AAA announces Four & Five Diamond recipients

Congrats to the following five WIA members!

The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, and The Pfister & the Iron Horse hotels in Milwaukee all received AAA’s Four Diamond ratings for 2010.  This was the first year that the Iron Horse received the rating.

Also, for the 25th consecutive year, the American Club in Kohler received AAA’s Five Diamond rating.  They continue to be the only Five Diamond recipient in Wisconsin.  Read more about each property at our other blog post here.

Interesting facts: The American Club is one of only 113 lodging properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean to earn the Five Diamond status. Also, The Pfister Hotel is one of only 14 lodging properties to hold the AAA Four Diamond rating for 34 consecutive years (since the program’s inception in 1977).

Learn more about the AAA Diamond Rating system at their site here & Congratulations again to the five above!

40% off DVDs from AH&LA Educational Institute

Now through December 31st, members can save 40% on a number of select DVD titles:

Guest Service
>   10 Minute Trainer: 3-in-1 package
>   10 Minute Trainer: Guest Service
>   ADA: Breaking Down Barriers: Achieving Great Service for Guests with Disabilities
>   Courtesy Rules! Better Telephone Skills Now
>   Guest Service: 3 in 1 package
>   Spirit of Hospitality – Featuring Delivering Quality Guest Service (Available in both English & Spanish)

Housekeeping
>   10 Minute Trainer: Housekeeping (English & Spanish versions available)
>   Housekeeping; 4-in-1 bilingual package
>   Housekeeping: Laundry Operations
>   Housekeeping: Quality Guestroom Cleaning
>   Housekeeping: The Deep Cleaning Process (English & Spanish versions)
>   Stay Safe: Awareness Training for Housekeepers (English & Spanish versions)
>   World Trainer: Guestroom & Bathroom Cleaning
>   World Trainer: Laundry

Risk Management
>   10 Minute Trainer: Safety
>   10 Minute Trainer: Security
>   Addressing Workplace Violence in the Lodging Industry (English & Spanish)
>   Crisis Communications Video
>   Fire Safety: Prevention & Response (English & Spanish)
>   Lodging SafetyWorks (English & Spanish)
>   Planning for Emergencies (English & Spanish)
>   Risk Management 3-in-1 package
>   Spotlight on Security for Lodging (English & Spanish)

Click here to view all the DVDs at the EI site.

Need help with your AH&LA ID Number or not sure if you’re an AH&LA Member?  Contact Denise in the WIA office for assistance.

Free audio conference on “rooms resold” clauses

The Rudner Law Offices is proud to continue its series of no-cost educational audioconferences exclusively for hotel, resort and conference center salespeople.

DETAILS:
Credit for Rooms Resold: Turn an unreasonable request in a Sales & Marketing Opportunity
November 19th, 3:00 pm CST
Discussion: “the law does not require a hotel to give credit for rooms resold against any amount due for attrition or cancellation. When you feel you must agree to such a clause, we have previously discussed (and we will review) how to write such a clause in a way that is fair for your hotel. But can you turn this concept to your advantage, and into a sales and marketing opportunity for your property which allows you to advertise your property in meetings publications at no cost to your hotel?”

TO REGISTER FOR THE SEMINAR:
Please send an email to rudner@hotellawyers.com no later than 48 hours prior to the seminar. Identify the name and email address of each person who will join in on the call (salespeople at the same location must listen together by speaker phone), and the property at which each participant is currently employed. If you have a question which you want to have anonymously addressed during the seminar on ANY subject regarding group sales contracts, please submit that question at the time of your registration.
The day before the seminar you will be sent an email which will provide the toll-free telephone number for you to call in on to join the seminar, as well as a required code number you will need to join the seminar

There is no charge for participation in the audioconference.

The WIA does not endorse Rudner Law Offices nor any of their seminars, materials, or information, and will not be held accountable for any such representations. The information above is simply provided as a courtesy to our members.

H1N1 Flu Information from AH&LA

Those of you who subscribe to the AH&LA SmartBrief may have caught this information in yesterday’s e-newsletter, but if not, here it is again:

Make sure your property is prepared to handle employee absenteeism, sick guests, increased sanitation efforts and the many other challenges H1N1 is predicted to bring to our industry. AH&LA’s new 25-page guide can help answer many of your questions about the flu in the workplace. Visit www.ahla.com/flu for updates throughout the season, as well as additional resources and guidelines.

Also included on AH&LA’s Flu Information page, you’ll find links to:

• Ecolab materials with prevention info as well as “hotel-specific prevention tips”
• Action & Prevention of H1N1 Flu in Hotels
• Current & future H1N1 flu risks for hotels and travelers

Finally, to get the latest information on the 2009 H1N1 Vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control, click on over to their information page here.

As a Partner State of the AH&LA, WIA members with 51+ rooms automatically have dual membership in AH&LA.  For properties with less than 51 rooms, click on over to see the benefits of joining the AH&LA as well as WIA.  Not a WIA member? Check out what you’re missing at JoinWIA.com!

UW-Stout Professor Joe Holland named WIA Associate of the Year

The Wisconsin Innkeepers Association (WIA) is pleased to honor Professor Joseph Holland J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Stout as the 2009 Associate of the Year. Given annually, WIA awards this honor to an individual who services Wisconsin’s lodging industry in an exemplary manner.

Joe is a current member of the WIA Board of Directors who, along with Student Director Rachel Bernstein, has helped connect lodging industry professionals with students in Hospitality. He is a tenured full professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, teaching Hospitality Law & Liability, Foodservice Finance & Cost Controls and more.

Participating in articulation agreements as far away as Singapore, Spain, and RAI University in India, as well as here in Wisconsin with Lake Geneva High Schools and Gateway Technical College, Joe has learned and shared his expertise through UW-Stout for 23 years. In 1998 he was awarded the Educator of the Year Award from the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce.

Part of Joe’s work has been to coordinate the AH&LA Educational Foundation scholarships for students in the Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Program, with many students at UW-Stout receiving valuable scholarships to assist with their education over the years.  In addition to his role on the WIA Board of Directors, Joe also serves as Faculty Advisor to the American Hospitality Professionals chapter at UW-Stout, two national committees with the American Resort Development Association, chairs the Menonomie Tourism Commission and is the Associate Director of the Groupware Competency Center at the University of Paderborn in Paderborn, Germany.

Joe received his award earlier this week at the 2009 Wisconsin Lodging Conference & Trade Show at the Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells. Congratulations again to Professor Holland: the 2009 Associate of the Year!