shouting loudly as if no customers were within earshot. I was growing more annoyed by the minute. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

If you are over the age of 35 and happen to have children, nephews, or neighbors over the age of 10, you know exactly what I am about to say. Young people seem to “know” just about everything. This trait, I am sad to say, is not limited to just young people. For my money, there are too many adults who seem to “know” everything they need to know.

Will Rogers reminded us years ago when he said, “It is not what you don’t know that gives you trouble, it’s what we know that just ain’t so.”

It is important to come to grips with the fact that knowing and doing are two entirely different things. Read the rest of this entry »

The former home and setting of two novels by Jane Austen, Bath has been a sought-after location for centuries. A spa resort setup by the Romans in 43 AD, it sits just south of the Cotswolds in England. Here, the architecture is charming and delicate all at once. Everywhere the traveler looks are examples of a culture-rich city – while having spas and thermal baths readily available is an undeniable plus.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Too many businesses are caught in this unthinkable, unpredictable dilemma: to pivot or bust.”

Today’s hot business buzzword is pivot. Webcasters, podcasters, bloggers and vloggers are charging us to change. For the insatiable entrepreneur, to pivot is practical. For the contented entrepreneur, the pivot is painful.

In the midst of this pandemic, it is clear to see which businesses are riding a sales boom and which have sunk low in unthinkable gloom. Both must pivot to survive. Read the rest of this entry »

This just in: LinkedIn Groups

Group: Travel & Tourism Industry Professionals Worldwide

“I specialize in Team Building, Continuous Improvements, Cost Control, Customer Relations, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Front Office, more than 3 years of experience in Front Office & Customer Relationship Management. Flexible, attention to detail, and ability to learn quickly, good communications skills and friendly attitude. Excellent management skills.” Read the rest of this entry »

Many Caribbean nations have already adopted the notion of health passports, and several European countries are strongly considering these. Boiled down to the essentials, this means that to enter the country, you have to present proof that you tested Negative for Covid-19 within the past 48 or 72 hours. If you haven’t been able to be tested before arriving at the airport, they will test you immediately outside the terminal so as not to endanger the people within. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s message borders on the “just a little whacky” side of business advice. What I am referring to as the “chattering monkey” is that little voice in the back of your head that keeps reminding you of your inferiority.

The only area you can challenge me on today’s message is the use of the word “little.” It happens to be a loud, shouting, obnoxious voice that only you can hear, but you can hear it loud and clear. The shame is that you (we) actually listen to it and give it credence. Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t need theatrics to impress me. What grabs my attention are small courtesies that clearly indicate that I am important to you.

I am not suggesting that you need to come up with some grandiose scheme. Perform small courtesies daily. That is all it takes. Let me know that you care. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I received a press release from a tech company touting the latest and greatest innovations for hoteliers in a post-COVID world. While hotels will certainly need to make significant changes, these new “tools” got me thinking. Read the rest of this entry »

I am spending some portion of my Covid-enforced time-out to think through ways of improving how I do business. When we all come out of the standstill, I want to make sure my companies  are capable of moving forward  with a fresh set of tools. I have discovered this is easier than I expected because the source of many of the problems that arise at TRO have their origin in my own methodologies. I’m glad, because that is something I can fix. I can’t fix Covid-19, but I can fix the way my company operates in the current environment.

Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »

For clients with an interest in gardening, classical music, opera and the visual arts, early July is a great month for a UK tour. The star attraction for many will be the spectacular, colourful RHS Hampton Court Festival of summer and flowers in the grounds of the historic palace on the banks of the River Thames

With London getting busier at the beginning of summer, it’s time for your clients to get out of the city and into the Cotswolds where a remarkable collection of annual festivals and events can be blended together to create profit generating pre or post extensions to their 3-4 nights in our capital city. Read the rest of this entry »

Replay: On Wednesday, July 8, we will be joined by a panel from Crystal River Cruises. During the webinar we will be joined by the Vice President of Crystal River Cruises, Walter Littlejohn, along with the company’s Director Of Shore Excursions and Vice President of Entertainment. Read more about my voyage on Crystal Bach this past October. Read the rest of this entry »

As month number eight of The Covid-19 Pandemic looms large, I find myself having to postpone my Jamaica Mastermind Retreat with Stuart Cohen for the second time.

“Hope may spring eternal” according to Alexander Pope in his An Essay on Man, but it is safe to say that we are all growing tired of this ongoing conundrum. In addition to being consistently warned that life as we once knew it has become yesterday’s news, it has become apparent to me that a lot of people are beginning to show their true colors and changing for the worse. Allow me to explain. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »